Should the Commons Speaker be retired?

[Gromit]

Michael Martin, the Speaker of the House of Commons, faces a "no confidence" motion after clashing with MPs during a dramatic late night debate over expenses.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps -expenses/5311380/MPs-expenses-Members-clash-w ith-Speaker-Michael-Martin-over-police-inquiry .html

Easily the worst ever Speaker of the House of Commons, and a huge embarrassment to the Labour Party, should this dreadful man be ditched asap?

[PeteHull]

Retired? I think he and all the other culprits should be fired.
Anyone else (who were classed as ordinary) would be. these people get away with far too much, and don't forget, this has been happening for YEARS.

Pete

[jno]

as Nick Robinson says, he's the Commons' shop steward. They choose him, they can dump him. The evidence of recent days suggests their own judgment is not always to be trusted, which means he's probably a worthy representative.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2009/0 5/speakers_anger.html

[Joy11]

he lost the plot yesterday, it was soooo funny, he is the one that is supposed to be impartial, did anyone see the wright stuff this morning, they debated how to solve a problem like,,,MPs expenses, loved the guy from Aussie, mark????
why don't they shove them all in the Olympic Village after the event and call it the MPs Kabbutz !!!!

[R1Geezer]

I agree 100% Gromit, Gorbals Mick is a bl00dy disgrace to the job. He seems intent on a witch hunt over this exes issue. Personally I applaud the guy with the bottle to leak the info. Typically the MP's seem more focused on the actual leak rather than the content. In any other sphere they'd be prosecuted.

[olddutch]

definite YES

Apart from all the other shortcomings in his role, Michael Martin strove with all the power of his office to keep his own and MPs expenses permanently covered up.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1180 670/PETER-OBORNE-Throwing-greedy-arrogant-man- wont-solve-problems--start.html

The cleaning up of this whole expenses shambles cannot begin until Martin has been ousted.

Although having said this I have read somewhere that the Speaker cannot be sacked, so what's the answer?

[andy-hughes]

How on earth does Speaker Martin have the brass face to talk about the 'spirit' rather than the 'law' given his own expenses claims?

The man is a disgrace, and should be removed as soon as possible. MP's have enough trouble right now without this oafish ingrate making them look worse - difficult though that is.

[youngmafbog]

No doubt about it he should be fired.

OK, I'm a Tory through and through but this man is bringing down labour and that is not a good thing.

This country needs a strong Government over the next ten years. OK most likely to be in power will be the tories. However I believe a good government in power is made by a strong opposition, if this man and Brown carry on they will wreck labour and they will be in the wilderness. Much as I would love to gloat over this prospect it can only harm the country I so love.

SACK to arrogant git now. - and Brown

[anotheoldgit]

Latest on this,

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-118022 9/Ministers-march-Downing-Street-tell-Brown-Sp eaker-go.html

[jno]

as Brown points out, he doesn't appoint the speaker, and it isn't a Labour party position. So people can demand his dismissal all they like, it will do them no good if they address it to the wrong person. MPs elect him.

[paraffin]

Can the Speaker actually be "sacked"? I'm not sure that he can?

But in any case, this furore goes a lot further than the competence of someone who's not much more than a glorified referee and is not, in football parlance, "bigger than the team itself".

Without actually defending someone whose nose has seemingly been in the trough as much as any of the other "honourable members", why is it now that the proverbial bandwagon is being mounted to try to have him removed?

Personally I'm against witchhunts per se, and the persecution of scapegoats, but his "case" to me is no more deserving of censure than that of hundreds of others in the seat of British democracy. Should he be ousted, so should many more MPs of all political persuasions.

If this Speaker is "dreadful", "a disgrace", an "oafish ingrate" and an "arrogant git", has it really taken eight years to work this out? Why have we had no such outbursts before now?

His competence and integrity is no better, or worse, than six hundred and forty odd others of our ruling classes.

[jno]

paraffin, I suspect, reading between the lines, what the MPs are saying is: "We're in trouble because we were bad, and it's all his fault because he was supposed to stop us!" I suspect calling for his head is another diversionary tactic.

[paraffin]

Restore my answer, please.

[Gromit]

Speaker faces no confidence call

A no confidence motion in House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin is to be tabled by a Conservative backbencher.

Mr Martin has come under pressure over his handling of the furore over leaked details of MPs' expenses.

Some MPs felt he was more concerned with attacking those who criticised him than responding to public anger.
Tory Douglas Carswell says he has all-party support and will table the motion next week. Labour MPs Paul Flynn and Gordon Prentice say they will back it.

Mr Carswell, a long-time critic of Mr Martin, says he has already picked up more than half a dozen sponsors for his motion.