Speaker should say his farewells now

Widdecombe

IDO not know what to make of the row over the alleged bullying attitude of John Bercow. It is not the John I knew when we served together in the House of Commons where I always found him the soul of courtesy and quiet calm. But then that John had not yet suffered the strains of an erratic wife in his private life nor the consistent sniping and criticism in his public one. Even so, I was inclined to think the stories were exaggerated.

The comments of Angus Sinclair – his former private secretary – might possibly have been explained by the breakdown of the working relationship and his early departure. David Leakey however is a completely different cup of tea.

Leakey, who served as Black Rod, was a junior general who had been in a tank regiment and spent his entire career in the army.

Whatever else, he will be used to pressure, used to bad-tempered superiors venting their ire on him and used to being yelled at by everyone from a sergeant major upwards. Snowflakes don’t generally cut it in the forces.

Therefore if he complains I feel obliged to listen. He and his ilk would be most unlikely to be upset by the odd explosion of temper or irate dressing-down, conduct which a lot of normally considerate bosses in high-pressure jobs exhibit from time to time and which most grown-ups with a sense of proportion know how to shrug off.

I have always preferred to deal with someone with a foul temper than with someone who insidiously undermines while preserving a polite demeanour and I have dealt with both types of superior in my time.

So what is the truth? I don’t know but I am beginning to think that John Bercow should honour the commitment he made to stay only nine years as Speaker, a period just about to expire, for both his sake and the sake of the House of Commons.