THE ULTIMATE
Who On This Day, 27th April, became the first female Speaker of the House of Commons in 1992?4/27/2020 On the 27th April 1992, Betty Boothroyd, became the first female Speaker of the House of Commons - being 'dragged to the chair' in Parliamentary ceremony (MPs are not supposed to want to do the job of Speaker as they have to be neutral, and so are unable to voice the political concerns of their constituents in the Chamber).
Betty Boothroyd, was Labour MP for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West. In 1993 she had to cast the Speaker's tie-breaking vote on a motion under John Major's Conservative government. Having consulted the Works of Authority, the written works by Victorian constitutional lawyers such as I.V Dicey and Walter Bagenot, one of the numerous sources of the UK's uncodified constitution, she cast her vote in favour of the government of the day, and against her own party. Thus, maintaining the precedent that should a future Labour government be in the same situation, the Speaker if of another party would also vote for the government. She has said that the greatest moment of her career as the Speaker, was welcoming South African President Nelson Mandela. to Parliament, and introducing him to members of the Commons and Lords in Westminster Hall in Parliament, with the new anthem of the Republic of South Africa playing. After retiring as Speaker, Betty Boothroyd, became a Life Peer in the House of Lords, as Baroness Boothroyd of Sandwell. She continues to campaign, most notably over Brexit and calls for a Second Referendum.
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On this day, 20th April 1653, Oliver Cromwell, dismissed the 'Rump Parliament', beginning his move towards rule over England.
The 'Rump Parliament', was the remaining members of Parliament, who were prepared to try and execute the King in 1649, after Colonel Thomas Pride had purged it of those members who would not agree to such a move. Cromwell became impatient with Parliament as having got rid of the monarchy, it wasn't dissolving itself and forming a new constitution (set of rules for governming a country). On this day in 1653 Cromwell listened to the speeches, got up made a speech of his own criticising the Parliament, picked up the Speaker's Mace tossing it aside calling it a 'Fool's Bauble', and then got soldiers to turf out the Members of Parliament and locked the doors! Here we see Oliver Cromwell, acting just like King Charles I in dismissing a Parliament he did not like - exactly the behaviour he had criticised before the English Civil War! |
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