John Bercow has joined Labour - wow

I think Tony Blair was a self serving politician who was duped over Iraq

Sorry Alegrias I have to pick up on this - do you mean TB duped us? You don't really think he was duped?

With regards to the op, it doesnt surprise me really.
He's never been one to stay quietly in the background, so I imagine he thinks he has more to gain in the labour party.
Up to him (or labour) I suppose.

I don’t think Lindsay Hoyle deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Betty Boothroyd. Personally, I’m pleased that Bercow has joined the Labour Party. Albeit not being happy about some people ( not on here) looking on him as a potential party leader. Imo we already have a party leader in Starmer. As for describing Bercow as a poisoned dwarf I have a friend who has achondroplasia and I do take exception to the term.

GillT57

Christ on a bike, they walk amongst us.........

I feel your pain, GillT57

I'm not "hard left". I hated Thatcher with a passion, she ruined my country. I think Tony Blair was a self serving politician who was duped over Iraq. I think Cameron was none too clever and too big for his boots and we've ended up with this Brexit shambles because of it.

But never, never have I felt the need to call any of them a piece of s***, a pig, or a poison dwarf.

I can't really think of anything else to say

Gwyneth

Dinahmo no I don’t think his appearance is worthy of comment. I am far more interested in what politicians have to say rather than what they look like.

He is our Prime Minister. He should look the part. A bit more statesmanlike perhaps?

Christ on a bike, they walk amongst us.........

There are some Gransnetters like WhiteWaterMark2? Who really hate Conservatism. I do not mind left wingers who criticise policy, but to see anyone supporting John Bercow’s decision to join Labour is risible. Keir Starmer is not stupid and will see what a poisoned chalice that Mr Bercow’s membership will become. Not for nothing did he earn the epitaph of “ the poisoned dwarf” ( with an apology to those normal people of restricted growth). He will be a pain in the rear end and I honestly believe his little rant is based on his real reason for joining Labour. He wants a seat in H of Lords which the PM denied him. It beggars belief that some here have already forgotten his time as Speaker. He was derided daily and yet Lindsay Hoyle is well regarded on both sides of the House just as Betty Boothroys was, both from Labour. The way he and his wife conducted themselves was not pretty. Maybe he will be an ordinary party member, but I doubt that. He still has ambition so we wait and see.

To tell the truth I have been surprised by the number of hard left wing members here. But then many of you are not old like me. Some become grandparents earlier than others. I now await the onslaught. Being 5 hours behind UK means I see your posts much later than the majority. But I can still write my rather unpopular opinions.

MaizieD

Lesley60

Would anyone want that arrogant big headed pig of a man he has such a chip on his shoulder because he comes from a working class family that he feels he has to use big words to show his intelligence when that’s all he’s doing is making himself look like an idiot
I wouldn’t want him in any party I lead

I don't think you'll ever be in any danger of leading a party, Lesley60

You clearly don't believe in education, either, do you?

We must assume then that you prefer to doff your cap to the Eton elite? What is wrong with everyone today?

Country's f***ed, isn't it?, well if the nasty and ignorant comments on GN today are anything to go by, yes this country is f***ed, well and truly, and people who I would have thought old enough to know better throw their common sense and moral code to the wind, just as long as they get what they have been told they want. If being a decent, principled man like Kenneth Clarke or Dominic Grieve makes you a leftie, then excuse me while I go and sing The Red Flag....

Eloethan

I do have some sympathy for the people of Amersham having the HS2 routed through their locality. However, I don't have a great deal of sympathy for people living in pleasant rural areas who are immediately up in arms if there is mention of any sort of housing development.

As eazybee says, the result of this election was purely on the basis of self interest. I would have a lot more sympathy if some of these people thought about the other destructive policies of the Conservative Party that have hit the worst off the most. When all was well in their world, they trotted off to the polls and voted Conservative. No doubt they will return to the fold in due course.

I live in a pleasant rural area and accept a normal amount of development, which we have had in the last few years. Recently, though, every small town and village around here is having more and more housing estates built to the point where we won’t have a pleasant rural area left; it will all be under concrete.
As for John Bercow, the Labour Party is welcome to him - l am sure the Tories are very glad he’s gone.

