Ordinary members of the public may feel that they are powerless to do anything. They are wrong.
Fifteen MPs have signed Douglas Carswell's Motion. They are Douglas Carswell, Kate Hoey, Norman Lamb, Richard Bacon, David Davis, Philip Hollobone, Paul Flynn, Gordon Prentice, Richard Shepherd, Philip Davies, John Hemming, Jo Swinson, Norman Baker, Lynne Featherstone, Stephen Williams.
Other MPs need to show their feelings now and sign this motion. What you can do is demonstrate your own sense of anger by emailing your MP, sending a message by Twitter or on Facebook urging them to sign this motion. You would be surprised at how much influence a barrage of emails can have. If you don't know the email address it is normally the surname, followed by the first initial followed by @parliament.uk. So Douglas Carswell is carswelld AT parliament DOT uk. Or you can submit a message via WriteToThem.com.
Do it. Now.
UPDATE: Ian Gibson and Greg Mulholland are now signing the EDM. Let me know of others as you hear them.
Speaker Martin bottles itIt's getting beyond a joke.
ReplyDeleteDone - Andrew Lansley now knows my views.
ReplyDeleteWhich are: The Speaker is a fool.
Is there any point me writing to my MP, he happens to be a certain David Chaytor.
ReplyDeleteIs he's been suspended, I assume he's not allowed to vote on anything anyway, no?
I've written to SNP members and my own MP Mark Lazarowicz. I don't expect either will support the motion but I thought I'd let you know anyway.
ReplyDeleteBut we'll never get a majority of MPs in this rotten House
ReplyDeleteWritten to John Stanley. Normally responds!
ReplyDeleteIf YOUR MP does not sign the Carswell motion, then do not vote from them.
ReplyDeleteGregory Campbell's been asked. Doubtful he'll bother to turn up as per though.
ReplyDeleteMartin, Chaytor is only suspended from the Labour party, he is perfectly entited (and indeed should be attending) to attend parliament and vote.
ReplyDeleteonly the electorate can sack him as an MP
What an absolute DISGRACE the McSpeaker is!, what have we got in the chair of the Mother of all Parliaments?, a nasty, power drunk Scottish communist with only one concern, keeping his job!, what an INSULT!.
ReplyDeletehes hung himself good and proper, he could i have said, as i thought he would, that he'd step down before the next General election, which in itself was too long, but i feel it would have been accepted, he could have had a year....now he wont even have a week!, GO NOW!.
And also, not surprising to see that other power mad Scotch coward slink out halfway through the McSpeakers inane, incoherent rambling gibberish!.
McSpeaker OUT!!!!
McLabour OUT!!!!!
Why haven't you signed it Iain?
ReplyDeleteI dunno ya know. I've been thinking that may be it's better if he doesn't go - if he just festers, slowly decomposing, emitting vile cantankerous odours through his chair and makes the new set of MPs campaign on change.
ReplyDeleteI ain't signing jack, dawg.
Very sad state of affairs for our democracy.
ReplyDeleteJust curious, what would be the terms of his resignation?
Another few hundred grand payoff?
Very difficult to justify given the court of public's opinion over Goodwin's severance.
Any thoughts Iain?
Thanks KP, shall be writing forthwith.
ReplyDeleteWill also be sacking him next election ;o)
(Well done on beating the Windies today too)
I've just written to my MP. Sadly, he's Quisling Davis so I don't expect much support from that quarter.
ReplyDeleteI think you are optomistic if you think writing to MP's will make any difference. They have been ignoring us for years, it is second nature to them now. They are used to avoiding any semblance of democracy as in the EU Referendum.
ReplyDeleteThey have only their own interests at heart bar one or two. I reckon they're going to have to be forced out one way or another.
Done. Andrew Robathan now understands how I feel.
ReplyDeleteSo if I want to write to Mr Martin, saying "Bog off you rotten toad", would that be to m.martin@parliament.uk? He's not my MP(who HAS signed the EDM), but I would like to convey my views directly.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't David Cameron call a vote of no confidence in the government? He'd lose, given the maths, but it would be a very difficult debate for some of the Labour MPs...
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it, the only way to get rid of a speaker is for him/her to either resign or die, or for Parliament to be dissolved.
ReplyDeletePresuming that the current Speaker refused to resign - and that assassination is ruled out...
...is it actually possible to dissolve the Parliament without then having to call a General Election?
If not, what are the chances of emergency legislation to amend the Parliament Acts to permit a dissolution of Parliament for sole purpose of "sacking" the Speaker.
As the dissolution requires Royal Ascent, such a move would help to minimise the chances of such a sacking being political in nature.
In effect, the Speaker would be on a par with the Prime Minister, in that he or she is deemed by the Monarch to be the person most likely to command the authority of the House.
