Speech from the Throne
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The Speech from the Throne is the event at which the Queen of Ibagli or her representative opens a session of Parliament and outlines the government's agenda for the year.
A speech is read at the opening of each session of Parliament, typically in September or October and after general elections.
Contents
The speech traditionally outlines the policies and legislative agenda of the government, and is written entirely, save a few introductory paragraphs, by the government of the day. The beginning of the speech outlines the primary legislative priorities of the government, which are expanded upon later. Items in the speech are usually grouped into topics, such as health or education. The speech is addressed to the 'Honourable Senators and Members of the House of Commons', except for the portion which asks the House of Commons to appropriate the funds necessary to run the country.
Ceremony
The Governor-General (or less frequently, the Monarch) traditionally rides from Government House to Parliament Hill in a horse-drawn landau, escorted by the Governor-General's Dragoon Guards, with the route lined with personnel from the various branches of the Ibaglian Armed Forces.
Upon arrival at Parliament Hill, the Governor-General, wearing a full traditional uniform with decorations and plumed hat, is saluted by a 100-person guard of honour and is accorded a 21-gun salute. After inspecting the guard, the Governor-General is met by the Prime Minister and proceeds to his or her office. Shortly thereafter, the Governor-General processes to the Senate chamber, escorted by the Prime Minister, the Usher of the Black Rod, the Speaker of the Senate, the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Private Secretary to the Governor-General, and the Comptroller of the Governor-General's household. Upon entering the chamber, a fanfare is sounded, usually by the fanfare team of the band of the Royal Ibaglian Regiment.
Seated in the Senate chamber in the center of the chamber are the Chief Justice and puisne justices of the Supreme Court, in ceremonial robes and wigs.
After taking his or her seat on the throne, the Usher of the Black Rod is commanded by the Governor-General through the Speaker of the Senate to go to the House of Commons and order them to attend the Governor-General in the Senate. Upon arriving at the door of the House, it is slammed shut as he approaches, and he must knock thrice on the door in order to gain admittance. This symbolises that fact that the monarch cannot enter the lower house to interfere with the business of the democratically-elected chamber.
After receiving the summons from Black Rod, the members of the House are led to the Senate chamber by Black Rod, the serjeant-at-arms bearing the mace, and the Speaker of the House of Commons. The members of the House will stand at the bar of the Senate to hear the speech read, as they may not enter the Senate chamber while the Senate is sitting.
If it is the opening of the first session of a Parliament, or if a new Speaker has recently been elected, the Speaker of the House of Commons will address the Governor-General, seeking approval of his election and claiming the rights and privileges of the House of Commons. After the Speaker of the Senate, on behalf of the Governor-General, assures the Speaker of the House that his election has been approved and that the Governor-General will maintain the rights of the House, the Governor-General reads the speech.
After reading the speech, the Governor-General hands two copies of the speech to the Private Secretary, who will deliver them to the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. After the MPs clear the bar of the Senate, the Governor-General will retire from the chamber, and return to Government House in the landau.
Debate
After returning to their chambers, each house will introduce a pro forma bill. These bills are incomplete works of legislation that only make it to first reading stage, and are meant as a symbolic exercise of the authority of Parliament to debate what it chooses, rather than what the Monarch or her representative commands. The bill read in the Senate is known as the Dockyards Bill. The bill read in the House of Commons is known as the Fisheries Bill.
After the reading of the bills, each house will consider "an humble address" that is to be presented to the Governor-General thanking him for making the speech, thus approving the contents of the speech. The debate on the contents of the speech is traditionally spread out over several days, with each day being dedicated to a specific topic covered in the speech, such as foreign affairs or finance.
The motion to present the address to the Governor-General is traditionally moved and seconded by recently-elected members of the party of government.
The debate on the address is considered a debate on the contents of the speech, and is considered a motion of confidence in the government. Therefore, if the House of Commons (but not the Senate) votes down the speech, the Prime Minister must resign or seek a dissolution of Parliament and a general election. The only government to fall on a Throne Speech was that of Marcus Smallegan in 2006.
History
The speech has been read by the Governor-General in every year except for the speeches in 1955, 1980, and 1982. The speech in 1955 was read by the Queen's uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, who was in Ibagli to proclaim its independence on behalf of the Queen. The speech in 1980 came shortly after the death of Governor-General Sir Gregory Parks, and was read by Sir Roger Hayles, the Chief Justice of Ibagli and Administrator of the Government, as a new Governor-General had not yet been appointed. The speech in 1982 was read by Queen Elizabeth II. It was the first time an Ibaglian monarch had opened Parliament in person since independence. (The pre-independence legislature was opened by the Queen in 1954, while she was on her post-coronation tour of the British Empire.)
In December 2005, three speeches were read early in the morning as a part of the prorogation scandal, during which Prime Minister Anthony Kinder advised Governor-General Dame Annette Farquhar to prorogue Parliament, or end the current session, thrice in quick succession in order to remove from office Senators who opposed his plans for Senate reform. Later that day, Kinder was removed from office by Farquhar.