Sturgis standard code of parliamentary procedure

When Winston Churchill, during the abdication crisis in 1986, rose before a shocked House of Commons to answer Mr. Baldwin's statement and to discuss the constitutional question before a final decision was made, the House was in a hostile temper. A burst of disapproval greeted the great statesman. Churchill set his pugnacious jaw and, as the uproar subsided, declared:

"If the House resists my claim [to speak] it will only add more importance to any words that I may use."

Here in the mother of parliaments, which has lent its name to the system of rules by which assemblies are conducted, we see at work the fundamental principles of democratic discussion. Here was the right of free and fair debate, the right of the majority to decide, and the right of the minority to protest and to be protected. Here also was a demonstra tion that the violation of rights in public assemblies lends weight to the cause of the suppressed. The majority may rule, but it must rule fairly and wisely. Its rule must be validated by respect for those who oppose it. In turn, the minority, once the vote has been taken, has the duty of accepting the decision and abiding by the general mandate.