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Added: Sunday, 28 June, 2009, 21:50 GMT 22:50 UK

After 57 years as Constitutional Monarch,during which time the Queen has never once been called upon to exercise those powers invested in her to protect the well being of her subjects,surely the time is now? Parliament is so riven with corruption and petty cynicism so clearly displayed in the recent election of their Speaker. The Queen should dissolve Parliament for a minimum period of 6 months,whilst expressing the wish that all current Members of Parliament be disqualified from the new one.

Henry Martin, Wokingham, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 22:16 GMT 23:16 UK

Had the House of Commons elected a wildcard candidate to Speaker (Ann Widdecombe or Parmjit Dhanda) then I would have believed change was at least coming. I'm a member of the public and I watched the whole thing live. Bercow's pitch was patronising, targetted to MPs, and almost completely undone by his acceptance speach where he told MPs that he knew most of them had been hurt by what had happened. It's the same inward thinking, the same party politics, and the same 'members club'.

John, Bristol, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 22:11 GMT 23:11 UK

Disappointed in Julia Goldsworthy and her rocking chair. What really brasses me off is that any MP caught with their hand in the till feels that "paying it back" totally absolves them - Hipocrites of the first order who would be sacked for far lesser fraudulent amounts claimed in the private sector

Ian, York, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 22:10 GMT 23:10 UK

Julia Goldswothy was lucky to avoid the question about her food expenses regularly claimed at the maximum of £400, when Dimbleby rudely cut off an elderly questioner. I felt that the questioner was rightly pointing out that she only had that amount to live on. How does living part time in London and part time in Cornwall incur an extra expense of exactly £400 on food. Surely my MP is just as morally guilty as the rest, of literally joining the gravy train.

Peter, Falmouth, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 22:10 GMT 23:10 UK

Where Michael Martin went wrong is that he acted as a shop steward maintaining and even promoting the anti-democratic anti-public pratices of MPs against the people they are supposed to serve. This is our parliament, not MPs. The speaker of parliament should primarily have to justify himself to ordinary people not to MPs. It's time we had a committee of ordinary people selected like a jury overseeing parliament.

Mike, Lenzie, UK, Scotland,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 22:08 GMT 23:08 UK

I 100% agree with the chap who asked for prosecutions of MPs Committing fraud. We hear adverts on the radio about benefit fraud, why don't they concentrate on MPs that should keep them busy for a while, i am sure they will need more staff do deal with this. MPs are stealing large sums of cash not a few pounds of dole money.

Bob, Glasgow, UK, Scotland,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 22:02 GMT 23:02 UK

MPs should not only being paying back the money they have stolen from the taxpayer but should be paying interest on the money as at the moment they have had the money in some cases years and if it was a bank loan it would not be free. changing the speaker is not the problem sack the crooked MPs now

Pete, Bristol, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 22:01 GMT 23:01 UK

The comments on the new speaker are 100% correct. How can the public be expected to believe that he will drag the House kicking and screaming into line over expenses, when he himself has been fingered for flipping a second home and avoiding capital gains? It's fraud. And as such, EVERYONE should be liable to criminal prosecution, nothing less will do.

Grant Main, Galashiels, UK, Scotland,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 21:56 GMT 22:56 UK

At the end of the day we need to know where all the public money goes. It doesn't matter what type of organisation it is - the BBC or the government - everything and every penny is accountable. Therefore it needs to be published.

Jamie, Chelmsford, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 21:55 GMT 22:55 UK

I think the Speaker being elected is not major news and the only reason this issue is being discussed is because the parliament is under the microscope at the moment. Has the speaker repaid any of the money claimed? will he be made to? Why dont the public get to vote who they want to see as speaker?

Emeka, Swindon, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 21:55 GMT 22:55 UK

"why would anyone buy a £1200 rocking chair" answer - if someone else is paying for it!

David Drysdale, Woking, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 21:55 GMT 22:55 UK

I think the govenment has lost its way with big disgrace. Shouldn't it be the way that the government is there for the people, as it seems to have shifted to the situation of people being there for the government!

Matt Clarke, Rochester, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 21:50 GMT 22:50 UK

Why not employ a speaker who has no political allegiance and who only has the best interest of the country at heart? Anyone that has been an MP is going to have a far too subjective view. Though i don't know who'd be on the interview panel...

sam, Southampton, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 21:48 GMT 22:48 UK

I think it has made things worse. It was a farse the way he was elected and he has been childish about the whole thing since he has been in the chair.

jack pollard, Burnley, UK, England,

Added: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 21:48 GMT 22:48 UK

If the start that John Bercow made was anything to go by, i think that he will do very very well and he should be given time to bed himself into the job. Parliament needs to show more respect to the country by behaving like a group of intelligent, considered individuals they are supposed to be and not the rag bag of schoolboys in the yard they act like at the moment!

Mark O'Neill, Grays, UK, England,