Boris Johnson has crossed the Rubicon today by announcing the suspension of Parliament at this crucial time, no matter how many days the suspension lasts. The United Kingdom has found itself with the most right wing government in nearly two hundred years. I still find it hard to believe that Sajid Javid, Dominic Raab and Priti Patel hold great offices. Even that minority of those voting who put this Tory minority government in place did not expect that. Now that right wing coup is being doubled down on by the deliberate suspension of the Westminster parliament just as the most crucial and divisive issue in several generations is being resolved.
There is an irony here. Johnson has been able to take over without facing the electorate because of the polite constitutional fiction that it is the same Conservative government continuing and nothing has changed. Yet he justifies the prorogation of parliament by the argument that it is a new government and a new Queen’s Speech is thus needed. Johnson is of course famously in favour of having cake and eating it, but the chutzpah of this is breathtaking.
As countries slip to the far right, the failure of the more decent forces in society to unite and to react with sufficient vigour is crucial. Jo Swinson and others need to stop their caviling and get behind Jeremy Corbyn’s no confidence plans.
Here in Scotland, it ought to be a matter of deep shame if we do not now immediately move decisively to claim Independence. The SNP needs to stop prattling on as if keeping the UK in the EU was the priority. No. The priority is Independence, and Independence Now. If the leadership of the SNP want a referendum, they should move now to hold it within a few months, this year. Otherwise they should dissolve Holyrood and hold a Holyrood election with the declared aim of declaring Independence if there is a majority won for that. It is now inevitable that, if the SNP continues to shilly shally on Independence, a new party will arise in response to public opinion, to outflank and challenge them by prioritising Independence. Hopefully Johnson’s new move will finally kick the SNP to act NOW and make that unnecessary.
Now Ruth Davidson is set to resign. Is Sturgeon the only one with zero conviction? All the other parties do stuff.
How fucking great it must be to have a party and a leader that believes in something, does stuff, and is willing to chuck it on principle.
I’ll salute Ruth if she does it.
“How fucking great it must be to have a party and a leader that believes in something, does stuff, and is willing to chuck it on principle.
I’ll salute Ruth if she does it.”
Jeez oh, this is cringeworthy stuff.
With your childish party loyalty, you have effectively removed yourself from serious debate in here, RoS.
I know that nothing could make you cringe.
People are putting it around her decision has nothing to do with Brexit or proroguing. Read Laura Kuenssberg’s twitter post stating this.
Davidson appears to be diving for cover, ‘Submarine May’ style imho.
As all recent developments reveal, is how powerless she really is. She can’t even get Scottish Tory MPs to publicly agree with her.
Ruth apparently decided to resign last Thursday, for personal reasons rather than for any political point.
Tend to believe the real reason is she knows she risks being humiliated if Johnson no deals.
Davidson has a hugely inflated ego, far beyond anything her limited mandate in Scotland justifies.
The Scottish Tory MPs at Westminster basically just ignore her. The guardian seems to love her though, probably because she’s LGBT leader in what is a deeply reactionary party.
was down in Parliament Square earlier and was astonished by the lack of vociferous protest. It is clearly now time for some serious civil disobedience. I believe the Johnson Junta has calculated that the Remainer support can be steamrollered with minimal trouble. They need to see that is not going to be the case.
The whole remain side has collapsed. They think it’s all over… it is now.
The only party that seems to be still arguing for a second EU vote and is determined to stop Brexit is the SNP. Go figure.
I’m still waiting for the rabbit from the hat. i seem to remember a Len Deighton line in the Ipcress File, about the English showing their true sense of compromise by driving in the middle of the road (to paraphrase, been a long time since I’ve read it).
The rabbit, being the same old, tired pigeon.
The thing is, when you absolutely KNOW it is going to be a complete disaster, and nothing you can do can dissuade an entity from that course of action, you a) insulate yourself and b) let them get on with it, and it becomes crystal clear, very quickly that it was a bad move.
All this preemptive fear-mongering only bolsters my belief, that it is exactly that, fear-mongering
I was there around 2100 and the protesters had Parliament Sq. blocked off, the police appeared to be preparing to clear them – presumably so that people making their way back from the theatres wouldn’t be inconvenienced.
Oodles of faux outrage being uttered here and on the MSM today- for once Craig and his putative enemies are on the same side. Taking the biscuit was Lord Falconer, declaring that the prorogation of Parliament for 23 days is a constitutional outrage. Of course for most of that period Parliament will be in recess; the ‘net ‘ number of sitting days lost is only 4. Falconer is using a ‘gross’ figure for the length of days lost because of the prorogation as an aid to his rhetorical volume- much as Leavers did with their claim that we send £350 million a week to Brussels- and Falconer (and most of Craig’s readers) were livid with that. Not that that is stopping them from using the same tactics now !
