It seems that Speaker Bercow is to be present at the Opening of Parliament wearing a morning cost rather than the full traditional robes of the Speaker. If he thinks that the morning coat seems more modern, well perhaps it is, but only slightly. In this he is extending his principle in daily dress in the chamber, - formal graduate dress of suit and gown, but no degree hood.
So we shall have the Queen and her husband in royal majesty, but a speaker looking like a 19th century undertaker.
Does it matter? The answer is that it does. The pomp and antiquated dress emphasises on this one occasion how far back our democracy goes, just as the queen's garments and crown emphasise something about our history. Even the lines drawn by the dispatch boxes to keep protagonists more than two sword lengths apart, and the concept of loyal opposition which the EU cannot understand, are also part of the great reminder.
Serious legal cases involve judges with archaic gowns and wigs masking their individuality also serve to remind of the hard-fought principles on which our legal system depends.
The Speaker likes to be thought a moderniser, but surely once a year we may be reminded of what lies behind the whole ceremony. Keep up the good work, Black Rod and others!
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2 comments:
But ironic, is it not, that the same people who yesterday criticised Bercow for spending money on his flat are today loudly condemning him for not spending a six figure sum on an outfit he will wear once a year.
What? Court dress in court?
You must be thinking of the Criminal Courts. In the civil court we abandoned this nonsense years ago.
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