SHORT SPEECHES

Hokitika Guardian, 22 December 1931, Page 6

SHORT SPEECHES

SPEAKER’S ADVICE TO LEGISLATORS. OLD AND NEW METHODS. LONDON, Nov. 12. The Speaker of the House of Commons last week made an appeal to members to limit their speeches to fifteen or twenty minutes. “I can safely say,” he declared, “that some of the best and most effective speeches I have heard in the House have not taken more than twenty minutesIn this hustling age the hint of the First Commoner is not likely to go unheeded, says an ex-Parliamentary correspondent of the “Observer.” But with what shock would such a suggestion have been received fifty or sixty years ago. Such self-denying ordinance would have been regarded as bordering on the impossible. The new era, 1 think, may be dated from the year 1876, when Mr Joseph Chamberlain was elected to Parliament. He was the pioneer of crisp, businesslike, incisive kind of House of Commons speaking. He economised in the use of words, and whatever subject was under discussion went straight to the kernel of it without skirmishing about with things that really didn’t matter. A lead in long speeches was, as every body knows, given by Mr Gladstone ; and even to this day, as the Speaker last week reminded the fi'ouse, Ministers “are not always the soul of brevity.” Whilst im former free-and-easy Parliamentary days all were guilty of prolixity, it is admitted that the members of the Irish Nationalist Party led the way as the chief offenders, Before the closure rule—the “gag,” as it was called—there was no power to curb inordinately long speeches; and the members from Southern Ireland did not fail to take advantage of the freedom. Mr Joe IHggar, an Irish Nationalist famous for his volubility, often spoke ror a couple of hours or more. However, much lie annoyed or bored his fellowmenibei's there was no Parliamentary means by which he could be stopped.

NON-STOP TALKER.

After the death of Parnell, hut at ;i time when Irish matters still prominently occupied the attention of Parliament, Mr William Blake, a Canadianirisliinan, crossed the Atlantic and became one of t-lie Irish Nutionuli&t Paiilia'iineidtary phalanx of about eighty members! He was soon looked upon as rather dull and prosy, but his chief merit, in the view of his associates; was that he was a non-stop talker always capable of meeting any emergency. Rising upon one occasion “just briefly td support,” as he said, “the remarks of my hou. friend” (a members of his Party), Mr Blake made a speech which ,lasted npv. a.ds of four hours. The House writhed under the ordeal, but it had to hear the discomfiture as best it could.

Not frequently the speakers provided themselves with Blue Books, lengthy documents, and extracts ironi speeches and reports of public bodies, which number tens of thousands of words. These they would quote in extenso in order to emphasise arguments upon subjects upon which “the faithful Commons” as a body didn’t care two straws. English, Scotch and Welsh members sometimes called attention to, and dilated for an hour or so upon- happenings in some' remote out of the way places, which you couldn’t firid on the map. So protracted became at times the utterances of members that a full day’s Parliamentary debate would end witn no more than a dozen persons having had an opportunity to take part. Apart from the revolt in the. House itself against pomposity and .longwindedness,, the attitude of the Press towards Parliamentary proceedings has had such effect :h shortening the flow' of “words, words, words.” Years ago members’ speeches in Parliament were reported at considerable length in the local newspapers circulating in their constituencies. 'Now modern journalists give # less space to speeches but more to descriptions of what occurs at St Stephens on matters of widespread interest. The result has been whereas in the past members spoke to the Press Gallery rather than to their fellow-legislators they find this practice most useless now owing to the changed policy of organs of public opinion in all parts of the country. I have known private members speak for hours to empty benches knowing that they would be reported in the local Press. The incentive to loquacity has largely disappeared.