A slap on the wrist for Margaret
The Speaker Willie Hay admonished the Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie today over comments she made in a debate last week on environmental improvements in the Markets. Ms Ritchie used the debate to launch an attack on Alec Maskey over his comments on Robert McCartney's murder.
Earlier today Mr Hay ruled that Ms Ritchie's language had not been unparliamentary (so there is no danger of her being ejected from the chamber a la Iris Robinson). However he deemed them to be irrelevant to the topic under discussion and not in line with the requirement for "good temper and moderation".
On Stormont Live, I hazarded the opinion that the Speaker was extending his remit as the relevant Standing Order (number 65) did not mention the need for "good temper". However Stormont officials tell me Mr Hay was drawing on the parliamentary bible, Erskine May, which states that "good temper and moderation are the characteristics of parliamentary language".
So Ms Ritchie's wrist has been duly slapped, but I think that's where the matter will rest.
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Mark
RITCHIE RIGHT, MASKEY REPREHENSIBLE, SPEAKER INCOMPETENT
Margaret Ritchie?s remarks chime with two long-held views of mine:
1 Alec Maskey?s behaviour in the Markets on the night after the murder of Robert McCartney was reprehensible.
2 The Speaker is incompetent. He failed miserably to rule on Maskey?s point of order during the debate; five days later he suggests to Ms Ritchie that she should mind her [Parliamentary] language, citing the fact that he had received a number of complaints, from whom is anyone?s guess. So the Speaker has decided Assembly Members can be reprimanded if he receives complaints from outside the Chamber. Idiocy of the first water!
Susie
Carryduff
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Mark
POST 1, AMENDED VERSION (Apologies)
RITCHIE RIGHT, MASKEY REPREHENSIBLE, SPEAKER INCOMPETENT
Margaret Ritchie?s remarks chime with two long-held views of mine:
1 Alec Maskey's behaviour in the Markets on the night after the murder of Robert McCartney was reprehensible.
2 The Speaker is incompetent. Dallat failed miserably to rule on Maskey's point of order during the debate; five days later Willie Hay suggests to Ms Ritchie that she should mind her [Parliamentary] language, citing the fact that he had received a number of complaints, from whom is anyone?s guess. So the Speaker has decided Assembly Members can be reprimanded if he receives complaints from outside the Chamber. Idiocy of the first water!
Susie
Carryduff
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Susie
That is a good link you have to the article by Michael Gove. What would the Tories do if they got into Government? Expel Sinn Fein? I dont think so has it would move the process back 5-10 years.
For once I agree with Margaret Ritchie. The content of the message was clear but maybe it wasn?t the best thing to say in an Assembly when their as a Minister. Is she not going to sit in the Executive with Sinn Fein because Alex Maskey is one of their MLA's? Well at the minute she won't sit with them as there is no Executive when the executive is resumed then she will sit down like old friends.
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Susie,
Like a lot of people, I agree entirely with Margaret Richie's words (though her time and place could have been chosen more carefully).
Re you comments about Dallat supposedly "fail[ing] miserably to rule on Maskey's point of order"...IT WAS NOT A VALID "POINT OF ORDER"!!!!!
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marykate79
1 As far as I'm concerned the highlighting of Robert McCartney's murder is appropriate any time, any place, anywhere.
2 'IT WAS NOT A VALID "POINT OF ORDER"!!!!!' In football parlance a"disallowed goal" is not a goal because the referee decides that to be the case. We will never know whether or not Maskey raised a genuine point of order because Dallat (the referee) did not make a decision one way or the other.
Interestingly, in reprimanding Ms Ritchie, the Speaker seemed to accept that Maskey had raised a valid point of order when he (the Speaker) said:
"The point of order made by Mr A Maskey provided him with an adequate opportunity to reply to the comments, and I encourage the Minister to reflect on the reply and on my comments this morning. I remind Members that these standards of which I have spoken ? good temper and moderation in debate ? apply to all."
There again I wouldn't give much credence to the Speaker who is, for the most part, incompetent.
Susie
Carryduff
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Susie,
Are you confusing the Speaker with the Deputy Speaker?! Or do you simply disagree with everyone?
Have a cup of tea and relax!
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marykate79
No (clearly)
Yes (most of the time)
AND
Follow your own advice.
Susie
Carryduff
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