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.

Absolutely astonishing scenes in the chamber

I have not read or seen any media or blog comment on what has just happened in the chamber. This is just my immediate view.

The Speaker's statement was completely inadequate. He seemed to just be saying he would get the great and the good together and sort it all out. He apologised and said the whole house bears responsibility for what has happened which needed to be said but was an absolute bare minimum. He also seemed to be trying to say that he had been trying to sort the problem out since last year (3rd July motion that was defeated) when the whole way through he has thrown up obstacles and done everything in his power to avoid transparency.

There then began a bizarre 10 or so minutes where member were invited to give points of order. I am no expert of the vagaries of parliamentary process but it seemed to be that almost every point that was raised was inadmissible in some way shape or form. There were several direct attacks on the Speaker, not least from Douglas Carswell. the Speaker seemed to be unsure if the motion tabled for tomorrow was a Substantive motion or an Early Day Motion. He had to check with cone of the clerks and the response seemed somewhat hedged and almost like it was designed to save the Speaker from embarrassment. You could actually hear Douglas Carswell angrily arguing with the Speaker off-mic that he was wrong. There were several other interventions that attacked him and few that supported him.

There was an astonishing attack from a senior Tory (I think it was Sir Patrick McCormack) who said he were in a constitutional crisis and he reluctantly said it could not be resolved with the current speaker remaining in the chair.

Near the end, Susan Kramer asked if an opposition day could be moved forward to allow a debate on the future of the Speaker if the Government would not allow time for one. He obfuscated and answered a different question.

This whole farago to me just demonstrates exactly what is wrong with parliament in the first place. All the traditions and conventions just stifle debate and there is clearly no mechanism to be able to deal with what was needed today. An honest discussion about the Speaker and preferably he would have seen that he no longer had support and stepped down. Or was voted our through a no confidence motion.

Instead this is going to drag on now. It looks like Martin is trying to put obstacles in the way and also has set a meeting for 48 hours from now which he will chair which would require him to still be Speaker after tomorrow. What a mess.

Somebody needs to get a grip on this now. I think Cameron and Brown have to follow Nick Clegg's lead and call for him to go. If they cannot bring themselves do this publicly they should do it in private and insist he goes. Today. Otherwise they should threaten to go public. This is surely his last chance to go with any sort of dignity before he is ultimately defenestrated in an awful public manner that nobody wants and he does not deserve.

Mr Martin, please resign. Now.

UPDATE: I have just e-mailed the Speaker asking him to resign and you can do so too: martinm@parliament.uk

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!

Speaker getting grilled - Astonishing

Well, I have just finished watching the grilling of the Speaker of the House (Michael Martin) and I have to say I cannot recall a parliamentary occasion like it. It was astonishing to see MP after MP get up and question the Speaker like that.

I have to say that he did not come across well. I appreciate that there are protocols to follow but it seemed like he was trying to evade questions. Also, it seems clear to me that the Serjeant At Arms did not execute her duties correctly as she seemed to be unaware that she could (and should have) refuse entry. There were claims that the police should have informed her of this and I take that point but the SAA should be aware of the rules herself, surely.

I have to say that given all of this, the Speaker's position must surely be under threat now? I will be interesting to see how this pans out.

Commentary on others blogs here and here.