Monday 20 September 2010

Oakeshott becoming a good reason for returning to the polls as soon as possible


The Independent MP for Lyne Rob "I thought the group hug meant something" Oakeshott's bid to become Speaker in the House of Representatives is trying the patience of many locals and raising a few eyebrows around the country.
As far as I'm concerned it's fast becoming a good reason why another House of Reps election should be called as soon as possible.
Australia deserves more than another wayward ego on the bully boy march even before Parliament is recalled - Tony Teh Wrecker (who thinks that the nation is nothing more than a gift wrapped present to be privately given at will) is enough to cope with as he trys to force his way into government.

The Oz on 18th September 2010:
ROB Oakeshott's parliamentary reform deal with Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott could open the way to High Court challenges to laws passed under the agreement.
Legal experts warned yesterday that granting a parliamentary "pair" to the new Speaker of the House of Representatives - ensuring the Speaker's vote was cancelled out by a member with the opposite position - breached the spirit of the Constitution and would invite a legal challenge.
The warning, from leading constitutional lawyer Geoff Lindell, raises doubts about the validity of key parts of an agreement struck by Labor and the Coalition with independent MPs over the powers of the Speaker.
Professor Lindell's view is in line with that of legal academic Greg Craven, the vice-chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, who argued that the parliamentary reform agreement ran contrary to the intention of the Constitution.
"What the agreement does is allow the Speaker almost to vote negatively by taking one vote off one side of parliament," Professor Craven said. "It gives the Speaker a negative vote." This meant the "parliamentary reform" agreement was "pushing against the intention of the Constitution"....
But Professor Lindell said the result of a pairing arrangement would give the Speaker the ability to influence the outcome of a vote on an issue.
Mr Oakeshott said last night that unless the agreement giving the Speaker a pair were honoured "all bets are off and we could be heading for Mexican standoff on the first day of parliament...."

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