George Foulkes seems to have taken up semi residence on the 24 hour news channels. He's just been on the BBC with Jon Sopel and had a right old spat with Andrew Porter from the Telegraph. He even blurted out that he thought there was a sectarian agenda to get rid of the Speaker! I suppose of you judge people by their friends, it was hardly a surprise that Michael Martin went. His only public defenders appeared to be George Foulkes and Sir Stuart Bell.
Foulkes has made a complete arse of himself over the last few days. He should go and spend more time with his three salaries.
65 comments:
Election announcement today at 5.30?
The speaker has to go not because he is scottish, catholic or working class, he has to go because he is incompetent.
He wasn't opposed because he was Scottish, although heaven knows there are enough of them running our affairs, he was opposed because he was useless!
I have just about had enough of these Scots who are always moaning about the English. They have made a total mess of England whilst looking after Scotland. Call it Sectarianism if you wish but it is the truth.
Lord FFS of Glenfiddich and Glenmorangie is the worst offender in the Scots Parliament for his behaviour.
Playing the religious and class cards how very Labour.
Typical Foulkes the old wind bag. He loves the sound of his own voice and seems to imagine we all do too. A joke figure in Scotland, now a joke to the rest of the world. Sectarianism the auld fallback in Scotland when you run out of excuses. He is just a pish stained, jakey Jambo who needs to resign from public life too!
It was pathetic. Truly pathetic. Martin went because he was a truly dreadful Speaker who fought tooth & nail against the release of information about MPs' expenses. He will now go quickly. Rejoice!
Not really endearing people to him old Foulkesy is he?
Sectarianism? Dodgy ground there mate!
>Foulkes has made a complete arse of himself over the last few days.
I think you'll find that nature got there first.
Having a go at Foulkes for being on broadcast news all the time?
Pot. Kettle. Etc. Do you have any sort of self-awareness at all?
Or is it only when viewers are being given the benefit of your views that it is okay to be on TV?
And, let's face it, unlike you, at least Foulkes is an elected politician.
Funny, funny stuff.
Well I disagree with their points of view, but I wouldn't mind friends like Bell and Foulkes, loyal to a fault.
The face of what is now being called more and more the old guard. A man that is blaming everyone else but himself and his friend. How dare democracy get rid of his mate. Do people not understand? Does the press not understand? Must be busy up in Scotland where he is an MSP. Bet his constituents are enjoying paying him for being in Westminster on the BBC. But at least they are seeing how their money is being spent I suppose....
MSP, Lord, MP's pension...
Just how much are we paying this horrid individual?!
George Foulkes is a DISGRACE
Foulkes is a tit. He's spouting out rubbish on Sky News now.
I'm just watching Foulkes on Sky News. The man just doesn't get it at all.
Michael Martin; a dedicated and fanatical ignoramus.
"And, let's face it, unlike you, at least Foulkes is an elected politician."
Currently an elected politician. Let's see what happens at the next election, shall we?
Hopefully, the public have long memories...
Foulkes an elected politician??..not down here he isnt he`s an unelected member of the House of Lords....
Anyway another completely useless tosser....and every time he opens hos gob he proves it
Cameron should pledge to remove all life peers created since 1997 from the Lords. People like Foulkes are nothing more than party placemen undeservedly elevated to the Lords. The stables will never be truly clean until we get rid of them and hold them to account for their venality.
Having a go at Foulkes for being on broadcast news all the time?
Pot. Kettle. Etc. Do you have any sort of self-awareness at all?
Or is it only when viewers are being given the benefit of your views that it is okay to be on TV?
And, let's face it, unlike you, at least Foulkes is an elected politician.
Funny, funny stuff.
May 19, 2009 2:41 PM
Not to the Lords he's not. He's as big a disgrace to Scotland as Gorbals Mick. A dedicated cretin.
I hope Lord FFoulkeS does indeed take up residence on the Palace Green.
Cos we dinnae want him back in Fair Scotia!!
It's called broadcast journalism.
You get one spokesman who articulates the view of about 623 MPs and pit him against a single nutter from the land of padded cells. That way you get what producers crave, viz. "controversy".
@ Tony,
he's only an MSP because of the party list system, foisted on the parliament by labour.
That drunken, crminal, pratt makes me ashamed to be a Hearts supporter.
His delivery had to be short, let's face it he can't string more than ten words together. I'd have thought he could have followed up with a 'Glasgie kiss' to the chamber!
That's probably reserved for Mary tonight.
I was listening to Sir Stuart Bell earlier. He said something about the role of the Speaker would now be changed to strictly ceremonial & procedural and his real power taken away. Who can do this? Can Gordon Brown change the role of the Speaker? Can only a vote in the House of Commons do it? That we've had a sadly incompetent holder of the Office surely isn't any reason to neuter the Office itself?
