§ Mr, Chichester-ClarkMr. Speaker. I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 9, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter which needs urgent consideration, namely,
the cold-blooded murder since the House began to sit this afternoon or two more members of the security forces in Northern Ireland by a bunch of cold-blooded murderers.1249 The two men murdered in this case were policemen.My submission is this. At a time when some of the media are almost, it seems, exclusively concerned with allegations of brutality by troops and policemen, it is more than time that this House gave time for a discussion of the appalling brutality conducted by a small band of murderers and thugs against our hard-pressed troops and police and against innocent women, of which we have seen in the last two days some gruesome details.
What is required—I hope it can be granted at once—is a speech from the Prime Minister and one from the Leader of the Opposition directing the attention of the people of this country and some of the less reputable media in this country to the risk to life, the hardship and the provocation which our security forces have endured, and, whatever may have occurred in the way of isolated incidents, to the fortitute and humanity with which they have comported themselves. What is needed is a declaration from this House that we shall never surrender to terrorism. In my submission, this is a most urgent matter.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration, namely,
the cold-blooded murder since the House began to sit this afternoon of two more members of the security forces in Northern Ireland by a bunch of cold-blooded murderers.As the House knows, under Standing Order No. 9, this is a decision entirely for me and it is not at all an easy decision to make. My decision reflects in no way upon the gravity of the matter raised or the strength of the feelings on the part of those who support such an allegation. I have simply a procedural decision to make, which is not an easy one. That decision is whether the hon. Member's application should have precedence over the business already set down, and I am afraid that I cannot grant his application.