So, the poor ol' Speaker is no more (or will be as soon as he resigns/retires later today).
I've got to say, I feel for the man. Maybe his response to the current expenses scandal wasn't ideal (he was more angry about the leak that led to the scandal than the actual abuse of expenses); maybe he's too much of a "shop steward" for MPs and the status quo in the House; maybe he's not a fantastic Speaker; I don't really know, though it certainly looks like a tough job to me.
All that being said, though, it's hard to resist the conclusion that he's been scapegoated here. Also, the Tories have been after him for months, well before the expenses story broke. I'm always fascinated by the way that current events, whatever they may be, only serve to re-inforce peoples' existing views. Thus, David Cameron thinks the expenses scandal demands a General Election (to restore the public's faith in the House, you understand, not because the Tories think they would win), Polly Toynbee thinks that the only thing that can save "our" politics now is constitutional reform along the lines of an elected House of Lords, limiting party funding and, her personal obsession, introducing proportional representation for the House of Commons. Nick Clegg thinks some things too, but you, I and John Snow stopped listening at that point.
I'm going to come back to the whole MPs' expenses thang later, so don't change your dial.
I wholeheartedly agree, well done Daniel.
ReplyDeletefor the tories it's a class thing. they don't like him because of his accent/background. that's why it was nice to see him there as it clearly annoyed them. however, that aside, he is clearly rubbish and i'm not sad that he's gone.
ReplyDeletenice line about the cleggster!
Useful little booklets were available in the Commons library this afternoon on the process of electing a new Speaker. They sure got those printed up fast. Almost as if they knew...
ReplyDelete