Who is running this country?

I’ve

Thank you Ginny. A long read but I think Olive got the picture!!

I set out to find the answer to your question Jane as I'd read somewhere that he is to have surgery which he postponed. Could it be that they wanted it all done before he left?

However I found an article in the New Statesman which answers the OP's question 'Who is running the country?' It's a long but enlightening read and it highlights his links with different politicians including some Ministers and also insight into Cumming's family links.

www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2019/09/dominic-cummings-machiavel-downing-street

It seems to me that Cummings is running the country.

I know you do Whitewave and I’ve absolutely no problem with you having your own opinion. Obviously you will realise that I don’t think he’s a good Speaker, primarily because he’s not impartial at this point in time, but I didn’t like him before any of this because I think he’s always been an exceptionally arrogant Speaker. And also the stories (if true, though it was widely reported) about his extremely expensive tastes when he was having his (owned by Government) apartment refitted when he first moved in. None the less I will concede that all MPs seem to suddenly become very profligate in their tastes when we, the public, are paying.

That’s because they are annoyed at being made to toe the line and not flout the rules.

I think he is brilliant

Ah thank you Elegran.

The problem is that Bercow is simply not impartial. He has publicly stated that he is a remainer. Sir Edward Leigh said of Bercow, ‘.....he is perceived by large parts of the nation not to be impartial. And.........it was a mistake to overturn precedent and Standing Order 24 and allow Parliament.........to take over the Government. It upsets the whole governance of the nation, it’s basically made us ungovernable.’

Shailesh Vara said, ‘.........the Speaker Bercow has at times behaved like a verbal playground bully in the way that he treats his colleagues...........and has tarnished the role of Speaker with his biasedness.....he insults them, he demeans them........he loses all authority to lecture MPs as to how they should behave when his own behaviour is in this is in question.........the way he behaved was undignified.’

Jane Perhaps *maryhoffman" has read this article www.itv.com/news/2019-08-09/the-truth-about-dominic-cummings-writes-robert-peston/

maryhoffman do you have a link to your statement that Cummings is leaving?
I have googled but I can’t find anything to support it.

I agree that Betty Boothroyd was an exceptional politician and Speaker, but I seriously doubt she would have wanted to have been Speaker during these fractious times, especially towards the end of her career in the HoC.

No maddy Bercow operates within the law.

Would you prefer he didn’t?

Bercow is an apology for a speaker. Bring back Betty Boothroyd, she was an exemplary speaker. She knew how to be impartial, crucially important for the Speaker of the House. The remainers only defend him because he acts in a way that suits their cause, no other reason.

Or would you prefer it if there were no laws, and no-one to point out what they are?

Bercow is the policeman of the Commons. The police don't make the laws, they just make sure that everyone follows them. Would you blame a copper for there being a law that you can't drive your car without a driving licence and road tax and for telling you so when he observes you getting into a car without a tax certificate on display, and unable to produce a licence?

peonyrose why are you commenting on Bercow's private life in this debate? Johnson's private life doesn't seem to make a difference to his supporters. Consider his private life, and I reckon we don't know the half of it. He's the PM for goodness sake. You don't like Bercow. I get that, but his life outside the HoC has nothing to do with his professional life.

Consider who else could have dealt with the constant attempts to manipulate debate, thinking on your feet and checking the banter and the challenges flying across the Chamber and keep it all within the rules of the House? Together with the scrutiny of the team of Clerks, it is all open and above board.

How many times do we have to say this? Bercow follows the rules. He does not make them.

The GE should cover all aspects of life in this country and if we have one before Brexit is done and dusted the crucial issues of life right now and going forward would be completely side-lined.

They are two separate situations. People who wish to leave the EU would vote for the party likely to take us out and then we'd all be lumbered with their manifesto on all other issues. Likewise of course if people use their to vote to remain in the EU and we're left with a political party in power who we would not normally wish to vote for in a GE.

Rock and a hard place.

Bercow would appear to be like Marmite.

Some people love him!

Bercow undoubtedly, he has manipulated his power and position all the time in office, I think his private life has been such a car crash, he delights in the control he has in his working life. He is a very intelligent man but extremely unlikeable.

For 2016 above read 2017

Trouble is an election won’t solve the B issue, as elections may start as single issues , then other issues become more important, you can’t have a single issue general election by definition- 2016 was supposed to provide TMay with a strong and stable majority and look what happened then. The same thing will happen in the next one. It will start off about Brexit, but then some voters will see the NHS, railways etc as more important and vote on that basis.

I so agree Peardrop

We have to ask who is behind the popular press. Foreign billionaires and tax dodging billionaires, who own most of our national newspapers and do not want to comply with the new EU regulations on tax dodging, are very influential.

We should also be aware of the immense influence of Vladimir Putin who has connections with so many brexit liars and certainly does not have this country's best interests at heart.

Putin wants to de-stabilise the West and in 2016 he had two great victories - installing his puppet Trump in the White House and using his online bots and leave liars to achieve the prospect of brexit.

It has long been my belief that it is the popular press that rule the UK. Their influence on public opinion is far too strong.

@CorbynASAP

What a much needed tonic Judy Finnigan was #ThisMorning

Thank you Judy 'You can say that again'

twitter.com/CorbynASAP/status/1187709535307350017?s=20

Bercow and the Rainbow Alliance. They have majority and hold power.

"This IS about Brexit backers loosing a lot of money"
Exactly David.