LDV readers say: Speaker Martin should go now

By Stephen Tall | Mon 22nd December 2008 - 9:42 pm

‘Greengate’ – the Metropolitan police’s incomprehensibly botched arrest of Tory MP Damien Green – appears to be the row that keeps on giving. More than three weeks after the shadow immigration minister was arrested and his Parliamentary office raided, it’s the turn of assistant commissioner Bob Quick to find himself in hot water for hot-headedly accusing the Tory party of being “wholly corrupt”.

But track-back a fortnight, and it was another authority figure who was in trouble for his unprofessional role in ‘Greengate’ – the failure of Michael Martin, the House of Commons Speaker, even to ask if the police had a search warrant, and then his passing of the buck to his Serjeant of Arms, led to strong calls for his resignation, including from some Labour MPs. So LDV asked the question, Do you think it’s time for the Commons Speaker Michael Martin to go?

Here’s what you said:

67% (234) – Yes, he should go now, he has become an embarrassment
21% (74) – Yes, but he should be allowed to survive in post until the next election,
11% (39) – No, he’s not done anything wrong, and should be allowed to stay for as long as he sees fit
Total Votes: 347, Poll ran: 7th-22nd December 2008

So, two-thirds of you want to see the back of Speaker Martin pronto, while one-fifth think he should call it a day whenever the next general election comes. A minority 11% believe he should feel free to carry on speakering for the forseeable.

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