MPs closed down their Autumn term in the House of Assembly with neither a whimper nor a bang, but with a session that must surely have lowered the public's estimation of politicians even further.

First, the Progressive Labour Party caucus refused to support Government MP Renee Webb's amendments to the Human Rights Act to bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

This caused her, along with apparently lukewarm support from the Opposition, to rightly accuse MPs on both sides of the House of lacking leadership and courage.

The same criticism could be applied to the move by the Government to water down Shadow Works Minister Patricia Gordon Pamplin's long-standing motion to have MPs drug-tested by amending it to a take a note motion to have MPs voluntarily take a drug test.

Then Home Affairs Minister Randy Horton accused this newspaper of "maliciously" publishing a photograph of Police Commissioner George Jackson crying at his swearing-in ceremony and finally Minister without Portfolio Walter Lister called on Royal Gazette cartoonist Peter Woolcock to show more respect for Premier Alex Scott after portraying him as Aladdin in Friday's newspaper.

Is this the best our MPs can do?

This newspaper supports Ms Webb's move to add sexual orientation to the list of areas where discrimination can be barred. It defies logic that a person should be prevented from working, renting a home or joining a club on the basis of their sexual orientation, and it is worth noting that this applies to homosexuals discriminating against heterosexuals and vice versa.

More than a decade ago, this country took the belated step of decriminalising homosexuality under the leadership of the late Dr. John Stubbs and Ms Webb. It only now makes sense to extend human rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation in the same way that it is applied for gender, race, religion and so on.

There are people, within Parliament and without, who disagree with this principle, and they are entitled to their opinions. What is cowardly is to refuse to allow this amendment to be debated or voted upon, which is what the PLP did last week.

The solution to the problem is for both parties to lift the whip for this amendment and to allow a free vote in which MPs need only appeal to their own consciences. That would be leadership, and it was sadly lacking on Friday.

In the meantime, Drugs Control Minister Wayne Perinchief has lost his first fight in his new portfolio, and worse, was forced to vote against his own position when the PLP decided to amend Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin's motion.

This was, as this newspaper and Mr. Perinchief have said before, a chance for MPs to demonstrate that they are prepared to uphold the laws of the country that they themselves pass. Instead, by making drug testing voluntary, they create a scenario in which those MPs who choose not to be drug tested for whatever reason will be suspected of using illegal drugs.

Mr. Horton's announcement that this newspaper — and presumably the TV stations that also covered Mr. Jackson's moment of emotion last week — were being malicious and had humiliated the leader of a disciplined force only demonstrates his own lack of understanding of democracy and the role of a free press.

Leaving aside the debate that it is somehow wrong for a man to cry, the fact is that Mr. Jackson's display took place in a very public ceremony and it would have been negligent of this newspaper not to report it.

Some people will see the episode as touching and indicative that Mr. Jackson has a human side all too rarely seen from the Police. Others, including apparently Mr. Horton, will see it as a moment of weakness. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But suggesting that this newspaper should somehow hide the fact it happened is dangerous. What else would Mr. Horton like us to ignore?

As for Mr. Lister, whose role in Cabinet seems to be the Premier's Pitbull, he surely protests too much. He should perhaps read newspapers from around the world — or just the comics page in The Royal Gazette — to see how tough cartoonists can be on their respective leaders. It might make him grateful for the gentle but incisive art of Mr. Woolcock.