Open Field in the Speaker campaign

As I said last week, the way in which candidates for Speaker conduct their campaigns will speak volumes about their suitability for the job. Although MPs are the only electors in that vote it is imperative that candidates run their campaigns in the open, and make themselves and their ideas available for public scrutiny and support.

At that stage, Frank Field had already started to set out his stall and had announced his intention to publish his ideas. John Bercow published pieces in the Independent and Guardian the following day outlining his thoughts thus far. Ann Widdecombe is apparently prepared to be a temporary Speaker for the rest of this Parliament (she is due to retire then).  Nothing has been heard from any other potential prospects, so far as I am aware.

As he promised, Frank Field has now started to lay out his plans in more detail, with posts on his blog yesterday and today. Do read them: they are well-considered and radical, and have the potential to transform the power of our Parliament. Highlights include:

• Setting up a Government Budget Select Committee, with equal weight to the Public Accounts Committee. This is explicitly aimed at debt reduction.
• Establishing a House of Commons Business Committee to produce less but better legislation
• Requiring all non-emergency legislation to be preceded by a Green Paper, before presenting a draft Bill (by which time it is often too late to make significant changes), explaining why new legislation is required, identifying the costs it will impose, and inviting Select Committee involvement in drafting the Bill
• Devoting "what perhaps might be one or two days a week, to debating, deliberating, changing, and if need be, rejecting European legislation"
• Widespread use of open primaries to select candidates.

His whole approach shows that Frank Field has grasped the way in which this scandal is changing politics and must change Parliament. He wants, and deserves, to be our Speaker, not just the Speaker of the House of Commons. We should let our elected representatives know who we want.