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A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 4 september 2019

Orrr-duhhh: UK’s speaker John Bercow takes center stage

By GREGORY KATZ Parliament during key
Associated Press weeks before the Brexit
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s deadline a “constitutional
Parliament has taken cen- outrage.”
ter stage again — and Bercow’s decision to speak
that means Speaker of the out is consistent with the
House John Bercow has way he sees his role —
donned his familiar robes protecting the primacy of
and tried to keep “orrrr- Parliament from encroach-
duhhh” while mediating ment, either by an over-
a titanic clash between zealous prime minister, an
Prime Minister Boris Johnson intrusive British judge, or by
and the legislative branch. the European Union.
There’s no doubt Bercow, He has a long tradition to
with his strong voice, icy wit protect — the speaker’s
and willful ways, is a colorful role can be traced back to
personality. But he’s more at least 1377.
than a TV-friendly charac- There is no question that
ter — he will play a pivotal many of Johnson’s allies
role in coming days, using see Bercow as a foe in the
his considerable authority Brexit battle, a percep-
to shape the debate and tion enhanced perhaps by
the vote that will determine the fact that his wife’s car
whether a “no-deal” Brexit has an anti-Brexit bumper
is blocked and a general In this Thursday, March 22, 2018 file photo, John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons sticker. He has been called
election will be held. speaks at Westminster Hall inside the Palace of Westminster in London. “Speaker of the Devil” in
Bercow determines which Associated Press a front-page headline for
amendments will be voted a tense moment that John- those of his counterparts in cow will use his powers to challenging the govern-
on and who will be called son was “mumbling” in Par- the U.S. House and Senate, frustrate Johnson’s single- ment’s position.
upon to speak, and uses liament when he should who are decidedly parti- minded determination to Much of the criticism
his elevated podium posi- have been speaking loudly san — is supposed to be leave the European Union comes from members of
tion to silence rabble rous- and clearly. Bercow replied impartial. But Bercow has on Oct. 31 with or without the Conservative Party,
ers and rule on questions of that he was sure the out- been unusually vocal in his a deal. now headed by Johnson,
parliamentary procedure. spoken, extroverted prime criticism of the prime minis- Throwing caution out the even though Bercow was
He showed his customary minister would overcome ter in the last week, leading window, he called John- elected to Parliament in
humor Tuesday when leg- his natural shyness. some Conservative Party son’s decision to suspend 1997 as a Conservative.q
islators complained during The speaker’s role — unlike figures convinced Ber-
Searchers hunt missing Spanish

Olympian in mountain area

ARITZ PARRA ple-day hikes in the area,
Associated Press even without her phone.
MADRID (AP) — Hundreds A police spokesman for
of searchers, helped by the Madrid province who
helicopters and drones, wasn’t authorized to be
combed a mountainous named in media reports
area outside Madrid Tues- said that authorities are
day, 10 days after the last looking into “various inves-
known sighting of former al- tigation threads.” He de-
pine ski racer and Olympic clined to elaborate.
medalist Blanca Fernández On Tuesday, more than 200
Ochoa. police officers on foot and
Spain’s National Police said on horse, firefighters, forest
Fernández, 56, has been rangers and hundreds of
missing since she was last volunteers searched the
spotted on surveillance steep pine-forested land-
video at a shopping center scape of gullies and peaks.
on Aug. 24. They were aided by more
Her car was later found in than 100 tracking dogs, he-
Cercedilla, a mountainous licopters and at least seven
village and resort popular drones, police said.
with hikers where Fernán- Fernández won a bronze
dez’s family has deep roots. in the 1992 Winter Games
According to Spanish me- in Albertville, becoming
dia, the relatives only alert- Spain’s first female Winter
ed authorities about her Olympic medalist.
disappearance on Aug. 29 Her elder brother, Francisco
because it wasn’t unusual Fernández Ochoa, a 1972
for the former alpine ski gold medalist, has a statue
champion to go on multi- in his honor in Cercedilla.q