Good riddance he is a horrible little man he should fit in well at the labour party

Lesley60

Would anyone want that arrogant big headed pig of a man he has such a chip on his shoulder because he comes from a working class family that he feels he has to use big words to show his intelligence when that’s all he’s doing is making himself look like an idiot
I wouldn’t want him in any party I lead

I don't think you'll ever be in any danger of leading a party, Lesley60

You clearly don't believe in education, either, do you?

25Avalon

I don’t want to get accused of anything here but It may be because a lot of Labour’s strongholds are made up of Muslims. So in trying to please them a lot of anti semitism crept in particularly under Corbyn who frequently visited mosques but, forgive me if I am wrong, not synagogues. There are more Muslims than Jews in this country so they have been wooed.

But Jews have been in Britain for hundreds of years. I doubt if we even know how many there are. (Or do we talk only about those who practise the Jewish faith?) They're integrated into the population. You wouldn't even know among your friends and acquaintances if any of them had any sort of Jewish connection unless they had an obviously Jewish surname or told you of their connections. If you were an LP member and found out that your best friend had Jewish ancestry, you wouldn't turn round and hate them, would you? It makes no sense that a party that has been composed of all ethnicities for years and years should suddenly turn against one of them..

I think there is far more anti-muslim feeling in the UK than there is anti semitism; perhaps Corbyn was trying to make the muslims feel a bit more secure. And his anti Zionism was well known. But that is not anti semitism..

Thanks for your explanation, Avalon, but I'm still not really convinced...

icanhandthemback

It is hardly a surprise that he has joined labour. Having watched him as Speaker of the House, it was more of a surprise to me to find that he had ever been a Conservative. Whilst I enjoyed his wit sometimes, I don't think I ever thought he was impartial. He and Ken Clark could have started the "I tell people I am a Tory but I am really a Socialist" party.

You know I was thinking about Ken Clarke yesterday and wondering what he thinks of the Tory party today. Well, I think we probably know don't we?

But now we've had somebody saying he was really a Socialist.

Next stop, Michael Heseltine. And as for that Leftie Thatcher....

Country's f***ed, isn't it?

I always thought he was a closet socialist. Despicable little man. Good riddance.

About two years ago we were at social event, when a seemingly polite older man suddenly launched into a vicious diatribe about how dreadful Bercow was. This chap was a Telegraph reader, and of course had voted Leave and voted Conservative all his life. He was very much a tribal Conservative who I could not imagine would ever even consider voting for another party.

I had watched a lot of the proceedings in the House of Commons and thought John Bercow did a good job in protecting the rights of MPs from all sides to challenge the government whilst being even handed.

Up till that point I had not realised that Bercow was second only to Corbyn in the rogues gallery of "enemies of the people" who had long been the targets of the Telegraph, the Daily Mail, the Express and the Sun, and not doubt the even more extreme online right wing commentators.

It is hardly a surprise that he has joined labour. Having watched him as Speaker of the House, it was more of a surprise to me to find that he had ever been a Conservative. Whilst I enjoyed his wit sometimes, I don't think I ever thought he was impartial. He and Ken Clark could have started the "I tell people I am a Tory but I am really a Socialist" party.

eazybee

The people of Amersham are driven by pure self-interest; they resent the effect HS2 and the building of new homes will have upon their local environment. Let other parts of the country deal with overcrowding and disruption to the countryside; not them. Nimbys.
As to Bercow; why has it taken him so long? He always was Labour at heart.

My thoughts exactly

They are welcome to him!

Well I don't like the man but I condemn the utterly horrible names he's being called on here. Says a lot about those doing it imo.

Lesley60

Would anyone want that arrogant big headed pig of a man he has such a chip on his shoulder because he comes from a working class family that he feels he has to use big words to show his intelligence when that’s all he’s doing is making himself look like an idiot
I wouldn’t want him in any party I lead

I think calling a Jewish man a pig is particularly inappropriate.

Dinahmo no I don’t think his appearance is worthy of comment. I am far more interested in what politicians have to say rather than what they look like.

Lesley60

Would anyone want that arrogant big headed pig of a man he has such a chip on his shoulder because he comes from a working class family that he feels he has to use big words to show his intelligence when that’s all he’s doing is making himself look like an idiot
I wouldn’t want him in any party I lead

What a nasty post, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Pig? POS? Idiot?

Have I strayed into the Daily Mail comments section by mistake?