Unparliamentary language

The Table, the annual journal of the Society of Clerks-at-the-Table in Commonwealth Parliaments, includes a list of expressions ruled unparliamentary that year in the national and regional assemblies of its members.

[citation needed] Nevertheless, when 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.

[27] The President of the Legislative Council ordered out for using the following phrases: The following phrases have been deemed unparliamentary by the President of the Legislative Council: In 2012, the Indian Parliament published a book of words and phrases that were considered to be unparliamentary:[29] 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 July 2022, the Lok Sabha Secretariat came up with a booklet of unparliamentary words with an additional list of the following:[30][31]abused, ahankaar, anarchist, apmaan, asatya, ashamed, baal buddhi, bechara, behri sarkar, betrayed, bloodshed, bloody, bobcut, chamcha, chamchagiri, cheated, chelas, childishness, corrupt, Covid spreader, coward, criminal, crocodile tears, daadagiri, dalal, danga, dhindora peetna, dictatorial, disgrace, dohra charitra, donkey, drama, eyewash, foolish, fudge, gaddar, ghadiyali ansu, girgit, goons, hooliganism, hypocrisy, incompetent, Jaichand, jumlajeevi, kala bazaari, kala din, Khalistani, khareed farokht, khoon se kheti, lie, lollypop, mislead, nautanki, nikamma, pitthu, samvedanheen, sexual harassment, Shakuni, Snoopgate, taanashah, taanashahi, untrue, vinash purush, vishwasghat.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.

[32] It is disorderly for one Teachta Dála (TD; deputy) to "call another Deputy names",[39] specifically including:[40] 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[41] or drunk.

[44] Conduct specifically ruled on includes selling one's vote, violation of cabinet confidentiality,[45] and doctoring the Official Report.

[47] Members may not refer to the Dáil or its proceedings as a:[48] 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.

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

As Speaker of Parliament, Tan was heard saying "fucking populist" shortly after Lim had finished a 20-minute speech urging the PAP government to further help lower-income groups and to establish an official poverty line.

In the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, the following words have been deemed unparliamentary over time: bastard,[61] blackguard, coward, deceptive,[62] dodgy,[63] drunk, falsehoods,[64] git, guttersnipe, hooligan, hypocrite, idiot, ignoramus, liar, misled, pipsqueak,[65] rat, slimy, sod, squirt,[66] stoolpigeon, swine, tart, traitor,[67] and wart.

In addition, accusations of "crooked deals" or insinuation of the use of illicit drugs by a member are considered unparliamentary language (all attributable to Dennis Skinner).

[70] Coventry South MP, Zarah Sultana had used the word "dodgy" against transport secretary Grant Shapps and his fellow cabinet member Jacob Rees-Mogg.

[76] The mention of the word "batshit" by the Shadow Home Secretary in November 2023[77] was not regarded as unparliamentary in that no intervention was made by the Speaker during the debate.

[79] Search of House of Commons Hansard reveals a number of occasions involving the word "shit" that have gone without intervention in recent times including mention by Boris Johnson as Prime Minister in September 2019.

As regards euphemisms, the word "effing" was criticized as unparliamentary by the Speaker during one of the Brexit debates but the mention of the phrase "eff business" by Keir Starmer during a more recent session of Prime Minister's Questions did not cause intervention.

In December 2004, the Presiding Officer notably sent Leanne Wood out of the chamber for referring to Queen Elizabeth II as "Mrs Windsor".

[vague][citation needed] Other levels of government have similar disciplinary procedures dealing with inappropriate words spoken in the legislature.

In 1991, Speaker Bernard Weatherill adjudged that usage of the word "jerk" by Opposition leader Neil Kinnock, who had applied that epithet to Robert Adley, was not unparliamentary language.