Today there was a schmozzle in parliament today with constant points of order and people being thrown out. Labor had numerous questions at the end about the validity and fairness of the Speaker’s rulings. They reckon there have been 30 warnings in the last three days, 29 against Labor members.

Eight people have been thrown out, all Labor of course, and four I think today. It’s a bit like when you have a poor ref in a contact sport and the players lose all respect.

About time both sides sat down and agreed to make this position independent, perhaps even by removing the requirement that they are drawn from the house itself.

Sadly this is true …. so too is having a say on who will become Governor-General (one of the reasons some Australians – young and old – hold both offices in contempt).

At least Julia Gillard did try to bring tone and decency to the Parliament.

Incidentally, apropos of nought, one of the lesser known but best-named Brisbane thrash bands of the 90s was “Mistah Speakah”.

I believe they supporting “Bloated Scrotum” at the W’gabba Railway Hotel a few times.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/the-real-disorder-in-the-house/2006/06/06/1149359742435.html?page=2

Apparently Gillard “has her own reasons for wanting to raise the parliamentary temperature.”

So it’s the Speaker’s unwillingness to form his own opinions that is the real problem.

Julia Gillard explained herself on radio this morning.

You probably heard that four of them were kicked out for an hour today, including Stephen Smith, Gillard and Albanese.

In part I think they are attacking the govt on its weakest point in parliament – the management of the house.

In part they are just sick to death of the way the govt doesn’t even attempt to answer any questions, they just blather on tipping buckets on Labor about anything that comes to mind.

Labor contested everything vigorously today. Parliament is an awful rabble to listen to but I took some hope in that Labor was not just copping it, but gave all the appearance of being quite cohesive. I think they’ve got a sniff.

In the MPI debate today Beazley made it quite clear that he’s going after them in RARA land where, according to what was said today labor has four seats and the other mob has 45.

One of the side-plays is that Bronnie keeps jumping up with points of order, demonstrating what a mistake they made in not making her Speaker.

Definitely a few mor evotes in all that useful enrgy expenditure.

Howard must be shaking in his boots!

Yes, people who have been in the same room as both of them say the UST is quite palpable.

I think we can all guess what the highlight of Parliamentry Big Brother would be. (Aside from Bill Heffernan caught trying on the women’s underwear.)

And yes this talk of Julia’s looks is pretty inane. Incidentally isn’t it a shame how Tony Abbott is letting his locks fade away. Hasn’t the poor guy heard of Advanced Hair, yeah, yeah?

Hawker, of course, was in a bind with Gillard’s repetition of Abbott’s words. If he moved against her he drew publicity to the whole episode and the hypocrisy on government rulings. If he let it go, he risked lowering standards. Result: a moral win to Beazer and Gillard.

If he did stuff up, it was by bowing out of Beazley’s invitation to belatedly condemn Abbott and Lindsay. That would’ve really set the cat among the pigeons and maybe led to his losing the chair. Even then he could’ve hung on because the government wouldn’t have wanted the bad publicity, but David maybe didn’t think that far ahead.

As someone who lives in Hawker’s electorate, and even drove him by cab from Warrnambool to Camperdown, I can tell you that while he may not be the brightest spark around, he is a good conversationalist and quite humane. There is little of the plastic that you encounter in most pollies. Still wouldn’t vote for him, though.

No, I thought not. Sorry. As you were.

Julia definately isn’t “not the hatchet-faced hag that she projects on TV”

I’ve been listening to parliament for the last week in the afternoons and I think I’d have a somewhat different take on it.

First up Hawker was not in the chair when the original problem arose, Peter Lindsay was. He obviously stuffed up by not asking Abbott to rephrase his motion.

I’m not sure of the technicalities, but when Labor objected the house passed some kind of resolution setting the thing in stone by supporting Abbott. When Abbott withdrew in such an offensive manner he logically couldn’t because the House had already passed his motion which stands there in Hansard.

Rather than a Gillard thing it seemed clear to me that there is a major strategy to embarrass the Government and its management of the house by attacking the Speaker. Gillard has also been caning him over not taking action to invalidate the votes of some Government members, in an incident where the doors were held open for them to return to the chamber when it should have been shut in their face. Gillard quoted Sneddon as a precedent.

On this the Abbott ‘grub’ issue it is clear to me that Labor had a predetermined strategy for the day. At least it looked like that, with Beazley and Albanese supporting Gillard. Others have played bit parts on Monday.

The speaker felt obliged to make a statement that Gillard had been thrown out because she defied the Chair, not because she used the same words as Abbott. Faced with this bit of casuistry and exhortations on everyone to behave Beazley asked:

Do I understand that, from your statement, that that is in effect a rebuke of the leader of the House for the terminology that he used at the time in the chamber, a rebuke for moving the motion in the terms in which he did, and a rebuke to the Deputy Speaker at the time for the way in which that matter was handled? (quote from our ABC)

When the Speaker wouldn’t play ball Beazley then moved that standing orders be set aside so that the house could pass a resolution which basically re-established the norm that everyone should behave decently (not sure of the exact detail here, but it was designed, I think as Labor’s final play on this one.)

He then delivered a well-crafted speech which had obviously been prepared beforehand.

Abbott said everyone makes mistakes, not the least him.

Albanese quipped that here we have “confession without contrition”.

I think how today played out was obviously set up by Beazley, Gillard and Albanese and it worked a treat.