John Bercow is an upstanding member of parliament – he deserves a peerage

Even in this era of very low political standards I shall be very disappointed if reports that John Bercow has been blocked from a peerage are indeed correct. Surely, this is none other than an attack of pique and an attempt to punish the speaker purely for doing his job in a robust manner. Other politicians are presently forgetting their principles to either further their careers or avoid brow-beating from their party’s executive.

Whereas the current speaker is clearly not open to pressure from anyone and his tenacity in standing up for protocol and common sense at the same time are to be loudly applauded.

Personally, I feel that John Bercow is the best speaker since William Lenthall, as opposed to Theresa May, who is probably the worst prime minister since Lord North. It is clear to me whose reputation will suffer if this sanction is, in fact, applied.

Robert Boston
Kingshill

John Bercow is an absolute star and we should get behind him to stop those nasty, spiteful Tories from blocking a peerage for him or replacing him with their own groomed stooge.

It’s time they were held to account for the way they just ride roughshod over any opposition – and in this case, a thoroughly decent guy who acts in line with his conscience and sense of decency.

Maybe that’s the bit they dislike. They’ve lost sight of it – if it was ever there.

Michael Cunliffe
Ilkley

The damage this government has wrought is unbelievable

Windrush. Grenfell. Homelessness. Universal credit. Found in contempt of parliament. Biggest government defeat ever.

Sneaking in pension changes so some will have to claim Universal credit. Wow on that one after Rudd’s statement the other week about learning lessons. Public service cuts affecting education, health and social care, social integration and now we hear scare stories about medication availability of commonly used drugs.

Two years it’s taken this bunch of incompetent, spoon-fed, inept posh boys and girls to realise you have to consult on major social change. Most managers out here in the real world know that within a week of basic training but not this load of Oxford and Cambridge-educated nitwits. Unbelievable and not in a good sense.

R Kimble
Leeds

MPs are insulting the people of this country – it’s time they realised we deserve some respect

I tell you what friends, I am absolutely sick and tired of the meaningless hot air being blown about in that musty old House of Commons chamber. I really am!

Someone says something and immediately everyone is scratching their heads and trying to work out what the hell they really meant.

This speaking in forked tongues must stop. It seems they have ALL got into the habit of trying to call a spade something other than a spade. Why? It just seems utterly pointless to me.

And what is the point of making speeches at all, if all they do is posture and spool out vague promises of this and nebulous notions about that?

These people have really got to realise that the good citizens of this country are NOT monkeys!

They have GOT to realise how fundamentally annoying and, in fact, INSULTING, this is to anyone out here in the real world with some intelligence. So, that’s the vast majority of us, I would say.

PLEASE show us some RESPECT!

Chris Bonfield
Address supplied

Prayers for Prince Philip

I see John Sentamu has tweeted prayers for Prince Philip after the car crash (thoughtfully printed in today’s Independent). Are we to expect intercessions for the occupants of the other car or is the archbishop selective about for whom he prays?

Dr Anthony Ingleton
Sheffield

The country, media and parliament is divided

Dear oh dear, what a mess.

The two sides of the EU debate are so irreconcilable that it is impossible to see how any form of compromise can be reached. The insults that have flown around are very destructive, and the scornful contempt that Remainers have poured onto the heads of Leavers seems particularly corrosive. I am sure that in the middle of all this there is a fairly large reservoir of people who are absolutely confused.

I cannot see any way out of this except a delayed stay-out-or-go-back-in referendum when we have actually found out how living outside the EU works out.

Many people are just so demoralised at seeing the Tories survive in power no matter how absolutely abysmal they are. The media, and some Labour MPs, are still hell bent on destroying Jeremy Corbyn’s chances of becoming prime minister, and many allegedly left-wing commentators and MPs would seem to prefer the Tories to remain in power than Corbyn be allowed to succeed. Shame on them.

Giving governments fixed-term tenures was always a very dangerous step – now we see how difficult it is to get rid of an absolutely chaotic, shambolic minority government presided over by a robotic, failed prime minister whose only virtue seems to be an ability to plod on and on regardless of the horrible mess she is making.

Penny Little
Great Haseley