Bermuda?s parliamentarians could conduct themselves with a little more decorum, observers say.

And Opposition MP John Barritt is optimistic about proposals that he says will improve the effectiveness of the House.

Former House Clerk John Gilbert and former Speaker Ernest De Couto, were asked about their impressions of the performance and conduct of the Island?s MPs.

And Mr. De Couto said that while he did not always listen in to Parliament, his impression was that the public were unimpressed.

Parliamentarians should conduct themselves with ?honour, respect, dignity and decorum,? Mr. De Couto said, and that was not always the case.

?To be elected to Parliament is indeed a great honour to start with ... And you must respect that and what you?re there to achieve, and protect the dignity of the House.?

Mr. Gilbert, who listens to the House debates on a regular basis and had praised the level of debate during Jennifer Smith?s tenure as Premier, this week said it has now taken a turn for the worse and that some MPs need education on parliamentary practices and procedures.

?I must say it (the level of debate) seems to have lapsed a bit,? Mr. Gilbert said. ?They?ve got back to the stage where they are shouting across the aisle.?

He said parliamentarians were back to heckling each other and some had no ?real drive? when it comes to debating the issues.

He said there appeared to be more communication between the Opposition and the Government side ?but the general tone of the debate is certainly not high. There?s too much constant heckling and not enough credence given to good ideas put forth by the Opposition. Everything is dismissed ? we?re right and you?re wrong.?

Mr. Gilbert said the blame, in part, rests with our Westminster system and the fact that Government has a strong majority in the House which leave many to consider the debate as an ?exercise in futility? where the outcome is a foregone conclusion.

?I think they just get bored, quite frankly,? he added.

And he suggested that the House of Assembly?s Rules and Privileges committee revamp the system to improve matters.

Despite his criticisms, Mr. Gilbert said Bermuda?s parliament was not as bad as in many other Commonwealth countries.

?At least we don?t get punch ups ... I?ve been to a few where they?ve had fist fights, so from that point of view we haven?t sunk to that.?

?They can decide how members should conduct themselves in the House, then at least you would get a pleasant atmosphere.?

He said that while both House Speaker Stanley Lowe and Deputy Speaker Jennifer Smith had an excellent knowledge of the rules, it was quite evident that some MPs need educating on parliamentary practices and procedures.

?They come out with these extreme statements and they don?t seem to know the rules of the House,? he said.

As an example, he said, while someone can object on a ?point of order?, a ?point of information? is not in the House rules.

?The debates would go far smoother if they were a bit more educated on parliamentary practices and procedures.?

Pollster and political scientist Walton Brown, Jr. said that parliament could do with more substantive discussion and less political rhetoric.

?I think that a much more concerted effort needs to be made to ensure that debate focuses on the issues at hand, those which affect the wellbeing of the country, and we should make an effort at downplaying the political rhetoric and point scoring that tends to permeate the discussion.?

He added that MPs should place more focus on the ?broader issues? that affect the country instead of issues that need legislative attention.

?We tend to view parliament as the place to pass legislation ? that is its role but parliament should also be a forum for addressing a wider set of issues.?

Mr. Barritt, who has championed reforms in the House, said that the quality of debate tended to vary from one sitting to the next.

But he added that he was concerned about scripted performances by some Government Ministers.

?You get long Ministerial statements ? the Minister introduces bills with speeches that are prepared from civil servants? briefs and they are simply just read. It doesn?t energise debate ? it encourages reading of speeches and scripts. But in terms of level of debate, I think sometimes the Speaker has his challenges. There?s no question about that.?

He added that parliament often had its finest moments at the committee stage of a debate where the Members grapple with each clause of a bill, but that often goes unreported by the media.

Mr. Barritt?s proposed reforms include imposing a time limit on speeches, opening up Parliamentary committees to the public and introducing Question Time on the floor of the House.

He said yesterday that he was hopeful that the reforms will be taken up soon.