Gorbals Mick goes... now for ZaNuLiebour

After extraordinary scenes yesterday which were the crescendo of indicators that Speaker Michael Martin is not up to his job, today we have news that - in about two hours from now - he will announce his resignation.

Martin - or 'Gorbals Mick' to his critics - is right to resign, but should have announced this yesterday when it was clear that he no longer had support. Yet let's be frank - he should never have got into the Speaker's job in the first place. He lacked the authority, lacked understanding of procedure and was a tribal Speaker who never demanded the Executive be held to account. He allowed the ZaNuLiebour Government to treat Parliament with utter contempt, passing legislation that was never properly scrutinised, just because his own side - ZaNuLiebour - felt like it.

So, it's goodbye Gorbals and good luck in your retirement to the House of Lords which is no doubt where you'll end up.

Yet the events that have led to Gorbals Mick's goodbye are not the construction of the man himself. He sided with those who wanted to exempt MPs from Freedom of Information. However, he did not make hundreds of appalling and abusive expense claims.

Speaker Martin is being made accountable for the outrage, but there are many more who must be made accountable.

Why are Jacqui Smith and Alistair Darling still in office? Not just as Members of Parliament, but as members of the Cabinet - holders of the most senior offices in the land? They must be both made accountable and must go. Not at an election. Now. They must both be kicked out of Government and kicked out of Parliament - forthwith.

And then the whole stinking cabal must go. No political party is exempt from public condemnation and they are all tarred with the same rather repugnant brush.

Yet when it comes to accountability - which is what the British public is now demanding - ZaNuLiebour have constantly demonstrated utter contempt for the views of the people.

With a couple of notable exceptions - and The Talking Clock is thinking of Kate Hoey, Frank Field and one or two others - ZaNuLiebour has constantly gone against public opinion, constantly gone against it's OWN manifesto, broken it's promises to the populace in the process and eroding trust in politicians and Parliament as a consequence... they are just beyond contempt.

So, Gorbals Mick has gone. Goodbye. Now the clamour for getting ZaNuLiebour out must reach fever pitch. We do not want a general election. We DEMAND one - now.

Time for another million man march..?

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There has been speculation on the BBC about who might replace Speaker Martin. Vince Cable and Frank Field have been suggested. However, one of the suggestions is completely left-field but inspired... Ann Widdecombe. Think about it. Someone who understands Parliament. Someone who is not easily intimidated. Someone able to exercise authority and keep people in line. Whether Ann Widdecombe could muster support amongst MPs to land the Speaker's job is one matter. Whether she would even want it is quite another. Yet if Ann Widdecombe went for it, she would certainly get the approval of The Talking Clock...