Beyond Parody: British speaker urges colleagues to impress Lebanese MPs

In the latest episode of "Is this fiction or just another day in the world of modern politics?" a British politician expressed concerns about disappointing his Lebanese counterparts. 

Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, John Bercow, not only acknowledged the presence of a Lebanese parliamentary delegation during the Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) convention this week, but also asked his colleagues to put in their best efforts to impress the Lebanese attendees.

It all happened on Wednesday when newly-elected British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced his first PMQs, a constitutional convention during which the prime minister answers inquiries from members of parliament. The convention covered the most pressing topics in the kingdom at the moment, including prorogation, Operation Yellowhammer, and the effects of Brexit.

With these sensitive issues at hand, things got a bit noisy at the House of Commons, prompting its speaker - Bercow - to ask his colleagues to maintain order. To guilt members of parliament into toning things down a notch, Bercow reminded them of the guests in attendance, particularly those from Lebanon.

"I appeal to colleagues to take account of the fact that we're visited by a distinguished group of Lebanese parliamentarians at the invitation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the All-Party Parliamentary Group," Bercow noted.

"We'd like to set them a good example. I'm not sure at the moment how impressed they'll be," he added.

With the Lebanese being all too familiar with rowdy (to put it gently) political meetups, Bercow's comments gained plenty of attention on social media. Here's how Twitter users responded:

As part of their trip, Lebanese Members of Parliament Jaber Yassine, Ibrahim Azar, and Nicholas Nahas attended the PMQs, toured the Palace of Westminster, met with foreign politicians, and discussed UK-Lebanon relations with the concerned officials.

Their trip came during a critical time in the kingdom, which is currently dealing with what some have referred to as a "democratic crisis" and is scheduled to officially withdraw from the European Union (EU) this October. In a controversial move, and following a request from PM Johnson, the Queen has agreed to prorogue (suspend) parliament for 23 working days, meaning MPs will have less time to pass laws that could prevent a no-deal Brexit.