Back to HOMEPAGE Speaker Michael Martin remits office:
he'll be gone on 21st June 09
James Irvine
Editor: www.land-care.org.uk
Filed 20 May 09
©www.land-care.org.uk
Speaker Michael Martin had to go and he had to go quick (1). And that is just what happened, as an essential step in getting the House of Commons back into some form of credible organisation in which public trust could be restored.
Magnus Linklater, writing with commendable clarity in The TImes today (2), describes the situation and how it came about. In Scotland we have seen all too clearly the damage to democracy by Old Labour, with its mafia like grip on both the policy and the modus operandi adopted by local and central government. Old Labour in Scotland was led by the West Central Belt mafioso. That was where Michael Martin learned his political trade: union representative, shop steward, local government Councilor , and MP for 30 years. For the past eight years his election as MP for his constituency (Glasgow North East) has gone unchallenged in respect for his position as Speaker.
Unfortunately, Michael Martin was totally unable to adapt to the change in his circumstances when appointed Speaker. Old Labour in Scotland got a profound beating when proportional representation was introduced with the arrival of a devolved Scottish Parliament. Scotland went through a troublesome period of transformation from which the House of Commons could have learned, but didn't. What happened to Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander, and Hamish McLeish before her, should have been lesson enough. At the last local election in Glasgow, labour lost heavily to the SNP. For the first time for many years Scottish Labour had to work as part of a minority government.
Michael Martin is the epitomy of Old Labour: a team player but only within the power group, using whatever tricks and devices that might help protect the cleek. Like suppressing freedom of information and calling in the police to find the whistle blower who provided the media with the explosive information on MPs expenses. Like making personal attacks from the Speaker's throne on those who dare challenge has actions. Like relying on the power of the cleek instead of having the charisma, personal authority and intellectual ability to do the job in his own right.
But there are still Old Labour dinosaurs about. They came out of the woodwork to support the beleaguered Speaker. Among them was Lord George Foulkes, whose interview with BBC's Politics Show presenter Jon Sopel was quite nauseating to behold. According to Lord Foulkes, Speaker Martin was the victim of class prejudice (which he clearly was not), was done down because he was a catholic (but I had never heard of anyone being the least bothered what religion he followed, if any), and it was these horrible people of the media who had it in for him (yet we are all mighty grateful to the media for telling us in time what we needed to know). There was another dinosaur, currently an MP, who spoke in the chamber along similar lines. He had a "Sir" in front of his name, but few had ever heard of him.
So a new Speaker will be elected by secret vote on Monday 22 June. The trouble is that he or she will have to be a sitting MP. And that will greatly reduce the chances of getting someone capable of masterminding and executing the reformation that is required. With Gordon Brown's labour party and his leadership in disarray, it is unfortunate that the election of the new Speaker will be made by current MPs, many of whom will no longer be there after the next general election. On or before May 2010 their constituencies may have booted them out.
Another concern is that the post of Speaker is so linked with pomp and ceremony that people capable of doing some original thinking, so essential to bring in the changes required, may not be tempted to get involved.
As for Speaker Martin, will be progress to the House of Lords as yet another who is rewarded for failure?
©www.land-care.org.uk
1. Irvine, james (2009). Michael Martin, the Speaker at the House of Commons, should certainly go: he should never have been elected.
See SOCIAL/ECONOMIC/POLITICAL Homepage, filed 19 May 09, www.land-care.org.uk Click Here to View
2. Linklater, Magnus (2009). Collapse of the last bastion of old Labour. Michael Martin owed his position to loyalty - not to voters, but to a Scottish party machine that all but ignored them.
The Times, 20th May 2009. Click Here to View
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