The following would be among the winners should the next Parliament be hung. Please note: You don't have to triumph at the polls, or even turn up if elected, to be among their number.
Nick Clegg. Alex Salmond. The Democratic Unionist Party. Martin Bell. Gerry Adams. A scattering of Plaid Cymru MPs with accents unheard since "Zulu".
And John Bercow, until recently Speaker of the House of Commons.
This presumes, of course, that he's re-elected in Buckingham. This is a strange campaign - not just in that sprawling constituency, but generally - and anything could happen yet. But sources in the area say, with emotions that vary from resignation to fury, that as matters stand Bercow will be victorious.
In the event of a hung Parliament, he'll most likely be a double winner. This is because only a Conservative majority stands between Bercow and continuation as Speaker. It wouldn't guarantee his defeat in a Speakership election, of course: David Cameron has made it clear that he will support Bercow's candidacy.
Nor would he be likely to lose such an election, even were lots of Tory MPs to vote against him. But his position would become impossible in these circumstances were enough of them to do so. Given a hung Parliament, though, this danger to him will recede.
Which raises a question. In the event of the catastrophe of a such a Parliament - complete with political haggling, economic uncertainty, a falling pound, and pressure on our credit rating - how important would the Speaker's role be? Could John Bercow hold Britain's destiny in the hollow of his hand?
I'm told that the new Speaker will have no more power in the next Parliament than Bercow had during the last one. He will retain the power to grant Urgent Questions. He may have a role in brokering a deal if the new Commons can't reach agreement on electing Select Committee Chairmen or Members.
But he won't sit on any new Business Committee. (The Party is committed to introducing one.) And the Government, in any event, would maintain control of much of the timetable. So it's hard to see the Speaker being a major player.
None the less, the Commons would be a far more important forum in the event of a hung Parliament than one with a substantial majority for a Party. There would be knife-edge votes. "Ambushes", as Opposition MPs seek to lull Government Whips into a false sense of security - before voting unexpectedly.
Bad Ministers would be more exposed. Good speeches would have greater influence. The Speaker would loom larger in the public eye. I wonder if Bercow will announce to the world, before May 6, that he stands ready - acknowledging his duty to the nation - to play his part in stabilising the Commons and the country.
Paul Goodman
