Self-censorship is the most dangerous and insidious kind of censorship, as well as the most risible. Here we see a perfect example of a snake swallowing its own tail and vanishing in a puff of laughter.

BoingBoing reports that the British government, as part of an initiative to encourage and demonstrate connectivity and technological sophistication at a deep level in public service, has posted a video to YouTube. Well bully for them.

Because another branch of that selfsame department whose incredible culture of communication has “released efficiencies by standardisation, simplification and sharing, broadening and deepening of government’s professionalism in terms of the planning, delivery, management, skills and governance of IT enabled change,” has contacted YouTube and gotten the video removed, because it was posted without permission of the copyright holder. Itself.

No, I’m serious. Here’s the report:

UK government censors YouTube vid it posted itself

The UK cabinet office has censored a video that another branch of government had previously posted off of YouTube — ironically, the video was about how the government could be more coordinated:

A video called Transformational Government can no longer be viewed on the site, instead users get a box of red text stating: “This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner COI Television because its content was used without permission.”

COI Television is actually part of the Cabinet Office and the further irony of the video being about transformational government was not lost on one critic.

A spokesman for independent body Public Sector Forums, told silicon.com: “The COI is part of the Cabinet Office. So it looks like the Cabinet Office’s initiative has fallen at the first hurdle and ironically, it’s thanks to a lack of joined-upness between parts of its own ministry.” LINK

May I just note the fact that we already have a word, “connectedness,” which not only expresses the same thought as the expression “joined-upness” but also sounds far less like it came from someone taking remedial breathing class for the second time.

For those who love to slow down to look at traffic wrecks, here is the link to the dead YouTube. Nobody cared enough to stick it on GoogleVids; I checked. For those of you who prefer to watch wrecks in progress, here is the remaining video in the series. The clock is obviously ticking on this one, though, so get your chewy, bureaucratic joined-upness while it’s hawt!