Martin goes down with guns blazing

It was,to say the least,rather strange to see MP's falling over themselves to pay tribute to the speaker only weeks after hounding him out of his chair.

Nick Clegg,having been the only party leader to have publicly asked him to step down must have been in particular in a rather difficult position.

However Michael Martin was determined to go down with guns blazing.Effectively pointing the trigger at the party leaders,he maintained that if they had listened to him in July of last year,all the current furore could have been avoided.

"I wish with all my heart that those recommendations had won the confidence of the House last July and I wish that party leaders would have shown then some of the leadership which they have shown now,he said in his bowing out speech adding that

The response from this House was deeply disappointing. Half of the members did not attend to vote and more than half of those who did vote rejected the proposals.

Maybe that final fling was aimed at Gordon Brown? Benedict Brogan reminds us that

Gordon Brown, it should be remembered, allowed his allies to vote against reform, and didn't turn up for the vote.