Things the Speaker shouldn't discuss in public
Peter Hoskin 2:28pm
As Andrew Sparrow says, it's well worth reading Iain Dale's interview with John Bercow in the latest issue Total Politics. It's a fun read, mostly because the Speaker is remarkably candid – a quality that's normally to be admired in a politician. But I can't help thinking that he made a mistake in admitting this:
Now, you could say that we're already aware of the controversy surrounding Bercow's politics and politicking. But this seems to be a rather showy way of dragging the whole issue up again – and the only thing it's likely to achieve is to aggravate those Tories who would have preferred to see someone like Sir George Young at the front of the House. With the Speakership intended to be an impartial role, he should avoid making a big deal out of his position on the political spectrum, either way."I received various approaches from various senior people in the Labour party saying: 'Aw, you know, we'd love to have you on board. We think you're being discarded by the Conservatives. We think you'd be quite at home with us.' Senior people, not in a formal setting, but people sidling up to you – ex-ministers, current ministers, backbenchers, whatever. And, I always said no, because I felt at heart that I was most comfortable being a [Conservative] for a whole variety of philosophical and practical reasons."
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Lord Wallington
December 14th, 2009 3:44pm Report this commentLet's hope Nigel Farage puts us out of our misery.
Liz Brown
December 14th, 2009 3:44pm Report this commentBercow is a totally arrogant little pratt and the less we were to hear of/from him, the better for all of us. I hope (forlornly, I fear) that Nigel Farage does indeed unseat him
Bob Dixon
December 14th, 2009 3:48pm Report this commentBercow is perfect for this position. To have the right person,at this time in the speakers chair, could distract from the madness that is going on.
David Ossitt
December 14th, 2009 3:53pm Report this commentThis prize prat; this political whore, in now trying to save his job by suggesting that a new constituency should be set up at Westminster, a constituency with only one candidate, the current Speaker and a very limited group of voters namely all sitting Mp’s.
The only reason he has for suggesting this; is that he is terrified; as he might well be, that Nigel Farage will unseat him at the next election.
Kevyn Bodman
December 14th, 2009 3:55pm Report this commentAnd the senior people who approached him?Idiots.
But all MPs are arrogant prats.
My contempt for them all grows by the day.
Vulture
December 14th, 2009 4:01pm Report this commentHe's obviously running scared of Farage though - why else would he float the idea of a special Speaker's seat - St Stephens, no less - which would have the obvious advantage of having no electors at all?
Michael Booth
December 14th, 2009 4:09pm Report this commentSaid it before many times - welcome to the Eighteenth Century again! Rotten borough, anyone?
Andy Leeds
December 14th, 2009 4:26pm Report this commentAlways thought he was a Labour 'stooge' and the activities of his wife have merely underlined the point. The Local Conservative Association should select a new candidate and fight the seat. I hope this arrogant Labour moron would lose.
DavidDP
December 14th, 2009 4:27pm Report this commentHonestly don't get the Bercow hatred.
The St.Stephen's constituency for the Speaker is an attempt to address the problem that a constituency with a Speaker for MP is sometimes considered to be disenfranchised since their MP can't act as a regular MP does. This is sometimes balanced by the fact that the Speaker does have the ear of ministers more than a normal MP may do.
There is also the new tradition of not standing against a Speaker.
It's not necessarily the solution, but that's what it is aimed at and it's certainly not a bad idea.
Gary Williams
December 14th, 2009 4:34pm Report this commentIsn't it more likely that Bercow thought he saw an opportunity to assert Conservative credentials in advance of the likely turfing out of the party that gifted him the Speakership?
Senor Frizby
December 14th, 2009 4:44pm Report this commentTo his friends: Berk-off.. to the rest of us (spelt with a 'J') off!
Hysteria
December 14th, 2009 4:55pm Report this commentis this not beltway tittle-tattle?
David Lindsay
December 14th, 2009 5:03pm Report this commentBercow wants a new seat of Saint Stephen's, with only MPs as the electors and with no party candidates, to which in practice the Speaker would always be elected unopposed.
Still, good to see that he has written off his chances against Nigel Farage at Buckingham.
John Moss
December 14th, 2009 5:29pm Report this commentI favour the election of a new Speaker at the beginning of each Parliament, with the succesful candidate not needing to maintain their seat, so a by-election would follow.
At the end of the Parliament, the Speaker would be elevated to the peerage, so play no meaningful further role in politics. ( I would like elected senators in the upper house who get a peerage at the end of their fifteen year term and cease to be legislators, so this would fit with that.)
Occasional Ostrich
December 14th, 2009 5:39pm Report this commentSenor Frizby
December 14th, 2009 4:44pm
No, there's no need to go quite so far. . . Surely it's sufficient only to remove the last syllable?
Watt Tyler
December 14th, 2009 7:32pm Report this commentSo what? There are plenty of Camerons men and women who would quite happily be at home in the Labour ranks. These days the parties are interchangable. When a local Labour councillor recently defected to the tories, I read one commentor on ConservativeHome congratulate his party for increasing the number of Tories on that council. The question of principle didn't come into it. I mean, all three main parties are quite happy to play second fiddle to our Real Government in Brussels, and just take the trappings. Parliament hardly does anything these days, just feeds off the public. What we have is one set of crooks and traitors. SOmetimes there are more blue ones, and sometimes there are more red ones. SOmetimes, when they think they are going to lose, they swap sides. But they are all still crooks and traitors. And still we don't wake up.
(Man alive. Its OK with the Tories here if UKIP wins at least one seat, eh?)
Anne Wotana Kaye
December 14th, 2009 10:36pm Report this commentWe should all be very careful laughing at Berkow, mocking his clownlike stance and the personal history of him and his equally vile wife. But beware. Once the world laughed at a silly little twerp with a toothbrush moustache. Much later, in Africa, another clown reared up, covering his chest with a multitude of military medals. Fat men often hide the thin sad guy inside, clowns often conceal teh very unfunny soul of pure evil.
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