Well!
Yesterday afternoon I picked up my iPad to reply to an email I’d received earlier.
A note appeared on my screen.
"The speaker of the house John Bercow is holding a press conference."
I pressed the link and there he was indeed.
I watched his words for the next hour. Where ever I went the iPad came with me.
It was totally absorbing.
The Tories have been trying to get rid of the speaker for years and yesterday he got his revenge.
The scene on the iPad showed a man determined to make his point with considerable force.
We were allowed to post comments on what we were seeing and most of the comments were applauding his words and his stance, that the same subject could not be brought back to parliament several times until the PM got the result she needed.
Her bill had been defeated twice already. It could not legally be presented again.
All the comments were supporting Mr Bercow...and I joined in a couple of times.
It was heady stuff!
It had not been on the TV, just the internet. But it gave lots of people the opportunity to feel involved. Our comments were included plus our names.
It was a very strange thing to find on my iPad but it did make me feel personally involved.
I imagine that it caused some shock in Westminster. Speaker Bercow enjoyed his moment of power.
He was retiring this year anyway so he had nothing to lose but he clearly enjoyed his moment. And so did I. And the rest of the viewers.
I wonder if this experiment in democracy will be repeated at some stage.
Giving us all a voice on parliamentary business could catch on.
Be afraid politicians. Be very afraid.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
2 comments:
I really cannot stand Bercow but I think he was right not to allow the 3rd vote on essentially the same thing. I had thought that his action might bring about a No Deal Brexit (even though it was voted off the table) but there are more twists and turns from these snake-like politicians ahead!
Colin is right. Bercow is quite obnoxious in my view. His abusive treatment of some female parliamentarians is beyond the pale, but he got away with it, time and time again.
But on the principle of preventing the presentation of a bill for a third time, twice heavily defeated, is a no brainer as well against parliamentary procedures.
The consequences are of course, that we might leave the EU without a deal, meaning damage to the country beyond our comprehesion.
The government we foolish to do it in the way presented. There were no changes to the previous version, which made it different. Perhaps if they had changed Mrs May's red lines, perhaps the customs union, might have been permitted. She is hide bound by making pronouncements that draw lines about "this far, and no further".
What if Europe decides no extension? we'd be over a barrel.
A general election would be needed to clear way for a government of national unity to move forward and to negotiate a new relationship as the outsider, which could take years.
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