Issue Table American Parliamentary Procedure British Eslpod Rules

"Parliamentary procedure" refers to the rules and guidelines that a group of people follow during a formal meeting, especially when they are making rules and laws. Parliamentary procedure "governs" (states and controls) who can speak, when they can speak, and how others can express whether they agree or disagree, as well as how the group makes a final decision.

The "terminology" (use of technical words) to describe parliamentary procedure can be confusing, because the word "table" has different meanings in American and British English. Groups "on both sides of the pond" (in North American and in Europe) talk about "tabling" an issue, or the idea of putting an issue on a "figurative" (not real) table, but the use and purpose of the "table" is different.

In American English, the "table" is like a shelf, where issues are placed until one is ready to deal with them. In contrast, in British English the "table" is a work surface where issues are placed when they need to be dealt with actively.

So, in parliamentary procedure, an individual may "lay an issue on the table." An American would use that phrase to mean that he or she wants more time to research or discuss an issue, so no decisions should be made on it right now. In British English, to "lay an issue on the table" means to actively discuss an issue and work toward a decision or vote. That same idea in American English would be expressed as "to put an issue on the table" - to make an issue available for discussion and "debate" (talking about the arguments for and against something).