Goodbye Mr (you've had your) Chips

There are not many who will be sorry to see Michael Martin leave the Speaker's chair. But in their hearts, will some MPs see beyond his hapless tenure as Speaker to the man himself, and what shaped him, and feel a pang of conscience? I doubt it. He, and a few like him on the Government benches, are dinosaurs; relics of a monocular socialism that saw little beyond the class struggle, unable to adapt to the expectations of a changing society, and often representing and reflecting constituencies where political opinion is shaped by bitterness, tradition and intransigence.

Martin's departure brings to mind three issues:

The British trait of hypocritical sanctimony has, once again, been hard at play in recent weeks. Yes, many MPs have behaved disgracefully, have betrayed the taxpayers who fund them, and were the catalysts for Martin's fall. But perhaps in a nation with a staggering record of "sick" days, benefit fraud and workplace minor theft, there are some who should consider pots and kettles before becoming too hysterically self-righteous.

Be careful what you wish for. Martin may have been seen as inept, but the indicators are that he will be followed by an even less attractive incumbent, installed again by Labour, not in the interests of the dignity of Parliament and the need for reform, but in the spirit of petty spite that typifies that party. Is it any wonder that the qualities that once exemplified Britain have vapourised with their faux leadership?

Martin was not entirely disingenous today when he reminded Brown that he and his party had rejected parliamentary reform over a year ago. Indeed, Brown did not even feel moved to vote on the matter. Where were Labour MPs when they could have supported Martin, rather than their own interests, and how shamefully two-faced was their outrage when he was forced to stand down? I am reminded of an old joke about Harold Wilson. "I can't stand two things about Wilson". "Really - what?" "His face". Labour doesn't change.

I am no supporter of Speaker Martin, but I wish him health and peace of mind.

His greatest tragedy is that the Labour Party could not look beyond party prejudice to the requirements of the appointment when they elected him. His undoing is their shame.