Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Gorbals Mick Smiles at £100,000 Reward for Hayman
One man has a big smile on his face tonight is Gorbals Mick, the Speaker of the House of Commons. He was terrified that the Lords would elect a heavyweight figure as the Lord Speaker who might outshine him. Let's face it, it wouldn't be difficult. But instead the Labour Peers were whipped to vote en bloc for Baroness Helene Hayman. Helene who? You may well ask. Her claim to fame is that she hit the headlines in the mid 1970s when she was MP for Welwyn & Hatfield and decided to breastfeed her child in Central Lobby. She was an utterly useless Minister at Transport & DEFRA and Blair sacked her in 2001. As the Lord Speaker she won't even call peers to speak or rule on points of order. It really makes you wonder why the taxpayer is paying her £100,000 for the pleadure of sitting on a sack of wool, doesn't it? It seems the desire of Labour to pile on the costs of government is endless.
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8 comments:
Iain, have you got any analysis on *why* they voted for her? Considering some of the good candidates for the job, I don't understand the choice.
Were their Lordships deliberately taking the piss out of this new non-job?
To be fair, Michael Martin has grown into the job after a rocky start and done very well. I think you are about five years behind the plot.
Hate to be pedantic but it's Welwyn Hatfield not Welwyn and Hatfield....
I thought he was from Maryhill.
Actually, Helene Hayman has been very active in the House of Lords and is highly thought of. During FMD she was considerably better than Nick Brown in the other place. Some problem with her being a woman? Because, I am sorry to tell you (I spend time in the place as researcher and brief writer) that the only candidate who was much better was the Countess of Mar. The reason peers did not, in the end, elect her was because they felt she was more useful to the world conducting many campaigns against the government - any government. Though that is true, it would have been a wonderful slap in the face for Blair to elect the holder of the oldest title in the country (12th century or so) as Speaker of the House of Lords.
"Iain, have you got any analysis on *why* they voted for her? "
Given the circumstances surrounding Michael Martin's election I wouldn't be surprised if it is because Labour Lords got good odds on her.
anonymous 8.06 - what complete nonsense to say Gorbals has grown into the job. He is a disgrace to the position of Speaker of the House, should have never been elected to represent Parliament and is totally biased in his handling of debates. The incident today with Robathan is simply yet another example of his contempt for the Tories and his abuse of powers to stop probing questions asked to government ministers. The man should retire now out of dignity for the office before his health forces him to.
Wow, Iain you sound so bitter. Helene Hayman didn't get sacked in 2001 by Blair. She left. Furthermore, Blair then appointed her to work with Nick Brown in agriculture.
She is a woman of many qualities and extremely impressive. Amongst other things, on her election to parliament in 1979 she was the youngest member of the House of Commons.
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