Emailed my MP.
ReplyDeleteAsked him to sign or give reasons why not.
Aaaaargh!
Have to try:
ReplyDeleteDear Mr Hands,
Martin must go. Please sign the EDM, push the substantive motion, do whatever it takes. We will no longer accept Parliamentary procedure as an excuse. You all represent us, you must find a way. This government, this house is making a mockery of what far more honourable people fought and died for.
I do not know you personally and do not wish to cast you in a bucket with all of the other 645 MPs misrepresenting us but we, the electorate, are left with no choice at present. We are told by the Prime Minister it is a matter for the house. We are told by the Speaker it is a matter for the government. Then we are told the whole damn expenses issue is a matter for Christopher Kelly. This is not knee-jerk, this is the culmination of the most hideous passage of Parliament in generations.
I really hope that those of you sat in the house realise just how grave a situation we are in. The Sun newspaper is quoting Oliver Cromwell in its editorial. Everywhere I read public opinion is laced with hatred and bile. This is not ordinary and the recession is yet to properly bite. We sit truly on the brink and I beg of you to stand up and be counted. Stuff protocol, make your voice heard. We need something extraordinary, be the member to provide it to us. Please.
Yours sincerely,
Sorry Iain,
ReplyDeletewaste of time I already emailed my MP Damian Green,last Wednesday no reply, no acknowledgment. Now no vote either from me
Done. Mark Field.
ReplyDeleteAfter today's non-statement, I've got to feel that some time soon the penny will drop for Labour MPs. If they can't be seen to be getting themselves in order - which now means getting rid of Martin as a first step - their chances of surviving the next election will vanish completely.
ReplyDeleteSurely even the most supine of Labour backbenchers will see that Martin's refusal to budge is now endangering their careers.
Time also for DC to be quietly turning up the heat, I feel. He can't be seen to make this an overtly partisan issue - that would save Martin's bacon - but there's a lot he could to to threaten that his MPs won't co-operate with the government in the running of the House.
I've e-mailed my MP (Mark Field). If we don't make our voices heard we deserve everything we get.
Done. Will Edward Leigh sign it though?
ReplyDeleteDone. Stephen Timms now understands how I feel.
ReplyDeleteI've emailed James Paice, who is terrific about replying speedily (always by post), so I'll let you know what he says when I get a response.
ReplyDeleteI wrote to IDS, but he appears to have ignored me, unless of coarse he had a postbox full of letters supporting the Speaker.
ReplyDeleteAs an FYI to those fearing being ignored - last letter i sent to Hands took over 2 weeks to get a response on but got a lovely hand written response agreeing with what I had written and stating that the clause i was against had been removed from the bill in question. Wasn't exactly earth shattering but felt like one of the few occasions someone up there had bothered listening. I'd imagine Damien Green in particular would love to see the back of Martin!
ReplyDeleteCould be good to take of Carswell's email as spambots will pick it up
ReplyDeleteSpeaker Weaselled his way out of it, as expected
ReplyDeleteThanks Iain - that has motivated me to write to my MP for the first time ever. Lawrence Robertson now knows my feelings on this matter!
ReplyDeleteDone...
ReplyDeleteDear Ms Milton
I am writing to you as a lapsed Tory Party Member, who has been somewhat sceptical about David Cameron. I had been wavering in my commitment to the party. I was worried that David Cameron was just a little too Blairite. I was also worried about his principles and his commitment to liberty - he seemed to be treating important issues on their electoral impact rather than his own convictions.
However, I now feel confident to stop my wavering and return to the fold. You shall have my vote at the Election. You have shown that you can act with honour by not claiming the ACA and I'm proud to have you as my MP, particularly given the contrast between you position and many of your colleagues.
In this context, I urge you to cleanse the House starting with the Speaker. His statement today was a demonstration of why there needs to be change. The man was inarticulate, stumbling, and clearly not aware of the detail of Parliamentary procedure. He's hopelessly out of his depth and must go.
I urge you to defend the honour of Parliament and to support the motion to unseat the Speaker. Meaningful reform cannot happen with him in the Chair.
yours sincerely
Jon Prideaux
I have just emailed my MP Laurence Robertson to request that he signs the EDM. Automated reply reads that he is away on Parliamentary business and may not ready emails before Saturday!
ReplyDeleteDone, Tim Boswell (cons).
ReplyDeleteIt really makes you wonder how much Martin has contributed to this weak and pathetic bunch of leechers in the house. Allowing the executive to be all powerful. Part of the blame also lies with our pathetic blue labour opposition of course.
Nick, 4.26. I am not an MP!
