THE high priest of pomposity delivered what we all knew he would: a giant slobbering raspberry to HM Government.
Amid all the mind-boggling complexities of the Brexit process, the decision at hand was: when is a meaningful vote, a meaningful vote?
John Bercow decided Super Saturday’s damp squib was tantamount to a meaningful vote even though many of us at the time thought it was pretty meaningless and didn’t involve an actual vote on the Government’s deal.
As the Speaker droned on, it took a few minutes before a light broke through the Commons gloom and MPs’ faces began to understand what on earth was going on.
Finally, His Majesty made clear that the debate and vote Bozza wanted to take place on Monday was pretty much the same as what MPs went through on Saturday and so would be “repetitive and disorderly” as per the Commons Bible of Erskine May. At this moment, slumbering opposition MPs ejected a “hear hear” as the penny finally dropped; the PM had been royally rebuffed.
The Speaker noted how the convention against repetition went back to the reign of King James VI, some 415 years ago, and explained the rationale behind it was to “ensure a sensible use of the House’s time and proper respect for the decisions it takes”. Opposition MPs liked that bit.
But there was, needless to say, a deal of posterior-shuffling on the Government benches at what Mr B described as his “perfectly reasonable” judgement.
Veteran Brexiteer Bernard Jenkin eased the knife in slowly when he noticed how it was “becoming remarkable how often you please one lot and not the other lot," ie them and not us.
But HM Speaker jabbed back by recalling how he had previously granted many urgent questions and emergency debates to Eurosceptics like dear old Sir Bernard, noting: “When he was getting the decisions in his favour, he wasn't grumbling. He's grumbling now because he doesn't like the judgement.” True.
To add a twist to the Speakerly pomposity, Mr B at one point broke into a very bad impersonation of the late Tony Benn. The sound of eyes rolling around the chamber could be heard.
HM Speaker is due to hang up his gown and vacate his throne when Brexit is due to happen on October 31. One can only think the Brexit process will far outlast his Speakership and possibly even others.
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