Madam Speaker: Betty Boothroyd | 60 Minutes Archive

Betty Boothroyd, the first female speaker of the British House of Commons, has died at the age of 93. Back in 1995 she told Morley Safer, “I have been a political animal since I came out of the womb, and as I got older, of course, even more so. But I love this House. I love our system of [the] way Parliament works.”
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[@RHTeebs]

I'm an American, and I've been studying British politics for years now. I can say this: Betty Boothroyd was a true example of what a good speaker should be. Her strong loud voice showed authority, but, understanding. Her ability to temper the flames in a very contested house is evidence enough that she knew how to do her job, and do it well. May she rest in peace.

[@jeromefitzroy]

Yeah not like her successor Martin

[@ritemolawbks8012]

I remember watching her as a child during Prime Minister's Questions on PBS. I used to think she was the Queen.

[@RHTeebs]

​@@jeromefitzroy any speaker that has to resign in shame is not always good one.

[@anothertime1282]

She had the most important quality - a sense of humour.

[@RHTeebs]

​@@jeromefitzroyshouting in lower case letters.

[@ritemolawbks8012]

It's not just the fact that they yell, "OORDAH," and come up with brilliant quips. John Bercow and Betty Boothroyd's command of the English language and quick thinking is what's so astonishing to American viewers. Even if I lived in the Speaker's Residence at Westminster Palace and had access to dictionaries, thesauruses, and transcripts of every speech from David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, I still would be half as articulate with the insults and disciplinary lectures.

[@anothertime1282]

'John Bercow and Betty Boothroyd's command of the English language...' - Though Bercow was heartily detested by supporters of all parties and none as a verbose pipsqueak and a bully. Uniquely, he was not given a peerage when he stood down as Speaker. Betty, on the other hand, was liked, respected and admired by everyone.

[@ritemolawbks8012]

@@anothertime1282 The British peerage system, titles, and who gets to sits in the Lords are also well above my knowledge. Where is John Bercow now? I thought all speakers were respected and well liked, but it should be obvious that Americans can't predict make accurate predictions of elections because we're still confused about what happened Thatcher.

[@anothertime1282]

@@ritemolawbks8012 Political cronies are sent to the House of Lords when their Commons career has come to an end. Speakers of the House of Commons are normally sent to the Lords when they stand down, but Bercow was so despised for his pomposity and obvious bias he wasn't. In addition he was accused of bullying and humiliating his staff, something he denied but for which there was a mass of evidence. Wikipedia has a good entry on him. Thatcher, like most politicians who have power for too long, went mad and had to be pushed out by her own party.

[@Locutus]

​@@ritemolawbks8012 Problem with Bercow was that as speaker, you're meant to be neutral. Towards his later years as speaker, he started to become partisan and was actively trying to frustrate Brexit.

[@gaggymott9159]

Dear, Dear Betty B.....As a constituent of Northern Ireland, when she admonished and banned the Revd Dr Ian Paisley, was PRICELESS. Dear Betty TRIED to bring the House and Paisley to order...it was not to be, but after years, she was returned as Speaker ........ May you rest in eternal peace, dear Betty. Requiescat in Pace ❤

[@wilsonfisk6626]

Paisley: NEVER NEVER NEV... Boothroyd: ORDER! Withdraw! Paisley: NEVER! Boothroyd: I order the honourable gentleman to withdraw from the house for the remainder of today's sitting.

[@philippapay4352]

I was a fan of hers from when she took over as Speaker and watched Prime Minister's Questions faithfully to watch her at work along with the current PM at the time. She was what a Speaker should be. To run a staff of 2,000 & be allowed no friends among politicians while in office is a considerable sacrifice to make for one's nation. She believed in the institution, she served dutifully even after her period as Speaker ended and there was other work for the public to be done. May she rest in power.

[@tedadams1324]

I recall watching this piece when it originally aired in 1995! It is just as entertaining to watch July 29th, 2023 as it was so many years ago. Thanks for posting!

[@kevinlongman007]

Betty Boothroyd was an excellent Speaker of the House of Commons and commanded the respect of all MP's.

[@gwynwellliver4489]

I used to watch Prime Minister's questions time every week just to watch Betty keep the parliamentarians in line. She was fantastic!

[@martinconnors5195]

Rest In Peace Dear Speaker Boothroyd. Greatest Speaker I've ever heard of

[@WillmobilePlus]

Amazing! I was a teenager in 95, and I remember seeing this segment! I indeed watched PMQs on C-Span @9PM EST every Sunday and loved Boothroyd's command of the room!

[@IssiejAb]

What an interesting and empowering figure. Thank you 60Min for resharing this interview.

[@valeriesmith5780]

Thank you for posting this. In Memoriam: Baroness Boothroyd

[@lenmarfox2947]

Betty Boothroyd is one amazing woman, I remember the tie vote Betty Boothroyd was the speaker on.

[@kevinlongman007]

Yes and she gave her vote to the Conservative government despite the fact she was a Labour MP because that is what the Speaker should do.

[@SamHodkin23]

And a tie that in the end wasn't needed owing to a miscount.

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

Betty was the Best Speaker the Commons ever had, It was very entertaining watching her

[@That_Random_Bloke]

RIP Madam Speaker. You did a great job

[@gavinhall6040]

Turns out that an American TV show has showed me how good I remember her, thanks for this 60 mins.

[@MTCason]

An amazing Speaker! I disagree with her own personal politics vehemently but as have most (not all ... looking at you, John Bercow) she never allowed her personal and previously party politics enter into her judgments as Speaker of the House. Totally impartial and totally fair, she was a joy for us to watch as laypeople and I can only imagine how wonderful it would have been to know and work with her!

