In an almost unheard-of move, House Speaker Sir Osbert Frederick has erased from the official records every word spoken by St. George’s MP Algernon “Serpent” Watts during the March 3 debate on the Road Traffic Amendment Act.
The Speaker’s decision, announced in Parliament on Monday, stunned the chamber. Rarely, if ever, has a sitting member’s full contribution been scrubbed from Hansard, the permanent record of parliamentary proceedings.
At the centre of the controversy is Watt’s reliance on a document from which he quoted extensively. When pressed by St. John’s City East MP Melford Nicholas to table the source, Watt promised to produce it before the day’s end. He never did.
After repeated reminders and even a formal letter from the Speaker, Watts doubled down — not in the House, but on his radio show — calling Frederick’s letter “threatening” and boasting that, as an MP, he was “protected” by the Constitution.
Frederick dismissed that claim as “laughable” and lowered the gavel with a ruling that could reshape parliamentary practice: no member will be allowed to quote any document in debate unless it is first submitted to the Clerk.
And then came the thunderbolt — the Speaker ordered the Clerk to strike Watt’s entire March 3 speech from the record, effectively making it as if “Serpent” had never spoken at all.
Agree or disagree with what Serpent said, deleting an entire speech from Hansard is censorship, plain and simple. Parliament is supposed to be a place for debate, not erasure.
The Speaker may have meant to reinforce discipline, but now the story is about his overreach, not the Road Traffic Act, not the document, not the substance of the debate
Hahahahaha I don’t know why people don’t listen to Parliament. One of the sweetest and most interesting things to listen to.
This is certainly unheard of. Then again they hardly make any contributions in Parliament so it’s neither here nor there
Abide by the rules, when you are present, which you are seldom ever. And when you are present the few times, you have nothing to contribute, not a word. Parliament is not radio, do better bro.
Honestly dude shut up!!!
Guess Serpent hissed too loud this time