'Roundhead of the Month'... November 2008
The Speaker, Michael Martin. “Gorbals Mick”
Although he has plenty of competition for sharing guilt in the disgraceful case of the arrest of Damian Green, over the leaking of information, he must win the prize for allowing the sanctity of Parliament and the privileges of M Ps to be invaded by counter-terrorist police.
It is he who is ultimately responsible for the protection of Parliamentary privilege and it is he who has ultimately failed.
Speakers have a long tradition of preserving the independence of Parliament. Speaker Lenthall famously resisted King Charles’ demand to arrest five members of the House in 1642 and although we are Cavaliers and firm supporters of the Monarchy-The Speaker was right in that instance. Brown is the new Charles.
This is a grave constitutional failure by Gorbals Mick and he deserves all the opprobrium that can be heaped upon his head.
He has already shown himself in the past to be partial and partisan, whereas his recent distinguished predecessors, such as the estimable Betty Boothroyd, were popular and respected because of their obvious impartiality.
The Speaker seems to think he is mocked because he came from a humble background and still retains the, at times, somewhat impenetrable dialect of Glasgow.
On the contrary, he should be admired for rising so high from such a disadvantaged starting point and his accent should be as treasured as are the accents of all our regions.
He it is who rather seems to despise those Tory frontbenchers who, through another accident of fate, speak with the accents that they do. He seems to have an almighty chip on his shoulder.
No, he is picked out because of his partisan approach to politics when his impartiality should be above reproach.
He is picked out for allowing the police to raid the office of an MP within the precincts of Parliament when he, above all others, should be defending Parliamentary privilege.
In this act, he insults us all for, whatever we might think about particular MPs, they still represent us, the people, the subjects of the Queen and this is as much an invasion of our privacy and our rights as it is that of Damian Green.
Despite protestations from the Socialists to the contrary, this is yet another example of the ever-extending powers of the police state that Brown and his acolytes are bringing to bear down upon us all. This constant erosion of our ancient liberties must be stopped.
We believe The Speaker’s position is now untenable and if he will not go quietly then he should be impeached by the House.
He wins the lemon in November as Roundhead of the month.