Paula Bennett walks out of Parliament over National's treatment by Mallard

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Forums › Politics › Paula Bennett walks out of Parliament over National's treatment by Mallard

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Pumpedd

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#2022174 25-May-2018 01:26

dwilson:

frednz:

MikeB4:

Filibustering question time is childish and a waste of time. Paula Bennett and the National Party need to be above this behaviour.

I guess they have to go to these lengths to show that Mallard's childish system of reducing the number of allocated questions as a disciplinary measure, is not a democratic way of behaving. Perhaps the Speaker is the one who needs to stop acting in a childish manner?

Yes, the correct and most mature way to deal with this situation is making barn yard noises and wasting everyone's time.

If I were an elected member of parliament, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, holding the New Zealand's future in my hands, that is EXACTLY how I would resolve all disagreements with my work colleagues.

You clearly dont fully understand our parliamentary system. Questiontime is only about 1.5 hrs 3 times a week and is the only opportunity the opposition has to hold the government to account. It is a debating chamber and the rowdiness of it is normal amongst all Westminster style parliaments. Generally it is very robust and not ill intented as members from both sides of the House are friends once the time is over.

The role of the Speaker is very clear and we have been blessed with great speakers the last decade or so where leadership is vital. Mallard is a joke and always has been a joke and I am sure his time in limited.

MikeB4

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#2022267 25-May-2018 09:38

Question time is an important part of our Parliamentary accountability, it is the time when the House holds Ministers to account. It is a structured daily sitting governed standing orders. It is not a time for childish bickering from either side of the house and it is not time for Party politics, squabbling and petty points scoring.

The Speaker is the Crown's and Vice Regal's representative in the House and as such must conduct themselves with dignity, professionalism, impartiality and in accordance with the rules of the House and constitutional documents. I do not feel that the current speakers is doing this and the House should take correct action to put right, that also is not being done.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

Pumpedd

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#2022419 25-May-2018 12:54

MikeB4:

Question time is an important part of our Parliamentary accountability, it is the time when the House holds Ministers to account. It is a structured daily sitting governed standing orders. It is not a time for childish bickering from either side of the house and it is not time for Party politics, squabbling and petty points scoring.

The Speaker is the Crown's and Vice Regal's representative in the House and as such must conduct themselves with dignity, professionalism, impartiality and in accordance with the rules of the House and constitutional documents. I do not feel that the current speakers is doing this and the House should take correct action to put right, that also is not being done.

I believe it is being told from what an insider told me. The issue is there is no point putting a no confidence motion unless you have enough votes in order for it to pass. I also believe that the Oppositions actions this week have been deliberate to try and seek help with the motion. Time will tell.

MikeAqua

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#2023869 28-May-2018 11:42

On the whole I think govt questions to minsters (patsy questions) are a waste of time and public sector resources.

Opposition questions OTOH are an important part of our democracy (whoever is in govt/opposition). They are used to score points, but that is part of the process of the opposition piling political pressure on the government.

There are two issues with what Mallard is doing: -

A) Deducting opposition questions is more harmful to govt accountability;

B) He is allowing minister to obfuscate and not answer questions properly.

It's more significant if you know what is happening around Wellington: The opposition trying to drown the govt in questions - parliamentary, ministerial and Official Information Act. It's a tactic that is presumably intended to put the govt under budget and resource pressure as well as exhume a few well-known skeletons from closets.

So IMO the speaker is actively trying to derail the opposition's legal tactics - totally inappropriate conduct.

Mike

frednz

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#2024472 29-May-2018 09:56

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12058350

And now Heather du Plessis-Allan has joined the "attack" against National:

"But Mallard doesn't deserve to be accused of bias in the House. He's cracked down harder on the Government side of the House than the Nats, accused Labour MP Stuart Nash of acting like a naughty child and docked New Zealand First MP Shane Jones three supplementary questions just for laughing.

So, the villain here isn't the Speaker. The villain is the National Party, which at worst did say "stupid little girl", and at best thoroughly enjoyed exploiting the phrase. You choose. Either way, they lose."

So why do many journalists appear to be so willing to put National down? How could anyone who has closely followed this issue, rationally conclude that "the villain is the National Party" when the root cause of the problem is so obviously Mallard's ridiculous system of deducting question entitlements as a means of trying to maintain discipline during "Question Time"?

MikeAqua

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#2024644 29-May-2018 12:12

frednz:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12058350

And now Heather du Plessis-Allan has joined the "attack" against National:

Another analysis that ignores the relative impact of the opposition losing questions vs the government.

HdPA's claim the Nat's have enjoyed referencing the phrase doesn't seem accurate either. My impression has been they tend to avoid the specific words altogether when dealing with the media.

Nats have absolutely leveraged the situation to attack Mallard for bias. Good on them ... there is good cause to believe he has engineered the whole fiasco, because (according to HdPA) no-one else appears willing to go on record and say they actually heard the comment.

Mike

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Kyanar

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#2029837 5-Jun-2018 14:11

Honestly though, if you want to see a biased speaker letting a contemptuous government run rampant while clamping down like a vice on a dysfunctional opposition, watch Australian Question Time. You'll never complain about Mallard again.

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