More Politics

OK,
I promise there will be (to mis-quote the talking heads) more posts about burgers and rock in the very near future but some more political musings for now.
It seems that opinion is split into two camps regarding the resignation of Speaker Martin. There are those who believe the man is rotten to the core. Unable to effectively do his job, he stood in the way of progress and reform and did not represent the interests of the people in Parliament. Diametrically opposed, there are those who seem to believe his removal is a classist or even sectarian conspiracy conceived, brought to term and hatched through the couplings of the Daily Telegraph and the Tories.
There's a lot of talk about the elitist and out of touch culture of Parliament but really the whole incident is better understood by looking at the culture of Michael Martin the man. His background is infused with a set of values alien to many of his contemporaries in Parliament and to political commentators. Can we rally blame him for acting like a shop steward when that's the context in which he gained his political awakening and opportunities?
There is no precedent for the Speaker to represent the people (that's what MPs are supposed to do). Martin, it seems, was protecting the interests of those he felt he represented, namely the "commoners" who have been elected to Parliament.

It seems that at last week's Cabinet meeting the possibility of convening a full constitutional convention was raised. Great idea. More devolution, fixed terms for parliament, a fully elected second chamber, changes to the electoral system and (of course) more transparency would all make democracy stronger and would encourage people to engage with politics when it is issues rather than people who are hitting the headlines.

Finally, now seems like a good time to reassess the resignation of Elizabeth Filkin. While it didn't have the same constitutional significance as recent events, it could be interpreted as much more damaging to the value of Parliament. Would the current scandal have even arose if she was allowed to do her job properly?