Despite much criticism of him, I applauded David Cameron's decision not to call for the Speaker to go. It sets a modern precedent. "Don't like the Speaker? Let's barack him and make his position untenable". That could apply equally to a Speaker trying to make Members behave themselves.
I honestly can't find any rage against expense excesses, just sadness that some I held in high esteem across all parties failed to deserve it. I feel really sorry for all those genuinely Honourable Members who have not abused their position.
This is a terribly sad day for our history and traditions.
Another pointless embarrassing Jock. I'm Scottish. This guy is a prick. What was he made a Lord for?
Yet another bitter and twisted big mouth Scotch communist!.
The final days of the Scottish Raj!, get 'OOT' of England you have NO MANDATE!.
"Foulkes has made a complete arse of himself over the last few days."
Iain Dale has a way with words - he's been to college you know...
Foulkes is often described by the media as "ultra loyal" to the Labour Party and he has also been accused by the Scottish Government of wasting public and government time money by asking a large number of parliamentary questions, including how much money the Scottish Government has spent on spacehoppers, and how many times Scottish ministers have met with Scottish musician Sandi Thom. These questions reportedly cost the Government nearly £100,000 to answer.
He appears to be yet another New Labour politician who has no scruples or morals and has lost touch with reality.
If Parliament has a sectarian bias against Martin - how then did he get the job in the first place ?
Foulkes and Bell have both shown themselves to be complete idiots, I just hope their constitueents see it too.
its a little rich accusing other people of being in the media spotlight when during smeargate you were rent a quote for a good week.
I note that Austin Mitchell is bleating on about that fact that the Speaker's demise was brought about as a result of a "class issue".
How pathetic. It was brought by incompetance and a lack of integrity.
Betty Boothroyd was from working class origins, just like the current Speaker. Compare the two. No Contest.
Yes, before anyone starts feeling bad or mildly nauseous or even guilty about the humiliation of Michael Martin, let's just remember that Martin was a useless and unpopular Speaker a long time before the expenses scandal. Furthermore, the idea that he is a victim of sectarianism is about as credible as the suggestion that he is a victim of snobbery. As has been said a million times, Betty Boothroyd had her problems with the government / cabinet and was hardly born with a silver spoon in her mouth but never felt the need to suggest that her place within the social hierarchy was to blame. Nope, Martin is gone because he was cr*p at his job and that was apparent from day 1.
Och aye...yee all know us EEEnGlish, soft as shite and easy to con and very anti-religious.
God save god fearing men, Tony is still out ther for you mr Foulkes...and so is Scotland
Michael Martin is everything that New Labourites of all parties disdain.
Economically left-wing in a totally non-Marxist way - Catholic, AEEW/AEEU/AEU, erstwhile PPS to Denis Healey. Morally and socially conservative. Orthodox Catholic. Working-class.
From the Heartland (the Midlands, the North, the Scottish Lowlands, Wales in general and South Wales in particular) that is now infuriating them even further by returning to economic pre-eminence.
Committed to traditional parliamentary procedures and to the purposes behind them, rather than willing to obey any order bellowed from the New Toffs on the Government front bench or the Old Toffs on the Opposition one.
Undoubtedly very sceptical about European federalism within American hegemony and globalisation on the one hand. And undoubtedly very sceptical about the break-up of the United Kingdom into bits all the more easily handed over to the European superstate, the American hyperpower and global capital, on the other hand; no one is more Unionist that Scots Catholics (or Welsh Catholics, and English Catholics even if they do not yet realise it), who have no more desire to go down the road of who is or is not "really" Scots (or "really" Welsh, or "really" English) than Ulster Protestants have to go down the road of who is or is not "really" Irish.
Now that he is gone, is this the end for everyone who is any one or more of economically left-wing in that totally non-Marxist way, morally and socially conservative, orthodox Catholic, working-class, from the Heartland, committed to traditional parliamentary procedures and to the purposes behind them, and sceptical about European federalism on the one hand and the break-up of the United Kingdom on the other, all of these having become absolute disqualifications from preferment or even first-time selection in any of the parties?
It must not be. The denominational thing is negotiable, although there does have to be something. But none of the others is. The next Speaker must be like that.
Totally predictable West of Scotland Labour as I posted yesterday. This man has a giant sized chip on his shoulder, found lying in a gutter pissed (do you remember George)voted in by the bigots in Ayrshire when he was an MP. When will Scot's get it not everyone in the rest of the world does things because of their opponents religion !!!
It was very entertaining. Sectarianism at Westminister... and not from the DUP..!
Funy old world.
@ Tony
Don't be such a tit...
The only person spouting 'sectarianism' around here is old man Foulkes himself.
