Speakers of the House of Commons have rarely hit the headlines in the past, but John Bercow’s combination of pomp and Conservative party accusations of his sympathy for the opposition has thrust him into the spotlight.
As Britain draws nearer to Brexit and Theresa May lost a crucial vote on her withdrawal agreement this week, videos of how Mr Bercow conducts business in the House of Commons are catching international attention. He has served as speaker for almost 10 years, so Brits are used to his unusual style.
Clips of the MP for Buckingham calling fellow MPs to “order” in the chamber have reached outside of the UK, turning the 55-year-old into his very own meme. US and Canadian news services in particular seem interested in Mr Bercow’s unusual delivery of the English language, sharing videos on their Twitter feeds of him in action.
How to maintain order during a Brexit vote in the House of Commons like Speaker John Bercow. #TheMoment pic.twitter.com/H2lYjMLG0H
— CBC News: The National (@CBCTheNational) January 16, 2019
From getting food delivered to memes more musical in nature, the speaker is getting an internet makeover.
When you ask your flatmate whether you should cook or get a takeaway pic.twitter.com/Jzdo7cpdSQ
— Joshua Zitser (@mrjoshz) January 15, 2019
Me in the queue behind the 90% of people that haven’t pre-rehearsed their Starbucks order in their head pic.twitter.com/KxzUv1Eb2b
— You sir have won the internets today (@so_paulo) January 16, 2019
Though most of the internet's creativity focused on the speaker's call to order, some noted his abilities in other areas.
The Speaker of the House of Commons sings the ascending major scale of Jeremy Corbyn pic.twitter.com/dUSXAuKUjE
— Darren Dutton (@Darren_Dutton) January 17, 2019
As Brexit threatens to overwhelm even the cheeriest of people with uncertainty, at least the world can still find the humour in small things.
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