Speaker of the H of C

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

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)

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.

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

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

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.

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

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’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.

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

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.

I agree maddyone I wish all comps ( teachers within) would encourage able pupils to put themselves forward for Oxbridge.Why don’t they? Inverted snobbery?
Hopefully things are getting better in that respect.
I applaud anyone who works hard to get an Oxbridge place.
Yes, some comps are really more like private schools, Holland Park, St Olaves etc.
My daughter had friends from both public schools and state
But did speak of how Oxford ( her College particularly) was intimidating at times.

DD's school put a lot of pressure on her to apply to Oxbridge. One night I went and sat on the end of her bed and said 'how would you feel if we dropped the idea of Oxbridge' and she said it would take the weight of the whole world off her shoulders. They were doing it more for the glory of the school than for her.

I wish all comps ( teachers within) would encourage able pupils to put themselves forward for Oxbridge.Why don’t they? Inverted snobbery?

Perhaps they don't wish to be associated with the sort of person who make disparaging comments about small men from comps having difficulty fitting in at Oxbridge? Or perhaps they choose other universities for all sorts of more practical reasons. It could be either, really.

I think Oxford and Cambridge are both pretty expensive places to live. Leeds and Nottingham suited my two just fine.

My daughter went to UCL and London was extremely expensive for us, she cost us far more than both our boys, despite Oxford, whilst she was at university.

Yes, London is well known as one of the most expensive cities in the world in which to live.

There is nothing wrong ( just the opposite in fact) in very able and academic young people aspiring to get into Oxford or Cambridge regardless of which kind of school they attend.
There is snobbery and there is inverted snobbery which unfortunately puts pupils off if their schools don’t back them up by suggesting they try for an Oxbridge place.
Many good state schools do of course, but quite a lot don’t, which means a lottery for the young people and missed opportunities.

You’re absolutely correct - snobbery does put off many very intelligent pupils from applying to Oxbridge.

Labaik Your DD may well have enjoyed Oxford had she got a place there, but if the thought of it was too much for her then you did the right thing.
Schools, do of course like the fact that they can get their more able pupils into Oxbridge, but it’s also a duty to their pupils, which is why maddyone’s DH and many more teachers like him encourage schools to be more ambitious on their behalf.
A lot of people complain that Oxbridge is too ‘elitist’ but until more state school pupils try and get places there it won’t become less so.So, to accomplish that end, schools must aspire more.

....and so does inverted snobbery SirChenjin !

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

It is a mystery to me too lemon.

He is the worst speaker in living memory. Treacherous, crude and lacking in impartiality.

I agree with you on all your points Lemon.

Probably as surprised as I am at how many people adore/respect Farage...

And I agree with you too Day6.