O/T:- Who needs Parliament?

[tarquinbeech]

Ahhhhh John Berkowitz (didn´t like the Jewish name so his family tried to make it sound English!)......originally stood for the right-wing Conservative Monday Club. He stood as a candidate for the club's national executive in 1981 with a manifesto calling for a programme of "assisted repatriation" of immigrants, and became secretary of its immigration and repatriation committee.

In November 2002, when the Labour government introduced the Adoption and Children Act, which would allow unmarried gay and hetero***ual couples to adopt children, Duncan Smith imposed a three-line whip requiring Conservative MPs to vote against the bill rather than allowing a free vote. In protest, Bercow defied the whips and voted with Labour arguing that it should be a free vote. He then resigned from the front bench.[23] As a backbencher he was openly critical of Duncan Smith's leadership.

In November 2003, the new Conservative leader Michael Howard appointed Bercow as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. However, he went on to clash with Howard over taxes, immigration and Iraq,[24] and was sacked from the front bench in September 2004

Bercow won the Stonewall award for Politician of the Year in 2010 for his work to support equality for lesbian, gay and bi***ual people.[30] He was given a score of 100% in favour of lesbian, gay and bi***ual equality by Stonewall

Following the defection of Conservative MP Quentin Davies to the Labour Party in June 2007, there were persistent rumours that Bercow was likely to be the next Conservative MP to leave the party.[33]

Bercow did not defect to Labour, but in September 2007, accepted an advisory post on Gordon Brown's government's review of support for children with speech, language and communication special needs.

During the 2009 expenses scandal, it was revealed that Bercow changed the designation of his second home on more than one occasion – meaning that he avoided paying capital gains tax on the sale of two properties. He also claimed just under £1,000 to hire an accountant to fill in his tax returns. Bercow denied any wrongdoing, but agreed to pay £6,508 to cover any tax that he may have had to pay to HM Revenue and Customs.[40]

It was revealed in 2014 that the House of Commons authorities had destroyed all evidence of MPs' expenses claims prior to 2010. Bercow faced accusations that he had presided over what had been dubbed a "fresh cover-up" of the expenses scandal.[41]

In July 2015, Bercow was again criticised for the amount of his expenses, including a claim of £172 for a 0.7 mile chauffeur-driven journey. Andy Silvester, campaign director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This is an obscene waste of money and shows appalling judgment from whoever made the arrangements."[42]

Within weeks of taking office as Speaker, Bercow ordered a redecoration and refurbishment of the Speaker's grace and favour apartment in the Palace of Westminster, partly with the objective of making it child-friendly; the work cost £20,659 and was paid for by Parliament. It followed extensive work on the apartment under the previous Speaker.[58]

Nigel Farage resigned his leadership of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) to stand for Bercow's Buckingham seat, asserting, "This man represents all that is wrong with British politics today. He was embroiled in the expenses saga and he presides over a Parliament that virtually does nothing."

As Bercow lacked a party endorsement and therefore a campaign team, he sought to build one and a group of his supporters known as 'Friends of Speaker Bercow' solicited donations for the campaign, aiming to raise £40,000. When one of their letters was received by a member of UKIP, the recipient referred it to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, complaining that it appeared that Bercow's fundraising campaign was operating from the Speaker's Office, which is required to remain politically neutral.[63] The Commissioner declined to launch an investigation because of the lack of evidence

In February 2017, Bercow said he had supported continued membership of the European Union in the 2016 referendum

In May 2018, Bercow's former private secretary Angus Sinclair alleged on the BBC's Newsnight programme that Bercow had repeatedly bullied him while at work.[79] Sinclair said that he was told to sign a non-disclosure agreement when he left his post, in order to prevent him revealing Bercow's bullying. Bercow denied the claims.[80]

In October 2018, Bercow had called for an independent body to be set up to investigate allegations of harassment and bullying in Parliament, after facing calls to quit after a report said harassment had been tolerated and concealed for years which he denies.[81] On 23 October 2018, three Conservative MPs, Will Quince, Mims Davies and Anne Milton, resigned from the Commons Reference Group on Representation and Inclusion, which is chaired by Bercow, and cited Bercow's handling of bullying and ***ual harassment allegations in Parliament as the reason for doing so.

