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The election of a new Commons Speaker today is meant to be the chance for MPs to redeem themselves after the expenses debacle and to choose someone more competent than its last holder, Michael Martin.
Yesterday the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, declared that the new Speaker must lead "the House of Commons to a restored position of authority and trust". Admirable sentiments.
Unfortunately they are some way removed from the horsetrading and factional interests which actually characterise the contest, suggesting that for MPs this is business as usual.
It is generally acknowledged - openly, by Stephen Pound MP - that government whips are lobbying for Margaret Beckett, the former Foreign Secretary.
Indeed, she may well attract votes from Conservatives, who are desperate that their maverick fellow Tory, John Bercow, should not be elected by Labour MPs to spite them.
Certainly Mr Bercow has few obvious attributes to recommend him beyond the fact that he is intensely unpopular with his own side.
Mrs Beckett has more authority than Mr Bercow but some MPs may wonder whether she can rise above her party political loyalties to show the neutrality that the position requires.
A Speaker is the representative of the House of Commons and must, where necessary, be prepared to be unpopular with the Government.
Moreover, Mrs Beckett has refused to back one important reform which would change the dynamic of the relationship between the Commons and the executive: to allow MPs directly to elect the influential chairmen of Commons select committees.
The Liberal Democrats have suggested that the successful candidate should be a People's Speaker, with a mission to represent Parliament to the nation.
In fact, the new man or woman will have quite enough to do to carry out the functions of the job competently and impartially without more grandiose ambitions.
There are 10 candidates, some of them individuals of real calibre. Is it too much to ask that MPs should vote on their merits?
Zimbabwe needs us
The Zimbabwean prime minister, Morgan Tsvangerai, is in London today to drum up financial support for his country.
He has been granted a brief interview with the Prime Minister: Mr Brown should listen to what he has to say. Mr Tsvangerai entered an unequal coalition with Robert Mugabe, at considerable personal risk, to provide the country with the stability to enable it to return to some sort of normality.
But it remains in turmoil, with farm evictions and human rights abuses still taking place.
The official British approach is to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe in accordance with its progress in remedying abuses. Mr Brown should discuss with Mr Tsvangerai how best this can be achieved in order to assist reform.
This may mean diverting a greater share of our aid budget to Zimbabwe. Mr Tsvangerai has also asked Zimbabwean exiles to return home to assist reconstruction; we should support him in this too, if necessary by providing returnees with grants to enable them to start afresh.
Britain has been chief among Mr Mugabe's critics abroad, consistent in its support for democratic change. Now that Mr Tsvangerai is actually trying to make democracy work, we owe him every support in doing so.
England expects
Wimbledon begins today with Britain's best hope in years of a singles title: Andy Murray is on fine form and last year's winner, Rafael Nadal, is out with an injury.
Even the weather this week looks reasonable, and play can continue regardless on the Centre Court under its new retractable roof. English fans have not always taken the sometimes prickly Murray to their hearts.
But this year they will surely be ready to claim the Scot as one of their own - and cheer him on to become Britain's first men's singles champion since 1936.
Reader views (1)
Why do we need a Speaker? What does he or she do that is useful for all that dosh? The ghastly Martin used to toddle off frequently on foreign trips with wife and train-bearer. No kidding! Train-bearer. Do we, the tax-payers, really want to continue with this silly flummery?
- John Problem, Hackney UK, 22/06/2009 15:51
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