Speaker Race Nothing More Than A Farce
Prospective Independent MP for Wirral West David Kirwan tonight labelled the race to become the next Speaker of the House of Commons a “farce”.
According to reports, the two leading contenders appear to be Labour’s Margaret Beckett and Conservative MP John Bercow.
David said: “The depressing news to a bewildered electorate in the stands is that our elected representatives at Westminster who appear oblivious to public opinion which has given MPs their lowest poll rating in 50 years, are now backing the various contenders in what the Times (18th June) described as “inverted tribalism”.
“Many Labour MPs are planning to cast their votes in favour of Bercow who is regarded as a maverick by his own Party. On the other side of the fence many Tories are planning to throw their support behind Beckett who is unpopular in certain quarters of the Labour Party.
“It all looks increasingly like a ‘tit for tat’ and simply reinforces public perception of MPs as a bunch of children who are too busy playing games and protecting their chances of re-election to govern the country.
“People are tired of all this posturing and there is even a suggestion now that this critically important office should be held by an independent outsider.
“Certainly Margaret Beckett has not enhanced her candidature by the disclosure that as Housing Minister her claim for expenses included £600 for hanging baskets and pot plants. The juvenile antics of the MPs would make for better entertainment than the nightly dosage of TV soaps where it not for the fact that we the taxpayers are paying an expensive licence fee in terms of the taxes that go towards their salaries and perks.
“It strikes me that the best interests of the long suffering electorate would be met by the election to this constitutionally important post being taken away from MPs and put in the hands directly of the voter.”
