When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.
But Douglas East MHK Brenda Cannell received a humiliating rebuke from the Tynwald president when she left the court while a motion was being put - leading to the suspicion she was deliberately avoiding voting.
Tynwald president Clare Christian said: ‘It is an obligation on members to be present in court unless they have leave to be absent. It is not acceptable if a member leaves while a motion is being put.’
Mrs Cannell said: ‘When you have to go, you have to go. These sort of rules are archaic and out of step with modern thinking.’
The President said: ‘If you needed to go you could have possibly absented yourself before I was in the process of moving the motion. I will leave it for the members to decide whether or not they felt it was a deliberate action to avoid voting. I will accept you explanation.’
Mrs Cannell said: ‘Thank you for accepting my explanation but I do take exception to you humiliating me for leaving the chamber to go to the toilet.’