Speaker’s Rulings — Speaker’s Ruling 47/1—Political Parties: Offensive Term

Last week the Rt Hon Winston Peters asked me to reconsider my reliance on Speaker’s ruling 47/1: “It is just as unparliamentary to apply an offensive term to members of a party as to apply it to members individually.” Mr Peters argued that it was an old ruling—it was given in 1914—and it has been suspended by a Speaker’s ruling given at the time that the Alliance broke up in 2002. The ruling may be an old one, but it has been consistently relied on in the House. I do not see any reason relating to its longevity to depart from it. In regard to the Alliance, the Speaker was required to make a number of rulings relating to the status of that party. Two of those are recorded in Speaker’s rulings 5/6 and 5/7. These rulings were concerned with continued recognition of the party under Standing Order 34. They did not in any way undermine Speaker’s ruling 47/1. That ruling continues to have full force.