The Speaker of Britain’s House of Commons says he strongly opposes letting U.S. President Donald Trump address Parliament during a state visit to the U.K.
John Bercow said Monday that he would have opposed the invitation even before Trump’s temporary ban on citizens of seven majority-Muslim nations from entering the U.S.
He said that after the migrant ban was issued, “I am even more strongly opposed.”
Bercow’s intervention is unusual because Speakers are expected to remain above Parliament’s partisan fray.
He was cheered by lawmakers when he said that, although Britain values its relationship with the U.S., “our opposition to racism and to sexism, and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary, are hugely important considerations.”
Trump is due to visit Britain later this year.
(AP)
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9 Responses
Maybe President Trump will add the United Kingdom to the list of nations whose citizens cannot enter the USA. Let Speaker Bercow learn that it takes two to tango.
If he does speak, do you think he’ll yell at them like he yelled at our elected officials at his inauguration? Or maybe he’ll be softer on them?
He or his wife (I forget) is Jewish. He’s usually the most down to earth sensible person who can single handedly control parliament during debates. What possessed him to speak such foolishness and comment on something outside his remit is beyond me. The expression engage brain before mouth springs to mind.
comfortablyheimish — I’m guessing he’s witnessed the same vulgar, self-centered, petulant, vengeful, impulsive, behavior that the rest of us have. Fortunately for him, the UK doesn’t have to live with our elected president in the way we do. If in five years we don’t like UK’s elected official, we can likewise choose to not invite him to address Congress.
#M – except he fails to mention anything about the Chinese premier amongst others who lead countries with human rights abuses have been allowed. He needs to explain himself. According to the news here there has already been a backlash to his comments.
Comfortablyheimish it is Mr Bercow who is Jewish
Comgortablyheimish should remember that the United Kingdom parliament decides who gets to address it (not many US presidents have been invited). You should also remember that Donald Trump seems to find it hard to stick to his job; he’s already trashed a judge, upset China, insulted no end of people … A bit if a loose cannon.
He is one of the most highly respected public officials in the UK on all three sides of the aisle. He has historically spoken on behalf of allowing all sides of a debate to be heard within the strange British “rules of decorum for debate”. For example, its OK to call an opponent the “northbound end of a southbound mule” but not to call him a “Horses’s Axx”. In this case, he properly notes that the right to address Commons is a privilege to be earned, not an entitlement from holding an office. I’m sure LeFarge and the Brexit chevrah will have no difficulty renting a venue for Trump somewhere
I don’t know how many US presidents have been accorded the honor that the Speaker of Parliament proposes to withhold from the current US president (whom I consider a nitwit and liar, and those are his least offensive qualities), but if only a few US presidents have been so honored, I would not want the current nitwit in the White House to receive such an honor. He can always make his views known by tweeting or, if he weren’t so lazy, making a speech.