Bercow married Sally Illman in 2002 and they have three children.[2] His wife used to be a Conservative, who switched to supporting the Labour Party, campaigning for both her husband individually and Labour in the wider election in 1997, though Bercow and those close to him reject the view that she was especially influential in softening his right-wing political views.[

......and his wife

Her husband, John Bercow, became a Conservative member of parliament at the 1997 General Election. She campaigned for New Labour and their candidate Tony Blair. She campaigned for her husband John Bercow to help win his seat.[6] She campaigned for the election of Ed Balls as leader of the Labour Party in the 2010 Labour leadership election.[7]

In 2010, she stood as Labour candidate for the St James's ward of Westminster City Council, unsuccessfully.[1] Bercow is on the approved list of candidates for members of Parliament for the Labour Party,[8] although following the Lord McAlpine Twitter case (see McAlpine v Bercow and below), she is reportedly unlikely to be considered.[9] Bercow has repeatedly mentioned her desire to become a Labour MP, revealing that she would like to become the Labour candidate for the marginal Brighton Kemptown seat.[10] It was reported that Bercow was in line to stand for Holborn and St Pancras if Frank Dobson retired,[11] and she had been linked to standing to become the Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrow East in 2015.[12]

The Daily Telegraph has suggested that Bercow is politicising her husband's neutral role.[13] John Bercow has rejected this criticism stating "the obligation of impartiality does not apply to my wife who is not my chattel".[2] She has also appeared on the BBC's Question Time.[14]
Television

In February 2011, she attracted criticism for appearing to capitalise on her husband's position, when a photograph of her wearing only a bed sheet, with the House of Commons in the background, appeared in the London Evening Standard.[15] In the article she was quoted as saying "becoming Speaker has turned my husband into a *** symbol",[16] although she later claimed, in a radio interview; "It was just meant to be a bit of fun, but obviously it has completely backfired on me and I look a complete idiot."[17] John Bercow was reported as having "read the Riot Act" to her after the bed sheet photo was published.[8]

Bercow entered the Big Brother House as a housemate on Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother 8. She became the first person to be evicted.[18] She has also appeared on a celebrity edition of The Chase and Big Star's Little Star (with her daughter Jemima). She was initially scheduled to take part in the second series of The Jump, but had to quit after suffering an injury during training.[19]
Personal life

She and her husband have been married since 2002, and have three children:[6] Jemima, Oliver, and Freddie. Her elder son, Oliver, has autism. She is a parent patron of the charity Ambitious about Autism.[20]
Legal controversies
The McAlpine affair
Further information: McAlpine v Bercow

After the 2 November 2012 broadcast of a BBC Two's Newsnight that linked an unnamed "senior Conservative" politician to *** abuse claims,[21] Bercow hinted on her twitter account at the name of Lord McAlpine, implying that he was a *****phile.[22]

McAlpine took legal action against Bercow and others and, in December 2012, Bercow's solicitors, Carter-Ruck, announced that they were defending her in a £50,000 libel lawsuit filed by McAlpine.[23] On 24 May 2013, the High Court found that Sally Bercow's tweet was "libelous." Following the ruling, she accepted a settlement with McAlpine's lawyers to pay an undisclosed sum as damages.[24]
The abducted schoolgirl controversy
In a tweet of 18 November 2012, Bercow named the schoolgirl involved in an abduction case although the girl's identity was protected by a court order.[8] Two days later Bercow's Twitter account was deleted after what were described as 'legal gaffes',[25] but she returned to Twitter a week later.

[magpie_mania]

......and his wife

Her husband, John Bercow, became a Conservative member of parliament at the 1997 General Election. She campaigned for New Labour and their candidate Tony Blair. She campaigned for her husband John Bercow to help win his seat.[6] She campaigned for the election of Ed Balls as leader of the Labour Party in the 2010 Labour leadership election.[7]

In 2010, she stood as Labour candidate for the St James's ward of Westminster City Council, unsuccessfully.[1] Bercow is on the approved list of candidates for members of Parliament for the Labour Party,[8] although following the Lord McAlpine Twitter case (see McAlpine v Bercow and below), she is reportedly unlikely to be considered.[9] Bercow has repeatedly mentioned her desire to become a Labour MP, revealing that she would like to become the Labour candidate for the marginal Brighton Kemptown seat.[10] It was reported that Bercow was in line to stand for Holborn and St Pancras if Frank Dobson retired,[11] and she had been linked to standing to become the Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrow East in 2015.[12]

