Wow people...bitter much? I found Speaker Bercow to be an incredibly witty, fair, and straight forward person. I wish we had a John Bercow in the US House!
I'm an American and I have thoroughly enjoyed speaker Berkow's service to the UK. He is a man of integrity and exudes professionalism in his craft. He truly cares about the processes of the house and all that that entails. Anyone that falters in leadership and self doubt should go back and watch his demeanor in the house. The UK should truly hope that the next speaker can live up to their predecessor. Thank you speaker Berkow from one American.
William Hoffman As a Yank, I found Bercow’s histrionic performances to be immensely entertaining. His breaking the impartiality of the chair, not so much.
Glad to see this. The good he has done for the Parliament will be appreciated and recognized for a long time despite the unfortunate treatment he receives today from some
Gritish Bas That’s where you and your fellow imbecilic Sun readers are out of your pathetic depths. It is possible to disagree with people and respect and remain friends with them. This is why low-life reprobates like you are not involved in public service.
Pro tip: don't read the comments. This is a lovely tribute by Parliament for one of their foremost champions. If you'd throw a retirement party for an esteemed colleague at work, it's the same idea. Please don't be rude and don't take out the frustrations of your life on people who work hard to serve the country.
All of you who made disgusting comments regarding the Speaker were reported to RU-vid. Have a nice day. And Speaker Bercow, enjoy your retirement sir :-)
A most fitting tribute from JRM, a politician to whose views I am normally diametrically opposed. The lout end of the Tory party, (ie Bridgen and François) should learn from this.
Bercow’s energy of mind, his fine point in dialectic, and his knowledge are to be admired. Some 50% of people will probably disagree with his views. What seems to be missed is that the office of Speaker of the House requires studied neutrality and personal and political self-effacement taken to extreme fine point. This to secure general trust in the office across sometimes fierce political divides. The idea of Bercow fulfilling this brief is pantomimic to contemplation - and to anyone who did not see him in his final furlong - he acted as if he was King of England - ruling this and ruling that in a way not seen since Charles l.
Hmmm. I'm not sure that Charlie Stuart ever held the post. Surely the chair was occupied by a couple of Finches in the 1620s; parliament was suspended during the entirety of the 1630s, I think; 1640s, Lenthall - obviously - and (briefly) Harry Pelham. There may have been others. If so, please enlighten me. But, assuming you're referring to monarchs, Charles II and James II were most certainly both more judgemental and contentious than Speaker Bercow. Victoria had her little moments, too: 1839, 1868 and 1880, for example. Are you one of those Brexity chaps, incidentally?
@@robertcottam8824 The reference was in respect of ruling the country and not of ruling the office of Speaker. The Dignity of the Speakership: ‘Excepting only the Sovereign...no personage throughout the structure of British parliamentary government occupies a higher pinnacle of prestige than the Speaker of the House of Commons. He embodies in his own person the dignity of the nation’s representative assembly. The honour which is accorded his office is such as to sustain the authority of any incumbent, weak and strong alike. As in all walks of life some Speakers are better than others, and not every holder of the office has contrived to meet its exacting requirements completely. But the office is above the individual and it is the office which requires the first respect. Whoever assumes the Speaker’s historic mantle inherits the dignity which goes with it, a dignity that is unfailingly maintained and enhanced at every opportunity. For the exaltation of the speakership is quite deliberate. It is the guarantee of the independence of the Chair of the House of Commons. The Speaker is above sectional interests and immune from party influences. He serves only the House of Commons, regardless of which faction might be temporarily in control of it. Each individual member receives, and is entitled to expect, the same consideration from him, but his overriding duty is to the House collectively. From the moment of his appointment he withdraws completely from political activity and ceases to belong to any political party. Within the sphere of his own authority the rights of minorities are therefore secure in his protection. The Speaker is not only impartial - he is seen to be impartial. He is the friend of every Member, yet he must avoid close friendships with individual Members lest he might appear to favour some above others. Even in his private life he must observe discretion in his associations with practicing politicians. He must be circumspect, for example, with the clubs he joins, avoiding any which may suggest a bias towards one party. The fellowship of parliamentary life is one of the compensations denied him. He voids the informal encounter in bar and smoking room; he excludes himself from jest and banter outside the Chamber which restore good feeling after acrimonious debate; in fact, he can never participate in any social relaxation which might involve a lessening of his traditional dignity. The self-imposed restraints are strict. But Tis is the inevitable lot of the holder of an office which is held in such high regard. The speakership, because of what it stands for, is revered on all sides of the House. In token of this esteem the Speaker is accorded the utmost personal respect wherever he goes by Members and all who recognise him, whether he is on or off duty, whether within or without the precincts of the Palace of Westminster. He is deferred to when he passes through the corridors and lobbies of the House of Commons, and those who are seated rise at his approach. Members bow to the Chair on entering and leaving the Chamber. In the circumstances there can be few people outside his own family circle with whom the Speaker can share a familiar relationship. He is of necessity lonely in his eminence’. Philip Laundy 1964 Here’s some proper EU stuff! (Lawrence Gardiner) ‘With the support of the Anglian Whig aristocracy, Prince William convened an illegal parliament at Westminster on 26 December 1688, and the politicians were held at gunpoint to vote in respect of a dynastic change..[the press reporting that]..’the Convention Parliament was in no way at liberty to vote according to conscience because Prince William’s soldiers were stationed within the House and all around the Palace of Westminster........William employed actual intimidation which resulted in majorities of one vote in two of the most important divisions in the history of Parliament’.
Thank you for your wonderful - educative and amusing - reply. Of course, I'm in full communion with Laurence Gardner. Who am I to argue with The Jacobite Historian Royal? Best wishes
@@robertcottam8824 He is an interesting ‘cookie’ but throws up so much to think about - I appreciate him as intellectually stimulating - though nothing like Knight and Lomas - and especially for reminding me of the anti-Catholic notice on the side of London’s Monument to the great fire which bewildered me as a child. (‘The Shadow of Solomon). I notice he is/was a ‘Hackney man’ which sorts him among such bold spirits as he who turned the De Beauvoir Estate into a Colditz escape scheme; he who toured the Regent canal in a submarine made from oil drums; he who spent his pension settlement on acquiring a large ship on its way to the knacker’s yard and got two payloads from West Africa of people wishing for a new life in Britain; and a borderline case in Shoreditch who made an attempted Space shot from his garden!
So when are these people going to run the country. Who’s been doing any work for the last 3 years. If we want a leaving 3 hour bash in the real world we don’t it in work time. Disgrace
Complete waste of time" 1 hour should have been enough" other work could have been done in that time. This man just wanted all the glory and it was just bucket after bucket of sick. Thank gid he is done with now.
Dark Brotherhood consistently making decisions against Parliamentary precedent that further his own political preferences especially with regards remaining in the EU - he allowed amendments to a bill, in a way that just was not done before, which resulted in the Benn Act and resulted in Britain remaining in the EU. I could list many others he won’t be missed
I actually liked his turn of phrase but he was deeply flawed in two ways. Firstly he didn't even put up the pretense of being neutral, clearly he was elected by Labour for Labour. Secondly he failed to note the difference needed between being the speaker in a parliament with a strong majority (where Parliament needs to be championed) and one with a small or negative majority (where the executive need to be championed) Basically if one side is overpowering the minority he needs to stick up for the minority. Here the government is the minority... As are the leavers.
It’s an absolute joke, 3 hours on an ego trip when there is more important matters that need addressing, at least he can have a happy retirement whilst the rest of us will probably be working till we’re dead 😒
