Britain's Speaker Of The House Belittles British Workers.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2336050/Migrants-harder-workers-Britons-Speaker-John-Bercow-says-arrival-Eastern-Europeans-benefited-Britain.html

Was the Speaker of the House of Commons right to criticise British workers on a visit to a foreign parliament.

[jim360]

Well, they certainly tend to work for less money, and often take on more of the manual labour jobs. Whether or not they work "harder" is, of course, much harder to assess. Has anyone really done a proper study of this?

[andy-hughes]

No he was not right - not because he is not entitled to hold that opinion, but because as Speaker he has to be seen to be neautral, and making an obviously personal statement about an issue as contentious as immigration is not within his remit.

The man is a buffoon, with a buffoonish wife.

He should be censured for his lack of awareness of the basic tennets of his position.

[Gromit]

What he actually said was...

// ‘I want to underline the fact that there has been an important wave of immigrants that came to Great Britain from new member states and in many cases they came with aptitudes and a commitment, an involvement we haven’t always seen in our labour force.’ //

He is right. I have had contact with recent Polish migrants and they are good workers, often putting my fellow countrymen to shame.

The office of speaker is supposed to be neutral, that is why he does not stand for election. He should not be making controversial statements, especially when he is representing our parliament.

I quite like him as speaker, but when that Labour deputy speaker did a shift recently, he was much better.

[jim360]

Technically he does stand for election -- it's just that traditionally no-one stands against him. Nigel Farage, among others, went against this tradition in 2010.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckingham_(UK_Parliament_constituency)#Elections_in_the_2010s

[jno]

he's supposed to be prefessionally neutral as between parties in Parliament, where he works.

However, he seems to be on a semi-diplomatic mission to Romania, and has spoken diplomatically, saying some Romanian workers work harder than some British workers. This flatters his hosts and doesn't seem terribly contentious to me.

I expect Mr Farage, should he ever make a similar visit, will chide all his listeners as idle bums and tell them to stay home.

[FredPuli43]

As the MP who is against loose immigration said (see link) if he is asked the question he has to answer it.


But what is not neutral about what he said ? Can't see that it is anything but neutral, acknowledging that a country must have some control but accepting that some immigrants have special aptitudes. Does anyone on here deny any of that?

[slaney]

As Jim says the Speaker does stand for election and is occasionally opposed which is why a few years back I opened the door to find Nigel Farage standing there.
I have never understood how the political neutrality of the Speaker squares with being a constituency MP - to have an MP who is not allowed to voice an opinion in Parliament seems to me to be be a disadvantage.

Looking at what he actually said - he suggested that those who leave their country and friends and travel many miles to a foreign land to seek work have "aptitudes and a commitment, an involvement we haven't always seen in our labour force" - he was just stating the obvious.

[emmie]

those words, haven't always been", sorry what have the British workers been doing all this time, if he wants to be picky. If he is meant to be neutral then why say this, perhaps to butter up the Romanians, if so why.

[emmie]

or seen, that is still wrong, its giving the message that the British are lazy, and seeing as we are such a disparate group now, i wonder who he means.

[McMouse]

There are a bunch of Portuguese guys who do gardening and general outdoor maintenance and they charge £15 per hour cash each. They work hard but I don't think this is cheap.

[Canary42]

No, of course he shouldn't - he should leave that to the Daily Mail and its adherents.

[sandyRoe]

I'm not altogether sure that Romanians are renowned for the Protestant work ethic.

[emmie]

me neither, is he getting Britain prepared for the deluge that might come next year, more people that Britain doesn't need, can't afford, with millions here on the dole i can't see this being a good thing if that is the case.

[anotheoldgit]

FredPuli43

/// but accepting that some immigrants have special aptitudes. Does anyone on here deny any of that? ///

And do those 'special aptitudes' mean that they are prepared to accept lower pay for their labours?

[emmie]

many of those who have come to Britain in the last few years are on low wages, low paid jobs, they work on farms, in burger bars and hotels, some must wonder at what they left behind, was it worth it.

[anotheoldgit]

slaney

/// Looking at what he actually said - he suggested that those who leave their country and friends and travel many miles to a foreign land to seek work have "aptitudes and a commitment, an involvement we haven't always seen in our labour force" - he was just stating the obvious. ///

What about those British tradesmen who travelled to Germany (Auf Wiedersehen, Pet) the oil workers who work on the rigs, and those who travel to the Middle East?

But there is more incentive for Eastern Europeans to come here to work, such as increased child allowance that is paid to their children who still reside in their mother country, plus all the other benefits that the workers receive while they are working here.

[anotheoldgit]

His comments are 'rich' coming from a person such as him, who hasn't done a honest days work in his life.

[jake-the-peg]

We must be neighbours Slaney he's my MP too!

I also think there's an issue that we are disenfranchised by this tradition

As for what is rich AOG - I think it's rather rich to find the Mail standing up for the work ethic of British workers.

Isn't this more their usual fare?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2053546/Lazy-workers-sacked-explanation-government-told.html

[Gromit]

Just looked up if Bercow has actually done a days work in his life, and apparently he has.

// After a spell in merchant banking, Bercow joined the lobbying firm Rowland Sallingbury Casey (part of Saatchi & Saatchi) in 1988, becoming a board director within five years.
With fellow Conservative Julian Lewis, Bercow ran an Advanced Speaking and Campaigning course for over ten years, which trained over 600 Conservatives (including several current MPs) in campaigning and communication techniques. He has also lectured in the United States to students of the Leadership Institute.

In his youth, Bercow had been ranked Britain's No.1 junior tennis player. //

[kinell]

why is the old phrase 'they are hard workers' supposed to be a compliment towards our eastern european visitors.....
there is no direct correlation between hard work and quality.....
i made a poor choice and hired some of these 'hard workers' and spent thousands on 'british slackers craftsmen, to put it right.
i am middle aged but as a football left back there is no harder worker than me, but will never get a job with the england football team because compared to ashley cole i am useless i.e. lacking the required level of skill.
as Ruskin would have us agree....
“It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When
you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. When you pay
too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you
bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The
common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a
lot - it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well
to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will
have enough to pay for something better".