Robert A. Heinlein Quotes

The standing orders of the Parliamentary Party, however, apply to me, apply to every other Member of the Parliamentary Labour Party and they put into a context the way in which those rights to freedom of speech should be exercised.

The House of Representatives eliminated the filibuster way back in the 19th century, and somehow it managed to survive.

I have been commanded by the king [Charles I] to adjourn and put no question to this house.

The interests of the assembly are best subserved by allowing the floor to alternate between the friends and enemies of a measure.

The history of Congress shows that once parliamentary tools become big enough obstacles for the majority party, they are abolished or reformed.

I am aware that people at large are constantly angry with the Congress because they feel we are shouting. We are making noise, but there is a very serious reason for it. Parliamentary rules are not being followed.

Anyone who has ever spent time listening to a legislature knows the astonishing speed at which all presiding officers and reading clerks can spit out the formulaic incantations of parliamentary procedure.

There's a learning curve to understanding how the Senate operates.

Parliamentarian rules, the rules of the House, how you get bills referred, really the nuts and bolts that most members don't ever want to know because it's a lot of work. But that's what really makes you successful.

I read where they are going to limit debate in the Senate. It used to be that a man could talk all day, but now, as soon as he tells all he knows, he has to sit down. Most of these birds will just be getting up and nodding now. Why, some of them won't be able to answer roll call.

I have this fear that one day there's going to be a fire in the Senate and there are only going to be 57 senators there and they’ll all die because they won't have 60 votes to allow themselves to leave the building.

When I went up to Glasgow University in 1967, student life was dominated by 13-hour debates on Fridays, when one of the student political clubs would form the 'government' for the day and attempt to push through a piece of legislation, which the other clubs either supported or opposed.

There are lots of things one can criticise about the European parliament, but it does work pretty well in terms of the speed with which you can vote, the fact that there's room to sit, the fact that there are offices when you arrive.

I would say that of many, many difficult aspects of my job as speaker, presiding over a debate on a bill that has an emotional aspect to it on both sides is the most challenging thing that I can think of.

Usually, even when a bill draws extreme opinions, there can be a process of expression and negotiation.

The government takes the opposition day debates incredibly seriously.

In Westminster, I make sure I maximise my ability to represent my constituents. I can do that in a variety of ways: by asking written questions or questions in the House of Commons, through the scrutiny of bills and by sitting on the environmental audit select committee every week, as well as other committees.

It is often quite impossible to gauge the mood of the Chamber in advance, particularly on big occasions. One moment, it is relaxed and good-humoured; at the next, it can be angry and querulous, and the House in this mood can be a formidable arena.

I think the thing that's impressed me the most has been the fantastic professionalism of the officials in the Senate.

We never said that we don't have faith in Parliament. We have great respect for Parliament.

If you read the Senate rules, there are provisions where the Senate parliamentarian can be overridden.

I don't think anybody, regardless of tragic circumstances, can expect to come to a congressional hearing and take it over with a series of interruptions.

We focused attention on what some believe are the flaws in the process leading to Senate consideration of the bill and the flaws of the bill itself.

Part of my role, I suppose, is to run government business in the House of Representatives, and try to ensure that people know exactly what's going on in the Chamber is an important part of that.

I have never pretended to be a great House of Commons man, but I pay the House the greatest compliment I can by saying that, from first to last, I never stopped fearing it.