1-150-883 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'A New Piece', 1882. The Liberal Prime Minister, Gladstone, has submitted his new piece to Mr John Bull in his guise as a theatre manager. Mr Bull, though doubtful of the integrity of the piece, will play it to the Company. This relates to the new Session of Parliament which was formally opened at the beginning of February 1882. One of the first matters to be dealt with was the question of parliamentary procedure. Mr Gladstone had proposed to bring before the House his plans for new rules to govern procedure. 'Cloture' (Closure) was intended to prevent the growing sport of wrecking parliamentary debate by obstruction. Punch, though, is doubtful whether such rules would limit freedom of speech, no matter how pointless some of that speech might be and the motion came to be known as the Gagging Procedure in the House and in the press. From Punch, or the London Charivari, February 4, 1882.