[@honeybeebadger]

Wonderful RIP Madame Speaker 💜

[@BroadwayBabyyy744]

I'm an American and I miss her!!!!

[@tomcross3000]

very conversational and flowing style. i like it.

[@petercrory4499]

Absolutely a wonderful human being .. so refreshing .

[@qwerty_asdf_zxcv]

Rest in peace, Baroness Boothroyd.

[@patrickgunter7433]

RIP Betty. You have served our country so well. We miss you terribly.😢

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

Before John Bercow there was Betty

[@ULHIS]

They don't build them like her anymore. One of a kind. Betty Boothroyd.

[@benusmaximus3601]

7:40 - some great traditions we left behind, hopefully we'll restore them one day...

[@thesmithersy]

The hat tradition was nice but I think I can understand why for practical reasons, they got rid of it.

[@Chillmax]

I'm afraid that the slant taken by the presenter here is entirely inaccurate, whether he misunderstands on purpose or not, I don't know. He says that parliament would like to be seen as a 'Disney' like affair & not as an argumentative & rowdy affair as the chamber often is. This is nonsense, all Brits know what it's like in the house of commons & no one is trying to sanitise it, if people want to argue rowdily, that's what will happen. You occasionally get members complaining that it's not 'nice' in the chamber, but people largely ignore it until the next row. We all know that fireworks in the chamber make for great headlines & TV, so this will never really change, so this is just the usual sloppy 'journalism' tacking on a false narrative to make a story that just isn't there; it happened all the way back then & still to this day.

[@samyakjain727]

Betty is amazing but I also want to highlight Richard Parris (?) - the ex-MP. His colourful descriptions of parliament and the speaker were great to listen to. What happened to our use of the English language? Not just the vocabulary, but also the care and cadence of speech

[@MaxSolar-dd5wq]

8:23 Why did it take this long for Dennis to make it

[@SpookyStationBOO]

Wow something about her British accent and just the way she talks in general makes everything she says so mesmerizing! If I ever met a chick that spoke like that id definitely have some strange attraction to her regardless of what she look like lol

[@davidreid8075]

One of the few..

[@buymyrv6517]

Thank

[@pedanticradiator1491]

Betty was from the North but she represented a Midlands constituency

[@Bluedolphingirl01]

She sure knows how to handle that bunch.

[@thesmithersy]

So much better than any of her successors

[@RunOfTheHind]

Mrs Boothroyd's Holiday Dancer.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

This, she was really very nice.

[@dy9278]

Quite a WOMAN and a LADY

[@JennyDunbar-e4t]

Love her x

[@tzw001]

9:20 The "Right Honourable 'Member''" LMAO.

[@grantharmon8403]

6:52

[@noahwinston3282]

RIP. I will always remember...........ORDER!

[@Tortuosit]

In Germany, we don't have that system. It's... interesting.

[@thechemtrailkid]

Go girlie go

[@minimaxi802]

If only she was the speaker when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister.

[@ritemolawbks8012]

I was going to ask whether she was speaker while Thatcher was PM, and all the most powerful roles in the country were held by women.

[@briandelaney9710]

@@ritemolawbks8012Bernard Weatherill

[@ns711-y6n]

👏👏👏👏

[@esayasm.3833]

Even her last statement was a elegant insult to the other mentioned system!

[@thesmithersy]

And justified too. The US took this system they inherited from the UK and they corrupted it.

[@terencefield3204]

I lied Betty, but far and away the best Speaker I knew was Bernard Weatherill. The best of England, now unfashionable in a broken proletarian society

[@beverleybender2545]

To bad Kevin McCarthy could take some advice from her.

[@joseWeiss8888]

HAIL COMRADE BOOTHROYD. REST IN POWER 8888

[@titithaiwongpat6311]

Her character is looks like Dolores Jane Umbrige. I so excited for her status.

[@timdaugherty5921]

Was she the partner of Hyacinth Bucket???

[@moniehookemomolu2845]

9 Speakers of the House of Commons were beheaded? These tea drinking people don't joke. Now I see why we all speak English. 😂

[@Alex-c9h6v]

She was legitimately scary

[@buymyrv6517]

Proud of your handiwork Yes no

[@buymyrv6517]

Gingrich Betty

[@buymyrv6517]

Maddie been in England all this time Yes No Yes England

[@BossySwan]

*OOOOORRRDDDEEERRR*

[@fman02]

Americans. Make me laugh so much with their views of Britain.

[@mwittner63]

She seems like a delightful hogwarts headmistress

[@Lafayette320]

"I will have order from both sides of this House."

[@dusanpetrovic1181]

What I see is bunch of grown ups, well biologically at least if not intellectually, that somehow need to be reminded of order as if they are 5 year olds, and emotional too, so they murmur and interrupt the person giving the speech.

[@luisefranznitor7963]

85u5uy

[@buymyrv6517]

What is the ruin everything about my life

[@buymyrv6517]

Are you hate me so much melatonin

[@manujohn99]

All this won't matter at all

[@jeromefitzroy]

More like a a good shouter

[@gorillachilla]

Im sick and tired of you shouting out lol , legend she was and a great speaker , she had the class in order everytime

[@Big_Island_Boi]

A staff of 2000??? Just under the Speaker? (And that was in 1995.) Are you kidding me? No wonder Britain is broke.

[@thesmithersy]

That's possibly everyone who works in the Commons.

[@notnotadev]

bro thinks nobody works in parliament