Will I like it the first time?

Abstract. The initial speeches of MPs entering the British House of Commons from 1966 to 1970 were analyzed to ascertain the extent to which they complied with the prevailing myth of behaviour appropriate for maiden speeches. Rituals of style - hesitancy, brevity, and humility -were challenged more sharply than were those of substance - references to one's predecessor and one's constituency and being non-contentious. Despite widespread violation of the various norms, few new MPs defied the folkways across the board. Although a new breed of MP - young, well-educated, and professionally oriented - was entering the Commons at this time, such MPs did not prove to be the principal source of challenges to the folkways. Iconoclastic MPs tended to have less durable careers than did those MPs more acceptant of tradition. But neither Labour nor Conservatives penalized deviants by denying them positions in the Government. In the absence of sanctions, new Members complied with the myth only when the code of acceptable behaviour appeared to help the Commons function effectively and when new Members were not being singled out for discriminatory treatment.