Speaker of the House Steps Down...

[DanaC]

... and a new entry in British Parliamentary History is made.

This is the first time in 300 years that a Speaker of the House of Commons has been forced from office.

The expenses row has turned into a hurricane through our Parliamentary system. I don't know how I feel about this. There is a worrying potential for this to politicise the office of Speaker. Then again, he was instrumental in the attempts to deny public access to the expenses information, and then turned out to be one of the people implicated in accusations of misuse and dishonesty. Most worrying, perhaps, is the possibility that this represents the Commons offering up a sacrifice to the Fourth Estate.

Noone really knows what effect all this will have on the workings of our democratic system. It could be a storm in a teacup before the dust settles into a slightly rearranged bunny; or it might fundamentally alter the ethos of Parliament.

Interesting times for politicians and constitutional scholars. I can't wait for the memoirs and exposes to come in a couple of years!