Will a new Speaker make a difference?
Do you think the election of a new Speaker will make any difference?
John Bercow has been elected to the position. He will chair debates and choose which MPs can speak, but he's also responsible for running the Fees Office which looked after MP's expenses and allowances.
But do you think this appointment will make any difference? Are politicians capable of sorting out their own mess?
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Quentin Letts read with interest this morning. he wrote "It was interesting that Mr Bercow resorted to mockery of a Tory in his speech".
But Mister Letts, oh wise one?
What else is a person to do? Some of the MoPs of all sides cannot be spoken too with their views set in stones so ancient - they make fossils look like bright young things. They cannot be led unless you agree with everything these MoPs say. So yes - mockery is the one option and you can almost guaranteee the mocked one wont laugh. I am though. Still laughing at the Dire Media of this world. High Inn set edits I was told this morning. High Inn Set editors edit then? lol
Bercow will try and make a difference and a percentage of the House - hopefully small - will not go along willingly. Those alleged pursed lips and cold feet again.
I would loved to do it temporarily - Speaker - as Ms Widdercombe wanted to and but a rocket up a few people. I would last all of an afternoon session. lol
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What a shambles. Bercow was selected as a block-vote from the Labour Party simply because they knew it would p*** off the Tories. Not because they thought he was the best candidate; not because they genuinely thought he could enact reform; they voted for him to annoy almost half the house.
The Speaker should have been someone who the majority of MPs from ALL parties trusted and respected.
Plus Bercow is tainted by the expenses scandal. Better it had been an interim appt - Anne Widdecombe for example - who was untainted by the expenses scandal and would have stood down at the next election.
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What a pompous windbag John Mann is. If he feels so strongly that the system should be changed then why didn't he stand for Speaker himself rather than petulantly spoil his ballot paper?
Silly little man.
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That is right, I wonder the reason behind why he is all "visible" these days.
Ernest
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I don't think it matters who is Speaker. The whole of Parliament is held in contempt by the public. We need a General Election.
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Well said, Zelly!
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You are right Zeldalicious It doesn't matter who the Speaker is but wrong about needing a General Election as it won't solve a thing.
Electing 630 odd career professional politicians once every 5 years to the House of Commons, where none of the mainstream parties or newspapers differ is the core of all the corruption we see today within the Parliamentary system of democracy!
The fact that some Tories feel Bercow is too much like New Labour gives the game away completely because New Labour are Tory in ideology and policy and this is the real crisis in British politics today. The Speaker's contradictory role symbolises this crisis.
For example he/she has to be neutral in the House of Commons when presiding over debates etc Yet outside theyr'e an elected partisan MP whose constituents grievances like unemployment, poverty etc may conflict with the governing party. How is he/ she supposed to reconcile the two roles?
This conflicting role of the Speaker is to ensure that debates or politics within the House of Commons do not breach certain political parameters or extremes and this is a far bigger scandal than issues like MP's expenses.
Whilst this absurd system continues it would be far preferable for the Speaker not to be an MP. Yet as it has to be why not give all of the MP's a go say about a week at a time. At least then, they wouldn't be able to scapegoat one individual, like they did Speaker Michael Martin when their hypocrisy and greed was exposed!
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