TASMANIAN MPs have accused each other of childish behaviour after the Opposition Leader made a masturbatory gesture across the floor of Parliament to a rival politician.
The rival MP has in turn been accused of juvenile behaviour for rejecting Opposition Leader Will Hodgman's apology by running away with his fingers pushed into his ears and saying: "I'm not listening, I'm not listening,'' State Parliament was told today.
Welcome to Australia, where the government meets the schoolyard. If anyone finds a clip of this, I'd be interested.
I personally think the second action is more childish, but I may be biased as I'm a fan of the gesture.
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Meh, sounds par for the course. Disappointed nobody punched on, to be honest.
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After all, parliamentary Question Time is just a highly ritualised version of monkeys throwing poo at each other.
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Our former Deputy PM once called the front bench a bunch of tossers in the Commons. He also smacked someone in the face about being hit by an egg...... Oh, and he cant speak properly to save his life. I miss John Prescott, he made the world a more gaff-happy one.
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Not even close to what the Taiwanese Parliament does ( or did; perhaps they cleaned up their act ). I recall the videos a few years back. Fistfights, brawls, furniture throwing; the men shoving and throwing punches and the women yanking each other's hair. Watching a bunch of adults in conservative, sober outfits acting like an out-of-control classroom of kids was kind of bizarre.
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Dartzap wrote:Our former Deputy PM once called the front bench a bunch of tossers in the Commons. He also smacked someone in the face about being hit by an egg...... Oh, and he cant speak properly to save his life. I miss John Prescott, he made the world a more gaff-happy one.
In the case of the egg, it wasn't that unreasonable. Someone threw an egg into his face and he turned round and punched them. I suspect his popularity went up somewhat after that.
weemadando wrote:THis probably isn't as good as the story about the Police Commissioner being strip-searched when trying to enter the Court House.
*cough* former Police Commissioner, Ando. Which is of course what that's all about.
And honestly, I'd rather they were behaving like a floor full of Keatings than the underhanded shit that went on with the previous premier.
The funniest thing is that the Mercury has been talking up how young the leaders of the big three are, and they've finally had a payoff on that front. Can't wait to see tomorrow's front page
Dartzap wrote:Our former Deputy PM once called the front bench a bunch of tossers in the Commons. He also smacked someone in the face about being hit by an egg...... Oh, and he cant speak properly to save his life. I miss John Prescott, he made the world a more gaff-happy one.
In the case of the egg, it wasn't that unreasonable. Someone threw an egg into his face and he turned round and punched them. I suspect his popularity went up somewhat after that.
IIRC, it did somewhat. Prescott was basically just this rambling northern lump, then he twatted a guy who egged him (who, if I recall, also had the kind of mullet that deserves a punch in the face on general principles), and was a hero of the people for five minutes or so.
Given the dullness of our parliament, something like that would certainly do a great deal in making it more attractive to watch
Right now, it's something you watch if you're out of sleeping pills...
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I don't see what decorum has to do with quality of government. The United States maintains strict decorum at its highest levels of government, to the point that politicians who have built careers on trying to bring down George W. Bush will smile, shake his hand, and clap for his speeches. Does all of this decorum give them good government?
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Lord of the Abyss wrote:Tasmania - Most childish Parliament in the world?
Not even close to what the Taiwanese Parliament does ( or did; perhaps they cleaned up their act ). I recall the videos a few years back. Fistfights, brawls, furniture throwing; the men shoving and throwing punches and the women yanking each other's hair. Watching a bunch of adults in conservative, sober outfits acting like an out-of-control classroom of kids was kind of bizarre.
Apparently this has been an ongoing thing in Taiwan since 1987, if that weren't enough.
Dahak wrote:Given the dullness of our parliament, something like that would certainly do a great deal in making it more attractive to watch
Right now, it's something you watch if you're out of sleeping pills...
Well, back in 1984 Joschka Fischer called the vice precident of the Bundestag an asshole.
"With all due respect, Mr. President, you are an asshole"
Dahak wrote:Given the dullness of our parliament, something like that would certainly do a great deal in making it more attractive to watch
Right now, it's something you watch if you're out of sleeping pills...
Well, back in 1984 Joschka Fischer called the vice precident of the Bundestag an asshole.
"With all due respect, Mr. President, you are an asshole"
Well, there are some funny examples. But he turned into "standard politician" very quickly...
Great Dolphin Conspiracy - Chatter box
"Implications: we have been intercepted deliberately by a means unknown, for a purpose unknown, and transferred to a place unknown by a form of intelligence unknown. Apart from the unknown, everything is obvious." ZORAC GALE Force Euro Wimp Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority.
In fact it's almost expected in both countries. In South Korea it's once every few months. In Taiwan it's every damn DAY that something happens. They don't even bother to report it anymore. Just like the WWF or E or whatever it is now does not report the fact that a wrestler got hit a metal folding chair in a match, not even if that chair were On FIRE as well. It's simply too common.
On the other hand there's always this image.
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I don't see what decorum has to do with quality of government. The United States maintains strict decorum at its highest levels of government, to the point that politicians who have built careers on trying to bring down George W. Bush will smile, shake his hand, and clap for his speeches. Does all of this decorum give them good government?
I think its more of a required thing rather than something that actually makes a good government. After all, a parliament that has regular brawls I find hard-pressed to take seriously.
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Zixinus wrote:
I think its more of a required thing rather than something that actually makes a good government. After all, a parliament that has regular brawls I find hard-pressed to take seriously.
I dunno. If they're having brawls, that usually means that the opposition and the government hate each other, and that can only be a good thing, since it means that the opposition is more likely to do their job and call the government on their bullshit.
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gesture.
