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Conservative MP Sigurður Kári Kristjánsson spent time in parliament today expressing his shock and outrage with the Facebook status of his colleague, Leftist-Green MP Þráin Bertelsson.
The status in question was Þráinn criticising press coverage of parliament, saying that the media only likes to report on two parts of a session: Parliamentary Procedures and Unprepared Questions. Each of these parts of the parliamentary session only take about half an hour, before the actual parliamentary session begins, with debates over legislation and such. They are often a time for members of parliament to bring up spontaneous questions for ministers or other MPs, or to offer input into how parliament is run. For this reason, it can often get very heated.
“This is why many people believe that parliament is only open for half an hour a day,” Þráinn wrote in part, “Under a session heading that could be called ‘Idiots Fighting’.”
Sigurður Kári took exception to this assessment, Vísir reports, saying that there does not appear to be any limit to how far some people will go to be clever at the expense of others, or to be arrogant at the expense of parliament and the legislators therein. His interpretation of Þráinn’s remarks was that he wanted to do away with Parliamentary Procedures, and added that he disagrees completely.
“Parliamentary Procedures is an important setting for the opposition to exact some kind of organisation power with the ruling coalition and ask them questions,” he said in part.
Sigurður Kári then decided to get personal, providing a character assessment of Þráinn, saying that he sits in judgement of the public who disagree with him, such as over the matter of artists receiving public funding (which Þráinn supported).
Þráinn, for his part, does not appear to be rattled by this. Writing on his Facebook, he responded, “Significant that Sigurður Kári should use the podium of parliament to respond to a Facebook post, and typical that he should do so during Parliamentary Procedures.”