Sally Bercow is only human like the rest of us

The wife of the Speaker, Sally Bercow has given a fairly candid interview where she talks about some of the things she did when she was younger. Get ready to be completely and utterly shocked:

• Apparently, when she was younger, she used to drink a bit too much. It started when she was a student and continued until her early 30s when she decided it was causing problems for her and she stopped.
• She also, occasionally used to go home with men she had met in bars. That's right! A woman, used to indulge in casual sex. What's worse is that she found it quite exciting and does not appear to be utterly ashamed of her behaviour.
• She has political opinions! I know! A Labour politician, a Labour politician has views about David Cameron and that his party is for the privileged few!

[/SARCASM]

Unsurprisingly Nadine "I block people who disagree with me on Twiter" Dorries has waded in:

We desperately need to restore both authority and respect to Parliament. What this interview has done is remove any painstaking progress Parliament has made and reduced the Speaker and his office to that of a laughing stock. How can we ask the people to trust us, when the man who holds us to account has such poor judgment that he allowed his wife to give such an appalling self obsessed interview?

So apparently the fact that the wife of the Speaker has the temerity to have had a life when she was a bit younger has removed "painstaking progress" from parliament. WTF!? I know Nadine rarely engages brain before mouth but this is complete nonsense. There is a real vein of misogyny running through Dorries' comments here. A man has "allowed" his wife to do an interview. I'm sure in many other contexts the idea of a man trying to shut up a woman would appal her but in this case because she hates John Bercow he and his wife are fair game for comments like this.

Sally Bercow can do what she likes. She does not need permission from her husband. She is an active Labour politician and nothing I have seen from her past is any different to the experiences of millions of people in this country.

I for one am grateful that she feels able to speak out like this and I very much hope it does not affect her political career one iota.

Douglas Carswell announces for Richard Shepherd for Speaker of the House of Commons

Douglas Carswell MP has announced that he will be voting for Richard Shepherd as Speaker of the House of Commons.

This is important because Douglas is the MP who started the campaign to get rid of the previous Speaker Michael Martin and his opinion counts for quite a lot on this subject in my view.

Douglas says:

Firstly, his own expense claims have been very modest. Secondly, he campaigned for Freedom of Information law years before it became fashionable. Together that gives him the moral authority to force transparency on an unwilling tribe in SW1.

Better than anyone else I’ve met in four years in the Commons, Richard understands that sovereignty of Parliament is shorthand for sovereignty of the people.

Too many in Westminster see the Speaker’s contest through the prism of self-interest. They seem to want to elect a shop steward for politicians, rather than a Speaker able to restore public faith in the political process.

Richard grasps that change must also mean making those we elect effective at holding government to account. Parliament needs back its purpose. He’s ideas on how it is to be done.

Speaker Shepherd would be no apologist for indolent politicians blinded by a sense of entitlement – but he would make them answer properly to you.

I have to say that when I saw Mr Shepherd on the Newsnight hustings he did not impress me but perhaps that was not the best medium for him. I have to say that I am fearful from the latest reports that Margaret Beckett will be elected and I am not sure she is the right person for the job at all having been so closely associated with the incumbent Labour government.

We shall see later today of course.

The candidates for Speaker should all go on a special BBC Question Time

Frank Field has a piece in the Telegraph today where he sets out his stall for his imminent entry to the race for Speaker of the House. Other candidates are also positioning and manoevering as I writ this.

I think Mr Field would make an excellent reforming Speaker although as I blogged about yesterday, I fear that Brown would do everything in his power to stop him. But because it is a secret ballot, Brown might actually be limited in what he can do.

We are in unchartered territory now. Previously the candidates for Speaker have been unable to openly campaign for the position but this time they will be required to publish manifestos and it is vital that their plans are scrutinised. They cannot afford to get this appoinment wrong.

I think one thing that all the candidates should commit to is appearing on a special edition of BBC Question Time. That way they will be able to face the public and put their case for what they intend to do.

I know it goes against the form for these things but politics is in a desperate state at the moment and the public really needs to start feeling like the political classes are listening to them again.

Why I think Frank Field should be the next Speaker and why he won't be

I think Frank Field should be the next Speaker of the House of Commons.

Reasons why he should be:

1) He is extremely independent.

2) He is fiercely intelligent.

3) He has the courage to stand up against the government and has proved it time and again.

4) I can't remember a time when I have seen him state a position that was not eminently sensible.

Reasons why he won't:

1) Gordon Brown hates him

Quote of the day

Douglas Carswell on the defenestration of Speaker Michael Martin:

"You can't clean up a cesspit without doing some unpleasant things."

+++ Michael Martin to resign as Speaker today +++

Michael Martin, the Speaker of the House of Commons is to resign this afternoon.

Unsurprising news really after yesterday's performance.

I hope the House of Commons can now select someone who can really reform it. Congratulations to Douglas Carswell for his successful campaign.

Is Charlotte Gore the most influential Lib Dem blogger?

Following Nick Clegg's announcement that the Speaker of the House Michael Martin must go (an unprecedented step for a party leader) I am asking myself, could it have been influenced by this post by Charlotte Gore on Liberal Vision?

I know that the blogs are closely monitored by the leadership and could it be that the feelings of the grass roots here have helped gird Clegg's loins here?

I for one fully support Nick in what he has done here. Someone had to do it. Martin is useless and has to go. Blind adherence to convention is what has got MPs into this mess in the first place. It will take some mould breaking like this to resolve this crisis.

Lets all hold on tight and see what happens next!