It wouldn’t be the State Opening of Parliament without a Dennis Skinner heckle
The traditions of the State Opening of Parliament are something of a mystery to overseas observers, yet cherished by lovers of pomp and circumstance in the UK. There’s the arrival of the Queen’s ceremonial crown in a gold carriage, the slamming of the doors in the face of Black Rod, and the ritual mockery of the aforementioned Black Rod by the MP for Bolsover, Mr Dennis Skinner.
In the past, his heckles have included:
Dennis Skinner’s savage black rod heckles
During the State Opening of Parliament veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner usually takes it upon himself to heckle black rod.
What would be your heckle this year?
#QueensSpeech pic.twitter.com/wtgtHZ8x6F— RT UK (@RTUKnews) October 14, 2019
And here’s what he said today.
WATCH: Dennis Skinner heckles black rod at State Opening of Parliament #QueensSpeech. pic.twitter.com/LyxlcdfHU4
— RT UK (@RTUKnews) October 14, 2019
In case you missed that, it was:
“No. I’ll not be going.”
Some very much appreciated the light moment, although others have clearly had enough.
1.
how the queen's speech works is, the Lord Great Chamberlain waves a wand to summon the Usher of the Black Rod who bangs the door of the Commons three times until he's let in by the Sergeant at Arms then Del Boy falls through the bar and Dennis Skinner does a face
— joe (@mutablejoe) October 14, 2019
2.
I don't care what anyone says, the greatest national tradition we have is Dennis Skinner hecking during the Queens Speech.
— Harry Taylor (@harrytaylor95) October 14, 2019
3.
Live footage from Westminster as Dennis Skinner delivers his customary stinging heckle pic.twitter.com/rscRY79CcD
— Mrs Gladys Steptoe (@GladysSteptoe) October 14, 2019
4.
T’was the night before #QueensSpeech and all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; yet spluttering through a lungful of smoke, Dennis Skinner was writing his godawful joke.
— Luke McGee (@lukemcgee) October 14, 2019
5.
I'm old enough to remember when Dennis Skinner was mildly amusing.
— Louis Barfe (@AlanKelloggs) October 14, 2019
6.
We all know this queen's speech means fuck all.
We all know Boris has 40-odd short of a majority and not a cat in hell's chance of passing any of it.
But we're all glued to it like the messy bitches we are, waiting for Dennis Skinner's joke and all the pageantry…— 🤘🕷️ Jennie Rigg 🏳️🌈 🍹 (@miss_s_b) October 14, 2019
7.
Dennis Skinner with a classic heckle: What if Pizza Express folds eh? It'd be Calzone Express.
— Lewis (@MrMutantes) October 14, 2019
Sweary Bercow on Twitter had a rather more NSFW heckle.
FUCK OFF, BLACK ROD pic.twitter.com/lPd710zDTU
— Sweary Bercow (@BercowSweary) October 14, 2019
Perhaps Dennis Skinner will use that one next time – in about two months.
Source: Twitter and BBC Image: BBC via Twitter, BBC via YouTube
Read more: Every Dennis Skinner Queen’s Speech heckle you could ever wish for
