Bercow's screech

AndyinBrum

Over rated? The only person who rates Mr Bercow, is Mr Bercow

johno

Mr Bercow's shortcomings (no pun intended) were well known both before and after the recent election. I simply do not understand why the new government stood idly by and allowed his election unopposed. I have no doubt that, with government encouragment, a different and more competent Speaker could have been elected. What dark deals were done behind closed doors, I wonder?

Chris lancashire

If you watch a really good football match you don't notice the referee - the mark of a good official. Bercow is so poor because he craves attention for himself.
He was elected in spite and presides badly and presumes he is there for ever.

RKing

Is there anyway the little pest can be got rid of....... within the rules of course??

Rhoda Klapp

It's not the bloody Palace theatre of Westminster you know. This is not a show for you to crit, it is a way to examine the executive, and the more examining that gets done the better, even if the gossips here are left unentertained.

Right On

Whilst I'm no fan of Bercow and would happily see the back of him I think this is a bit unfair to blame him for a lacklustre PMQs.

The opposition have a lame duck stand in leader who is not much of a parliamentary performer. It's the early days of a new government and most of the debates are about hypothetical theories of what cuts might mean - hardly the stuff of great drama.

Wait till something major happens and I'm pretty confident no amount of henpecking from Bercow will keep the House quiet.

charles hercock

Too tall to play James Bond.Toosmall to be adopted by Madonna(with apologies)This sums up this joke of a man

Percy

There is something very pooterish about Bercow, without wishing to be a snob, very lower middle class.

tb

Not a fan of bercow, but pmqs is not entertainment and watching a bunch of adults whining, groaning, wiggling papers at each and gurning is not really conducive of good debate.

strapworld

In the original Citrine's abc of chairmanship the most excellent advice for a Chairman or president was that a chairman was to preside and allow the flow of the meeting. A good chairman was one who rarely spoke. His presence being enough for good order.

That this little man, not in a discrimitory sense, who loves the sound of his own voice will, I fear, soon face a vote of no confidence. The great bewilderment is that he was not kicked out when Parliament had a great opportunity. I also believe his wife should learn to keep her oversized mouth closed too!

David Ossitt

AndyinBrum

"Over rated? The only person who rates Mr Bercow, is Mr Bercow"

Sorry Andy but you are wrong; there is at least one other, she who now admits to have been in the past a bit free with her favours whilst being under the affluence of alcohol the renowned socialist and rabid Twitterer, Mrs Bercow the Speakers wife.

Naomi Muse

Mr Bercow has miscast himself as the Red Queen but does not understand the numbers of pieces on a board.

Brod Ross

"Technically he’s right"....Yep..That will do for me.

He just is hated by the Torys for beeing...Well..Right!

M. Rowley

The man is a tosswit and was clearly the wrong person for the job. MPs have only themselves to blame as they bottled out when the chance came at the start of this parliament to get rid of him.

Chuck Unsworth

Speaker Bercow is entirely and demonstrably partial. His recent actions have been deplorable. His notion of 'modernising' this centuries old post is downright dangerous and stupid. Worse than that, he allows (and no doubt encourages) his wife to constantly publicly snipe at the Conservatives and Liberals, and actively support Labour. This woman - a failed Labour candidate - lives, with her nanny and her nanny's husband, in a luxurious Grace and Favour apartment entirely at our expense. The very least she could do is withdraw from such activities and give a semblance of neutrality to her husband's office.

Bercow is proving to be as much of an arrogant and incompetent disaster as his predecessor, but at least Mrs Martin had the good grace to remain unobtrusive whilst using our money. Bercow should not have been re-elected and I hope that he is despatched at the earliest opportunity. If he carries on like this MPs should put down a motions of no confidence in his ability, his obvious partiality, and in his grandiose and foolhardy schemes for 'modernisation' of this ancient and honourable office.

Richard of York

I like PMQ's now, it is far more watchable and far more civilised.
The Punch and Judy show is over speccies go back to your bear baiting and dog pits.
Leave the grown ups to sort through the issues of the day.

Walsingham's Ghost

@ Dick of York

Reports of your demise are greatly exaggerated it would seem - sadly...

Walsingham's Ghost

@ Rhoda Klapp

Stop screeching,dear- it's only John Bercow...

Jeremy Fisher

You talk as if rowdy PMQs is some cornerstone of the British political tradition, when, as Bercow himself points out in his speech, it in fact stems from the fact that Harold Wilson and Edward Heath hated one another.

