OPINION: No more applause in the House of Commons
In the UK, the Speaker of the the House of Commons recently tore a strip off newly elected MPs for clapping. This week on The 180, Maclean's parliamentary reporter Aaron Wherry applauds the move-- and says someone in Ottawa should do the same thing.
A new session of Parliament began last week in the UK and the Speaker of the House tore a strip off newly elected MPs for clapping. Aaron Wherry, parliamentary reporter with Maclean's magazine, has similar complaints with clapping in Canadian parliament. He says not only does incessant applause waste time in Question Period, but it also cheapens its currency, in a space where MPs shouldn't need it to boost their self esteem.