Speaker clamps down on off-colour personal attacks
Jason Walls
The Speaker of the House is clamping down on people teasing Gerry Brownlee about his weight.
Trevor Mallard ended Question Time early yesterday after an exchange between Brownlee and NZ First MP Shane Jones, following yet another personal insult being levelled at the National MP.
Brownlee interjected in a question to Jones about his recent trip to China and Japan, heckling “table the snaps”.
Jones misheard this as “table the snacks”, to which he replied “don’t worry, pork belly was there Gerry”. Mallard was not impressed. “I’m frankly at a loss at how to otherwise improve the behaviour,” he said after ending Question Time at the beginning of the 12th and final question yesterday.
“I am now ruling that Question Time is concluded because I cannot think of a better way of indicating my concern to Mr Jones and other members of the Government about their inappropriate personal comments.”
This is the second time in two days the Speaker has disciplined the Government for offensive comments made to Brownlee.
On Wednesday, after an interruption from Brownlee, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said: “Ho, ho Billy Bunter” — a reference to the fictional overweight school boy William George “Billy” Bunter.
After ordering Peters to withdraw and apologise, Mallard gave the National Party an additional six supplementary questions.
This is not the first time Peters has insulted Brownlee over his size. Last month, Peters yelled “throw fatty out” at Brownlee, after he interjected during an answer.
But Brownlee is not Peters’ only target. During the third reading of the Waka Jumping Bill yesterday afternoon, Peters referred to National MP Maggie Barry as “Myrtle Rust”.
Brownlee did not wish to comment on the matter.