YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Michael Martin is going to announce is resignation

[FabulousBakerGirl]

I hope it is today.

June 21st - he goes.

Oh well - I hope the bullies in Parliament feel happy now.

well there you are as EffieGadsby suggested it is like in a band of robers they let go of one of their team not out of any remorse but because he can be let go and he is jsut as bad as the baddest..it is all such a disgrace..we the public should "punish" the baddies and reward the decnt MPS who served us well..this is the point where the public should actually make a difference and not depend on the "robbers" to bring about reform!

Oh, that's alright then. What a pile of horse manure.

Hasn't bought me off, but blimey, someone having the balls to actually resign instead of smugly waving a little bit of paper is enough to mildly interest me. Now we'll have some front benchers, please.

Another vote for Betty!

Another vote for Betty!

Another vote for Betty!

But even if they are all at it... that does not make it acceptable, and certainly not right.
It is fraud or theft.

I feel a bit sorry for him. I know he has been involved in some dodgy stuff (the taxis etc) but yesterday was so horrible. Bullying at it's finest, what a shameful sight. There are ways and means of doing things and IMO, he was treated appallingly.

I wonder when the rest of the MPs are going to go then? I mean now that he has resigned, surely it would would only be right for the rest of the blaggers to give up their jobs too and follow suit?

And yes, Betty rocked

I live in Mr Martins constituency and he helped me with a problem with an alledged overpayment of tax credits. He was polite and helpful at all times and, I do believe did the very best that he could for me. he comes from a deprived background himself and glasgow north has some of the worst areas of poverty and deprivation.

I am actually in ascot as i type this, at a course for work and it is a different world. waitrose Vs Lidl, birds singing instead of ice cream van jingles.

the whole thing smacks of scapegoatism and is an easy kill for people who want to see a tory as speaker or call a general election.

I'm not a member of the labour party - I have been at the past, but I'm not currently comfortable with being so - but I woudl campaign for Michael martins predecessor if he relinquishes his seat in parliament - after 30 years, because I don't think that he should be the example. yes, he did wrong. £4k of taxi receipts for his missus to go shopping is obviously an abuse of the public purse, but they are all at it - with notable exxceptions.

(oh and obviously betty rocks. what a woman!)

can someone just remind me how much mm gets paid, how much he has spent on the fabulous apartment that every speaker gets to live in etc , i honestly dont think he is any better than the rest . The most interesting thing that ive heard said in the last few days is gb saying that anyone caught breaking the rules will get the chop ,but the point is and how so many of them have whined they didnt break the rules ,the rules were abhorrant in the first place

Blimey, the process of knocking someone down then deciding they are the underdog and feeling sorry for them has really sped up.

MM had resisted all efforts at reform. He spent something like £150k on lawyers trying to hide all this information from us - trying to undermine the Freedom of Information Act that gives us ordinary people, the ones who pay his wages and those of every other MP, the right to see what they are doing with our money.

He also lined his own pockets, with his wife's astronomical taxi bills and his air miles clocked up at our expense.

He completely failed to see what a mess he was making. How on earth could he not realise all this would come out?

And when it did, his response was to slap down anyone who said 'we really need to do something about this'.

MPs had to criticise him to his face yesterday - he'd left them no alternative. Made ridiculous attempts to prevent our representatives from talking about the crisis, even confusing himself about what was a point of order and whether the motion was an early day one or not. MPs had a choice - either pretend everything was fine, or speak out against MM.

He called all this down on himself. It's a shame that someone with such a compelling rags to power and influence story has gone wrong, but he did. (And FWIW the idea that he was hanging on so he could hand over his seat to his son leaves a very nasty undemocratic taste in the mouth - who the HELL does he think he is, Prince Charles?)

(But that doesn't mean this is all about the Speaker, everyone who says MPs needn't think this is the end of the matter is right.)

I don't know how the system works. Who was it opposing the FOIA applications? Was it the Speaker himself, or was it his legal advisors?

I can forgive his taxi bills and the air miles. Just about. He wasn't the worst offender and don't think he gained much from a personal stance.

It was on the news that he acted like a 'shop steward' to Parliament, which I absolutely disagree with. if that were the case, he wouldn't have allowed the police raid on Damian Green's office, which was such a breach of the sovereignty of Parliament.

If he had stepped down they all should. They've shoved the blame onto someone else. It's just wrong.

I loved it when Betty used to get arsey with the MP's when they were not showing manners and getting a bit OTT.

She lost her rag at times.

She was a very stabilising influence and a little like a dinnerlady controlling a bunch of naughty boys at dinnertime during wet play I thought.

In fact as I recall on the whole the HOC debates were just more enjoyable to watch when she was in charge.

(Do you think that MN politics role is still up for grabs - I could be a good contender don't you think ?)

to get a bit more serious though - and apologies because I am not as politically aware as the above MNetters- they cannot all go immediately and at once can they, there will be no-one left with which to run the country- hence the use of the Speaker, whom from all accounts has been in it up to his eyes being made the scapegoat.

Anyhow did I hear on the news anyone found to be guilty will not be allowed to stand for re -election?

So when are the rest of the corrupt shits going to resign?

What Edam said. MM is no innocent victim in all of this. His behaviour has been outrageous. And he's a twat.

Did you hear his mate (sheridan?) on the airwaves trying to defend him, blaming all the cock ups on "senior management" in the Fees Office and completely unwilling to accept that MM was the man in charge and setting the agenda. Get a grip, he's not a shop steward in the shipyards now, he's the man in charge, the one who has responsibility.

I agree it's not the whole answer though. There are a lot of rotten apples who need to be thrown out asap.

I hate the whole thing. Michael Martin was ineffectual with the system and yet the mp's were like vultures as the majority of them knew that they had also done the same thing. A lot of us work hard,pay ni and taxes - we have the whole guilt thing should we work or not? We feel guilty if we don't and guilty if we do. I bet they don't feel the guilt that they're just creaming off the system.

I think what makes me angrier is that the money spent by these mp's could have been spent in the nhs on extra midwives or life saving equipment. The money could also have been spent in the military to help the soldiers with better equipment. £18,000.00 on book shelves purleese this was actually passed through!!!

Sorry to get on my soapbox. However, the whole thing is disgusting as Theo Paphitis says "you're spending my children's inheritance"

The big mistake he made was banning journalists from the Commons terrace the minute he took over from Betty Boothroyd. We got him back in the end. Ha!

Dont agree with what he did at all but I agree he has been made a scapegoat, this whole mess isnt going to go away because MM resigned, ALL the MPs who have claimed expenses for their bloody moats etc should be brought to justice!
Ah feel better now

lyra

Am seeing a mate who works for the Telegraph on Wednesday, was planning to ask whether anyone had thought, at the start of all this, that they'd actually bring the speaker down...