The Nazi bombs didn’t cause THIS much damage, Bercow
In a speech, Speaker John Bercow has claimed that:
I cannot think of a single year in the recent history of Parliament when more damage has been done to it than this year, with the possible exception of when Nazi bombs fell on the chamber in 1941.
The destruction of Parliament by Nazi bombs in 1941 caused damage to the the building, not to parliament itself. All the bomb did was destroy the Commons chamber, what MPs have managed to do is destroy much of people’s trust in Parliament.
The difference is that the physical wreckage then was done by dictators whereas responsibility for the reputational carnage inflicted this year lies with the House.
The Palace of Westminster is just a building. Parliament exists without it. It doesn’t matter where parliament meets, it is still parliament – even if it met in a muddy field.
We have to make it crystal clear that we will dynamite the past arrangements, practices and, crucially, cultures that allowed the expenses disaster to take place and will do so with as much vigour as Guy Fawkes intended to apply here in 1605.
I’m sure that Guido Fawkes will be pleased to know that you plan to help him…
Despite his rhetoric, it seems to me that Bercow has entirely failed to grasp quite how serious the issue really is. Public confidence is MPs is as low as it every has been, politicians are despised by many as money-grabbing bastards whether or not they have themselves done any wrong.
The damage to the building after the Nazi bombing in 1941 could be rebuilt with bricks and mortar; rebuilding trust in the institution will be harder, take longer, and require siginificant changes in parliament – both in terms of its inhabitants and its rules and processes.
Trust is hard to gain and easy to lose. MPs have lost the trust of the public for all politicians, national and local. It’s not going to be fixed as easily as some bomb damage.
Categories: All WW, Political Blogging, Politics
“Bercow has entirely failed to grasp quite how serious the issue really is.”
Maybe. But he seems to grasp it better than many of his colleagues.
“The destruction of Parliament by Nazi bombs in 1941 caused damage to the the building, not to parliament itself. All the bomb did was destroy the Commons chamber, what MPs have managed to do is destroy much of people’s trust in Parliament.”
… and Bercow made clear that distinction in his speech. You seem to be implying that Bercow missed something, when in fact it was precisely the point he was making.