“…No other Speaker in recent history has devoted as much genuine thought, time and effort to lifting parliamentary standards as has Lockwood Smith.
But yesterday he had an absolute shocker.
He made the wrong calls on a number of fronts.
For starters, there was far too much whistle from Parliament’s referee.
This reached the level of the absurd when National’s Steven Joyce began a ministerial answer by saying “welcome back” to Labour’s David Cunliffe – who has just returned from a lengthy overseas holiday.
Smith demanded Joyce withdraw and apologise to Cunliffe for apparently referring to a member’s absence – something banned under Parliament’s rules.
Smith also got himself in less than justifiable high dudgeon when Winston Peters raised points of order over the responses he was getting to questions about Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson’s handling of a court case relating to the Crafar farms affair.
Smith was quickly on his feet – cutting Peters off in mid-sentence.
For once, Peters, who is a serial points-of-order maker -
- had genuine cause for complaint at his treatment…”
(cont..)
(ed:..i agree about the unfair treatment of peters..
..and what compounded that wrong to peters was the media..almost to a man/woman..then characterising the ejection of peters as a result of him having disrupted the memorial speeches for the killed soldiers..
..it was nothing of the sort…that is a total lie..
..that part of questiontime was over..peters was asking about a totally different subject..
..that the media somehow conflated the two speaks more to their inadequacies/failures than anything else..
..also interesting how the media..once again to a man/woman..ignored the rational/coherent/pointed questioning of that whole folly…that was offered by harawira in his memorial speaking-slot…
..these were all questions that need to be asked/answered..
..and that the media do not do that..and are just unquestioning agents of pro-war propaganda..
..once again speaks loudest to their failing/abdication of duty..)
go to source/story>>>
John Armstrong: Parliament’s referee making wrong calls – Politics – NZ Herald News.
