"Seated and Covered"
Until recently in the British House of Commons it was required that a member raising a point of order while the House is voting be wearing a hat so they could be easily seen, and two opera hats (the kind associated with stage magic) were kept in the House for members to don on such occasions. In 1992 a number of MPs registered an official complaint about this practice, with some commenting that it "has undoubtedly been retained to deter honourable Members from raising points of order during divisions by making them appear ridiculous and feel acutely embarrassed". In 1998 it was recommended that the opera hat be abandoned, since "although some Members may feel that they look particularly fetching in it, it makes the House of Commons look ridiculous when someone wearing the hat is trying to raise a point of order from a seated position while everyone else is milling around and going to vote." The practice was abolished in accordance with the findings of the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons.
Read more about this topic: Point Of Order
Famous quotes containing the words seated and/or covered:
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