Out on the doorstep during the election campaign, I found that MPs behaviour during PMQs was one of the top 5 public concerns.

Sepoy Agent

Could we please return to the likes of Speaker Thomas, Speaker Weatherill and Speaker Boothroyd; or perhaps Speaker Lenthall. Remember what he said: "I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as this house is pleased to direct me whose servant I am here".

Scottish Cheeselog

Would have been more useful and worthy of respect if he'd thought of all this while he was presiding over Gordon Brown's question times.

Andrew Grocock

I'm pleased.

Cameron et all had a chance to get rid of him but were spineless to the last.

Coalition Liberal

He intervened twice. Twice in half-an-hour. This is hardly an issue

Steve Tierney

He's a petty bureaucrat given a non-petty bureaucrat's job. It will end in tears.

Mycroft

As a general rule I'm 'too indolent to bear malice' (as Lord Melbourne used to say), so why is it that when I see a picture of this man I feel an overwhelming desire to punch him in the face?

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

July 7th, 2010 4:04pm

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There is something very pooterish about Bercow, without wishing to be a snob, very lower middle class.
==========================
Percy, you are too kind. If this oik is very lower middle class, how foul can the class lower be?

cityboozer

A thought about the long game. What would happen if the speaker's seat just happened to be abolished in a boundary review?

The UK polling report analysis suggests it wouldn't happen, but it's nice to dream.

Tapestry

The EU would be proud of their little protege. Destroying democracy is their main game.

Anan

Can we please get rid of this self-indulgent clown?

Major Plonquer 1

I must congratulate the author of this piece and each and every one of the commentators.

This is the first time I've ever read a story about Speaker Bercow that did not contain the word 'dwarf'.

Order ,Order

Berow may be clever, but like most brain boxes he lacks common sense. He really should be got rid of as he is a pompous little man. Mrs Bercow also uses all the privileges of her Husband's Office, but seems unable to behave in a dignified manner. I really do think that Bercow should be made to stand down.

Bourne

Sally Bercow is even more pathetic. Her Twitter posts are an embarassment given her husband's position. Writing things like "jog on" and "epic fail" to people who dare to question his actions. She really is a sad act.

David

As a citizen of Cheltenham, may I assure readers that discussions can be quite raucous while we are having tea. Often such discussions cover the local MP, Martin Horwood, a Social Democrat in Liberal clothing if there ever was one.

The Engineer

Curiously, only last night I was reading part of "The Best Seat in the House", a collection of Frank Johnson's commons sketches and came across one anecdote from 1991 which is highly relevant in this context, I paraphrase from memory:

...at this point Michael Martin said 'Mr Bercow you used unparliamentary language, you must withdraw at once' 'of course I will withdraw, Mr Speaker'.
No-one in our part of the gallery had here any such language, but a Hansard rep0rter told us after that Bercow had said 'conman' in reference to Gordon Brown who was speaking at the time!

Pot calling the kettle blacK?

David Martin

"Curiously, only last night I was reading part of "The Best Seat in the House", a collection of Frank Johnson's commons sketches and came across one anecdote from 1991 which is highly relevant in this context, I paraphrase from memory:"

Not 1991 - Martin wasn't the Speaker until 2000 and Bercow an MP until 1997.

By leading on a 'women's rights' question, Harman wasn't going to raise the temperature. Maybe she was right to be worthy, but I'd have preferred a bit of mischief, such as asking whether the PM still had full confidence in his Minister of Education.

Sad life that I have, I watched 'live' the re-election of Speaker Bercow, wondering how it came to be that Malcolm Rifkind effusively praised his virtues from the Tory benches.

Btw, I've missed the reason why PMQ's no longer start with a tribute to British soldiers who have been killed in action. What's the explanation? The practice probably should never have started (a Phoney Tony innovation?)but now earlier tributes seem rather hollow.

The Engineer

@david martin

yes you are right - the date in FJ's book was 2001.

Well, I did say I was quoting from memory!

HenryV

Though I consider myself traditionalist I think having an MP as speaker is flawed. Better if a high court judge ran the debate. We could have a different one every month.

JohnAnt

"The Speaker’s genteel longings will turn Britain away from its own politics."
But that's exactly what Bercow wants.
Then he can push through his own political agenda, out of the spotlight.

Crum1306

Never mind about Bercow's screeching hijacking of PMQs..what about this Commons nursery business? 3 expressions of interest- What a complete waste of money!