Women are not making it to the top. A hundred and ninety heads of state nine are women. Of all the people in parliament in the world thirteen per cent are women. In the corporate sector women at the top - C-level jobs board seats - tops out at fifteen sixteen per cent.

Dullness in matters of government is a good sign and not a bad one - in particular dullness in parliamentary government is a test of its excellence an indication of its success.

I think we can get respect for Parliament back providing governments and oppositions are frank.

I understand the damage the expenses crisis has done to Parliament and the paramount importance of restoring trust in our politics.

We read too much Shakespeare at school and view our parliamentary politics as dynastic drama in which an impatient crown prince frets at his long subordination and begins to scheme for the throne he knows he merits was promised and has earned.

Some people suggest that the problem is the separation of powers. If you had a parliamentary system the struggle for power would not result in such complex peace treaties that empower so many different people to pursue so many contradictory aims.

That is why if Lebanon concludes a peace agreement with Israel and brings that accord to the Parliament our deputies will reject it Hezbollah refuses any conciliation with Israel in principle.

It is not the Government the members of Parliament to whom the ultimate decision belongs it is up to you to go forward sure of your sacred right of free opinion sure of your patriotism.

It is impossible to practice parliamentary politics without having patience decency politeness and courtesy.

The church's teaching on marriage is unequivocal it is uniquely the union of a man and a woman and it is wrong that governments politicians or parliaments should seek to alter or destroy that reality.

We have used the presence of UNMIK as well as other European and American agencies to establish a legal framework compatible with the European Union and that is already an advantage. We have seen the positive effects of this and our parliament will continue to go this way.

The Government and the Parliament even the House of Lords will consent to a large increase of electors and men who have not considered the subject fully will imagine they have gained much by the concession.

There's much more we can be doing in Parliament we could be giving more power back to people at local government level through local referendums.

Until the control of the issue of currency and credit is restored to government and recognized as its most conspicuous and sacred responsibility all talks of the sovereignty of Parliament and of democracy is idle and futile.

We'll support the government on issues if it's essential to the country but our primary responsibility is not to prop up the government our responsibility is to provide an opposition and an alternative government for Parliament and for Canadians.

The Leader of the Opposition's constitutional obligation - the obligation to Parliament - it's the reason we did the merger! - is to make sure Canadians have an alternative for government.

If you want to be a government in a minority Parliament you have to work with other people.

I cannot think of any circumstances in which a government can go to war without the support of parliament.

The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them in parliament.

It is our job as members of parliament to legislate with an eye to the long term future to look over the horizon beyond the next election and ensure that as far as we can what we do today will make Australia a better place a safer place for future generations to live in.

If governments let themselves be fully bound by the decisions of their parliaments without protecting their own freedom to act a breakup of Europe would be a more probable outcome than deeper integration.

The Bill of Rights was intended to secure freedom of speech - the freedom of speech of members of parliament to speak freely rather than be at threat of... the threat of an over powerful monarch at the time.

Machiavelli's teaching would hardly have stood the test of Parliamentary government for public discussion demands at least the profession of good faith.

And obviously with hindsight now now knowing what went on in the company it would have been absolutely appropriate back then for us to have the chief executive of the company most senior person in the United Kingdom come and answer for the policy they were pursuing. And we ducked that and frankly that's a failure of Parliament.