Points of Order (Hansard, 29 October 1987)

§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Reference was made before the recess to people wearing different forms of attire, especially during the summer. I asked what was and what was not permitted. It is high time that the cheap remarks about people engaged in a peaceful protest ended. Those people have been drawing attention to the forms of brutality used against the ANC by not only Botha and his regime but hon. Members. Those remarks should end, especially because last night many Members in the Chamber were dressed like penguins. I make no special point, except that I do not regard that form of dress as normal. Some would say that it was fancy dress. There are people in the House who, for reasons of custom, have sat at the Table—and here I am including you, Mr. Speaker—in what some would describe as kinky clothes. There are people who come to the Chamber dressed as barristers. I make no special point about this. We tolerate it. But it is high time we reconsidered what all those people, including you, Sir, do. We should consider the views of those of my hon. Friends who have decided to do something on behalf of people outside the Chamber who are fighting for their lives.

§ Mr. David Winnick (Walsall, North)
Further to the point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I do not think that it would help. I am concerned, as I think is the whole House, about the dignity of Parliament. I am not against peaceful demonstration, but we proceed here in the Chamber by words rather than by demonstration.

§ Mr. Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I seek your advice. It is clear to the House that Her Majesty's Stationery Office is encountering difficulties with its new machinery. Last night, early-day motions were tabled and accepted by the Table Office, not least one, of which I was the principal sponsor, which opposes the British Airways-British Caledonian merger. My early-day motion has not appeared on today's Order Paper.
This is not the first time since the House reassembled after the summer recess that early-day motions have either 462 not appeared or appeared with incorrect spelling and names inadequately added, although those names were presented to and accepted by the Table Office. Even when the early-day motions have been printed, the total shown has not tallied with the number of names appended to them.
May we please have your protection, Mr. Speaker, so that correct early-day motions tabled within the time limits imposed to enable them to appear on the Order Paper the following day and accepted by the Table Office do appear on the Order Paper? Will you give an assurance that the problems of the Table Office will be overcome shortly and that the Order Paper will return to normal?

§ Mr. Speaker
Her Majesty's Stationery Office is not a Department of the House. I have been in touch with the Minister responsible for it to draw his attention to the fact that the printing of our Order Paper has been very unsatisfactory. I have his assurance that he will do what he can to correct the problem. I understand that the difficulty is concerned with new technology which is being run in. We hope that it will rapidly improve.

§ Mr. Winnick
This Parliament has many connections—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I have not called the hon Member. Is this an intervention or a point of order?

§ Mr. Winnick
It is a point of order, Sir, which is devoted to a previous point, but not concerning dress.
This Parliament has many connections with the Commonwealth, as you know better than most. Would not be appropriate to make the point, when delegations come here and we send representatives to Commonwealth countries, that one does not accept that the ANC is a terrorist organisation? It came into existence in 1911 and for most of its life was totally opposed to acts of violence. The ANC resorted to violence when the South African authorities decided that they would not allow constitutional advance —

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. This is the very point that I was seeking to make earlier. In this House we proceed by argument rather than by demonstration. The hon. Member's point is plainly a matter of argument and one that it is legitimate to use in debate.