£136,677 a year.

That's apparently how much Michael Martin MP, or "Gorbals Mick" as he has been nicknamed by some, earns in his capacity as Speaker of the House of Commons. But not enough for him to pay for his own legal advice.

"MICHAEL Martin, the Commons Speaker, was last night accused of adopting the "airs and graces of the ancien regime" after it emerged he spent almost £22,000 of taxpayers' money on libel lawyers to counter negative press reports."

As the old saying goes: you can take the man out of the Gorbals but not the Gorbals out of the man. But why should the tax payer pick up the tab just because Mr Speaker doesn't like some of the stories that are being written about him? Come to think of it, this might also explain why the Speaker has been so keen to stop paying the salary of Respect MP George Galloway.