Arguments in the Commons are meant to help MPs reach an informed decision on a subject. However, the farcical manoeuvring over parliamentary procedure, during a debate on Wednesday night over how to end a deadly war in Gaza that has claimed thousands of innocent lives, did little to enlighten anybody inside or outside the chamber. Instead, the public would have looked on at the unfolding chaos and thought: what, if anything, is the point of parliamentary debate?
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker, is mostly responsible for the mess. He has apologised for a bad, if well-intended, error of judgment. Sir Lindsay has sought to make amends by offering an emergency debate that would help move things forward at a time of urgent need. MPs should take up his offer and reflect on how they have got here. The Scottish National party has every right to be angry, having lost its opportunity to make the case for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Tories may be indignant that Sir Lindsay appears to be treading the same path as his controversial predecessor by breaking Commons conventions to secure votes that inadvertently favour Labour. But both parties have made their point. The Commons is often held in disrepute not because it is too theatrical but because it is bad theatre.
