Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Former Speaker, Baroness Betty Boothroyd is in forthright form, over on Andrew Neil's Straight Talk on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News Channel this weekend - with a series of broadsides over issues like the ruling allowing secret repayment of MPs' overclaimed expenses.

Here are some of the juicy bits:

Andrew Neil: I do detect some public concern that they don't think Parliament is either moving quickly enough or transparently enough. For example, it has just been revealed that some MPs who admitted they had broken the rules were offered secret parliamentary deals to repay the money, that's wrong...

Betty Boothroyd: I saw that too, it is something that was brought in, I think, by the last Speaker. I'm appalled if that is the case that this can be done behind the scenes - you pay up and we won't name you - but that is apparently something that has come out in the last few days, and it is something that I totally deprecate and shouldn't be allowed to happen quite frankly.

AN: It sounds then that you agree with Norman Baker who said that if you've got to pay it back it should be a matter of public record.

BB: Yes, of course. Your name should be there; you have paid back x thousand, x hundred pound, x thousand pound, thank you very much, I'm sorry, I've paid it back.

AN: We have a right to know?

And on her advice to Mr Speaker Bercow:

Andrew Neil: What about the new Speaker, is he getting it right?

Betty Boothroyd: I think he's making a good stab of it actually. He's a young man who's got a lot to say for himself. And I tell you, I went to see him about four days after he'd been elected - at my invitation - and I wanted to tell him a few home truths.

AN: So you invited yourself?

BB: I invited myself, yes, and he was very welcoming, kissed me on both cheeks and one or two things I said to him quite seriously: 'Look, when the House sits on a Friday I expect you as Speaker to be there on a Friday, it is a five day working week here.

'When a Secretary of State is making a statement, I expect you as Speaker to be in the chair as a courtesy to that Secretary of State, especially as you and I always want the Secretary of State to come to the House first' - all of these things which I felt had slipped sometimes, must be pulled back, there were one or two things like this.

And another thing I said to him - which I'm still very concerned about - I want the Speaker to wear the uniform of the Speaker everyday. I had been just before I went to see him - and I was encouraged to do this - I'd been at a defence establishment function, people in uniform there, they said to me, 'Betty, we're proud of our uniform, why isn't the Speaker? Seven hundred years of this.' I said: 'Right you've encouraged me to go and see him.' I said: 'Nurses like their uniform, boy scouts, girl guides; you've 700 years of history behind you.' He said he didn't feel comfortable. I said, 'Well, look, I'm not going to volunteer what I've just said to you, John, but if I'm ever asked' - and I'm asked by you - 'having told you what I thought about it, and what I think about it, I'm going to say that, and I just think you're letting the side down a little bit, by not doing that.'

AN: Do you think he'll think again?

BB: I doubt that he will think again but he said, 'Well, thank you for being so robust,' and I had to say to him, 'Well, John, where I come from we call a spade a shovel.'

There's much, much more. Check it out on the News Channel, where the interview will run five times over the weekend. On Saturday at 0430 and 2230, and on Sunday at 0130, 1530 and 2330.

Enjoy.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• |
• |
• - What's this?