...what a shameful misperformance this afternoon by an otherwise excellent Speaker of Parliament. The Right Honourable Trevor Mallard, former (longserving) member for Upper Hutt, and despite the (publicly-aired) views of many, especially the current National Party Opposition, has thus far and however unorthodox his approach upon many an occasion, been - I believe - holding a flexible yet steady ship in the halls of Parliament...
But to refuse to insist that a member - in fact, Justice Minister Andrew Little, I believe (someone who should surely know much better) who used the word 'fascist' in reference to various miscellaneous past parliamentarians, especially evidently some ACT NZ ones - needn't do the usual right and proper thing, i.e. withdraw and apologize thereabouts...
...is simply incomprehensible, casting as it does needless aspersions and unsavoury reflection upon folk whom Act leader David Seymour characterized as worthy of due honour...
And for NZ First, Labour and Green members presently in the chamber to refuse to challenge Mr Mallard in so doing gives their own sanction of approval to such an unworthy misdeed, thereby making them all effectively complicit...
In this one instance anyhow - and indeed upon similar issues of freedom of speech in recent times - Mr Seymour has stood in defence of a time-honoured principle of our proud Westminster tradition, while other members - including National Party members now that I think of it; unless Gerry Brownlie challenged the Speaker's ruling/determination - were evidently nowhere to be seen...
And to think of the sort of trivial instances constantly appearing in the news media these days; and the hissy fits that some folk seem to constantly be having over such....
But to refuse to insist that a member - in fact, Justice Minister Andrew Little, I believe (someone who should surely know much better) who used the word 'fascist' in reference to various miscellaneous past parliamentarians, especially evidently some ACT NZ ones - needn't do the usual right and proper thing, i.e. withdraw and apologize thereabouts...
...is simply incomprehensible, casting as it does needless aspersions and unsavoury reflection upon folk whom Act leader David Seymour characterized as worthy of due honour...
And for NZ First, Labour and Green members presently in the chamber to refuse to challenge Mr Mallard in so doing gives their own sanction of approval to such an unworthy misdeed, thereby making them all effectively complicit...
In this one instance anyhow - and indeed upon similar issues of freedom of speech in recent times - Mr Seymour has stood in defence of a time-honoured principle of our proud Westminster tradition, while other members - including National Party members now that I think of it; unless Gerry Brownlie challenged the Speaker's ruling/determination - were evidently nowhere to be seen...
And to think of the sort of trivial instances constantly appearing in the news media these days; and the hissy fits that some folk seem to constantly be having over such....
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