Tea Party?

After those reports Thursday (and I wish to thank everyone who visited, followed my Tweets and Facebook updates, or found this by way of Google), I continued my whirlwind quote-unquote farewell tour of the Show-Me State, saying farewell to my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the 16+ cats among everyone in the family I visited. Also enjoyed listening to quality locally produced radio programs like those all over Moberly's KRES and KWIX, plus KFRU's Morning Meeting hosted by Simon Rose and Renee Hulshof.

I am now back in KCMO, and this time next week I will be falling asleep in the United Kingdom for my first night as a Missouri expatriate. Er, The Missouri Expatriate. And my arrival in the UK could not come at a more exciting time politics wise.

Right now, it is safe to speculate that the 646 people most hated by United Kingdom residents are not Fred Phelps, Michael Savage, or other people the U.K. Home Office won't let enter the UK. Right now, it's Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary whose husband's sordid spending ways were outed in February, and the other 645 members of the House of Commons caught up in the expenses scandal. And the heads are starting to roll.

Today, Michael Martin announced that on 21 June, he will leave his post as Speaker of the House and subsequently make his way to the Chiltern Hundreds as its new Crown Steward, provided other potentially disgraced MPs don't beat him there and he winds up at the Manor of Northstead. Martin becomes the first speaker in 314 years to effectively be forced out of the position, and pundits are already declaring that Martin has secured a place among the greatest follies of Parliament's long history.

Therefore, on 22 June, the House of Commons will select from its remaining 639 active participants (which does not include the to-be-vacated Glasgow East seat held by Martin or the five Sinn Fein members who still billed UK taxpayers $750,000 despite not ever taking their seats!) a new speaker. This will be the first use of a new formalized voting system (BBC's description here) in lieu of the simpler yet dirtier "smoke-filled room" motion a name, amend in a different name, ayes have it, etc. system. Potential candidates for Speaker must have the backing of 12 MPs, three of whom must be from a party not that of the candidate. Upon certification of the nominations, the candidates are given a chance to speak, and then begins an exhaustive ballot, similar to how Olympic hosts are selected (and how Presidential candidates are suppose to be nominated, but the major parties have turned that process into a PR spectacle.) Once a candidate has a majority begins the dragging and the jovial crowning of the new Speaker.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is doing his darndest to save face in the wake of the U.S. Congress' approval ratings potentially being higher than Parliament's (apples and oranges, but it's worth the analogy) has stated that any Labour MP found to have made excessive expense claims will not be allowed to stand as Labour candidates at the next election, (Telegraph article) which is to happen in June 2010 at the latest. (Given that MEP & local elections are 16 days away, this novice observer anticipates a dissolution of Parliament over the summer and a lot of turnover when the new Parliament takes shape. Even with sweeping new restrictions in place like no swapping second homes and a limit of £1250 a month (thus £15000 annually), the voting public will likely not settle for less than a clean sweep and fast.) Prime the harbour, it's time to dump some tea. Or coffee. Or Throwback Pepsi-Cola?

You might find yourself going after all three when you're done viewing this Telegraph slideshow of Tory expenses for their country second homes. Among the more dubious claims: moat cleaning, lawncare around the helipad, and something involving horse excrement.

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Also, I would be remiss if I failed to make mention of the scheduled execution tonight (er, tomorrow at 12:01 a.m.) of Dennis Skillicorn, the first execution in Missouri in almost four years. Two more executions have been scheduled.

Thus, mention has been made.