The UK House of Commons has elected Conservative MP John Bercow as its new Speaker. The election was caused by the resignation of Michael Martin, who was irrevocably tainted by his mishandling of the Parliamentary expenses scandal and his shameless response to it.
So, at a time when the UK Parliament's mana is at rock bottom after systematic corruption and abuse of the expenses system, who did they elect? An MP who used his expenses to commit tax fraud, enriching himself by stealing from the public. And UK MPs wonder why the public regard them as rotten to the core...
Looking at the Guardian's spreadsheet of candidate's expenses, it seems that none of the top candidates were clean, while those who had not abused their expenses were the first eliminated. I think that tells us very clearly where the Parliament's sentiments lie - and it is not towards honesty or transparency. This is a corrupt House, and it needs to go - and the sooner, the better.
