Queen Elizabeth opens parliament as anger mounts in the Commons

Queen Elizabeth had first opened a new session of parliament for the first time in 1953. The session she opened yesterday is one she will not forget.

Michael Martin is widely thought to be the most incompetent and under-qualified Speaker of the House of Commons for decades. Martin appointed Jill Pay as Serjeant-at-Arms, a job whose responsibilities includes security, access and passes at the House of Commons.

However, earlier this year the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith asked the police to investigate a series of leaks from her department. Cops arrested Christopher Galley, and the Whitehall mole fingered Damian Green, a Tory backbencher as the recipient of his leaks.

Counter-terrorism police then arrested Green at his home and questioned him for several hours, raiding his home and local constituency office and taking away computers and files. Green was later released on police (unpaid) bail. At the same time the counter-terrorism squad showed up at the House of Commons and Pay allowed them access to raid Green's office there without asking if they had a search warrant. They did not and may well not have been given one had they asked for one. Police then ransacked Green's office and interfered with the House of Commons internet server.

When Mrs Pay was appointed and contrary to protocol, Queen Elizabeth refused to grant Mrs Pay an audience. It is believed she did so because she and her advisers had grave concerns about Pay's suitability. And then Pay demonstrated her unsuitability by allowing a police raid in the Commons without a search warrant.

Prime minister Gordon Brown then upstaged Queen Elizabeth yesterday by omitting the main item in the Queen's Speech, a listing of new government bills for the new session, which his department had written for her, giving her a list of proposed bills which he had already announced or leaked. Later that day Brown then announced that the state would guarantee interest payments on certain home owners who lost their jobs, a measure Brown had not already announced or leaked, ensuring he took the top billing instead of the Queen in the TV news shows that evening.

Even before Brown had upstaged Queen Elizabeth with his announcement, the Duke of Edinburgh had shown his disgust at the way the Queen and he were being treated. As he passed Jack Straw MP on his way out he pretended to snatch the papers the Queen had read the speech from and throw them away.

Questions will now be asked about Michael Martin, Jill Pay - and Jacqui Smith who will now be questioned about how much she was manipulating the police. Sir Ian Blair, the previous head of London police resigned after new London mayor, Boris Johnson, told him he had no confidence in him. Sir Paul Stephenson, Blair's deputy and now temporarily in charge of London police is applying for the top job permanently and Smith is the key person who will decide who gets it.

Stephenson will have to explain why the counter-terrorism squad were blundering around arresting Green and raiding his home and offices when the government keeps asserting that there are thousands of UK-based terrorists to be tracked down and caught.

On 4th January 1642 King Charles I raided parliament intending to arrest five troublesome MPs. When Charles told the then speaker to point out the five MPs but was told by him: "I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the house is pleased to direct me. Whose servant I am."

In any event the five MPs had been tipped off and weren't there. Seven years later King Charles was axed in Whitehall. Appropriately TV viewers were reminded of these events in a Channel 4 screening of The Devil's Whore during the evening. It is still not known who will be axed - metaphorically - after this year's arrest of a troublesome MP by those who do not understand the limits of their roles.