Expenses & The Speaker

Viewers should note that due to matters of tedium and boredom, IANO'S CHRONICAL will not be putting up the Speakers speech to parliament from yesterday, 18th May 2009 as carried on youtube.

I'm laughing. Almost all of the British parliamentary system is currently going through a crisis. The speaker of The House of Commons, in particular, is attracting growing, severe criticism for his handling of the expenses MPs are claiming. I'm laughing in a preposterous way because back in history, 1535 to be exact, the speaker of the then parliament was beheaded. That could never happen today and this is the basis of my chuckling. One imagines that I would not have been amused if I were around in the 16th century.A time in which even the mildest of indiscretions could lead to execution,in the most brutal of ways.

Indeed we have come a long way since execution, torture and slavery were run of the mill.The terrible treatment of women and people with disabilities were commonplace. One shudders to think how those with mental illness were treated or, more to the point, mistreated in the middle ages. People are often asked what period of history would they like to live in. Well, despite the many human rights abuses and bad conditions for millions of us, I would say 2009 is a good time to start from.

So Speaker Martin, don't worry. You'll not be beheaded, even if you lose it from time to time. Your civil liberties will be protected in 2009. It's time you stopped dragging your feet and allowed the voters their civil liberties too. This expenses crisis, and the many MPs embroiled in it, must be sorted and the Speaker must resign as the first step in the cleansing process.
© Ian Callagy 2009