Speaker's Lectures Explained

The Speaker's Lectures were series of lectures initiated by John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, from 2011 to 2019. To mark the centenary of the Parliament Act 1911, Bercow commissioned a series of 11 lectures throughout 2011 covering some of the main political figures of the century. Each lecture was given to an invited audience in Speaker's House and was recorded for broadcast on BBC Parliament. In 2012 Bercow instituted a new 11 lecture series on the subject of the 'Great Offices of State' (those of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary). In 2013 the lectures were on the subject of 'Parliaments and Parliamentarians', given by leading Parliamentarians who have experience of other legislatures. The 2014 series concentrated on 'Parliamentarians on Public Policy'. In 2015 and 2016, Bercow instituted the theme of 'Parliamentarians on Parliamentarians', based on prominent Parliamentarians throughout history. The 2017 series focused on 'The Future of...' various political topics, such as the Press, Armed Forces, or Brexit. The penultimate 2018 series was divided into two parts, with the first being 'Brexit and beyond, Britain's place in the world in the 2020s', and the second 'Women and British Politics, where next?'. The 2019 series carried the theme 'What if?', discussing hypothetical political scenarios from recent history. This series was cut short as Bercow's status and role in Brexit became elevated. There is no plan for the series to continue under the following Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle.

'1911 Centenary' lectures

The first series of lectures, starting in 2011, covered the careers of some of the great parliamentarians of the past 100 years. The subjects were:[1] [2]

'Great Offices of State' lectures

The 2012 lectures surrounded the great offices of state. In introducing the first lecture, Bercow noted that his assistant had spotted that there were 11 sitting Members who had served in one or more of these offices but had not been Prime Minister, and that all had accepted his invitation to give a lecture. The lecturers were:[3]

'Parliaments and Parliamentarians' lectures

The 2013 lectures were given by leading Parliamentarians who have experience of other legislatures. The lecturers were:[4]

'Parliamentarians on Public Policy' lectures

The 2014 series of lectures was given by Members of Parliament and Members of the House of Lords with a particular expertise or interest in specific areas of public policy. The lectures and subjects are:[5]

'Parliamentarians on Parliamentarians' lectures (2015)

The 2015 series covered famous Parliamentarians from history. The subjects were:

'Parliamentarians on Parliamentarians' lectures (2016)

The 2016 series covered noted Parliamentarians from recent history. The lecturers were:[6]

'The Future of...' lectures

The 2017 lecture covered the future of various issues, institutions, and causes. In this series Bercow also introduced a respondent, often a speaker external to Parliament.

'Brexit and beyond, Britain's place in the world in the 2020s' lectures

The first half of the 2018 lectures concerned Brexit and the status of Britain after departure from the European Union.[7]

'Women and British Politics, where next?' lectures

The second half of the 2018 lectures tackled women's role in British politics.

'What if?' lectures

In 2019, the lecture theme instituted returned to the historical nature of previous series, yet with a hypothetical twist. As the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement went through Parliament, John Bercow gained a higher profile. Due to this and the 2019 general election, the lectures were cut short.

Notes and References

  1. News: Speaker's lectures: Centenary of the Parliament Act . BBC Parliament . 9 December 2011.
  2. Web site: Speaker's lecture series 2011 . Parliament website . 14 November 2017.
  3. Web site: Speaker's lectures: Great Offices of State . BBC Democracy Live . 23 March 2013.
  4. Web site: Speaker's lectures 2013: Parliaments and Parliamentarians . BBC Democracy Live . 23 March 2013.
  5. Web site: Speaker's Lecture Series: Parliamentarians on Public Policy . Parliament website . 14 November 2017.
  6. Web site: Speaker's Lecture Series 2016: Parliamentarians on Parliamentarians . Parliament website . 14 November 2017.
  7. Web site: Dr Liam Fox delivers speech entitled 'Brexit and beyond: Britain's place in the world in the 2020s' . gov.uk website . 7 June 2020.

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