The Daily Telegraph has suggested that Bercow is politicising her husband's neutral role.[13] John Bercow has rejected this criticism stating "the obligation of impartiality does not apply to my wife who is not my chattel".[2] She has also appeared on the BBC's Question Time.[14]
Television

In February 2011, she attracted criticism for appearing to capitalise on her husband's position, when a photograph of her wearing only a bed sheet, with the House of Commons in the background, appeared in the London Evening Standard.[15] In the article she was quoted as saying "becoming Speaker has turned my husband into a *** symbol",[16] although she later claimed, in a radio interview; "It was just meant to be a bit of fun, but obviously it has completely backfired on me and I look a complete idiot."[17] John Bercow was reported as having "read the Riot Act" to her after the bed sheet photo was published.[8]

Bercow entered the Big Brother House as a housemate on Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother 8. She became the first person to be evicted.[18] She has also appeared on a celebrity edition of The Chase and Big Star's Little Star (with her daughter Jemima). She was initially scheduled to take part in the second series of The Jump, but had to quit after suffering an injury during training.[19]
Personal life

She and her husband have been married since 2002, and have three children:[6] Jemima, Oliver, and Freddie. Her elder son, Oliver, has autism. She is a parent patron of the charity Ambitious about Autism.[20]
Legal controversies
The McAlpine affair
Further information: McAlpine v Bercow

After the 2 November 2012 broadcast of a BBC Two's Newsnight that linked an unnamed "senior Conservative" politician to *** abuse claims,[21] Bercow hinted on her twitter account at the name of Lord McAlpine, implying that he was a *****phile.[22]

McAlpine took legal action against Bercow and others and, in December 2012, Bercow's solicitors, Carter-Ruck, announced that they were defending her in a £50,000 libel lawsuit filed by McAlpine.[23] On 24 May 2013, the High Court found that Sally Bercow's tweet was "libelous." Following the ruling, she accepted a settlement with McAlpine's lawyers to pay an undisclosed sum as damages.[24]
The abducted schoolgirl controversy
In a tweet of 18 November 2012, Bercow named the schoolgirl involved in an abduction case although the girl's identity was protected by a court order.[8] Two days later Bercow's Twitter account was deleted after what were described as 'legal gaffes',[25] but she returned to Twitter a week later.

Nearly lost half an hour of my life reading that!

[tarquinbeech]

Nearly lost half an hour of my life reading that!

No comment though, so I assume nothing sank in?......best not read any more intelligent, factual posts if I was you!

I will try to summarise.....the Speaker is an ex-hardline Tory who has been caught fiddling his expenses, married to a lying wannabee Labour MP that nobody will touch with a bargepole (Labour won´t touch her, that´s how bad she is).....would you like me to summarise further?

[i961pie]

He has broken with some conventions, but he has been consistent in doing that to give backbench MPs more of a role in parliamentary business across the board (according to the Hansard Society).

I don't know if you can say he's biased against Brexiters. In 2013 he broke with convention that says you can only have two amendments to the Queen's speech to allow a third one from Eurosceptic MPs on leaving the EU, which indirectly lead to the Brexit referendum. Surely he wouldn't have done that if he was biased?

Here's a run down of his big decisions from the FT:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ft....9-6917dce3dc62

He probably thought like Cameron, Osborne and many others there was no way the British people would want to leave the EU so a referendum wasn't a problem.

[i961pie]

You missed the main one.

Brexit is the biggest farce in political history and should have been strangled at birth.

Still, at least we can take control of our own destiny.

It's only been made into a farce by the clowns in parliament.

