RSS Feed
November 24th, 2011 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda 
Peter Slipper was elected as independent speaker today, causing massive uproar in parliament. Picture: Gary Ramage
Source: The Daily Telegraph
PARLIAMENT was in uproar today after a Liberal MP accepted Labor’s invitation to become Speaker and helped the Government ambush the Opposition.
Peter Slipper was elected unopposed as an independent Speaker after the Opposition asked nine Labor back-benchers to stand for the job, and was rebuffed.
Mr Slipper, a former National, said he will leave the Liberals, just in advance of efforts by the party to get him out of his Queensland seat of Fisher.
The defection on Parliament’s last day this year boosted the Government’s ability to navigate legislation through the House of Representatives and left the Coalition less able to block bills.
It means the Government now has the prospect of 76 votes to the Opposition’s 73. Previously the ratio was 75-74.
This could also mean Ms Gillard will not have to rely on the vote of MPs such as Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie, who has threatened to withdraw support for the minority Government should it fail to legislate for poker machine restrictions by next May.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
With the extra votes, the Government could more easily survive any hostility from Mr Wilkie, and might not have to proceed with the unpopular poker machine regulations.
It would also lessen dependence on the Greens through the party’s Lower House MP Adam Bandt.
The drama began quietly when Labor’s Harry Jenkins, Speaker for the past four years, at 7.30am told Prime Minister Julia Gillard he wanted to resign and return to the back bench.
Mr Jenkins later told a stunned Parliament: “To further avoid controversial party political matters, I have divorced myself from involvement from the federal parliamentary Labor Party.
“In this era of minority government, I have progressively become frustrated at this stricture. My desire is to be able to participate in policy and public parliamentary debate.
“And this would be incompatible with continuing in the role of Speaker.”
Prime Minister Gillard said “a remarkable thing has happened in this Parliament this morning,” and wished Mr Jenkins well, while Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said he was an honourable man.
Mr Jenkins had been Deputy Speaker or Speaker since 1996 and a colleague said that after the visit of US President Barack Obama last week, now was a good time to become a back bencher again.
“He’s lonely. He’s separate from the Caucus and can’t attend meetings because he’s Speaker,” said the MP.
“And he wants to finish his career as a good local member again.”
But the Opposition insisted that what is known as “the killing season” because of the number of leaders who have fallen in end-of-year coups had claimed a new victim.
Tony Abbott told Parliament “the Sussex St death squads” had been activated to take out Mr Jenkins because police might be closing in on a Labor MP and forcing him to leave Parliament.
“The Sussex St death squads have been out again, the Sussex St death squads that did for the former Prime Minister (Kevin Rudd) have now done for the Speaker of this Parliament.
“And why have they been out? They have been out because the Prime Minister’s hold on a majority in this Parliament has never been more tenuous.”
Mr Abbott said Ms Gillard “knows the member for Dobell (Craig Thomson) is in diabolical trouble”.
Mr Thomson’s activities as head of the Health Services Union are being investigated by police.
“Well we’ll see what the NSW police have to say about the member for Dobell in just a little while,” Mr Abbott told Parliament.
Ms Gillard said Mr Abbott was calling Mr Jenkins an honourable man one minute and then accusing him of deceiving the Parliament as to why he stood down the next.
The Opposition also attempted to argue it was a breach of Westminster tradition for the Speaker not to be from the party of government, in this case the ALP.
“Surely the Labor Party believes there is one of their number with the ability, honour and integrity to take this role?” said Liberal front bencher Christopher Pyne.
However, the Opposition’s claim there is a Westminster convention requiring a Speaker to come from the government party is challenged in other parliaments, including the one in the Palace of Westminster.
The British Parliament has independent Speaker with no party allegiances.
Government front bencher Anthony Albanese tweeted today: “The tradition in Westminster is for an independent Speaker.”
And the new Australian deputy Speaker, Labor’s Anna Burke, told Parliament today state parliaments on occasion had Speakers who were not from the party forming government.
Posted in 
Tags: 