He should get back to whiskey bottle where he belongs.
FB
On the other hand, Martin's other friend in parliament, Sir Stuart Bell MP, spoke with restraint and dignity after Martin's statement.
Most interesting will be the blood letting ahead to fulfil Brown's pledge that no Labour MP who has defied the rules can stand at the general election.
Has Foulkes nose developed potatoe blight, he seems to be uglier every time he appears. Or is it the Pinochio syndrome.
Let us not forget, that any man who tries to diguise his nationality is never to be trusted. Broon and Blair were Scottish and hate the idea, and do evry thing to avoid being seen with a Scottish identity.
Like wise Lard Zebedee Foulkes was born on 21 January 1942 in Oswestry, Shropshire, Englandshire.
Nuff said.
Sorry to be pedantic but, don't you mean that he has made a complete "ass" of himself?
True friends tell friends when it's time to go, when they have made a mess of things, and when their critics are right.
On that basis neither Foulkes or Bell are true friends of the appalling Speaker, and they are certainly no friends of what is right and proper nor of genuine democracy and the will of the people.
>>And, let's face it, unlike you, at least Foulkes is an elected politician.<<
As far as the UK Parliament is concerned - and I thought that was what we were discussing - that would be Baron Foulkes of Cumnock, Tony.
Scapegoats and red herrings run neck and neck through Westminster as Martin's defenders and detractors battle it out over the airwaves.
With almost luddite conviction Foulkes, Bell, Dobson and the others who connived against real change, divert attention from the true facts towards the creation of Martin the martyr, the hard done-by class warrior.
Gentlemen mostly, we are sick to death of your weasel words and your corrupt committees.
Wake up to the fact that Martin is devious and incompetent and your contributions only make things worse.
I am truly surprised the accusation was not racism. Why did he refrain from playing such a useful card? Might have been laughed at? Surely not.
Foulkes is just miffed that his wee catholic republican pal has been forced out of his nice establishment role. His performance with Kate Burley on Sky this afternoon was astonishingly bad! What a pompous irrelevant windbag and a waste of space, skin and time is he! Martin is yet another pimple on the septic arse of Westminster, but the big boil is still waiting to be lanced...
Iain
I don’t think I can live for another year having this corrupt criminal Gordon Brown in Downing Street - can we ALL please stop writing all these fairly clever blog entries and
Fxxxxxg DO SOMETHING
to get rid of him before June 21st 2009?
I cannot look at his grotesque features for much longer,or watch his lightweight and inept bunch of morons that think they can take the “Great” out of Britain,while we look on helplessly.
Carswell has done his bit - now the British public - of ALL political creeds - must take up the baton.
This is OUR country - we must ALL take the responsibility to remove him NOW.
Please - all of must stop writing and talking and we must ACT.
Loyal and completely utterly stupid. Martin has had 30 years in a job he was never suited for in the first place. No more nonsense from Labour in future appointments.
Foulkes is a moron andis also one of the biggest troughers of all time; so I wonder why his views are even reported any more.
The Speaker was hounded from the Start for being Scottish, Glaswegian and Catholic by certain elements of the Upper-Crust Tories ... however, as other have said it is his incompetence that means he has to go. Some of that anti-Scottish sentiment is evident in earlier posts, as for Labour looking after Scotland ... er no ... huge budget cuts for Scottish Government, getting the whole of the WMD dumped on the Clyde.
Just wait till you see what the people of Glasgow North East do to Labour over the summer ... I suspect it wont even be close as Glasgow East was.
BTB - Foulkes' son (now a controversial figure in the New Zealand Labour Party) was arrested by police for "the most sectarian abuse" ever heard in a Scottish football ground several years back ...
You forget, he's also had Kevin Barron defending him; your point, of course, still holds.
Anon - about that nose - I don't think it's potato blight. I suspect that the spirit of Oliver Cromwell has been smiting him with warts.
Well said Mr Dale
In Scotland we have had to live with this unelected Numpty in Holyrood, as well as in the H of L, his 3 salaries and many houses.
Real eejit this unelected balloon.
He is the best recruiting sergeant in Scotland for The Independence Movement.
And for the record Lard FFSake is UNELECTED, EITHER IN hOLYROOD OR THE HOUSE OF LARDS
FFSake was actually born in England.
I have it on very good authority that Martin will soon take a lucrative position at a Glasgow firm alongside Foulkes. Read it here:
http://plonquer.blogspot.com
You couldn't make it up.
Its worth bearing in mind that in Scottish debate, being accused of having a sectarian attitude is like being called a racist in debate in England.
In both cases its a lazy way of seeking to close debate and prevent any future discussions.
