– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 7 December 1973.
Sir John Gilmour
, Fife East
12:00,
7 December 1973
Earlier this year this House resolved that a Speaker's Table should be presented to the Legislative Assembly of the kingdom of Tonga to mark in 1970 its full independence and return to the community of nations. In July the hon. Member for Bothwell (Mr. James Hamilton) and I were given the task of travelling to Tonga to make the presentation. We were very fortunate to be accompanied by Sir Barnett Cocks, whose wide experience and great personal charm made our journey and task that much easier.
Our journey to Tonga was made during the parliamentary Recess. We reached the kingdom of Tonga on Saturday 29th September and the presentation of the table was made four days later. During the interval we had the good fortune to visit all parts of the main island. We met many of the Tongan people and learned of their way of life and means of livelihood.
The delegation also had the honour of being received in audience by His Majesty the King.
By good fortune, the day the presentation was made coincided with the two-hundredth anniversary of Captain Cook's first landing in the kingdom of Tonga. It was Captain Cook who described the people of Tonga as "the friendly islanders". During the course of our visit to the island we discovered that Captain Cook's description is just as apt today as it was 200 years ago.
My colleague and I were honoured to speak on behalf of this House in the Tongan Assembly and the proceedings were broadcast on the Tongan radio. We were much impressed by the singing which is incorporated in the daily prayers at the start of the day's parliamentary proceedings. We might well follow that example in this House.
The Prime Minister of Tonga made a motion of thanks on behalf of the Legislative Assembly to the House of Commons in these terms :
That we, the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga, accept with sincere gratitude this magnificent Speaker's Table, and in so doing reaffirm the close ties which have existed, and indeed continue to exist, between Tonga and the United Kingdom".
The motion was carried unanimously and I would respectfully ask that it be recorded in the journals of this House.
May I conclude by stressing the continuing friendship between the people of Tonga and this country, a friendship which we personally experienced when visiting Tonga as emissaries of this House.
Mr Selwyn Lloyd
, Wirral
Will the hon. Gentleman please bring the resolution to the Table?
Mr Jimmy Hamilton
, Bothwell
I wish to associate myself with all that has been said by the hon. Member for Fife, East (Sir J. Gilmour). It is quite true that Tonga is known as "the friendly isles" and we certainly found that to be true during our visit.
I was most impressed by the fact that the highest item in the gross national product was the amount of money spent on education. We took the opportunity to visit two schools and a hospital, and we discovered that 80 per cent. of the capital expenditure was given by the British Government.
I was also interested to discover that the King of Tonga is a great football enthusiast. We were able to send to him from Scottish television a number of football films. I thank the House for giving the hon. Gentleman and myself the opportunity to go to Tonga. I say quite sincerely that I would not mind going back again.
Mr Selwyn Lloyd
, Wirral
I am sure the House would wish me to thank the hon. Member for Fife, East (Sir J. Gilmour) and his colleague the hon. Member for Both-well (Mr. James Hamilton) for the way in which they carried out their mission on behalf of this House. We thank them for what they have said today. I will see that the resolution passed at the ceremony of the presentation of the Table is entered in the Journals of the House.
The House of Commons is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.
The Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction. It is also the Speaker who reprimands, on behalf of the House, an MP brought to the Bar of the House. In the case of disobedience the Speaker can 'name' an MP which results in their suspension from the House for a period. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He or she is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. All sides in the House rely on the Speaker's disinterest. Even after retirement a former Speaker will not take part in political issues. Taking on the office means losing close contact with old colleagues and keeping apart from all groups and interests, even avoiding using the House of Commons dining rooms or bars. The Speaker continues as a Member of Parliament dealing with constituent's letters and problems. By tradition other candidates from the major parties do not contest the Speaker's seat at a General Election. The Speakership dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed to the role. The title Speaker comes from the fact that the Speaker was the official spokesman of the House of Commons to the Monarch. In the early years of the office, several Speakers suffered violent deaths when they presented unwelcome news to the King. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M2 on the UK Parliament website.
