Book Description

Philip Laundy, Clerk Assitant of the Canadian Houe of Commons, has written a book on the Speakership in the Parliaments of the Commonwealth which is not far short of encyclopaedic in its scope. He is the author of an earlier work entitled The Office Speaker and joint author of An Encyclopaedia of Parliament and has thus devoted many years to the study of Parliament and its institutions. The present book, while drawing on some of the material contained in its predecessor, is substantially a new work which breaks a great deal of fresh ground. It deals with the Speakership in some forty Commonwealth countries and its a tribute to parliamentary democracy and the influence of British parliamentary practices. At the same time it highlights how very differently the system of some countries have evolved from the traditions associated with Great Britain. In Canada the widely supported movement towards the political independence of the Speakership has yet to become an established practice. In India there exists a similar consciousness of the desirability of an independent Speakership but practical obstacles have remained in the way of its attainment. In Australia the office is heavily dependent on the party in power and this seems unlikely to change. In New Zealand, although the Parliament adheres closely to Westminster practices, the Speaker is nevertheless likely to change with a change of government. There are countries elsewhere in the Commonwealth where the Speaker is not necessarily an elected member of Parliament. In most African Parliaments the Speakership is inseparable from the ruling party and loyalty to the party, particularly in one-party states, is a sine qua non. But throughout the book the author stresses the similarities which link the office Speaker in the far-flung countries of the Commonwealth to its British counterpart. The history of the Speakership from its earliest origins is compressed into a single chapter and a second chapter is devoted to an analysis of the British Speakership in the twentieth century. He has considered the nature and duties of the modern Speakership, the prestige and continuity of the office, problems surrounding the selection of the candidate, the Speaker's responsibilities relating to procedure, privilege, and the maintenance of discipline, and his statutory duties. Parliamentarians, historians and students of government throughout the Commonwealth will find this book a mine of information concerning the Speakership and a comparative source of reference which is as complete, accurate and up-to-date as the author has been able to make. Enlivened with a wealth of anecdotes, it is a highly readable account of a great historic office.