The legislature still has the opportunity to challenge the executive on this point. What has happened today is the time available to do this has been reduced, and thus the opposition parties are now on the back foot, and need to think on their feet for a formula that’ll work. As thinking on his feet is hardly Corbyn’s forte no wonder he, and more ardent Remainers, are livid.
The only sensible comment from the Remain side to surface so far today came from Nick Boles MP (Independent, ex-Tory) who tweeted-
The government’s plan to prorogue Parliament until 14 Oct clarifies the choice for MPs who want to stop a No Deal Brexit. If they don’t support legislative steps next week, there will be no second chance. Hopefully this will stiffen backbones and concentrate mind.
Quite.
What on earth makes you think that a chap that sucked at the teat of Michael Foot and Tony Benn is in any sense a remainer?
It suits his argument to say so.
Corbyn is of course a tactical remainer, nothing more, but look at him now, joining forces with the rest of the Remainer rabble with their bleats about ‘constitutional outrage’ and threats of civil disobedience.
Johnson has simply outmanouvred the divided opposition and they understandably hate him for it. In their rage however the Remainers seem to have overlooked the relevance of the 14 October date for the new session. If Johnson were truly serious about wanting to push through No Deal as his outraged opponents suggest he would have set the date for the new session as 1 November.
It is plain to anyone with an ounce of political nous that Johnson intends to come back from the Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels held later the same week with minor adjustments to the WA. He’ll then present this pig with lipstick, this polished turd, back to Parliament a fourth time for ratification- and this time Corbyn and the LibDems will sheepishly vote for it.
If, as I have heard from the defenders, suspension makes little practical difference, why bother in the first place? Make no mistake the timing is carefully calculated and designed to be deceptive. Besides which, it is a slippery slope, first Brexit , what next?
Crisps
Sticking your prick in a pig’s mouth has no significance. But when these Bullingdon Boys go on the rampage with impunity us law abiding citizens are going to get passed off anyway.
Not only that, by giving the opposition a Queen’s Speech to aim at, he is virtually begging them to bring him down.
That would be Falconer, one time flat mate of BLiar and the one who subsumed the lawful inquest for Dr David Kelly into the Hutton Inquiry in short order for BLiar. Dr Kelly was found dead on 18 July in 2003. Hutton opened his inquiry 13 days later. £2.5million was spent on Operation Whitewash.
Looks like Ruth Davidson is think about joining the SNP https://www.facebook.com/janeygodleyfanpage/videos/2423850011030377/
If true, that’s pretty hilarious
I’m beyond the disappointment stage, I was past that a long, long time ago when it came to Sturgeon and unfortunately, I can’t claim to be surprised by her utterings. This woman has no business leading the independence cause. She is an enemy of Scottish independence:
https://inews.co.uk/news/brexit/nicola-sturgeon-parliament-suspension-may-make-scottish-independence-inevitable
I don’t know how you draw that from that tbh.
If the people resolve to do it? & shouldn’t they be leading?
What leadership have you seen from Sturgeon? All I’ve ever seen or more accurately, heard are platitudes and soundbites to the media, exactly as I just linked to. If she’s really concerned about Johnson closing down Holyrood, what exactly is she doing to negate that? NOTHING.
Tell you what though, I bet that couple who won the Euromillions are kicking themselves now for handing a million quid to the SNP to advance the independence cause. Doesn’t matter how much money you have, that wasn’t money well spent!
She did advocate doing what they can to stop the particular issue, as an MP.
I dunno how this added to anything much though, whatever your belief, Seemed an acceptable fitting statement to the current circumstance.
Ok. She’s supposed to be acting in the best interests of Scotland and the Scottish people. She thinks it’s possible, I think it’s a definite, that Holyrood will be closed down.
If she thinks it’s possible, then in what way is doing nothing about it acting in the best interests of Scotland and the Scottish people? She knows the threat is there.
What would YOU do in that position?
Sturgeon said it was “no exaggeration” to say that any semblance of British democracy…. oh fuck it. Who cares what she said…
Once we are dragged out of the EU, we will see how it looks and simply decide to do whatever we want. It’ll be easier to do what we want after Brexit. I’m not sure why, Sturgeon and her supporters haven’t told us, but that’s the idea.
