Fillng the Chair

So, as discussed previously, there is to be a new Speaker of the House of Commons. The candidates and their odds, according to Ladbrokes (on Tuesday - sue me), are as follows:

4/1 Sir Alan Haselhurst

4/1 Frank Field

8/1 Sir George Young

8/1 John Bercow

10/1 Richard Taylor

10/1 Vince Cable

10/1 Menzies Campbell

14/1 Sylvia Heal

14/1 Richard Shepherd

14/1 Ken Clarke

14/1 Patrick Cormack

16/1 Alan Beith

33/1 David Davis

33/1 Norman Baker

50/1 Keith Simpson

50/1 Damian Green

50/1 Kate Hoey

50/1 Diane Abbott

50/1 Tony Wright

250/1 Gordon Brown

Perhaps surprisingly, this blog doesn't have any inside info on this, or any opinions, really. Two ladies at work are putting pressure on me to award the prestigious Paltry Offerings endorsement to John Bercow, though. He's a Tory, which is a worry, but he's super independent (to the extent that he has more support among Labour than Tory MPs), which is a definite plus. Critically, he's also an Arsenal fan, so I'm tempted to declare for him right now. He has his very own (unofficial, as far as I know) fan blog, which can be found here.

Other than that chap, though, I don't have strong feelings about who gets the gig. I just want them to be witty. Most of the House's proceedings are so tedious that any kind of levity, which the Speaker is uniquely well-positioned to provide, is to be welcomed.