The Private Peer

Michael Martin will receive his peerage in private after fresh public outcry about his elevation to the House of Lords.

The disgraced former Speaker, who prides himself on his working class roots, will not have to join the ordinary recipients of honours at a public ceremony. Instead Royal sources have confirmed he is expected to get the honour behind closed doors to avoid the public spectacle.

This is a man who insists he represented the hard-working classes but he's accepting more trappings of power and he's aided and abetted by his friend Gordon Brown. For the government to arrange a private ceremony is offensive to many I expect and it shows Gordon Brown knows full well that this appointment is wrong and completely against public opinion.

I shouldn't think what the public thinks will worry Mr Martin. His main concern will be ensuring a further generous pension from the House of Lords. Makes a mockery of our so called democracy doesn't it?

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A New Speaker is Only the Beginning of Reform

So Michael Martin leaves the big green chair on 21 June complete with his £1.4m pension pot and a peerage, having given his 30-second resignation speech to the Westminster Parliament. Who says public service doesn't pay.

I  watched Newnicht and was dismayed by the Dundee MP Jim McGovern's attitude. "Snobbery and racism," he mentioned during his defence of Mr Martin; snobbery because Westminster MPs couldn't accept a sheet metal worker, working class Speaker and racism due to the label 'Gorbals Mick'.  So many labour MPs have insisted snobbery was the cause of Mr Martin's departure, although two previous Speakers were certainly working class, George Thomas and Betty Boothroyd, both capable and respected Speakers. Is it a case of inverted snobbery? The racism comment from Jim McGovern may be slightly justified because, as all of us know, Michael Martin was not born or brought up in the Gorbals. He could have protested to the press out the use of this nickname but he did not.  

But it was not snobbery or racism which caused Mr Martin to lose the respect of MPs - it was his incompetence in his defence of the status quo.

I've read much today about the changes Mr Martin intends to make before he leaves his post and also I've listened to the ramblings of Gordon Brown.  Tony Sharp writes an excellent article entitled 'The consequences of letting the Speaker dictate terms.'  Food for thought and definitely worth reading.

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Scapegoat Martin

The media are reporting Michael Martin intends to step down later today. So Mr Brown has decided not to support him and is happy to make him the sacrificial lamb. But far more needs to be done because so much more damage has been caused by the European Communities Act.

Richard at EU Referendum has an excellent article about the problems within Westminster and states nobody is addressing the real issue - 'wholesale losses in the authority of Parliament.'  I agree with him that concerning ourselves with changes to the petty cash rules is missing the point altogether.

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Just Tell Him This

An unfinished minature portrait by Samuel Cooper, 1657

Sent to me by one of my loyal readers:

Oliver Cromwell's Speech on the Dissolution of the Long Parliament

Given to the House of Commons

20 April 1653

It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.

Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?

Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd, are yourselves gone!

So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors. In the name of God, go!

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This Person Deserves Our Thanks

This is the young woman, Heather Brooke, who should be receiving our thanks for bringing the scandal of MPs' expenses to our attention.

For years she has worked tirelessly, using the Freedom of Information Act, in a battle to uncover the excesses of MPs.  The Speaker fought her all the way to the High Court in an attempt to hide information, but this backfired when the Court's decision went in favour of Miss Brooke.

Visit her website and read her efforts in this one woman struggle.  I wish her all the best for the future and may she find work which pays enough for her to live without financial worries - she's certainly worth a good salary. Hopefully she decides to stay in the UK as we need journalists of her quality.

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Why Mr Martin Won't Resign Now

Michael Martin will lose his 'golden goodbye' if he quits according to the Daily Mail.  Cabinet ministers yesterday told Gordon Brown to call on Mr Martin to stand down as a poll found that 8 out of 10 MPs want the Speaker to go.  MPs of all parties are talking about uniting around former LibDem Sir Menzies Campbell as a replacement - providing his expenses claims are beyond reproach.  Well that idea has been blown out of the water.

By leaving now Mr Martin would lose out on a generous resettlement payment for members who lose their seats or retire at an election.  He could expect a windfall of £100,000 or more if he hangs on.  Generous? Obscene is a more appropriate word.  All these types of perks have to stop. MPs pensions are more than handsome.  MPs made these rules remember and we had no say.

For his first 3 years as Speaker, Michael Martin paid his wife an estimated £20,000 a year for secretarial duties in his constituency while she was sharing his official residence in London.

So there we have it, Michael Martin will hang on and Menzies Campbell will struggle to talk himself out of his excessive expenses, possibly by saying he's broken no rules, because I'm sure he'd just love the Speaker's job.

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