Speaker's statement live blog
James Forsyth 3:28pmMartin starts off with an apology to the British public.
Within 48 hours, Martin will sum the party leaders together with the Commons Committee to thrash out a deal on the second home allowance and other matters.
Martin wants a moratorium on expenses claim.
Martin refuses to engage when asked if Carswell’s motion of no confidence will be tabled and debated. This is going badly for him, he's lost control of the House.
Winnick asks Martin to retire early for the good of the House, Martin again refuses to engage. This is painful.
Even by Martin’s own standards, this is a halting and garbled performance.
Sir Patrick Cormack says that the situation Parliament finds itself in is akin to the situation the country found itself in at the time of the Norway debate and asks the Speaker to reflect on that. Polite and all the more devastating for it.
Sir Stuart Bell’s intervention in support of the Speaker is met with a mix of silence and barracking. This is not going well for the Speaker.
David Davis, who has signed Carswell’s motion, asks how a backbencher can put down a substantive motion.
Bob Spink, the Tory turned independent, speaks in favour of Martin.
The Speaker stops Mark Field, Tory MP who has fallen out with the leadership, from asking about the claims for mortgages that had already been paid off.
That was an absolute disaster for the Speaker. He has not made clear that he is going and his halting performance only demonstrated why so many people think he is not up to the job.
Previous
Mark C
May 18th, 2009 3:55pm Report this commentDisaster for him and for the House of Commons and so for all of us.
John Woolman
May 18th, 2009 3:57pm Report this commentFiddling whilst Rome burns. The analogy made by a back bencher with the Norway debate is apt. But where is the Churchill des nos jours?
Madasafish
May 18th, 2009 3:58pm Report this commentI heard him. Living in a different world and time....
Out of his depth.
But doing his best to ensure he ruins his and Parliament's reputation still further.
He's succeeding.
Dungeekin
May 18th, 2009 3:58pm Report this commentI think a song is in Order, Order for this Speaker.
How about this one?
'Hey Mickey'
Oh Mickey
It's your time,
It's your time,
To say goodbye,
Hey Mickey!
Hey, hey, Hey Mickey!
Oh Mickey
It's your time,
It's your time,
To say goodbye,
Hey Mickey!
Hey, hey, Hey Mickey!
You've been Speaker for nine years
And that's nine years too long
Had your nose stuck in the trough,
And been partisan and wrong,
But can't you do what's right,
And quit the Speaker's throne, Mickey?
'Cause when you said that you'd reform,
You really meant you won't
Now Carswell's little bill's
Gonna get you by the throat,
And you'll be forced to leave your grace-and-favour home, Mickey!
CHORUS
Oh Mickey, what a pity
You don't understand
That Parliament's corrupt
And you haven't made a stand,
Oh Mickey, you've been shitty,
Can't you understand,
It's time to go, Mickey,
Oh won't you go Mickey, go Mickey
Just quit the job, Mickey!
Hey Mickey!
Now you took the Speaker's job,
You should've said 'no',
Everytime you speak you let,
Your uselesness show,
The public's lost its faith,
It's time for you to go, Mickey!
C'mon and quit your job, at the soonest point you can
Anyway you wanna do it,
Just do it like a man
But please Mick, just get out while you can, Mickey!
CHORUS
Oh Mickey, what a pity
You don't understand
That Parliament's corrupt
And you haven't made a stand,
Oh Mickey, you've been shitty,
Can't you understand,
It's time to go, Mickey,
Oh won't you go Mickey, go Mickey
Just quit the job, Mickey!
Oh Mickey
It's your time,
It's your time,
To say goodbye,
Hey Mickey!
Hey, hey, Hey Mickey!
Oh Mickey
It's your time,
It's your time,
To say goodbye,
Hey Mickey!
Hey, hey, Hey Mickey!
A cheesy and laughable song, for a laughable Speaker.
Dungeekin
George Laird
May 18th, 2009 3:59pm Report this commentDear James
I think we all expected Martin not to do the honourable thing and resign as Speaker.
Martin doesn't disappoint us.
