Speaker of the H of C

Bercow is right to give back benchers a voice, he is so wrong to ridicule them . I no longer like him , he plays to the camera.

And it is my opinion that Rory Stewart does not have an inflated sense of his own ability, but JB most certainly does.

I’m another one who’s son went to Oxford. Like you Lemon I have some insight into how things are there. The majority of his friends, who often visited our home, went to comprehensive schools, but not all. He wasn’t friendly with anyone who went to Eton, perhaps he knew some but he never said. He described Oxford as ‘....the bastion of the middle classes...’ in other words, mainly middle class students went there. The amount of inverted snobbery about Oxford never goes away. The young people who go to Oxford all worked hard to get there, from whichever school they went to. Unfortunately in many comprehensive schools there is still the attitude of ‘not for the likes of us.’ I know this because as a teacher of pupils up to age 18, my husband was often involved in meetings with teachers from other schools, and as part of his role was university admissions, he described this attitude that he came across regularly. Also my son, whilst at Oxford, was involved in ‘outreach’ which was Oxford students visiting state schools and talking about Oxford to the pupils, in order to encourage pupils in state schools to consider applying to Oxford.

Whatever we like to think, not all comprehensive schools are alike. For example the school Blair’s children went to, St Olave’s, which sends many children to Oxbridge every year. So do many other top state schools.

Well done to JB for getting to Oxford. An Oxford place doesn’t guarantee a nice person, I find him to be obnoxious, in particular with his disrespectful attitude towards women.

The trouble is lemon you talk as if people from a non fee paying school somehow have difficulty when they get to oxford.

But you are approaching it from the wrong end. Most children from the non- fee paying sector thrive and do exceedingly well at any university, there are always some who have difficulties for what ever reason. But to go on and then suggest that it is because they don’t come from a small minority whose parents have been able to give them every advantage is taking cause and effect too far.
Those tiny minority of children will continue with the advantage as is well documented with parents being able to open doors for their offspring whatever the merits of the children’s ability. That is why we are seeing such second rate and incompetent ministers and government. Just look at the poor line up for leader. Not one of them have any real merit, and all have an inflated sense of their ability, which unfortunately for the country doesn’t exist .

I couldn’t be anything to do with the fact that Bercow is an arch Remainer..........could it?

Sorry WW but as our DD went to Oxford I do have some insight into how things are there.
Why are you so angry? Not all who go to Oxford from Comps used to fit in and adopting a ‘persona’ to try and fit in was commonplace.
Many in the Commons have Eton and Oxbridge backgrounds ( you can argue, too many) on both sides of the House.
Bercow would have found it harder, being a Conservative
To assert himself I would think.I think his prickly demeanor and love of putting others down could well be a result of this, and yes, being of tiny stature wouldn’t help either.
I have zero interest or fondness for Eton, so why anyone thinks I am worried by JRM’s book bombing is a mystery to me.Attending Eton will get you into many circles, but if you don’t write a good book then it won’t sell.
Must say I am surprised by all the posters on here who profess to really like Bercow, a pompous puffed up unpleasant character with a reputation of upsetting women.

What you mean is that he defends the House of Commons against an overbearing government. He is a democrat

He’s not impartial as he’s supposed to be...odious man

What rubbish some people spout.

Oxford for a start. It is a university for gods sake not the garden of Eden. Yes is has the reputation as a good university, which is why so many wealthy pay their way there, but if you have got there as a number if my family have done, and people like Bercow, you know that you did so as a result if your hard endeavour and not through the ability to pay from prep school through the fee paying system, where every advantage is given to the children and you would be hard pushed to fail.
One of my cousins went to oxford in the 60s and then joined the Treasury, but he simply couldn’t stand the petty snobbery and small mindedness of the sort of people who knew very little except their own tiny circle. He never felt overwhelmed but always considered them second rate and irritating. My cousin left to work in the IMF and never looked back.

So to say that Bercow is feeling overwhelmed by and “did his best to fit in” as an undergrad is beyond hilarity. It is showing a real ignorance about the world and assumptions about behaviour that do not exist.

Lemongrove - a tall man with an Eton background has only managed to sell 734 copies of his new book Victorians. Apparently he was paid £12,500 by his publishers and it took him 300 hours to write so not a very good hourly rate. The book has been slated by the critics. (In case you haven't guessed the identity it's JRM)

Hope the next Speaker is a woman, then at least there will be no sexual harassment.

As you say POGS being rude and trying to humiliate MP’s,
Not a pleasant trait, and if he is such a happy chappy ( as some seem to think) you have to ask yourself why he does it?
The usual answer to why some like to put others down is to make themselves look big.Inferiority complex.

