Denis MacShane values Speaker above voters

Thanks to the Taxpayers' Alliance for picking up on Denis MacShane licking the boots of the Speaker and calling for Douglas Carswell to be disciplined having the effrontery to criticise him.

The Guardian reports that

Tory whips were said to be likely to have "a quiet word" with Carswell, mainly to warn him such a public attack would be counterproductive and end up with him not being called to speak during debates.

Leave aside that this would be abuse of power by a man already accused of bias. The Speaker has chosen to set policy on MPs' expenses in a controversial, reactionary and unpopular way. Why should he be immune from criticism just because he is the less than competent holder of office? Working class origins did not protect Mr Prescott from criticism as an office-holder, so why should they protect Mr Martin?

Outside the Westminster village this reverence for office has no resonance at all. No one in public office should be immune from criticism. Shame on the pompous Mr MacShane for proposing otherwise.

P.S. The Taxpayers' Alliance has commented further.

Mice or men?

By common consent Michael Martin is a poor Speaker and not always fair. If his expenses are within the rules, so much the worse for the rules. He draws over £20,000 a year to spend on the only house he owns, while in London he enjoys grace and favour apartments.

He should never have been Speaker anyway. It wasn't Labour's turn, but their new MPs blithely rode roughshod over democratic precedence.

So he is biased, incompetent and expensive. What do the fearless guardians of our government do? They rally round to protect him.

Gordon Brown says he is "a very good Speaker" (complete rubbish, clearly demonstrating Brown's attitude to the truth), Cameron says it is not for him to become involved as a party leader, and Clegg says - ever so little so incoherently. All the MPs seem to be cowering, afraid to put their heads above the parapet.

And these are the people who would lead our country. Pygmies all.

The muddle around MPs' expenses makes the case for Accountable Transparency. The rules certainly need to be rewritten - for instance to stop people like Mr and Mrs Balls, John Cruddas, and the Wintertons abusing housing allowances for their own profit.

And activities like those of the Embezzler Con way must be stamped out.

The key reform then will be accountable transparency. All MPs' claims and expenses must be published on the web in detail (except where the privacy of members of the public might be compromised), so that journalists and diggers can inspect them.

Meanwhile these fearful elected representatives tiptoe around an issue of housekeeping where the remedy is obvious.

No wonder Robber Conway is still an MP.