Botany candidate Penny Bright: “MPs cannot be allowed to ‘mislead’ the House”.

2o January 2011

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/brownlee-denies-lying-about-hobbit-nn-83974#comment-55964

Good to see an MP making a complaint to the Speaker for ‘Contempt of the House’.

Got my copy of Parliamentary ‘Standing Orders’ when I went down to Wellington before Christmas, and made inquiries about what I could, or couldn’t do as an Independent MP (if elected in the Botany by-election).

Initiating a complaint to the Speaker for ‘Contempt of the House’ is one of the things I would be able to do.

“400 Contempt of House

(1) the House may treat as a contempt any act or omission which –

(a) obstructs or impedes the House in the performance of its functions, or

(b) Obstructs or impedes any member or officer of the House in the discharge of the member’s or officer’s duty, or

(c) has a tendency, directly or indirectly, to produce such a result.

(20 In deciding whether or not to treat any act or omission as a contempt, the House may consider –

(a) the conduct of any person taking part in parliamentary proceedings:

(b) the nature of any action taken against any person on account of that person’s actions when taking part in parliamentary proceedings.

401 Examples of contempts

Without limiting the generality of Standing Order 400, the House may treat as a contempt any of the following:

(b) deliberately attempting to mislead the House or a committee (by way of statement, evidence or petition): ……”

I understand that some unionists received death threats as a result of deliberate misleadership that the union boycott was still on – when it had been called off.

In my considered opinion – that was despicable.

If I were an MP, I would support contempt proceedings against all/any MPs who deliberately misled the House by
suggesting ‘the main cause of uncertainty around whether The Hobbit would be filmed in New Zealand was the boycott’.

‘A spokesman for Mr Brownlee rejected Mr Mallard’s accusation, saying it was “an absurd claim”.’

Really?

The facts and evidence pertaining to this matter, including the Hansard record should prove just whose ‘claim’ is ‘absurd’.

I look forward to the Speaker of the House, upholding Parliamentary Standing Orders, and ensuring that there will be ‘zero tolerance’ for deliberate misleadership of the ‘highest Court in the land’.

Penny Bright
Media Spokesperson
Water Pressure Group
Judicially recognised Public Watchdog on Metrowater, water and Auckland regional governance matters.
“Anti-corruption campaigner”.

Auckland Mayoral candidate 2010.
Independent candidate Botany by-election 2011

Penny Bright (not verified) | Thursday, January 20, 2011 – 8:52pm