We have now seen the despicable spectacle of both sides of the house of commons rise in fawning adoration of the departing John Bercow.
Bercow Acknowledged his role as speaker of the house as a facilitator. i.e. to facilitate the legislative process. This is good. The process needs to have some discipline.
But what is profoundly disturbing is his totally unapologetic and self righteous agenda of increasing the "authority of the House".
Sounds OK at first doesn't it? Especially when both sides of the house - government and opposition are agreeing with enthusiastic applause his stated objective to challenge the authority of government, derived as it is from the people via the ballot box.
The "authority of the house" is in this case a devious and dissembling way of referring to the opposition, and the policy position they hold.
One has to wonder if Mr Bercow would have been quite so enthusiastic in his pursuit of House Authority if he had been a brexiter himself, or if the government had been Remain and the Brexiters had been in opposition.
Despite claims of impartiality it is impossible to separate ones political beliefs from ones judgements. That being said it is hard to imagine British politics still being in the current political impasse had Bercow stuck strictly to the function of facilitator as opposed to sitting activist in chief in the House of Commons.
It may well be too late but we can only hope the next Speaker of the House will have a little more respect for the ballot box and the will of the people than the shortly to be departed Mr Bercow.
