Parliamentary Tomfoolery.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 182, 14 August 1888, Page 3

Parliamentary Tomfoolery.

The sole redeeming feature of the present session is its comicality. It has been not merely futile from the point of view of the public interests, but extremely mischievous. It has been so horribly dreary, as regards the debates, that the oldest habitues of the galleries are changing their habits in disgust. They declare they cannot stand the twaddle and mumbling and tomfoolery that goes on for hours and hours and ho urs. Even the Members themselves, who do not usually like to admit that the whole thing is a degrading farce, candidly confess that this session, what with a Government without a tail, an Opposition without a head, parties without any sides and no business brought forward which is not squared or compromised outside, the tone of the House has just reached its lowest level. We have never before known Ministers, Members, officers, visitors and observers, so unanimous in their expressions of contempt for the New Zealand Parliament as they are this session. But to the laughing philosopher the session has been highly satisfactory. Such topsey turvey notions of polities as it has produced, never were heard of before. The so-called humours and diversions of the session have been dismal to the last degree. The '• wittiisms ’’ and ’’ jokes,’’ ye gods 1 have been enough to give one a pain in the stomach. But the unintentional and unconscious comicalities have been quite unprecedented, —Wellington- Press.