It’s easy for some to dismiss the thought that Bercow may well feel uncomfortable with ‘tall men from Eton’ because you are women for a start.Small men do often feel inadequate in the company of tall men, and Bercow comes from a poorer background, went to Oxford where he would have done his best to fit in, (but harder then than now.)
I always feel his arrogance is a coat of armour.
Lampooned and despised?MP’s who went to Eton? Not in Westminster they aren’t!

People's Vote: Betty Boothroyd says 'nobody voted for this mess'
Former Commons speaker Betty Boothroyd speaks at a People's Vote rally and says "nobody voted for this mess".
"I blame the charlatans who peddled the falsehoods that [Brexit] would be easy. I wouldn't trust them to run my bath, let alone the country."
09 Apr 2019

However, people don't seem to be listening to Betty Boothroyd's view on Brexit at the moment do they?. And, if she were speaker at the moment I think she would be making her view known...'Baroness Betty Boothroyd gave a barnstorming speech about the need for a second referendum as she
The first female speaker of the House of Commons was greeted with a standing ovation to which she bellowed her distinctive "order, order".

To an enthusiastic crowd the former MP said: "I thought my friends that my rallying days were over but this fight matters to me more than any I've known in my long life in politics".
She gave both the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition short shrift telling the crowd: "our country desperately needs leadership." '

If John Bercow had half as much dignity, authority and gravitas as Betty Boothroyd had, I would respect him. But he doesn't. He's a bad tempered weasel of a man compared to his erudite, composed and intelligent predecessor who, at the age of 89, is still fully politically engaged and commanding respect.

Exactly POGS.

Look up his early years and thoughts.

Named as an MP who 'Flipped' his home during the Expenses Scandle period.

What about the connection between Bercow and the Dame Laura Cox Inquiry into Bullying and Harrasment in Parliament and I don't mean just the allegations against Bercow himself that should have been investigated, I mean the subsequent handling of the findings and what some see as a total whitewash. How was that allowed to happen?

He called The Leader of the House ' A stupid woman' and reportedly ' f-----g useless'. Although he only admitted to calling her ' A stupid woman'. No wonder he let Corbyn off for doing the same thing.

He is tantamount to being a hypocrite who uses Parliamentary Convention accordingly to allign with his own personal view and on one hand he wants to be seen as a Progressive/Moderniser and overrides Parliamentary Convention to set ' New Precedent' but when it suits says he must abide by Parliamentary Convention from hundreds of years ago.

Bercow is rude, humiliates MP's by the use of sarcasm and ridicule and is most certainly NOT abiding by the code required to be Speaker. :-

' Speakers remain strictly NON - PARTISAN and renounce all affiliation with their former political parties when taking office and afterwards. The Speaker does not take part in debate or vote (except to break ties; and even then, the convention is that the speaker casts the tie-breaking vote according to Speaker Denison's rule). '

I have the opportunity to watch a lot of Parliament Live and both Deputy Speaker Labour MP Lindsay Hoyle and Deputy Speaker Conservative MP Eleanor Laing are by far better than Bercow, especially over the subject of bias and personal behaviour.

Entertaining is not what I consider to be a quality in the role of Speaker and that unfortunately is what Bercow is ' A Showman'.

To be a tall man from Eton, in politics, is to be lampooned and despised. Very old-fashioned statement.

When facing tall men with an Eton background

I don't imagine for one second that JB feels intimidated by that . He probably has the same views on them as many of us do.

I really don't think Bercow feels inadequate in any way . As for flowery language I give you Rees Mogg and his filibustering....

Blimey lemon you are getting more like Les Dawson by the day.

You say the most ridiculous things, “inadequate when facing tall men from an Eton background” ???

Who on earth would feel inadequate facing them?. Blimey you’d have to have a problem if that was the case, they are all so inadequate themselves, just look at their performance. Almost across the board. Heaven preserve us from Eton!

I agree Callistemon he really isn’t impartial
He used to be really right wing but then swung to be more left wing, he was a Conservative but is Labour now, if everyone including him is honest.Which is fine, if he kept up the impartiality but he doesn’t.
Small man syndrome and a hefty chip on his shoulder about his early life probably, attending a comp and his Father being a taxi driver.Actually, he has done really well in life but I suspect he still feels inadequate when facing tall men with an Eton background, which makes him go OTT with his flowery language in the chamber.

I also like his attitude to Donald Trump.
His attitude towards Trump was unprofessional and demeaned the role of Speaker of the House and Parliament itself.
He can think what he likes about him in private but his duty is to remain impartial.
If he wants to express his views on Trump and others he should give up the post of Speaker.

Don't usually get involved with political discussions, but I cannot stand John Bercow, I am sure his ego can withstand my dislike, but he is so pompous, and I think perhaps one day he will go just too far, because he thinks he can.