ReplyDeleteWhy not also e-mail your MP (where appropriate) asking him to give an undertaking to the voters of his constituency that where he or she has used taxpayers' money to finance the purchase of a second home the profit on any future sale of that home will be paid to charities associated with the constituency? And that this promise will be included in his or her election literature.
ReplyDeleteI have just emailed my MP. It is the first time I have ever felt the need to contact my MP, and I am 54!
ReplyDeleteSpeaker Martin is demeaning the office of Speaker and needs to go now. Parliament needs a new speaker, untainted by scandal to sort out this mess.
Done - Paul Goodman knows my feelings. He was very cautious when I raised it with him last week - I have written to encourage him to reconsider after today's shambles.
ReplyDeleteMark Oaten has now received my request that he sign the Motion. For me the worst aspect of the Expenses and other Speaker issues, is that those who have done wrong know they are in the wrong, as do we; and yet I feel certain that as with most scandals in British government, this will just fade away. I need a new hobby because my blood pressure won't stand up to this for much longer
ReplyDeleteDone it - have written to Mark Field urging him to sign the EDM regardng The Speaker.
ReplyDeleteIain 5.03pm- And that's part of the problem. 646 Iain Dales and this Speaker could have remained until 2030 !
ReplyDeleteI've e-mailed my MP who is Stephen Pound. I suspect his voice might be an important one of he decides the Speaker should go.
ReplyDeleteIt's MPs who are the problem, the Speaker is just one of them. Making the Speaker the fall guy won't make the problem go away.
ReplyDeleteScott at 5.23. It would be nice to think so, but experience suggests that Mr Pound has all the independence of thought of a Barby doll!
ReplyDeleteThe obvious question now has to be:
ReplyDeleteWhy has nobody made a Michael Martin Downfall video?
It's almost incredible...
Well let's see what Julian Brazier comes back with
ReplyDeleteI emailed my MP last week (Horam) and he hasn't replied. So I've emailed him again. I'll call him tomorrow, too!
ReplyDeleteI don't stand a chance with Tommy McAvoy as my local MP :-(
ReplyDeleteIs Nick Clegg not able to sign it?
ReplyDeleteHave emailed Dan Norris - no come back as yet but he's sitting on a 4500 Marginal so that may hasten a swift reply in the affirmative
ReplyDeleteWell I have done it I have written to my MP asking that he sign a motion of no confidence in the Speaker Michael Martin. I harbour no great hopes that he will accede to my request, him being one of Gordon's "Scottish Mafia" albeit a little down the pecking order when it comes to getting a job as a Minister
ReplyDeleteStill we locals can be proud of John McFall given the way he has chaired a bunch of MPs of questionable morals in a crusade against the Bankers. That there deliberations of the last six months now published for all the World to read has failed to capture the headlights is because of the stiff competition our MPs have been giving the Bankers for the position of "public enemy number one".
Time to get even John on he most responsible for stealing your limelight..sign the no confidence motion.....Go on , Go on, Go on, Go on.
Could Michael Martin not help himself from helping himself?
ReplyDeleteYou'd have thought that after nearly ten years in the job he might have learnt something about parliamentary procedure by now. He is just another example of Gordon's Scottish placemen who hold their positions not due to competence but to the labour party old boy network. He won't resign out of honour - he'll keep his snout in the trough for as long as he can.
ReplyDeleteI wrote to my MP ("Steve" Pound) as follows:
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon. Having watched the Speaker's statement this afternoon, I
felt I must let you know that I feel strongly that one of the key
elements in any attempt to restore the public's respect for the House of
Commons and it's members is to expeditiously appoint a new Speaker, who
will dedicate him or herself to real reform. The Speaker must lead, not
equivocate in this quite extraordinary circumstance. I know it is a very
serious matter to replace a Speaker of the House, but surely the sooner
this happens the better for the good of representative democracy. If the
Speaker resigns in anticipation of his dismissal, that would of course
serve the purpose just as well - perhaps even better - than an
acrimonious debate and vote. But I think he must go now. Thank you for
your time.
and received what I think is this rather interesting reply:
Thank you very much for having taken the time to contact me.
As one who was present in the Chamber for the statement there is much
that I could say - and will.
Best wishes,
Steve Pound
Watch that space . . .
Nick Clegg promised live on channel 4 news that he would sign the motion
ReplyDeleteIn spite of his dismal showing yesterday, Gorbals Mick will not let go. Perhaps this is why: The Reluctant Speaker
ReplyDeleteFair enough Iain not being an MP is a pretty good reason not to sign the EDM - I found your blog through links from elsewhere, and just kind of assumed you were an MP for 'somewhere down south' :)
ReplyDeleteMy MP is Kevin Barron, by the way - about the only person to speak in defence of Michael Martin yesterday. I'm still waiting for The Telegraph to tell me what he spent so much money on ....
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