Speaker John Bercow Visits BU Initiative on Cities

On May 29, 2019 the Boston University Initiative on Cities was honored to receive a visit from the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, John Bercow, as part of its series by major public figures. The event was attended by students from IOC Director Professor Graham Wilson’s British Politics class and by members of the BU faculty representing the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Law, and the Pardee School of Global Studies. Over a casual lunch, Speaker Bercow discussed the nature of Parliament’s work, the changing role of MPs, and topics such as the growth of the Select Committee system.

Attendees were impressed by the clarity and thoughtfulness of the Speaker’s comments. One of Professor Wilson’s students wrote afterwards that “it was an awesome experience that very few universities could offer its students.” One faculty member described it as “the best event I’ve been to in my decades at BU.” IOC Director Wilson said that he was “so grateful to Speaker Bercow for giving us his time uncompensated to meet with faculty and students.” Wilson went on to say that he “was impressed by how Speaker Bercow has made visiting universities and meeting young people a focus of his Speakership.”

Perhaps the best verdict on the event came from a BU faculty member in Global Studies, and from the UK, who remarked “he made me proud to be a Brit.”