Every sitting in SYP, we hear the same opening, and then one of the most important officers of the House enters. All rise, the Speaker is in the House.
Anyone who has attended even one sitting of SYP will know that the Speaker has an incredible amount of power in the House. Everyone must speak through him, everyone must bow to him and he has the power to punish wayward members.
The Speaker is the presiding officer at the meeting of the House. It is his duty to ensure that each sitting of the House is run in an orderly manner and to "referee" debate. The speaker is also the representative of the Assembly in official matters.
The first aspect of the Speaker's portfolio is to control the flow of House business. He ensures that the rules of parliamentary procedure are applied. It is his duty to interpret the standing orders, respond to Member's points of orders, and to give rulings when necessary. He also ensures that all members have the opportunity to speak.
The second major aspect of the Speaker's responsibilities is to maintain order during debate. Generally most procedures pass without incident, but occasionally passions become inflamed, and the House becomes noisy and unruly or the Speaker is attacked. The standing orders provide disciplinary power for the Speaker. For minor infractions, a members may be called to order or warned. For more serious offences, the member may be taken into custody or even named and ordered to withdraw from the House.
Because he is the House's representative, Members are expected to show the Speaker the same respect they would show the House as an institution. Therefore, Members do not question a Speaker's ruling on parliamentary procedure, they sit or kneel when the Speaker is standing, and the bow to the Speaker when they get up or leave the House.
Traditionally, when the Speaker is elected, he is even given the title "Honourable." If a Speaker serves more than three years,
The Speaker was not always the respected figure he is now. In fact, at one point, he was downright gated. It was his duty to tell Parliament the Monarch's wishes and in turn, inform the Monarch of the Parliament's resolutions. As a result, he was seen as a traitor to both sides. Often he was a little reluctant to take up the job, and for good reason. History shows that nine Speakers died violent deaths by way of murder or execution while others were imprisoned, impeached or expelled. We remember that part of parliamentary history by having the Premier and Leader of the Opposition "force" the Speaker to the Chair.
The Speaker no longer has to worry about attempts on his life (unless debate gets a little slow. That part of the Speaker's history is behind him. But, despite the safer nature of the job, he still remains an intricate part of our parliamentary system.