Speaker's Lectures

The series of Speaker's Lectures were initiated by John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, from 2011. To mark the centenary of the Parliament Act 1911, Bercow commissioned a series of 11 lectures throughout 2011 covering some of the main political figures of the century. Each lecture was given to an invited audience in Speaker's House and was recorded for broadcast on BBC Parliament. In 2012 Bercow instituted a new 11 lecture series on the subject of the 'Great Offices of State' (those of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary). In 2013 the lectures were on the subject of 'Parliaments and Parliamentarians', given by leading Parliamentarians who have experience of other legislatures. The 2014 series concentrated on 'Parliamentarians on Public Policy'. In 2015 and 2016, Bercow instituted the theme of 'Parliamentarians on Parliamentarians', based on prominent Parliamentarians throughout history. The 2017 series focused on 'The Future of...' various political topics, such as the Press, Armed Forces, or Brexit.

'1911 Centenary' lectures

The first series of lectures, starting in 2011, covered the careers of some of the great parliamentarians of the past 100 years. The subjects were:[1][2]

'Great Offices of State' lectures

The 2012 lectures surrounded the great offices of state. In introducing the first lecture, Bercow noted that his assistant had spotted that there were 11 sitting Members who had served in one or more of these offices but had not been Prime Minister, and that all had accepted his invitation to give a lecture. The lecturers were:[3]

'Parliaments and Parliamentarians' lectures

The 2013 lectures were given by leading Parliamentarians who have experience of other legislatures. The lecturers were:[4]

'Parliamentarians on Public Policy' lectures

The 2014 series of lectures was given by Members of Parliament and Members of the House of Lords with a particular expertise or interest in specific areas of public policy. The lectures and subjects are:[5]

'Parliamentarians on Parliamentarians' lectures (2015)

The 2015 series covered famous Parliamentarians from history. The subjects were:

'Parliamentarians on Parliamentarians' lectures (2016)

The 2016 series covered noted Parliamentarians from recent history. The lecturers were:[6]

'The Future of...' lectures

An invitation to the Speaker's Lecture on "The Future of Brexit", delivered by Hilary Benn and Michael Gove, and chaired by the Speaker, John Bercow.

The 2017 lecture covered the future of various issues, institutions, and causes. In this series Bercow also introduced a respondent, often a speaker external to Parliament.

References

  1. "Speaker's lectures: Centenary of the Parliament Act". BBC Parliament. 9 December 2011.
  2. "Speaker's lecture series 2011". Parliament website. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  3. "Speaker's lectures: Great Offices of State". BBC Democracy Live. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  4. "Speaker's lectures 2013: Parliaments and Parliamentarians". BBC Democracy Live. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  5. "Speaker's Lecture Series: Parliamentarians on Public Policy". Parliament website. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  6. "Speaker's Lecture Series 2016: Parliamentarians on Parliamentarians". Parliament website. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
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