Rather than allow the matter to be debated he used the rules to close down discussion.
How wretched he has become.
This was the time to resign with some sort of dignity, it appears Martin wants to hang on for the £100k when the General Election is called.
Squalid and shoddy doesn't do justice to him.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Charles
May 18th, 2009 4:01pm Report this commentWell, if that is how we allow ourselves to be governed, we fully deserve to be in the mess we find ourselves in today. What a joke that was.
se1man
May 18th, 2009 4:01pm Report this commentAppallingly inept display by the Speaker, and what's so aggravating for those of us outside the Westminster village is that the Speaker hid behind obscure procedural complexities involving substantive vs early day motions or whatever, consulting with some flunky wearing a wig... it all makes our Parliament look even more farcical and unfit for purpose, which is some achievement after all that's happened over the last couple of weeks.
Doug
May 18th, 2009 4:03pm Report this commentHow can Brown allow this man to stay in place? I can't believe he has the brass neck to ask for a moratorium on MPs'expenses , is he so far removed from the mood of the British public? Good news for the Tories if he stays , bad news for British democracy.
Donna
May 18th, 2009 4:03pm Report this commentI can't watch anymore. Someone tell me when this nightmare is over.
Moraymint
May 18th, 2009 4:07pm Report this commentSo, what now? Will there be a No Confidence debate/vote, or not? This is an utter shambles and an affront to democracy. The Government, the Speaker and the House of Commons as a whole are all now totally discredited as far as I'm concerned.
How long before the great British people stop watching democracy crumble before its eyes and do something about it? The question is, what exactly? Have they no shame in that place?
Boudicca
May 18th, 2009 4:09pm Report this commentThe Government should grant the debate on the Speaker.
Gordon Brown said, with regard to Speaker Martin, he would abide by the decision of the House. Not to grant the necessary debate will mean the House doesn't have an opportunity to express its Will.
There must be a debate.
If not, all MPs who have no confidence in the Speaker, should leave the Chamber when he enters in a display of their belief that he should stand down.
Teddy
May 18th, 2009 4:33pm Report this commentI can't believe what I'm seeing and hearing. I don't want him to be a convenient "scapegoat" as his defenders are bleating, but it's not an either or situation. He goes, AND we get on with dealing with the other horrors that need dumping.
Jock
May 18th, 2009 4:34pm Report this commentThis was truly painful to watch.I tuned in angry and anti-Martin but was soon moved to a mixture of sympathy and embarrassment for a fumbling, stumbling,out of his depth man.
He was horribly badly advised and ill-prepared. Given that he met with the PM on Sunday, one suspects also that he was hung out to dry.
I fear that his attempt to begin the process of restoring the integrity of the House and that of his own position has succeeded only in adding lack of competence and effectiveness to the list of concerns.
Moreover, an under-current when MPs are discussing this issue seems to be one of self-pity. It is hard to avoid the feeling that the it is more a case
"Shame we have been exposed" rather than "Exposed, we are shamed."
Martin should go and if that has to wait for a General Election it should be an early one. The best way to begin the process of restoring faith in our political system - assuming that it is even possible - is to elect a new House of Commons with many new members and a new Speaker and, hopefully, a new Prime Minister.
Mark7907
May 18th, 2009 4:40pm Report this commentHow has Mark Field "fallen out with the leadership"? Nothing seems to have been reported outside Westminster.
wonderfulforhisage
May 18th, 2009 5:48pm Report this commentJohn Woolman 3:57 asks:
"But where is the Churchill des nos jours?"
Probably in Brussels attending to his business as an MEP. Perhaps one of the McKay family should be persuaded to move on in order to open up a seat in Westminster for him.
Constant reader
May 18th, 2009 9:39pm Report this commentTelling MPs to shelve all claims indefinitely was a bad error because it brings to the fore the correct assumption that these claims are pure gravy and that no MP is going to suffer by their suspension - as they would if these were genuine out of pocket expenses.
EHHW
May 20th, 2009 10:44am Report this commentSir George Young - experienced and respected by all and it's high time there was a Conservative in the post. If not him, Frank Field
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