Dr Michael Cullen was today “named” by the Speaker and consequently suspended from the House for 24 hours.

After 18 years in the House Dr Cullen should have shown more respect for the Speaker’s authority. Parliament runs on that authority and Dr Cullen’s breach is very serious.”

“Dr Cullen’s disgraceful behaviour today in the House clearly demonstrates that he cannot continue in a senior role in the Labour opposition. Dr Cullen aspires to the Treasury benches, but this sort of behaviour clearly demonstrates his lack of maturity and ability to handle positions of responsibility”, said Senior Government Whip John Carter.

“How on earth can we allow this man to ever have control of the country’s finances”, asked Mr Carter.

“Naming is a very rare event and is used when a Member of Parliament’s conduct is ‘grossly disorderly’, and the last member to be suspended from the House was former Labour MP Chris Carter who was named in September 1994”, said the Senior Government Whip.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>