So The Angry Short Bloke Finally Finds His True Home.......

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57541836
....Still the worst speaker in History, a disgrace to the position. Perhaps labour will use up their honours list nominations on him. I doubt it though Rodders ain't got much idea but he's not that silly.

[Mamyalynne]

More than one thread on his move already.

[ToraToraTora]

yes but closed, sadly.

[Mamyalynne]

Are they?

Better luck with this one then.

[jim360]

The role of the Speaker is to give Parliament a voice and ensure that its views are heard, irrespective of the wishes of the Government. In that regard, he was doing the job quite while. It's also entirely relevant, although perhaps forgotten by revisionists, that much of the earlier drive within Parliament for debates on exiting the EU, on holding referendums etc., came about because Bercow set time aside for the Eurosceptic MPs to have such debates and make their points. It's difficult to judge how much of an impact that had on the resulting Referendum, but it still seems likely that if the issue had been allowed to die within Parliament, then all of the fuss from outside Parliament (from Farage, etc.), would have been much less forceful in turn.

History will be a better judge of Bercow's time as Speaker than we can be at the present; at the very least, the "worst Speaker in history" accusation speaks only to recency bias.

[youngmafbog]

He was awful, however you cut it jim. Not a patch on Betty Boothroyd or the current incumbent Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

[THECORBYLOON]

This thread is open still

https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Business-and-Finance/Question1755624.html

[jim360]

Lindsay Hoyle seems less successful so far at giving Parliament a voice, so, no -- I'm not convinced that Bercow was awful, or that Hoyle is more effective. As far as I can tell, the negative evaluations are primarily from those who were frustrated by the 2017-2019 Parliament's approach to Brexit -- which, fair enough, but it was the Speaker's role to give Parliament as it *was* a voice, not Parliament as it (arguably) should have been.

[youngmafbog]

To be fair to Sir Lindsay Parliament has been somewhat restricted. Under the circumstances I think he is doing a good job.

Time will tell of course if Parliament can ever be bothered to return properly.

[THECORBYLOON]

To be fair to the current Speaker, he made it abundantly clear he was not happy about the PM not informing Parliament first about delaying Step 4 in England.

[Peter Pedant]

yeah foo Jim
The croatian speaker has just shot his wife innit?

worst speaker last century was Martin doo dah the corrup one
The second speaker almost to be voted out of office ( last in 1697)

wd only go if he were promised a Peerage and They DID !

[ToraToraTora]

Gorballs Mick was as bent as a nine bob note but at least he knew how to be impartial.

[naomi24]

As speaker Bercow was accused more than once of abusing his position. He was unfit for office.

[Sunk]

I agree, Bercow was clearly in the wrong party for a long time.
He impressed in 2005 winning the opposition MP of the year. That managed to *** of a lot of nis fellow Conservative MPs.
In Gordon Brown’s Government he took a post looking at children’s learning. He won the Speakers election largely on Labour MP’s votes, his own party didn’t vote for him.
He had a very difficult tenure in the Speaker’s chair. The Conservative Party was out of control, illegally Proroguing Parliament, and acting unconstitutionally. Bercow had the unenviable task of overseeing the mess and sorting it out. Which made him further unpopular with the party leadership. Spitefully they blocked his elevation, which is exceedingly rare.
So joining Labour was long overdue.

[Peter Pedant]

// Gorballs Mick was as bent as a nine bob note but at least he knew how to be impartial.//

once he had helped himself - the rest cd go hang!

that kind of impartiality ?

[Peter Pedant]

// As speaker Bercow was accused more than once of abusing his position. He was unfit for office.//

o come on come on - accused ts radically different to convicted

[diddlydo]

It's not "personal preference" though. It's being forced upon us by this hopeless government.

[diddlydo]

Apologies - posted on wrong topic!

[ABerrant]

//Spitefully they blocked his elevation, which is exceedingly rare.//

The independent House of Lords Appointment Commission turned down peerage nominations by Jeremy Corbyn for the former Speaker John Bercow, the former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson and ex-Labour official Karie Murphy.

A spokeswoman for the appointments commission said it did not comment on individual cases but added: "Our guidelines make clear that an individual must be in good standing in general and with the public regulatory authorities in particular. If, after carrying out its checks, the commission thinks it may be unable to support a nominee, the relevant party will be given one more opportunity. The commission will then advise the prime minister to substitute another nominee for vetting."

{Bercow has yet to be investigated over allegations of bullying. Watson is still to be brought to book about his role in the Carl Beech debacle. Murphy was at that time being investigated for anti-Semitism.}

Downing Street offered Mr Corbyn the option to put forward other names for consideration. He initially accepted this, but then decided to decline.

[gulliver1]

Not another thread about Bercow , starting to get Boring now.

[Jackdaw33]

That's rich, coming from someone who can't let a day go by without having a bash at Boris.