Speaker's Corner....

HOWLERMONKEY Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 02:30:48 PM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

   Over at Conservative Home thay are getting very exercised about the speaker Martin "witch-hunt." Here. it’s been my privilege to meet him on several occasions and watch him in action on the floor of the House of Commons and at other parliamentary functions. I have noticed that there has been a definite "He should go" campaign on the right wing blogs for some weeks now, so I am unsurprised at the current situation. What d’you think?






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Speaker's Corner.... | 7 comments (7 topical)

Re: Speaker's Corner.... (#1)

by PGKenyon on Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 03:02:16 PM GMT

Dear HowlerMonkey


This is about public trust in our elected politicians of whatever party, rather than left/right politics.

There is evidently enormous peer pressure in the House of Commons not to undermine the authority of the office of Speaker, or the current incumbent. This reflects the numbers of members implicated in different ways, if not for breaking the rules, remaining silent about shockingly lax rules concerning expenses and allowances, and in some cases exploiting them with impunity until now.


To put issues in context, Labour MP Tony Wright MP wrote to the chairman ofthe Committee on Standards in Public Life two weeks ago. The Guardian among others went to town today with news, Comment, and a cartoon. I thought there was a case for Speaker Martin to go three weeks ago. That was following his apparent complacency in response to the Conway affair, which highlighted the gulf of understanding about standards in public life between him and the rest of us mere mortals. Of course that was before allegations about his own expenses' claims were made public. If proved, then to my mind his position becomes completely untenable.


Re: Speaker's Corner.... (#2)

by HOWLERMONKEY on Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 04:17:17 PM GMT

Dear PGKenyon

 I did not pick up the chatter on this issue through the national media due to the fact that I was busy in London at the time, so my only sources were via the Blogasphere. When the current situation hit the media through the FOI. newspaper searches, thats when the usual claim and rebuttal syndrome got under way.

It will be interesting to see how this one pans out as there is (as we know) no reason why the Speaker cannot ignore this totally.  He can treat the media with the disdain that it deserves/does not deserve, as he sees fit...Untenable or not.


[ Parent ]

Re: Speaker's Corner.... (#3)

by NorthernMonkey on Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 10:16:00 PM GMT

To be honest, I don't really trust him to carry out the necessary reforms needed to end abuse of MP's privileges. Time for someone else I think.


Re: Speaker's Corner.... (#4)

by swatantra on Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 11:14:57 PM GMT

He's had 7 years, thats quite a long stretch. He should have already had thoughts about standing down. Speakership is not for life. There should be a max limit of how long any Spear should stay in Office. NM is right; I don't believe he has it in him to bring about the reforms that are so urgently needed. He's joined the other MP's n mlking the system, when you'd expect someone in his Office to hold higher standards.


[ Parent ]

Re: Speaker's Corner.... (#5)

by bishophill on Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 12:45:03 PM GMT

Do you not think it's setting an impossibly high standard to hope for a replacement who hasn't been milking the system. Is there anyone who meets that description in the Commons?


[ Parent ]

Re: Speaker's Cornered (#6)

by PGKenyon on Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 01:32:43 PM GMT

Dear bishopshill


You are right to pose an obvious question. (Speaker Martin's immediate fate probably hangs on whether or not he breached current rules, or not.)


However, I think there is another obvious and equally pertinent question in danger of getting lost, and that concerns unreceipted expenses. I've posted about it.


What goeing on ? (#7)

by HOWLERMONKEY on Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 08:34:10 PM GMT

Did somone change the title of this posting?

I called it "Speaker's corner".  Its still on the original Lotus document that I cut and pasted into the compose comment window. The change has altered the tone of the posting from that witch was intended. This is political.

I don't mind beening moderated. But not like this!


Speaker's Corner.... | 7 comments (7 topical)