A life of luxury

Verity

Yes, but it doesn't matter how many calls there are for him to go. He won't. Look in the photo at his fat, greedy,smug, contemptuous face.

He won't go.

kinglear

The problem of course is Nulabour tinkering. By custom, the speaker was always chosen from the opposition. Whenever he/she retired or resigned, the party in power chose the speaker from the opposition. Blair stood that on its head, and the result has been a disastrous drop in Parliamentary prestige and respect for politicians.

Jessica

Scottish chancellor, scottish priminister, scottish speaker and scottish devolution just who on earth is standing up for England in all of this? Something has got to be done about this and fast.

STAN, UK

Speaker Martin is greedy to his core. His supporters claim he is being smeared because he is working class. WORKING CLASS, dont make me laugh, since when have the working class spent £1.7m on their home and garden, disgusting! Resign now you greedy parasite.

Danielle

How on earth can this be justified when we have people in this country living on the breadline and in terrible poverty not to mention the hardworking who are working all the hours god sends and often two jobs just to keep their head above water and want their taxes to be spent on police, education health etc.

Disgusted

This man is greed personified. It makes me so angry that he has spent this enormous amount of TAXPAYERS MONEY when there are over a million and a half people homeless in this country because of labour deliberately restricting the housing supply to push up house prices. He should be sacked.

FORMER LABOUR SUPPORTER

FURTHER EVIDENCE, IF ANY WERE NEEDED, OF MEMBERS OF THE LABOUR PARTY ON THE TAKE. EVER SINCE THEY GOT POWER IN 1997 THE WHOLE LOT HAVE HAD THEIR SNOUTS IN THE TROUGH. VOTE THEM OUT!

Augustus

OR.OR.ORDER HIM OUT!

Lee Jakeman

Mine is the quiet contentment of knowing that Labour is digging its own grave. Each day another nail is hammered into socialism's coffin. And I don't have to do anything apart from sit back, wait and smile ...

Pat Ingleton

Over the past 11 years the Blair/Brown political leadership has done untold damage to both the constitution and economy of Great Britain. This is due not merely to their incompetence but also to their arrogance and the development of a cohort of professional politicians who do not see their role as serving the electorate. This attitude together with the idea of “globalisation” means that the focus of our politicians is not on Great Britain but on showing their commitment to their political brothers in other countries, particularly in the EU, even if it is at our expense.
The term “globalisation” is a complete misnomer and it should be “globulisation” as clearly our politicians see us only as an amorphous, formless mass to be pushed and manipulated so as to provide them with the financial and electoral support they demand.
A sea-change in attitudes in our politicians is urgently needed.

Fergus Pickering

How long have we got of Gorbals Mick? When does he have to go? If it happens when Cameron is PM then what will he do? I hope chose a Labour speaker to put things back to the way they were. In order to piss them off he can choose somebody they really don't like. My choice would be Gwyneth Dunwoodie, but I suppose she'll have gone by then. Perhaps we could have a coffee-house poll. Or a Lib Dem, I suppose. What about Vince Cable?

Slim Jim

I find it amusing when the left defend their man. They say his critics are guilty of class warfare, it's because he is working class. It's simple really - he doesn't have any class at all! Yet another position of power and trust demeaned by the Traitors.

Perry

Smug, arrogant, untouchable, - the hallmarks of Noo-Lie-Bore, - and, I regret of all those who, for whatever reason, exist without due process or conscience.

Jakie Smith

Isn't Blairism wonderful and Brown's vision even better? For the past 10 years - New Labour or unreconstructed Stalinsim - has meant that anyone who falls into its client groups - gays, Muslims, ethnics of any description, working class lefties, femninists, public sector workers - is completely immune from all accountability. All any of the above have to do when caught out is screech - Tory toff, homophobe, racist, sexist, capitalist pig - blah, blah blah and the likes of Lee Jasper, Michael Martin, slovenly, lazy nurses, Ken Livingstone, Peter Hain, Cherie Blair etc , just get off scott free. Makes you proud to be British doesn't it? Ugh!

salieri

The obvious candidate is Frank Field - one of the very, very few who command respect across the House and who, in turn, respect the institutions of Parliament. It would be a master-stroke on DC's part to make this known. Unofficially, of course since Napoleon is still wallowing in his trough.

Fergus Pickering

I thought of Frank Field but I doubt he'd want to dress up and prance about.

Max Kaye

Kate Hoey?

simon

Unfortunately one must accept that Martin's attitude is symptomatic of an attitude to tax payers money writ large over the whole economy and it will take years to repair the damage. Unfortunately Labour daub themselves in the clothing of social compassion, extract the cash from a guilty taxpayer and then spend it on themselves and their cronies leaving a hangover that takes a generation to sort out. Unfortunately we voted for this bunch of con artists in good faith. They know they are on the way out so look for feather bedding left left and centre with our money!

David

Isn't it pretty much like renovating No.10 or Buckingham Palace? It's an official residence.

Caroline

Quite right David. And I hope they haven't been utter philistines and used that cheap Osborne and Little wallpaper.