Mr Speaker Bercow has stirred up a rare old storm by his outspoken comments about President Trump yesterday.
As Speaker of the House of Commons, Mr Bercow is supposed to be 'above politics' though his expression of total opposition to Mr Trump addressing the UK Parliament later in the year seems to be entirely political. Basically, he doesn't like Mr Trump, his policies or his supposed attitudes.
Some Members of Parliament have expressed support for Mr Bercow while others have severely criticized him; there is probably merit in both points of view. However, it seems clear that Mr Bercow has overstepped the mark and that he has also caused potential damage to the relationship between this country and its most important ally.
Whether figures in the UK like Mr Trump or not, he is now the most powerful and important political figure in the world. That his attitude towards borders and immigration is very different to that of his recent predecessors is a matter for the United States, and not for the United Kingdom, to argue about. In the UK we should be far more concerned about the double standards which we risk applying, having played hosts to numerous international leaders over the years who had far worse records than Mr Trump has, or will ever have. Over the years, dictators, thieves, butchers and thugs have been courted by our governments and foisted on the Queen - Mobutu of Zaire, Nyerere of Tanzania, Ceausescu of Romania, arap Moi of Kenya, Banda of Malawi, Kaunda of Zambia, Mubarak of Egypt, Mugabe of Zimbabwe, various Kings of Saudi Arabia and even Putin of Russia, plus many others whose legacies may well be questionable.
Is Mr Speaker Bercow really saying that President Trump is such a horrendous figure that he is comparable with that appalling bunch, or is he just doing his usual thing of playing to the gallery in his inimitable and highly egotistical style ?
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