Michael John Martin MP (born 3 July 1945) is the current Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC (born October 8, 1929 in Dewsbury, England), is a British politician and was the first female Speaker of the House of Commons. ... Glasgow North East is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Glasgow Springburn was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Richard Buchanan (3 May 1912 - 22 January 2003) was a British Labour politician, Buchanan was educated at St. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... Following is a (currently incomplete) list of past and present Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom in alphabetical order. ... is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ...

Early life

Martin was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1945, the son of a merchant seaman and a school cleaner. He attended St. Patrick's Boys School in Anderston, before leaving at the age of 15 to become an apprentice sheet-metal worker. He became involved in the Sheet Metal Workers trade union and joined the Labour Party when he was 21. He later worked in the Rolls-Royce plant at Hillington, and was an AUEW shop steward from 1970 to 1974. For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country. ... In most seafaring countries, the merchant marine (or merchant navy) is a fleet of ships used for commerce that sometimes complements the navy. ... Anderston is a well-known district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. ... Sheets of stainless steel cover the Chrysler Building Thin sheets of gold leaf Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. ... A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... Rolls-Royce Limited was a British car and aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls on 15 March 1906 and was the result of a partnership formed in 1904. ... Hillington is a residential suburb and an industrial estate on the southwestern edge of the Scottish city of Glasgow. ... The Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union (AEEU) was a British trade union. ... The terms steward or stewardess can refer to a number of different professional roles. ...

In 1973, Martin was elected as a councillor on Glasgow Corporation — a position he retained until he was elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. He also served as a trade union organiser with the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) between 1976 and 1979. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Glasgow Springburn in the 1979 general election, and was associated with the right-wing of the party. He was a supporter of Roy Hattersley and Denis Healey, whom he served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary from 1980 until 1983. The City of Glasgow Council (Mòr-bhaile Ghlaschu in Gaelic) is one of the 32 Scottish unitary authorities, formerly Glasgow District Council and Glasgow Corporation in Glasgow, Scotland. ... Type Bicameral Houses House of Commons House of Lords Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin MP Lord Speaker Hélène Hayman, PC Members 1377 (646 Commons, 731 Peers) Political groups Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats Scottish National Party Plaid Cymru Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin... A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers. ... The National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) was a British trade union which represented public sector workers. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Glasgow Springburn was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918. ... The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 and is regarded as a pivotal point in 20th century British politics. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley, PC (born December 28, 1932) is a British Labour Party politician, published author and journalist from Sheffield, England. ... Denis Winston Healey, Baron Healey, CH, MBE, PC (born 30 August 1917), is a British Labour politician. ... A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a junior role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament (MP). ...

Speakership

He served as Chairman of the Scottish Grand Committee from 1987 to 1997, and also sat on the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen. In 1997 he was appointed as First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means (Deputy Speaker). Martin was elected Speaker on 23 October 2000, succeeding Betty Boothroyd. He is the first Roman Catholic to hold the office of Speaker in either the Parliament of Great Britain or the Parliament of the United Kingdom^{[citation needed]}. The Scottish Grand Committee is a committee of the House of Commons. ... In the English Parliament between 1641 and 1967, proposals for raising taxation originated in the Committee of Ways and Means, where they were initiated by a Government minister. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC (born October 8, 1929 in Dewsbury, England), is a British politician and was the first female Speaker of the House of Commons. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... Type Bicameral Houses House of Commons House of Lords Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin MP Lord Speaker Hélène Hayman, PC Members 1377 (646 Commons, 731 Peers) Political groups Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats Scottish National Party Plaid Cymru Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin...

He has been an active Speaker; he has on occasion, during Prime Minister's Questions, stopped the Prime Minister from criticising the policies of the opposition. Martin's strong Glaswegian accent led to his being nicknamed Gorbals Mick by some people from outside of Scotland, although the nickname is inaccurate, as Martin is from the Anderston and Springburn areas of Glasgow and has never lived in the Gorbals. Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) (officially Questions to the Prime Minister) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, where every Wednesday when the House of Commons is sitting the Prime Minister spends half an hour answering questions from Members of Parliament (MPs). In Canada, this convention is known as... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... This politics-related article is a stub. ... Glasgow patter or Glaswegian is a dialect shouted in and around Glasgow, Scotland. ... The Gorbals is a predominantly working-class area on the south bank of the river Clyde in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. ... Anderston is a well-known district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. ... Springburn is an area in the north of Glasgow. ...