The snp aren’t up to the job of getting us our independence. Seriously how many countries have gained their freedom via a referendum ? I can only think of Slovakia. I’ve voted snp for nearly 40 years & im now sorry I ever bothered. This lot in charge are hopeless. They are beyond hopeless. How much worse does this have to get? And yes Nichola they are going to abolish Holyrood. I’ve been saying it for a few years as have many others. They send out tweets every few weeks about the BBC. FFS we know what the bbc are. It seems the snp hierarchy are more interested in diverting us away from indy cos it’s not the English thing to do. This crap show unfolds but still the snp have their heads buried in the sand. Nichola calls for indy this year or she goes.
‘This lot in charge are hopeless.’
Regrettably untrue – they have navigated their careers impeccably and other opportunities will follow along with a decent pension.
“Seriously how many countries have gained their freedom via a referendum”
Several actually.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_referendum
If you don’t ken how to spell Nicola after aw they tweets you may need glasses.
And what do you mean “…not the English thing to do”? That makes heehaw sense.
Living in Interesting Times:
Had not thought the monarch would succumb to BoJo’s wiles; does not reflect favourably on the occupant of Buckingham Palace.
The queen’s stature has so shrunk that she can now be buried in one of her hatboxes.
See now this is the problem with public perception. The UK does not have a Monarchy it has a *constitutional* monarchy. The real power of the monarchy died when Charles the 1st list his head, from then on it was a slow erosion of power. When the Three Estates signed over power to a new Uk government the monarchy was again weakened and by George III it was pretty much all over.
By William IV in 1836 the monarchy was dead, most were pretty sure would would then become some kind of republic. It was the discussion of the William Lamb government to find an heir in Victoria and ask her to Britain, not to wield power but merely to act as a well paid figure head of the increasingly mammoth British empire.
You can think of Queen Victoria and what came as British monarchy 2.0 one with no power.
When governments ask the Queen to prorogue parliament it’s merely a formality – she cannot day no because it is not her place to, it is decided by the government of the day based on their command of the vote share in parliament. Successive administrations have centralised more and more power and acted in less and less of a democratic manner. I realise for those abroad that don’t understand our antiquated “system” being confused by us supposedly have a monarch, but I am continually surprised at how little the British public understand it.
Parliament is sovereign it can do what it likes, and within that number 10 wields the most power, but does not always succeed
Being aware the British crown was Potemkin (but not pro-Putin) space-keeper politically, your lucid recount of history is appreciated. Self-preservation by abjuring involvement in convoluted schemes to thwart the Mother of All Parliament’s ability to ponder and proclaim policy might have been the wiser course (maybe a sudden, quick trip to inspect the quenching of Siberian fires for a fortnight for the Queen, therefore unavailable to prorogue anything might have served the crown well-er). [that last for the young lady here, self appointed guard of the gates, who suspects English isn’t my native tongue.] Again appreciation for your efforts to inform, being spot on.
Queen Elizabeth knew what was to be asked of her in advance,
so before Jacob Rees-Mogg turned up at Balmoral, it was all but sealed.
The Queen accepts the audience with Jacob, they sip tea, exchange pleasantries,
Jacob goes back to Somerset and the Queen ponders but not for long, the pondering takes only a few short hours, then she agrees and the game is afoot. The Queen has played her part in the dance.
Can you spell: Complicity? A royal dotard and a toff dork thwarting the will of Parliament, claiming to be the will of the populace? Are you into a bridge buying investment? Got one on special in London if you’re interested, small down, brilliant returns.
Gossip says that HRH curtsied to J R-M
Boris has just given the EU a five week ultimatum to come up with something better than they gave Theresa May. He won’t ask for an extension, and the EU won’t take pleading from anyone non-government, so de facto the UK is out, irrespective of parliament hand wringing. Take out Boris in a no confidence vote and the deadline will pass due to time limits. The only positive option is for the EU to offer something to keep Boris at the table. Brinkmanship in a high stakes game.
If the UK leaves with no deal, Johnson goes to the electorate and all those demanding parliamentary democracy will be faced with seeking real votes from real people who actually votes for and expected Brexit in May.
I think you’re right about the brinkmanship – Boris could return with a couple of token trophies and the may deal, Ireland under the bus and the press will love him even more.
If I understand the EU correctly, they can’t offer anything significantly “better”, other than perhaps to restrict the backstop to NI, as they originally proposed. Otherwise they break the EU wide open. That’s not interesting for them.
As for Johnson’s chances at an election, that’s not their problem.
Unless that is what Ireland wants, the EU will not withdraw the backstop, but even without the backstop, there would be Tory hardliners voting against the deal. Boris hasn’t made any proposals for “alternative arrangements” and there is no point in the EU making any concessions.
