Any Accountability for Wednesday? (Posted December 23, 2018)



Amidst the "orchestrated riot," as described by Dame Margaret Beckett, of points of order accusing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of calling Prime Minister Theresa May a "stupid woman," Chelmsford MP Vicky Ford seized upon an opportunity to co-opt her party's defense of its leader and, at the same time, the #MeToo movement to accuse Speaker John Bercow of calling her a "stupid woman" as well and to demand an apology.

The Twitter-verse took exception to Ford's tweets on the matter. Her critics point out that Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond was accused for muttering "stupid woman" in July but did not face the same torrent of criticism Corbyn faced this week.







The following day, Ford was called to speak three times in the chamber: question number 1 to the Minister for Women and Equalities, a supplementary to that question, and a question to Secretary of State Housing, Communities, and Local Government about his oral statement to the House. It was not clear from Ford's behavior whether her pride had been checked or emboldened since she leveled her accusation against Bercow. On all three occasions she avoided using the words "Mr. Speaker," instead saying only, "Number one, please," "thank you," and "thank you very much." Indeed, she avoided ministerial titles as well, since those remarks, properly addressed to the Speaker, could have been phrased as thanks to the Minister or Secretary of State for her answer. Surely, even a protest as subtle as this one must eventually come to an end, but for now it seems unlikely that, barring a private, written apology to the Speaker, the issue will be seen to be resolved.

For his part, Bercow responded with a stern, but nonetheless courteous and candid refusal. The seriousness of the occasion, and of the accusation itself, justified the tone and content of the Speaker's response, but for those who would relish a shorter, more colorful rejection of Ford's terms, Mr. Wonka offers a terse summary of Bercow's position:









Tags | Vicky Ford