[navypie]

......and his wife

Her husband, John Bercow, became a Conservative member of parliament at the 1997 General Election. She campaigned for New Labour and their candidate Tony Blair. She campaigned for her husband John Bercow to help win his seat.[6] She campaigned for the election of Ed Balls as leader of the Labour Party in the 2010 Labour leadership election.[7]

In 2010, she stood as Labour candidate for the St James's ward of Westminster City Council, unsuccessfully.[1] Bercow is on the approved list of candidates for members of Parliament for the Labour Party,[8] although following the Lord McAlpine Twitter case (see McAlpine v Bercow and below), she is reportedly unlikely to be considered.[9] Bercow has repeatedly mentioned her desire to become a Labour MP, revealing that she would like to become the Labour candidate for the marginal Brighton Kemptown seat.[10] It was reported that Bercow was in line to stand for Holborn and St Pancras if Frank Dobson retired,[11] and she had been linked to standing to become the Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrow East in 2015.[12]

The Daily Telegraph has suggested that Bercow is politicising her husband's neutral role.[13] John Bercow has rejected this criticism stating "the obligation of impartiality does not apply to my wife who is not my chattel".[2] She has also appeared on the BBC's Question Time.[14]
Television

In February 2011, she attracted criticism for appearing to capitalise on her husband's position, when a photograph of her wearing only a bed sheet, with the House of Commons in the background, appeared in the London Evening Standard.[15] In the article she was quoted as saying "becoming Speaker has turned my husband into a *** symbol",[16] although she later claimed, in a radio interview; "It was just meant to be a bit of fun, but obviously it has completely backfired on me and I look a complete idiot."[17] John Bercow was reported as having "read the Riot Act" to her after the bed sheet photo was published.[8]

Bercow entered the Big Brother House as a housemate on Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother 8. She became the first person to be evicted.[18] She has also appeared on a celebrity edition of The Chase and Big Star's Little Star (with her daughter Jemima). She was initially scheduled to take part in the second series of The Jump, but had to quit after suffering an injury during training.[19]
Personal life

She and her husband have been married since 2002, and have three children:[6] Jemima, Oliver, and Freddie. Her elder son, Oliver, has autism. She is a parent patron of the charity Ambitious about Autism.[20]
Legal controversies
The McAlpine affair
Further information: McAlpine v Bercow

After the 2 November 2012 broadcast of a BBC Two's Newsnight that linked an unnamed "senior Conservative" politician to *** abuse claims,[21] Bercow hinted on her twitter account at the name of Lord McAlpine, implying that he was a *****phile.[22]

McAlpine took legal action against Bercow and others and, in December 2012, Bercow's solicitors, Carter-Ruck, announced that they were defending her in a £50,000 libel lawsuit filed by McAlpine.[23] On 24 May 2013, the High Court found that Sally Bercow's tweet was "libelous." Following the ruling, she accepted a settlement with McAlpine's lawyers to pay an undisclosed sum as damages.[24]
The abducted schoolgirl controversy
In a tweet of 18 November 2012, Bercow named the schoolgirl involved in an abduction case although the girl's identity was protected by a court order.[8] Two days later Bercow's Twitter account was deleted after what were described as 'legal gaffes',[25] but she returned to Twitter a week later.

Nearly lost half an hour of my life reading that!

Took me a few minutes.

[Elite_Pie]

It's only been made into a farce by the clowns in parliament.

Exactly, and the whole farce started when Farage pressurised Cameron into holding the vote. That's why I regularly mock the phrase "taking control of our own destiny".

The fact that destiny is now in the hands of odious individuals like Johnson, Gove, Rees-Mogg etc says all that needs saying.

[forwardmagpie]

Exactly, and the whole farce started when Farage pressurised Cameron into holding the vote. That's why I regularly mock the phrase "taking control of our own destiny".

The fact that destiny is now in the hands of odious individuals like Johnson, Gove, Rees-Mogg etc says all that needs saying.

Just out of interest who would you like our destiny in the hands of?

[i961pie]

Exactly, and the whole farce started when Farage pressurised Cameron into holding the vote. That's why I regularly mock the phrase "taking control of our own destiny".

The fact that destiny is now in the hands of odious individuals like Johnson, Gove, Rees-Mogg etc says all that needs saying.

Or it could also be in the hands of other odious individuals like Corbyn, Swinson, Mc Donnell, Abbot etc. Depending on what happens next.
They are all living in the same swamp.

[SwalePie]

Just out of interest who would you like our destiny in the hands of?

Personally, for what it's worth, I'd like our destiny to be in the hands of the electorate in a confirmatory referendum now that everyone knows so much more than they did in 2016. The elephant in the room for Boris and Co. is that they know the country would change it's mind completely, making the last 3 and a quarter years a meaningless waste of time and emotion.