Look it’s Johnson in a Mr. Bean Mini playing chicken with a 10 ton truck. The EU isn’t going to move a mm. We all know that if the UK crashes out, the UK will come begging on hands and knees for a deal soon enough.
The EU will not offer anything better, 26 nations will have to decide on that unanimously, it will not happen.
Engelande has made too many enemies to hope for that, and apart from that, it was already declared from Brussels ” Take it or leave”
Sorry to dash your hopes. Try to read continental news, instead of crappy Engelander BS news.
Bye you will not be missed. We have no need of turd world countries.
From the continent.
You misunderstand. I’m describing the logic of the situation. Boris has firmly given the EU the last play. If the EU offers nothing because it can’t or won’t, the UK is out with no deal – no extension, no further playing for negotiation points. Simply out. And I read the papers of six EU countries in five languages well enough to know European pundits really don’t understand why the UK voted to leave or how sovereignty can be more important than economics. A lesson the EU keeps failing to understand.
This is all very amusing. Johnson is breaking no laws but simply bending convention and tradition. The outrage is coming from those who feel miffed at being out manoeuvred. It is a game that the well paid political class is enjoying. Meanwhile the poor still get poorer and the rich get richer. To the homeless and dispossessed the way in which we leave Europe is irrelevant. (Or staying in it to be honest). Personally I can’t get exercised about any of it. I left the Labour Party 10 years ago as it had stopped fighting the Tories and none of the mainstream parties offer an alternative. North of the border I don’t see the SNP as a Party that can offer anything but more of the same. I remember when they were known as the tartan Tories. They don’t even have a clear strategy over independence. These days I vote locally according to the character of a candidate and what they have achieved or look as if they can achieve. In national or Westminster elections I vote for the candidate most likely to beat the Tory candidate.
I don’t think I am alone in looking at events in Westminster as something that don’t really concern me and events I have absolutely no influence on other than casting an occasional vote.
That’s what Cummings (and Johnson) would like you to think.
Exactly
Bob, Westminster — and the businesses that revolve around it — dominates the Scottish economy and your life to a large extent. To say what happens in Westminster is something that doesn’t concern you is delusional. I suspect you know that, though. And it’s just about the only thing you said here I’d take issue with.
lots out on the streets already. Focused & determined. Well connected.
We have good left wing movements in this country.
Lol what a laugh you’ve turned out to be…
The big problem with the left in the UK is that it’s dominated by fake middle class types who are essentially the most selfish Thatcherite bastards ever to walk the face of the earth.
The working class base worked that out long ago. That’s precisely why Scotland wants independence and the north of England wants Brexit.
Hilarious.
Ok.
Are you done?
The problem with the left in this country, or indeed any country, is that if you put 8 of them in a room they break into 9 splinter groups and start fighting each other.
Nonsense. & the broad goal of the left isn’t to get everyone in a room and all agree with someone.
Sadly it isn’t nonsense. Brilliantly parodied in Python’s Life of Brian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS-0Az7dgRY
I’ve just been to a pro-democracy demo in Parliament Sq. where the roads have been blocked by protesters. I presume it will be widely ignored by the corporate media – if on the other hand it was a pro-democracy demo in Hong Kong….
Don’t think Hong kong is that simple tbh, my feeling is no democratic protests get covered. Least the infection spread.
In fact cheering as they drape the British fag? hilarious. Have you actually looked onto major organisers?
OK this is getting scary. The Tories once one of our country’s leading institutions – has led us into the biggest crisis to face us since the last war. Two Old Etonian throwbacks in Johnson and Rees-Mogg are plotting to bypass our elected parliament to get their way.
For me, one of the big problems here (though not the only one) is the treatment of the Crown. Though others have already said much the same, the Queen, in agreeing to Johnson’s prorogation, and although she has spent her life in being politically neutral, has here taken a political side. The inevitable consequence will be decline in the royal family’s reputation, and justification for remaining head of state. A lot of people will be wanting her out.
In my view, in her own interest, the Queen should have refused to take a decision, and asked Johnson for a parliamentary vote to confirm his wishes, or something similar. If not, I fear the monarchy may not be with us much longer.
The problem is likely that she doesn’t understand that the people representing her government today are a bunch of corrupt, lying, charlatans who have made their political careers out of pretending to be patriotic or perhaps she does actually support them.
Either way it’s not a good look considering that Johnson was given the job as the minority PM based on the presumed fact he could “command” a majority of the house but this action shows that he can’t and, as such, should not have been made PM in the first place, let alone be allowed to shut parliament down. I think HMQ has made a royal mess of this. She should have refused The Pig That Walks On Two Legs as PM and forced a GE.
