Browse > Home / UK Politics / Breaking News: Nick Clegg calls for Speaker to go

| Subcribe via RSS



Breaking News: Nick Clegg calls for Speaker to go

May 17th, 2009 Posted in UK Politics by

nick-clegg3The LibDem leader has called on Michael Martin to go as Speaker, and the story is the top item on the BBC.

According to today’s BPIX poll, 54% think Martin should resign and only 13% think he should stay.

A  bold move, and one which puts Cameron in a tight spot – especially given the Tory leader’s expressed, albeit equivocal, support for the Speaker last week.

UPDATE: Conservative Home are saying that David Cameron should follow suit and press for Martin’s removal.

16 Responses to “Breaking News: Nick Clegg calls for Speaker to go”

  1. Simon Says:

    Clegg has also paid money back and has no moral authority to pronounce on anything. Listening to him spiel out the same old stuff on the Euro, Referendum, EU is nauseating in the extreme.

    Why doesn’t he propose a motion of no confidence? If, as we are continuously told there is a majority of decent MP’s in Parliament then it is a simple matter to propose such a motion which would be backed by this honourable majority if they have any integrity, an election can be called and the will of the people prevail.

    If this doesn’t happen then it is self evident that we don’t have a majority of honourable MP’s. Sadly, I don’t think it will happen as we have what amounts to the scum of the earth holding the majority position.

    These crooks have even managed to upset the Queen and that takes some doing.


  2. Mark Littlewood Says:

    Well, even if you disagree with Nick on the EU (I think the party should have been three line whipped to support a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty), I don’t think this – combined with repaying an £80 phone bill – bars him from expressing an opinion!

    I think the motion of no confidence is a good idea in theory – but am not quite sure on the details of procedure here. And there is a case of timing – post-June 4th?

    I thought the reports about the Queen’s views were extraordinary. Buck House seems to feel strongly enough about this to tip off the press about her concerns.


  3. Simon Says:

    If you think repaying an £80 phone bill is OK then fair enough. Contrast it to the treatment meted out to my niece (13 or 14) for nicking something (can’t remember what it was but it was £3.40) from a shop. Arrested, hauled to the Police station and my sister called. She objected to the DNA bit and the Police told her they would take it by force and arrest her into the bargain. They then gave her a caution which apparently prohibits her from travelling to the USA etc. I think that’s disproportionate.

    It’s Clegg and his ilk that have put these laws into place for the rest of us whilst absolving themselves from responsibility for their own wrong doings, however serious they may be.

    I haven’t heard Clegg or any of the other so called opposition voicing too many objections to all the draconian laws and curbs on our freedoms. In fact Chris Huhne made the biggest splash when speaking out against free speech. That’s why I don’t think he, or any of them for that matter has the moral authority to address us on anything.


  4. Mark Littlewood Says:

    Overall, I think the LibDems have been pretty good on opposing draconian laws. Not perfect, but pretty good.

    But you’re completely right about Chris Huhne’s illiberal stance on Geert Wilders (I assuem that’s what you’re referring to).

    Some credit to Chris on similar free speech issues though – e.g. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7652274.stm


  5. Angela Harbutt Says:

    Oh hang on….I think that the Lib Dems have been pretty damn good on a wide range of “draconian” laws . In February this year they published the Freedom Bill which will…..

    Cut the maximum pre-charge detention period from 28 to 14 days
    Abolish the veto in the Freedom of Information Act that allows ministers to keep information secret
    Scrap the ID card scheme
    REMOVE ALL INNOCENT PEOPLE FROM THE DNA database, except for those tried for a violent or sexual offence
    Stop councils and others snooping by restricting the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to serious and terrorist offences
    Regulate CCTV to protect privacy following a Royal Commission on the use of cameras

    I could go on…..


  6. Julian Harris Says:

    “REMOVE ALL INNOCENT PEOPLE FROM THE DNA database”

    Hear hear!


  7. Ed Joyce Says:

    There is a Chinese proverb that says “A fish rots from the head down”.

    I do believe that Michael Martin should go not because of the expense claims – that should be judged in a general election and will be – but because he uses taxapyers money against the press. We need an unconstrained press to get information out for a fair election. I believe that Martin thinks that he can control the press to a degree by the use of lawyers paid for by the taxpayer.

    Politicians with elections coming up seeking to use taxpayers money on lawyers should remember Henry Fords maxim and reverse it. “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t either way you are wrong”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-487115/Commons-Speaker-spent–21-516-taxpayers-money-challenge-negative-press.html


  8. Angela Harbutt Says:

    By the way – there is a long thread of comments about Nick’s call for the Speaker to go under the post “Labour in total meltdown – now at just 20% in the polls”….


  9. Joe Otten Says:

    Good brave move by Nick. We shouldn’t underestimate the amount of arbitrary power that the speaker has in the house. Cameron is probably afraid of him as much as he respects fusty tradition.


  10. Ziggy Encaoua Says:

    So if the speaker goes hey problem solved?

    So with speaker getting the boot its going to suddenly halt MPs fiddling their exspenses?

    When you politicos going to get it thorough your heads the whole stinking system is broke!

    So it really doesn’t matter if the speaker resigns or gets fired, another will get elected who’ll protect the his & the interests of MPs until the next time they get caught out.


  11. Mark Littlewood Says:

    The problem isn’t solved if the Speaker goes.

    No one thinks this is the silver bullet to bring peace, prosperity and freedom to all mankind.

    It’s still the right thing to do though. And important to do it.


  12. Julian Harris Says:

    Small steps, Ziggy, small steps!


  13. Ziggy Encaoua Says:

    Nah I’d prefer a plane pack full of C4


  14. Richard Garner Says:

    I think Martin’s departure would be a good thing, because he has lost all appearance of being impartial as speaker. On the other hand, there is a danger that his departure be seen as “solving” this expense-fiddling debbacle, and that would be very wrong.


  15. David R Says:

    whatever the implications of Clegg’s interview this morning with regard to the speaker, one short term consequence is a lot of (overall positive) news recognition for Clegg. his name is included in the bbc’s top news headline, as it is in the daily mail’s online headline. the sun has a pretty big picture of him in its top story (with its main page including ‘lib dem leader calls for speaker to quit’.

    hopefully this news won’t be too old by this evening for him to be included in some print headlines tomorrow morning.
    clegg has needed a higher profile for some time – he seems to have been doing pretty well getting it over the last few weeks (and unlike many others gaining publicity recently, it has largely been good publicity!)

    so – so far – a good move by clegg.


  16. FiveStarHolidays Says:

    Looking forward to buying her new album, lol