This is the result of the poll for who you would like to be next Speaker. Bear in mind that 65% of you are Conservatives, this is a truly astonishing result.
Sir Ming Campbell 25%
Sir Alan Haselhurst 19%
Frank Field 11%
Ken Clarke 11%
Sir George Young
Michael Ancram 5%
David Davis 4%
Alan Beith 3%
John Bercow 3%
Sir Patrick Cormack 3%
All the others were under 3%
I have spoken to several Conservative MPs who are also quite keen on Ming Campbell. I would still favour Sir Alan Haselhurst, but I sense a bandwagon about to roll on behalf of the Mingster.
22 comments:
Ming Campbell would be the superb compromise candidate. Respected by all, articulate, fair, and as close to impartial as you can get in that house.
After today, he will deserve it to become Speaker, although Labour probably will not except someone with a whiff of independence.
He'd be brilliant. Nice bit of spin on the BBC 6 o'clock news or is it now Newsround? Difficult to tell.
Still a boys club, then?
@ Vicky
It is not like there are any Betty Boothroyds in the House of Commons nowadays... or are there?
sadly not..though the late and much missed Gwyneth Dunwoody would have made a formidable speaker.. except the nulab clones wouldn't vote for someone with her own mind.
Ming was an excellent Foreign Affairs spokesperson but was not suited to party leadership. I think he would be an excellent role model for the House of Commons.
@Vicky
Sexist nonsense; it's the best person for the job who matters!! If there was a woman of potential she would have been nominated as a 'candidate'. Can you name one? One who is upstanding, intelligent, honest, non-partisan?
Harman, Blears, Smith, Flint, Abbot have not covered themselves in glory have they?
Don't see any astonishment here. ZanuLab would NEVER vore in a Tory speaker - so a compromise candidate would be needed. Campbell is an old duffer but a decent, honourable and respected one.
Having had a grumpy and unresolved yet interesting discussion with "Jimmy" on a previous thread about conventions - and also being very busy in the office may I just offer this from the Times
"Senior Labour figures are privately making it clear that after the next election he should take up his place in the Lords, an automatic right for any former Speaker." Is it automatic? Or convention? Or a recent innovation?
Anyway, sorry no time to research tonight; back to work and not taking any bait either...just passing on a bit of news.
Will look in on this thread with interest tomorrow as this saga is going to run, but I think "Patrick" has called this one accurately.
@ Summer
Well, the women you name are not all real possibles to be speaker I guess, though you ill have to admit that Abbot is independent (if in doubt, revisit her speech on 42 days) and not afraid to speak up against government, opposition (or Keith Vaz for that matter).
The bigger problem of course being a totally inadequate number of female MP's at 125 out of 646. Of course quality should be decisive, but that should count for every candidate to parliament in the first place... ideally there would be 646 eligible and qualified speakers
ASE
Grumpy? Surely not.
*thinks wistfully*
"someone with an English accent would be nice for a change"
I think Ed Balls would make a good speaker.
{ducks}
All Seeing Eye: By convention upon a Speaker's retirement the House has voted (I believe always unopposed) to petition the monarch for a peerage to be conferred on them, upholding the Speaker's neutrality in not getting the honour via the government.
The only Speakers since 1801 who haven't had a peerage are Whiteley (1921-1928) who explicitly declined it, and Fitzroy (1928-1943) and Hylton-Foster (1959-1965) who both died in the post, though their widows were both ennobled instead.
well, not actually a peerage, but 'some signal mark of her royal favour'. In case of Speaker Boothroyd:
Resolved, That an humble address be presented to Her Majesty praying Her Majesty that she will be most graciously pleased to confer some signal mark of her royal favour upon the right hon. Betty Boothroyd, for her eminent services during the important period in which she has, with such distinguished ability and dignity, presided in the Chair of the House and assuring Her Majesty that whatever expense Her Majesty shall think fit to be incurred upon that account this House will make good the same--[Mrs. Beckett.]
Mr Roll-Pickering and David, I have learned something new today and for that I thank you both.
I think the most important way to get Ming to do the job is to tell Lady Elspeth what it comes with.
Grace and favour this, state banquet that, gratis account, free food of your choice, fine wine, dinings, serious elevations.
And to be married to the man who (iirc) holds the highest position a commoner can attain.........
She would be like the chain smoking cat who got the cream.......
Mr Roll-Pickering,
The House does, indeed, present an humble address to Her Majesty requesting that some mark of Royal favour be granted to a retiring speaker. Traditionally, the motion for such an address would be carried without the House dividing. However, following the retirement of Speaker Weatherill in 1992, Dennis Skinner opposed the motion (on the ground that any favour should be conferred by the House rather than by the Sovereign) and forced a division. Fifteen members voted against the motion.
It would be helpful [and good practice in general] if you would disclose how many voted in this opinion poll.
Sir Ming is 67 & a cancer survivor: it's possible that he will retire at the end of this parliament.
Rob, I gave the numbers on the previous post. 1150.
Thing is, Campbell's age means he couldn't serve for long, but he would be a man completely independent of either main party - and after the last few years, how badly does the House of Commons need that!
Ideally, it would be somebody who would put the Commons first, last and all the time - but in the absence of one of those, Campbell is definitely the next best thing.
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