Have you noticed in the overwhelming majority of pictures of Speaker , he is looking at the Government benches?   Maybe his head naturally looks that way…..or it’s just a coincidence….

Anyway, have you noticed that despite Speaker Bercow instructing Government Ministers NOT to leak information to the media pre making a Statement to the House of Commons first, it is still happening.  This time the culprit was Alastair Darling and his Treasury team.  We knew all about Darling’s statement on the regulation of the banking system today via our newspapers, not through the House.

George Osborne even made thepoint in the House that Darling had leaked all this….but what did Speaker Bercow do….nothing!

Also interesting to hear Osborne state that he had received a copy of the statement details only 20 mins before Darling spoke to the House.  Darling stated that he saw a man leave the Treasury with the document…oh well that’s another document lost in the back of a cab then!!!

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2 Responses

• Oliver Drew

  You have a very good point. Unfortunately this shows just how weak a position Bercow thinks that he is in.

  He thinks that because he was put into his post by Labour he shouldn’t discipline them. It might not be a conscious decision, because I do not doubt that he tries to be independent and above things like that now.

  Nontheless however it is happening.

  He needs to realise that he is actually in a position of strength. He might not be liked by the Tories, but that shouldn’t matter. He was/is in a position to really enforce this “Commons first” approach, yet he doesn’t appear to have the personal strength to do it.

  If he wants to continue in his role he needs to show more backbone, because otherwise a future Conservative Government will displace him at the first convenient opportunity. It would not happen immediately in my view, but given the right opportunity, the first chance to suggest that he is the “roadblock to reform”, he will be gone. Unless he starts doing his job.

• grassroots

  He is still being exceptionally weak. He talks big….especially about Government Ministers briefing the media before they brief Parliament. Has anything changed? Not a bean. I learnt all about Alastair Darling’s new plans for banking regulation this week from the newspapers. Nothing new was said by his statement to Parliament. No wonder the chamber is empty…they read the morning newspaper. No need to go to see a statement on re-tread information.

  I think Bercow has not made his mark yet. Perhaps I am old fashioned but I also don’t like him moving away from age old tradition. I liked the Speaker’s procession, with the Speaker in robes and full gear. I dont like seeing the Speaker in a shirt and tie and boring marks & Spencer suit. Can you imagine the Queen coming to the State Opening of Parliament in her jeans and an Iron maiden t-shirt?
  I hope he improves … as you say if he doesn’t he will be kicked out in the next parliament by disgruntled Tories.

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