Speaker Martin's failures as Speaker are obvious to see. . Witness yesterday's performance when he was not even capable of reading a carefully prepared speech are witness to that
That being the case Speaker Martin has much to be proud of. Without doubt he rose to one of the highest positions in the land despite his background. He was the 1st Speaker from a Scottish Constituency, he was the 1st Speaker of the British parliament to be an RC.
As for sectarianism, my late father who used to Police football matches reckoned that the worst behaved fans for sectarian songs and chants in the league were those of Heart of Midlothian- (former Chairman Lord Foulkes, most prominent supporter Alex Salmond MP. MSP)
This is a typical rant from Foulkes who is is nothing more than a pompous oaf. It is unacceptable that he holds two positions at Westminster and Holyrood. The same applies to that other pompous gentleman Alex Salmond.
PS I am Scottish
Why dont we have a campaign to stop the practice of holding two parliamentary positions
Not all the Martin opponents are sectarian, just the ones who use'd the term "Gorbals Mick" - which makes that ummm most of the right wing press commentators.
Blogger WCPS said..."This is a typical rant from Foulkes who is is nothing more than a pompous oaf. It is unacceptable that he holds two positions at Westminster and Holyrood. The same applies to that other pompous gentleman Alex Salmond.
PS I am Scottish
Why dont we have a campaign to stop the practice of holding two parliamentary positions"
May 19, 2009 5:59 PM
==================================
Alex Salmond is democratically elected in both places, Lard Foukles on the other hand is not.
Alex Salmond donates his MPs earnings to a Scottish charity. Foulkes donates his to pies and whisky as can be seen from his raddled features.
Lord F said on Sky News at 14:45 -
"Michael Martin did the honourable thing and those people who made him do it should be ashamed of themselves"
Absolutely on a par with Brown's "I take full responsibility..."
They do get terribly confused don't they?
trust a scotsman to introduce sectarianism into the argument.
In my life time I've been asked on 3 occassions what my religion is and always by scotsmen.
Only a Scot could come up with this rubbish.
They are the most divisive people in the UK. Even the Irish have not said religion is an issue with Michael Martin's resignation.
Many of us wish the Scots would take their surly selves away and vote for independence.
Scottish MPs are out of a job anyway, since the Scots divided the UK, but still claim the highest expenses.
What should be remembered is that us Scots massively enjoy being a victimised group of people. We're not victimised however, but it's an excellent opt out because it means that nothing is our fault. It's always the fault of the English, quite frankly I'm amazed there hasn't been a large scale English Nationalist to declare independance from us.
Scots in the Commons is a subject which is often on the recieving end of my ire, we appear to hold a disproportionate amount of power there(remember the west lothian question)but always find a way to blame discrimination in whatever guise in order to exclude our own indemnity when things go tits up (Iron Chancellor anybody?).
For the record, Foulkes is just a symptom of Scottish political niavity and stubbourness. I come across many who will continue to vote Labour because "they don't wanty vote fur they posh tory bastards". I get the feeling that many up here are unable to look past the Poll Tax and Maggie saga and direct their attention to New Labour's numerous attacks on our constitution and its lead role damaging our society, turning us into a shower of bastards who are of the opinion they are entitled to wealth, benefit and upkeep without actually having to lift a finger for it.
I will be voting Tory at the next election, and not because I feel some sort of affilition with them in terms of wealth because I don't, I would regard myself as Working Class and from the West of Scotland, but I feel that society can only be improved should we be left to our own endeavour and ambition. The state of the UK currently makes that very difficult.
Iain
I think you are being a bit harsh on George Foulkes.
He is defending one of his oldest and closest friends - I don't agree with him, but it's perfectly normal behaviour under the circumstances.
You would porbably do the same.
Grassy Knollington (20/5 - 1:57pm) - I think that destroying Scottish manufacturing and scottish society generaly had more to do with the unpopularity of Thatch than simply "The Poll Tax". Having said that, still doesn't excuse the (waining) popularity of the pink tories up here.
Allan said...
Grassy Knollington (20/5 - 1:57pm) - I think that destroying Scottish manufacturing and scottish society generaly had more to do with the unpopularity of Thatch than simply "The Poll Tax". Having said that, still doesn't excuse the (waining) popularity of the pink tories up here.
True, but the reason those industries were "destroyed" was because they were inefficiant and could no longer compete. It's unfortunate it had to happen up here, but that's economics 101 my friend- company no longer making enough money to stay afloat- company goes under. Also, to say they had destroyed Scottish society is probably a bit excessive, personally, I'd blame that on the bevvy.
Don't hold out much hope for the Tories up here at all, they may do well in certain Edinburgh areas and the more affluent areas of the borders, but it appears they've largely given up seriously contesting Glasgow seats, which is disapointing.
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