to believe Betty Boothroyd is the best Speaker of recent years?

[longfingernails]

Michael Martin was terrible, he was totally incompetent - and John Bercow is ridiculously pompous, and diminishes the standing of Parliament.

Bernard Weatherill was also pretty good.

I am glad that William Hague has pulled his little stunt allowing a secret vote on Bercow after the election - it is petty politics, but funny nonetheless. It would be fantastic to see Bercow receive his comeuppance.

I like this clip of Bercow

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11937671

The way his face changes from smiling to livid at 6 seconds is great.

Looks like the sneaky move has been defeated - and by a number of Tory MPs. Good on them.

Thanks for that clip harold. That's why I like him and for the same reason that's why so many people like that pompous bully McLoughlin hate him.

He's not a coward. He is a showman, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. In fact, in that job, you have to have a forceful personality.

Boothroyd was also a performer. I just didn't happen to like her performances. They served her, not the job.

I think BB was determined to win "national treasure" status and acted accordingly. Shrimpy was never likely to be a national treasure.

True grovel. I'm astounded by the idea that Our Betty did the job without you noticing. If I'd read one Daily Mail profile piece about her being a Tiller Girl, I'd read 100.

I'd put her in the same National Treasure category as Cilla Black and Bruce Forsyth.

I confess I didn't like the idea of Speaker Bercow because I am a Mail reader and their sketch writer Quentin Letts did such a number on him. As he did to Speaker Martin, or 'Gorbals Mick' as he charmingly called him.

I don't think Martin was good and I think his grasping wife was far worse than Sally Bercow but with a lower profile. But Letts's criticisms of Martin were far more to do with class than competence.

Did anyone watch Charles Walker's speech? Good stuff and an absolute smack in the chops for the government.

Hague will be licking his wounds.

I hope Hague is proud that his last act in government was a failed grubby attempt to deprive Parliament of a man whose most heinous crime in government eyes was ensuring that MPs are able to hold them to account.

I thought Hague was an honourable and competent person.

I don't know why and stand to be corrected.

I've never heard of Charles Walker but that clip was moving.

It goes beyond party politics. This was a spiteful attempt at a stitch-up and I'm very glad it failed.

I admire the fact that many of the MPs who scuppered it were Conservatives.

I wouldn't vote for their party, but I think they are honourable people.