Will the Speaker survive?
If Michael Martin remains Speaker, it'll be because some at Westminster would rather not trigger a contest to replace him quite yet. "Better leave the lame duck in place" they'll say. "Far better we wait until after the next election when we can install one of our own".
Wrong on two counts:
1) Changes to the Standing Orders of the House mean that there will almost necessarily have to be a contest after the next election whatever - and that it'll be by secret ballot. No whips office stitch up. No "our" candidate about it. So if someone took over from Mr Martin now, we're hardly going to be lumbered with them for the next decade or so.
2) If the Commons does take this lying down, if the best our Parliamentarians can do is establish an inquiry or a promise to review process, then what does it say about us? Then maybe those who don't vote at election time have a point?
Posted on 2 December 2008 by Douglas Carswell