The Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards 2009

All is not lost. While the standing of parliament as a whole is at a low ebb, our readers have jumped at the chance to highlight those politicians who — whisper it — are a credit both to their exulted positions and to the country.

All is not lost. While the standing of parliament as a whole is at a low ebb, our readers have jumped at the chance to highlight those politicians who — whisper it — are a credit both to their exulted positions and to the country. Yes, your nominations for The Spectator/Threadneedle Readers’ Representative Award have been pouring in for the past couple of weeks, and we’ve had figures from every major party represented.

A popular figure in the early nominations is the Conservative MP Douglas Carswell. Patrick Duffy describes him as ‘a free-thinking radical with integrity, who champions the right of the people to self-determination’. To which Arlene Florian adds, ‘he is principled, and puts country before party and before his own interests’. James Stevens, though, tops the lot; praising Carswell for ‘having the testicular fortitude to oust the Speaker’. It was, of course, Carswell’s motion of no confidence which set the clock ticking on Michael Martin’s speakership.

Martin also crops up elsewhere. JohnOfEnfield actually nominates him, but it’s safe to say that his is a tongue-in-cheek effort. His list of Martin’s ‘outstanding achievements’ includes: ‘He is the first speaker to be removed from the aforementioned office in 300 years.’ And it ends with a wonderful flourish: ‘I think it only fair to state that I do not expect to get any tickets to go to Claridges.’ Well, John, let’s wait and see, shall we?

Elsewhere, there’s support for that perennial favourite, Vince Cable — ‘a voice of reason,’ says Daisy Burleigh — along with Frank Field, Paul Goodman and Iain Duncan Smith.