Afternoon:
10°c
Profile: Former metal worker who took a beating
Joe Murphy19 May 2009
“The guy never took any advice when he was in office, and he's still not taking any advice.”
That was the bitter epitaph to Michael Martin from one of his shocked friends today when the news leaked that the Speaker had decided, without consulting close allies, to quit.
The verdict from Martin's enemies was much harsher. To them he was a bullying, bullish, complacent and insensitive figure who was never suited to the Speaker's robes of office.
The son of a merchant seaman and a cleaner, Mr Martin grew up in a Glasgow tenement in Anderston, home of the city's most decrepit postwar slums. His childhood in 91 William Street was marred by poverty and his father's heavy drinking. The boy grew up into a lifelong teetotaller.
A sheet metal worker at the Springburn train works, the trade unions provided him with the route to fight his way out of his father's shadow. Joining the union was compulsory in the heavy industries of Glasgow and Mr Martin proved to be a passionate fighter and a competent organiser.
By his mid-20s, with the disputes of the 1970s raging, he was shop steward for the AUEW engineering union at the Rolls-Royce's plant in Hillington. In 1976 he had become a paid union official and was carving out his political career in the Labour party.
With his Catholic faith and union pedigree, he was well placed to rise in the factional world of Glasgow politics and was soon a councillor and then candidate for the Springburn parliamentary constituency.
As Margaret Thatcher took power at No 10, Mr Martin joined the opposition benches at the Commons and within two years was promoted to become Denis Healey's aide, who recalls him as “helpful” and kind.
However he lacked the ability to rise to ministerial rank. Unusually, he recognised this. In a frank piece of advice to a young MP, the Speaker confided that he owed his rise to joining the catering committee. It was true enough. By the time Labour swept to power in 1997, Mr Martin was one of the greatest behind-the-scenes powers at Westminster, a man who could allocate offices or permissions to use the hallowed Terrace.
For years, he organised to make himself Speaker, gaining allies and outmanoeuvring rivals. Tony Blair's frontbench did not support him so he called upon the army of Labour traditionalists who wanted one of their own to have a share in the spoils of power.
The Tories, who thought it was their turn in the chair, were blown away by Martin's triumphant cronies. So was Mr Blair, who wanted to install a Liberal Democrat.
But once Speaker, the brickbats started. Several hamfisted interventions outraged Tories and led to charges of bias. Then the expenses row started. His wife ran up a £4,280.20 taxi bill for shopping trips to buy “food for official functions”, and the The Speaker used air miles earned on official business to help pay for return flights for relatives in business class from Glasgow to London for a new year break in 2008.
His gravest blunder was failing to stop Scotland Yard ransacking Damian Green's office without a warrant. Suddenly, even his friends realised he was not on top of the job, a view confirmed by his failure to save his own job.
“He could have avoided it all,” said a friend. “If only he had listened.
Reader views (3)
I know of people born before the war,living in abject poverty who chose to climb out of their environment through education tech.colleges,university,ou etc.
The ex.speaker chose to take the union patronage route.probably shop steward (bully) and then full-time
paid union secretary and then MP.And as a prize he was made speaker.I don't think he was a panel beater for long.
Unfortunately he still can't read or write.
As an apprentice carpenter in the 1950s I have obviously
made some bad choices.
- Mike, alicante spain, 22/05/2009 15:39
Report abuse
“He could have avoided it all,” said a friend. “If only he had listened. Seems a familiar trait in Labour MPs and dictators.....
- Mark, London, 19/05/2009 13:03
Report abuse
Yeah well, it's too late now. Goodbye!
- Goggs, London, 19/05/2009 12:57
Report abuse
