John Bercow has certainly made his mark in the five months since he was elected as Speaker of the House of Commons.
His elevation was not without controversy – most Labour MPs openly backed him, while it is thought that few from his own party lent him their support.
The Speaker has committed himself to being the voice of the Commons and to re-engage the public with Parliament.
When we met at the Stonewall Awards last week, he spoke of his desire to "open up" Speaker's House, his sumptuous suite of rooms in the Commons, so that more people can share "its architectural beauty and the history that it embodies".
In person he is not quite as short as many like to make out, and he is quick to mock his own stature.
A neat, precise man, he speaks with the fluid, fulsome prose of a professional politican.
He seemed quite at home among the TV presenters, glamourous lesbian couples and air-kissing pop stars at the awards.
The sight of the Speaker of the House of Commons at an event organised by a gay equality group would have been unthinkable during his predecessor Michael Martin's tenure.
It was an unmistakable sign that Bercow will continue to be associated with causes he championed as a backbench MP – he was a vocal supporter of gay rights.
Last month Gordon Brown made representations to the Speaker's conference on representation on the issue of civil partnerships in the Palace of Westminster.
The Speaker is determined to make that a reality.
"So far as civil partnerships are concerned, I feel very strongly that this is a matter of equity and justice," he said.
"It is possible for members of parliament and senior officers of the House to get married in the House of Commons.
"They do so in the crypt, the chapel of St Mary Undercroft.
"I see no reason why we should not be able to make comparable arrangements for civil partnerships or indeed civil marriages."
There are some pretty significant legal issues to be worked out, but when he met Rhondda MP Chris Bryant and his fiancé Jared Cranney at the awards, the Speaker made it clear he wanted to make it possible for them to have their civil partnership in the Palace of Westminster.
He told me that it is not a question of how many people would benefit from it.
"It is the principle involved."
The Speaker immediately publicly back the prime minister's suggestion.
Last week he showed similar desire to act quickly when he announced that in future serving members of the armed forces will "always" be found places in the public gallery.
The idea of guaranteed seats for the troops had been suggested the day before by Labour MP Stephen Pound.
Bercow told me that at times the House works "frustratingly slowly".
"You do of course have to build alliances and forge relationships in an attempt to achieve consensus," he said.
"But sometimes if you just sit back and debate and wait for consensus, you would be waiting forever.
"You have to try to drive change where you think it is necessary and desirable and in some cases plain overdue."
One notable change was the meeting of the UK Youth Parliament in the Commons chamber at the end of last month.
Bercow is not afraid to pass comment on the views of some MPs who objected to the innovation.
"There had been a lot of nonsense talked about how some young people would leave chewing gum in the chamber, and there might be pen knives deployed and damage inflicted on the furniture or the surrounding architecture," he said.
"All of that was stuff and nonsense.
"The young people felt a great sense of pride, of privilege and of occasion.
"They lived up to the occasion and they spoke with passion and conviction."
Mr Speaker was in the chair for the meeting, which he described as "an unalloyed triumph".
"It was a superb event and was hugely to the credit both of those who organised the event and in particular all of the young people who took part," he said.
"Sure enough, there were some very polished speakers, and some young people who have obviously benefitted from, for example, an independent education.
"They were hugely welcome and I enjoyed their contributions.
"What was really significant was the huge number of young people from what I would call ordinary backgrounds, such as my own, who got on their hind legs and gave it all they have got and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
"They were a credit to their schools and their regions.
"I have a hunch that the young people will want to come back, and I have a further hunch that the House might be willing to do so."
With the future of MPs expenses still in the balance, innovations such as the Youth Parliament meeting or civil partnerships in Westminster Hall may make their own small contribution to restoring Parliament's battered reputation.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd