Ralph Suter explained: > I should have clarified the meaning of "parliamentarian." In > the US it doesn't refer to a member of parliament, since US > doesn't have a parliament. Rather, it refers to people who > are experts in meeting procedures (usually Robert's Rules of > Order) and who serve as neutral advisors during meetings of > different kinds. There are a number of national and regional > associations of such people. I imagine there are such people > in the UK but who use a different word to describe themselves.
I was aware that the US does not have a parliament, but I had not appreciated the special US meaning of the word "parliamentarian" as explained above. In most of the world, including the World Bank, the term "parliamentarian" is used to describe a member of a national legislature without regard to the actual legal structure. So far as I am aware, we do not have any equivalent in the UK to the US parliamentarians. I now understand a little better why Robert's Rules of Order have such a special place in US affairs. James Gilmour ---- Election-methods mailing list - see http://electorama.com/em for list info
