MIND YOUR MANNERS, PLEASE

By Greg Tourelle of NZPA

Sydney, Feb 3 NZPA - What happened to manners?

According to New South Wales Chief Justice Jim Spigelman they seem to have all but disappeared.

His comments lamenting the prevalence of boorish behaviour and a lack of ordinary manners have provoked strong debate in Australia, with Prime Minister John Howard backing him, while others have told them to get with the times.

Chief Justice Spigelman said there was "a growing concern with personal conduct in many areas of discourse" and cited road rage, parents' behaviour at school sporting events, offensive language in many spheres of social interaction, and popular culture and the sensationalism of a media driven by declining circulations and audiences.

He also mentioned indifference to the tranquillity of others by the infliction of noise, whether from boorish conduct or mobile phones, vulgarity and rudeness of reality TV shows, the selfishness of littering and the virtual disappearance in common discourse of words such as "please", "thank you" and "sorry".

Prime Minister Howard said he agreed with the chief justice and believed Australians were not polite enough to each other.

Television networks and parents had a responsibility to help people mind their manners, he said.

"I think we have seen a marked deterioration in good manners.

"I think it's time that the television networks put a curb on the increasing use of vulgarism on television.

"I think there are certain vulgar expressions that have no place on television and if there's not some self discipline exercise in that I think standards will continue to deteriorate."

While he was particularly concerned about vulgar language on reality television programmes and called for restraint, he wasn't about to introduce a mandatory code for broadcasters.

The reaction to Mr Howard's comments were predictable. What better place to start a clean-up than at Parliament House?

"I suggest a good place to start would be in the House of Representatives," wrote Kevin Maker to the Daily Telegraph.

"Rudeness and bad manners seem to the political standard. I would suggest you clean your own mess first," he lectured the PM.

Former Labour Party leader Mark Latham has kept out of this argument.

He was notorious for his description of Mr Howard as, begging your pardon for this, an "arse-licker" and his parliamentary colleagues as "a conga-line of suckholes".

When elected leader of the party he vowed to cut out the crudity, but upon leaving the party, dished out the odium to all and sundry.

Also writing in the Telegraph, Tony Thomas said that people had the choice of watching reality shows and reading the newspaper, but the way people behaved derived from education.

"We all have a responsibility to show the way for others. That's what society is all about."

He said politicians and lawmakers could show the lead in the right way to behave.

"But when the dust settles, the way my daughter will behave rests squarely on my shoulders."

It doesn't always work out that way, but Mr Thomas is leagues ahead of the attitude of many parents who have a more laissez-faire role to parenting than their own parents did.

Much has been made in the debate of a case heard in Sydney last year by local magistrate Pat O'Shane. She dismissed a charge against a drunken man who swore at police in central city George Street.

Ms O'Shane said the type of foul language was "to be expected on George St at that time of night" and that there were no longer "community standards" relating to such behaviour.

That angered police and provoked a public outcry, so all is not lost for Chief Justice Spigelman.

The Australian newspaper said he was on the mark in his warning about the deterioration of Australians' ordinary manners and backed Mr Howard's call for voluntary restraint by broadcasters when it came to violence, sexually explicit material and obscene language.

The newspaper said the many parents fleeing to send their children to private schools believed that there was too much tolerance in the public school system when it came to disciplining bad behaviour.

It would be hard to argue against the chief justice that road rage and foul behaviour by parents at children's sports matches seem far more prevalent than, say 20, years ago.

But as for "the virtual disappearance" of expressions such as "please", that's more arguable. People have probably been saying for the past century that they are in decline.

So excuse me please Your Honour, I'm sorry I will have to disagree with you on that point. Thank you.