Betty Boothroyd gives some advice to John Bercow

The former Speaker tells the current Speaker that he should wear the traditional uniform and 'stop letting the side down'.

Comments

[corporeal]

When Betty Boothroyd became speaker it was traditional for them to wear whigs and knee breaches, she decided she wasn't going to wear them. Seems a tad hypocritical for her to now turn around and complain about Bercow changing the uniform.

[Super Blue]

A female Speaker with her own hair would automatically look silly in a whig - or even a wig.

[corporeal]

Perhaps Bercow felt he looked silly in the traditional uniform (I should note I may well be wrong about her not wearing knee breeches). On the other hand plenty of women in the legal profession manage just fine with wigs.

The principle of the Speaker choosing their uniform has been established I think, nothing to get het up about really.

[13th spitfire]

No we seem to be dumping the rest of our historical and cultural heritage so we might as well dump this too. One might almost have though that the Conservatives actually stood for a party that wished to conserve - ooh the irony.

[Stephen Dawson]

Bring back Speakers Thomas and Weatherill I say. They had the authority to rebuke the Prime Minister. Am sure their fine robes helped.

[Salisburyite]

First point, Betty Boothroyd's politics(pre-Speaker) are a million miles from mine. Second point, Betty comes from a mile or so down the road from where I came from, and I defy anyone to argue that she was one of the best Speakers of the twentieth century.

I admit that I was dubious about her failing to wear the traditional wig, but this was at the time regarded as a special exception made for her, because the wig would not have rested easily on her glorious head of hair. Unfortunately her two successors have taken this as some sort of "thin end of the wedge" precedent, and I commend Betty for speaking out against the present arrogant, miserable excuse of a Speaker's failure to comply with the rules.

[Tapestry]

Modernisers.

'we're not really a government,just nice guys who are at ease with the media and don't tell lies, honest.'

Don't trust anyone not comfortable with tradition.

Bercow does not believe in Parliament. He promised his constituents a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, but voted against one in Parliament.

Honest as the week is short.

[Medical Wigs]

No comments would be a proper answer to Betty.