AND THE NEW SPEAKER IS:---

We are all so used to watching TV quiz shows where the contestants get knocked out, such as ‘Weakest Link’ and ‘Eggheads’, observing the election of the new Speaker for the House of Commons felt like a similar experience. The process looked as if had been designed more for its entertainment value rather than for the practicality of electing the best person for the job, to make the Commons work better or sort out the sordid mess its occupants have created.

There can be little doubt that the old working class Socialist, Michael (Gorbals Mick ) Martin had been a disaster – the bloke hadn’t a clue, so what of the newly elected Speaker John Bercow, who was dragged to the Speakers chair after three ballots over a six hour period?

He certainly ain’t Mr Popularity amongst his Conservative colleagues who have seen him transform from a Tory right winger to a Labour leaning softie. This was one of the reasons why the Labour MPs used their Parliamentary majority to elect Bercow as they knew how much it would upset their Tory opponents.

How John Bercow will perform and what stature he builds is an unknown quantity, he has been elected at one of Parliament’s most difficult times and the job isn’t going to be an easy one. The question is, will he have the strength of will to control the Commons and does he have the knowledge of how the institution within Parliament and the Commons work to show that he is capable of the job? In his final dog-days in office Speaker Martin revealed, in reality, he was clueless and had to be guided by his officials and advisers.

One person who put his name forward and was knocked out in the very first round was Richard Shepherd, the Member for Aldridge Brownhills. It is sad that tribal instincts took over amongst our elected Members as, in my opinion, he was without doubt the best man for the job.

Mr Shepherd is a Parliamentarian through and through, he knows and understands the institution and has the knowledge and stature to take on the roll – he is also well respected by most MPs even if his Euro-sceptic views may not be to all tastes – especially within his own pro/anti-EU schizophrenic Conservative Party.

When the position was up for grabs the last time round he did better in the election process than this time. When I met him at the validation for the European elections in Walsall Town Hall on the 4th June I asked him if he was going to put his name forward. He was unsure then, and like many others urged him to go for it. I just wished that our Members of Parliament had been grown up enough to put point scoring behind them and considered our Parliament, democracy and the people they represent. Sadly, Parliament and its institutions has become so trivial to them they chose silly games. And the winner is John Bercow, the losers are you and I my friends.