A new mace for parliament

A new ceremonial mace commemorating the bicentenary of the Parliament building and the 50th anniversary of the referendum was unveiled and used for the first time during yesterday’s session of Parliament. The other half of the polished stalagmite presented by the late Sir Robert Peliza to Betty Boothroyd in 1994, was also on display in parliament for the first time in its new home. “I am reliably informed that it is prominently displayed in Mr Speaker’s house in Westminster,” the current speaker of the House Adolfo Canepa told members yesterday. Earlier in the day the clerk of Parliament, Paul Martinez, had unveiled the new mace and stalagmite at a press conference.