In the 2005 general election, he stood in the new constituency of Glasgow North East. There is an imperfectly observed convention that the UK main national parties (Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats) do not stand candidates against a Speaker who is seeking re-election, although other parties, including the Scottish National Party, have never observed this pact. It has been suggested that Marginal constituencies in the United Kingdom be merged into this article or section. ... Glasgow North East is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Scottish National Party (SNP) (Scottish Gaelic: is a centre-left political party which campaigns for Scottish independence. ...

On 26 February 2006 it was announced that Martin had received treatment at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary for a heart condition and would be absent from his duties for some weeks. [1] He returned to the Chair on 18 April. is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The front of Glasgow Royal Infirmary The rear of Glasgow Royal Infirmary, viewed from the Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Royal Infirmary is a hospital situated on the north-eastern edge of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. ... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

In an interview on the BBC's Politics Show on 11 February 2007, he said that his proudest achievement as Speaker, in the traditions of his working-class origins, was to establish an apprenticeship scheme for local young people to become craftsmen (upholsters, restorers, electricians, etc) who maintain the fabric of the Houses of Parliament. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

His son, Paul Martin, has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow Springburn constituency since 1999. Paul Martin (born St. ... Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) (Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba (BPA) in Gaelic) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. ... Glasgow Springburn is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. ...

Controversy

Martin's initial appointment as Speaker caused controversy as his success in a vote by the Labour-dominated house broke a long-held convention in which the post alternates between the two main political parties - presently the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. Martin's immediate predecessor was Betty Boothroyd, MP for Labour and consequently the new Speaker should have come from the Conservative bench.[2] The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC (born October 8, 1929 in Dewsbury, England), is a British politician and was the first female Speaker of the House of Commons. ...

On 1 November 2006 during Prime Minister's Questions, Martin, in his role as Speaker, caused uproar in the House of Commons by striking down a question from David Cameron, leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in which he challenged Tony Blair over the future leadership of the Labour Party. Martin stated that the purpose of Prime Minister's Questions was for the House to question the Prime Minister on the actions of the government. This caused such dissent amongst MPs that Martin threatened to suspend the session. Cameron then reworded the question so he asked about Tony Blair's future as Prime Minister rather than leader of the Labour Party, which Martin accepted. Conservative MPs have threatened to walk out if a similar event occurs in the future. Conservative politicians and commentators have sometimes accused Martin of bias towards the Labour government in stark contrast to the wide respect in which the previous Speaker, also a former Labour heavyweight, had been held across the political spectrum, although he does often reprimand Labour MPs as well.[3] [4] is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) (officially Questions to the Prime Minister) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, where every Wednesday when the House of Commons is sitting the Prime Minister spends half an hour answering questions from Members of Parliament (MPs). In Canada, this convention is known as... Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups... For the Canadian ice hockey player, see Dave Cameron. ... Her Majestys Loyal Opposition, or the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom is the largest opposition party in the House of Commons. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ...

On 11 October 2007 Martin was criticised for spending more than £20,000 of taxpayers' money on lawyers to challenge negative press stories. High-class libel firm Carter-Ruck was employed to represent him following articles querying his conduct. Martin was also criticised for the exemption of his wife, Mary, from security checks in the Palace of Westminster, where they live, and for trying to block details of MPs' £5m-a-year travel expenses being published under the Freedom of Information Act.[5] is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ... “Houses of Parliament” redirects here. ... Nearly sixty countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation, which sets rules on governmental secrecy. ...

External links

• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Michael Martin MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Michael Martin MP
• Conservative MPs accuse Speaker of bias and threaten to walk out

Offices held