1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136 
STM STD HAUL
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
IF ONLY that Liberal MP had not appeared be reading his speech about agriculture ...
But that was the impression he gave — ar bang went any chance of the Governmet giving any firm details of the transport legi lation mentioned vaguely in the Queen Speech.
Transport was not one of the topics single out for debate during the Commons di: cussion of the Government's plans for tlnew session. Crime, education, unemplo ment, these dominated much of the agenda.
But industry and commerce? Surely tran port would get a fair old mention when tho: subjects were on the agenda? After all, mol ing goods and people does play a certain pa in both those activities.
And sure enough, Sydney Irving, the L'A bour Member for Dartford, after a few wore in favour of the Common Market said he wz pleased to see that the Queen's Speech mei tioned transport 1e2islatinn There was instant activity from Clemer Freud, the Liberal Member for the Isle of El: who is not the dozy, ponderous fellow h appears to be in dog food adverts or whe crossing words with Kenneth Williams i radio's Just a Minute.
A few minutes earlier Sir Stephen Mc.Ad den, the Tory who sits for East Southend, ha had the cheek to criticise farmer and Liben Geraint Howells for reading a "rather boi ing" speech — as everyone knows, MPs ar allowed to make boring speeches in the Con mons, but they are not permitted to rea them.
So two could play at that game, even if th victim was a Labour man, not a Tory. Mr Freud rose "on a point of order". Order?
While Mr Irving had been speaking th Speaker, George Thomas, had returned t, the Chamber to take over from the Deput: Speaker, Oscar Murton, who had been sit ting in for him.
So, explained Mr Freud, this was really point of order for the Deputy Speaker. Tha ingenious idea was immediately quashed, si the unabashed Liberal complained about th, inconsistency of "the Chair" in not forcing Si Stephen to point out that Mr Irving wa reading his speech, as he had done a fey minutes earlier.
Sir Stephen had an answer to that .. • hi had complained that Mr Howells had rem every word, comma and full stop.
Mr Irving's mangled contribution was for gotten as soon as the next speaker rose to hi: feet. Reg Prentice, the former Labour Mmn. ister, was making his first speech from the Tory benches.