"It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.
In the name of God, go!"
(Dissolution of the Long Parliament - Oliver Cromwell (House of Commons, 20th April 1653)
Ouch! - not a man to mince his words. While certainly not advocating any form of new commonwealth style government, I think that most people would agree that far too many members of the current house have proved themselves unfit for civic office, more concerned with getting their snouts in the trough and milking the system.
As a result any real scrap of alleged moral (or otherwise) authority claimed by the House of Commons has been blown away by recent events...and our somewhat flawed democratic system has been tarnished in the eyes of the electorate. Where do they (the MP's) go from here? Some of them following due process may (or should) go to prison for their crimes - anyone else would by now have been swiftly arrested and probably charged...or is there one law for us and one law for them?
Either way, bottom line - Gordon and the rest of that New (and Old) Labour motley crew it's time to face the music, time to explain and come Polling Day time in the name of God to be gone...
Off topic I know, but did you go to the All wales convention in Monmouth this week? I heard David Davies and Adam Price were on the panel - I'd be interested to hear how it went.
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