John Bercow, the speaker of Britain’s House of Commons, stopped by the Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday as part of the legislature’s 400th anniversary. Bercow emphasized the need for civility in politics.
Transcript:
“Order! Order! Order!” [sound of Parliment]
In the House of Commons, Bercow is often stuck babysitting rowdy lawmakers -- sometimes from his own Conservative Party. And on his Richmond junket, the speaker bemoaned the personal attacks that have come to characterize modern politics.
John Bercow: “...as though calumny and vituperation and the distortion of motives and the impugning of integrity could somehow be a substitute for making a coherent argument. Well, they are not.”
Bercow has said he doesn’t want President Trump to address Parliament when he visits next week. But he said he was thrilled with the hospitality he received in Richmond on the legislature’s 400th anniversary.
Bercow: “Here’s to the next 400 years!”
Ben Paviour, WCVE News.
