Dawn Butler did the right thing. But so did the Speaker by suspending her from Parliament for calling Boris Johnson a liar - and not suspending Johnson. Let me explain (pls don’t reply unless you read the thread) 1/12
Democratic governance depends on debates and facts. But honest debate can’t be guaranteed. Rules and practice can only promote and encourage. 2/
A rule allowing the Speaker to suspend Johnson for his statements would make the Speaker the arbiter of political truths. It would pretend that they can be decided as if by an impartial judge. 3/
It’s VOTERS who are the judges of whether politicians have told political lies, or made empty promises. Acting as if Johnson’s lies are merely improper debating conduct is bad politics. 4/
But the Speaker is well-placed to enforce rules about debating conduct. And those rules are important to promote honest debate. 5/
Calling “liar” in Parliament is a tactic which *as a rule* hurts honest debate. It allows liars to throw it around too, instead of being under pressure to talk facts. 6/
But *sometimes* breaking the rules of debate promotes honesty. There is a a national consensus that the Prime Minister is a constant liar. And for Parliament’s legitimacy and our wider public arguments, that needed to be said. 7/
And Dawn Butler said it well. Not as an angry riposte. But calm and clear. Deliberately knowing she would be suspended. 8/
That doesn’t mean the acting Deputy Speaker should have ignored Butler. Doing so would have made the Speaker the judge of political truths and promote the generally anti-truth debating tactic (see tweets above). 9/
So the Speaker had to punish Butler to uphold the rules of debate; Butler was still right to speak out. The rules don’t need changing and the Speaker shouldn’t be criticised. 10/
But the Speaker’s rule doesn’t apply to the media. The voters are entitled to frank arguments about the PM’s honesty. For journalists not to say “lies” and “liar” *there* look prissy and false - especially when even Johnson doesn’t genuinely disagree that he is a liar. 11/
So don’t criticise the Speaker. Those who oppose the liar Johnson lost the political arguments in the Tory Party and the country. The Speaker can’t change that. Only the voters can. 12/12
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