What have been the highlights of your time as Speaker?
I think every day presents something new. One that springs to mind right away, of course, was the visit of President Mandela, when we received the President in Westminster Hall, both Houses, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. We have a lot of steps, very difficult ones – into Westminster Hall, a hall that was built in the year 1080 – a great many steps. An elderly man, frail, he had, I think, difficulty walking down the steps and he took hold of my hand and we walked down together and that was a most thrilling occasion for me.
Discussion
- Does you parliament have a Speaker, or similar role? Why is such a role important?
- How are women represented in your parliament? Is it male-dominated?
- Are age-old traditions relevant to life today?
- Which roles in professional life do you think are lonely?
- Would you do Betty Bothroyd's job?
Reading 11
Some Traditions and Customs of the House
There are number of traditions and customs employed in the House of Commons. Some of these are ceremonies or aspects of official dress, etc. They are described in Sir Peter Thorne's Ceremonial and the Mace in the House of Commons (HMSO, 1980).
Prayers
Each sitting of the House begins with prayers. Members stand for prayers, facing the wall behind them. This practice has sometimes been attributes to the difficulty Members would once have faced of kneeling to pray whilst wearing a sword. The Speaker's Chaplain, who is usually the incumbent of St Margaret's Westminster, the House of Commons church, reads the prayers, though in his or her absence another member of the clergy of the Church of England may deputize. A woman minister has occasionally deputized. On rare occasions, in the absence of clergy, the Speaker has read the prayers.
The form of the main prayer is as follows: - «Lord, the God of righteousness and truth, grant to our Queen and her government, to Members of Parliament and all in positions of responsibility, the guidance of your Spirit. May they never lead the nation wrongly through love of power, desire to please, or unworthy ideals but laying aside all private interest and prejudices, keep in mind their responsibility to seek to improve the condition of all mankind; so may your kingdom come and your name be hallowed. Amen.»
Since 1997, an additional prayer has been used to day after the death of a Member has been reported to the House. Although information on the origin of daily prayers is sketchy, it is believed that the practice of having such prayers started about 1558, and was a settled practice by 1567. The use of fixed forms of prayer and the appointment of a clergyman to read them appear to have been developments of the 1580's or later. The present form of prayers probably dates from the Restoration.
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The Form and Style of Debate
By convention, Ministers sit on the front bench on he right hand of the Speaker; the Chief Whip usually sits in this row immediately next to the gangway. Elder statesman and former Prime Ministers have often sat on the first front bench seat beyond the gangway. Parliamentary Private Secretaries usually sit in the row behind their minister. Official Opposition spokesmen use the front bench to the Speaker's left. Minority parties sit on the benches (often the front two).
Unparliamentary Language.
Language and expressions used in the Chamber must conform to a number of rules. Erskine May states «good temper and moderation are the characteristics of parliamentary language.» Objection has been taken both to individual words and to sentences and constructions – in the case of the former, to insulting, coarse, or abusive language (particularly as applied to other Members); and of the latter, to charges of lying or being drunk, and misrepresentation of the words of another. Among the words to which Speakers have objected over the years have been blackguard, coward, hooligan, and traitor. The context in which a word is used is, of course, very important.
The Speaker will direct a Member who has used an unparliamentary word or phrase to withdraw it. Members sometimes use considerable ingenuity to circumvent these rules (as when, for instance, Winston Churchill substituted the phrase «terminological inexactitude» for «lie») but they must be careful to obey the Speaker's directions, as a Member who refuses to retract an offending expression may be named or required to withdraw from the Chamber.
Naming of a Member
If a Member has disregarded the authority of the Chair, or ahs persistently and willfully obstructed the House by abusing its rules, he or she (after generally being given every opportunity to set matters to rights) may be named. That is, the Speaker says «I name Mr George White» or whoever. In such instances, the Leader of the House, the Government ChiefWhip, or the senior Minister present, moves «that Mr George White be suspended from the service of the House.» A division may follow: if the motion is agreed to, the Member is directed to withdraw, and suspension (for five sitting days for a first offence) follows. A second offence in the same session will lead to suspension for 20 sitting days, and a third, to suspension for a period the House has to decide. Any Member so named loses their parliamentary salary for the period of suspension. Should a Member refuse to withdraw, and then resist removal, suspension for the remainder of the Session ensues.
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Sitting in Private
The House nowadays allows members of the public (everyone who is not a Member or Officer of the House is a «Stranger») to be present at its debates, though not at prayers. This, however, was historically not always the case; and the right to debate a matter in private is maintained. Should it be desired to conduct a debate in private, a Member moves «That this House sit in private,» the Speaker or whoever is in the Chair, must then put the motion «That this House sit in private» without debate. The House has not gone into private session since the Second World War. However, if the House did go into private session, sound or television record of that session would be made.
Previously, a Member could achieve «sitting in private» by declaring «I spy Strangers.» But as Members tended to use this as a device of expressing political indignation on a subject, or to delay proceedings, the Modernization Select Committee recommended its abolition. In ancient times, a Member «spying strangers» meant that they had to withdraw automatically – there was no division. On one famous occasion in the 1880s, MrBiggar, an Irish Nationalist Member, caused the Prince of Wales to be removed by use of this device.
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