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 .
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 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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