Unparliamentary language

In the Australian Senate, the words "liar" and "dumbo" were ordered to be withdrawn and deemed unparliamentary during a session in 1997.[3]

In Belgium there is no such thing as unparliamentary language. A member of parliament is allowed to say anything he or she wishes when inside parliament. This is considered necessary in Belgium to be able to speak of a democratic state and is a constitutional right. Nevertheless, on 27 March 2014, Laurent Louis called the Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo a pedophile. The other members of parliament left the room in protest.[4] This immunity that manifests itself in an absolute freedom of speech when in parliament does not exist when outside of parliament. In that case prosecution is possible when and if the majority of parliament decides so.

These are some of the words and phrases that speakers through the years have ruled "unparliamentary" in the Parliament of Canada, the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and the National Assembly of Québec:

The President of the Legislative Council ordered out for using the following phrases:

• 臭罌出臭草 (foul grass grows out of a foul ditch), when referring to some of the members (1996).[10]

The following phrases have been deemed unparliamentary by the President of the Legislative Council:

• 仆街 (literally stumble on street, loosely translated as "go die" or "go to hell") widely considered by Hong Kongers as unacceptable language in civil settings (2009).

In 2012, the Indian Parliament published a book of words and phrases that were considered to be unparliamentary:[11]

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, bad man, badmashi, bandicoot, blackmail, blind, deaf and dumb, bluffing, bribe, bucket of shit, communist, confused mind, dacoit, darling (said to a female MP), deceive, double-minded, double-talk, downtrodden, goonda, lazy, liar, loudmouth, lousy, nuisance, racketeer, radical extremist, rat, ringmaster, scumbag, thief, thumbprint (to an illiterate MP)

In Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), the chair (Ceann Comhairle or replacement) rules in accordance with standing orders on disorderly conduct, including prohibited words, expressions, and insinuations.[12] If the chair rules that an utterance is out of order, then typically the member withdraws the remark and no further action occurs.[13] The relevant words are retained in the Official Report transcription despite being formally withdrawn.[14] The chair cannot rule if they did not hear the words alleged to be unparliamentary.[15] A member who refuses to withdraw a remark may be suspended and must leave the chamber.[16] A periodically updated document, Salient Rulings of the Chair, lists past rulings, ordered by topic, with reference to the Official Report.[12][17][18] Rulings superseded by subsequent changes to standing orders are omitted.[12] It is disorderly for one Teachta Dála (TD; deputy) to "call another Deputy names",[19] specifically including:[20]

brat, buffoon, chancer, communist, corner boy, coward, fascist, gurrier, guttersnipe, hypocrite, rat, scumbag, scurrilous speaker, or yahoo;

or to insinuate that a TD is lying[21] or drunk.[22] The word "handbagging" is unparliamentary "particularly with reference to a lady member of the House".[23] Allegations of criminal or dishonourable conduct against a member can only be made by a formal motion.[24] Conduct specifically ruled on includes selling one's vote, violation of cabinet confidentiality,[25] and doctoring the Official Report.[26] Charges against a member's political party are allowed; the chair decides whether an allegation is "personal" or "political".[27] Members may not refer to the Dáil or its proceedings as a:[28]

circus, farce, slander machine.

During a December 2009 debate, Paul Gogarty said, "With all due respect, in the most unparliamentary language, fuck you Deputy [Emmet] Stagg."[29][17] He immediately apologised and withdrew the remark.[29][17] The debate's temporary chairman at the time lacked the Ceann Comhairle's power to suspend disorderly members;[30] in any case, once Gogarty withdrew the remark he was not out of order, although his words led to general disorder in the chamber.[31] Gogarty's apology noted ("rather tenuously"[32]) that the word fuck was not explicitly listed in the Salient Rulings.[33][34] Ensuing calls for tougher sanctions led the Dáil Committee on Procedure and Privileges (CPP) to refer the matter to a subcommittee,[34][35] which said the correct response was for the CPP to issue a formal rebuke, as had in fact been done to Gogarty.[36]

After heated interruptions to a November 2012 debate, Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett said "This is not a shouting match, like gurriers on a street shouting at each other."[37] A spokesperson said gurriers was not out of order since it was not addressed at an individual.[15]

In Italian history, the unparliamentarian language was the only limit to free speech of a deputy. So it was claimed by Giacomo Matteotti in his last discourse in the Chamber of Deputies:

I ask to speak not prudently, nor imprudently, but parliamentarianly

— Giacomo Matteotti[38]

In addition, during the Republic, the use of foul language in Parliament produced jurisprudence by the constitutional court, which has implemented the libel suits.[39]

The Parliament of New Zealand maintains a list of words, and particularly phrases, that the Speaker has ruled are unbecoming, insulting, or otherwise unparliamentary. These include:[40]

• idle vapourings of a mind diseased (1946)
• his brains could revolve inside a peanut shell for a thousand years without touching the sides (1949)
• energy of a tired snail returning home from a funeral (1963)

The Parliament also maintains a list of language that has been uttered in the House, and has been found not to be unparliamentary; this includes:

• commo (meaning communist, 1969)
• scuttles for his political funk hole (1974)

In 2009, a member of the Progress Party was interrupted during question period by the Speaker for calling a minister a "highway bandit".

In the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, the following words have been deemed unparliamentary over time: bastard,[41] blackguard, coward, deceptive,[42] dodgy,[43] drunk, falsehoods,[44] git, guttersnipe, hooligan, hypocrite, idiot, ignoramus, liar, pipsqueak, rat, slimy, sod, squirt,[45] stoolpigeon, swine, tart, traitor,[46] wart.

In addition, accusations of 'crooked deals' or insinuation of the use of banned substances by a member are considered unparliamentary language (all attributable to Dennis Skinner).[47] An accusation that an MP's presence in the house has "been bought" is also unparliamentary.[48]

The word 'dodgy' when used by Ed Miliband, was not however, found to be unparliamentary.[49]

In 2019, in the run up to the Conservative leadership election, SNP leader Ian Blackford accused Boris Johnson of being a racist. Asked to withdraw the term by the speaker, Blackford confirmed that he had informed Johnson about his intention to use it and qualified his statement. The speaker then allowed it to stand.[50] In the following week he accused Johnson of being a liar ("has made a career out of lying"). No request was made by the speaker to withdraw this statement.[51]

The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, William Hay, gave a ruling in the chamber on 24 November 2009 on unparliamentary language.[52] In essence rather than making judgements on the basis of particular words or phrases that have been ruled to be unparliamentary in the Assembly or elsewhere the Speaker said that he would judge members' remarks against standards of courtesy, good temper and moderation which he considered to be the standards of parliamentary debate. He went on to say that in making his judgement he would consider the nature of members' remarks and the context in which they were made. In 2013, Hay ruled that insinuation of MLAs being members of proscribed organizations was unparliamentary language.[53]

In the National Assembly for Wales the Presiding Officer has intervened when the term "lying" has been used. In December 2004, the Presiding Officer notably sent Leanne Wood out of the chamber for referring to Queen Elizabeth II as 'Mrs Windsor'.[54]

In the US, representatives were censured for using unparliamentary language in the House of Representatives throughout its history. Other levels of government have similar disciplinary procedures dealing with inappropriate words spoken in the legislature.