Yes she should have refused to take sides, but she didn’t. Going to be difficult to get back to the old idea of Queen as neutral head of state.
Laguerre and Deb O’Nair
Our Queen has met More than her fair share of nasty little men from Eton. I doubt she fell for the blonde blazer.
I doubt she’s looking forward to dying much having opposed the truth of Islam all her life and stopped her family from entering.
I agree with you. Many of us were pragmatic monarchists, on the basis the Queen ensured national stability and acted independently of the government of the day. That illusion died today.
The credibility of the constitutional monarch will be completely unaffected by this. She had zero credibility to start with.
She’s a powerful feminist.
I grant you that might not give her credibility from your point of view.
Ask your good and very beautiful lady wife if she agrees with your little jibe.
Her majesty has more credibility in her lttle fingernail than a thousand BoJos
It is an outdated dysfunctional system. Imagine exporting democracy to others when having a hereditary head of state!
The Queen didn’t have any option but to sign. It’s how our constitutional monarchy works. If they’d presented her with her own death warrant she’d still have had to sign it.
I’m sure the Queen could have sought further advice and delayed. She could even have just been “ill”. I’m sure she could also have explored other options if she had wanted to.
In other constitutional monarchies, the head of state does have responsibilities although limited in scope.
If the Queen is just a signing machine, why not replace her with a robot? Or just do away with the whole institution.
To be honest, I was surprised the Queen simply agreed. I even wondered if the Johnson gang have something on Andrew and the Queen knows it. What happened to all those Epstein videos?
I hope Scotland chooses to have an elected head of state when independence comes, which I’m sure will be much sooner than many think.
Many here criticising N.Sturgeon.
But you could take a different, more generous view of her actions to date. Think of things from Sturgeon’s and the wider SNP’s perspective; she knows if the SNP are to capitalise politically from any misery directly resulting from Brexit, she and the SNP can’t risk being accused of not lifting a finger to prevent it. Unionists, like Davidson and Mundell are devious and if they could claim the SNP secretly wanted Brexit all along, to further independence aims, and make that claim sound vaguely plausible, you know they’d deploy that argument. When they finally urge Scots to get behind independence the SNP need no such false claims muddying the waters and limiting support.
For an example, of what I mean, look how Corbyn has been damaged by claims he’s a secret Brexiter or Lexiter to use the correct slang/terminology. He’s taken steps to ensure a final say referendum with a remain option(far further than Ken Clarke would go) and still his pro-EU critics dismiss it and won’t allow him to take any credit.
Goose, your point was clear enough without the Corbyn comparison. And, to be sure, Sturgeon has been getting accused of that for about 3 years.
She has handled it badly. If someone accused me of wishing to take advantage of Brexit and use it as an excuse for independence, I’d tell them they were 100% correct. I’d also tell them that regardless of that, Brexit is going to happen and you will be worse off as a result.
You don’t win the independence argument by pretending you don’t want independence.
If she doesn’t react to Johnsons usurpation of parliamentry democracy today then what good is she for?
The British State has finally become a failed state. I see no reason to remain tethered to this unfolding farce. Surely we haven’t seen such an abomination of leadership since Adolf Hitler took over the Reichstag.
It never pays to go “full Godwin”, just saying.
Steady on.
Johnson has no militaristic, territorial or genocidal ambitions, afaik.
Although, that said, if he wins a majority in the next three months expect the UK to be embroiled, alongside the US ,fighting another idiotic dodgy questionable war in the ME. One that nobody wanted other than Netanyahu, Bolton and MbS.
Iran, Ireland, NHS & chlorinated chicken.
Next question?
Well he did want to go to war with Russia…..
Continued to refuse to subject ….
Real people vote remain too you know- because they know the reality of Brexit.
There are now more real remainers than leavers.
Nice wee Newsnight prologue with Gove Johnson Rudd Hancock etc. saying they wouldn’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t ‘prorogue’. It sounds as filthy an activity as it actually is. Hard to know where the locus of despicability lies now. That Prince Andrew is the Queen’s favourite son is nicely symbolic of the stinky mire. Britain, British, Dulce et Decorum Est. ‘Old Mark’ off to the shed again to Punish Percy in the Palm as he is so ‘wise’.
I’m starting to wonder whether the Andrew saga and the Queen agreeing to prorogation is a coincidence.
It’s not coincidence. “Why now?”
You may think so. I couldn’t possibly comment …
Well Said Craig.. Pisses me off that No SNP MPS are caling this out LOUDLY.. Like Adam Price the leader of Plaid Cymru
Or Mary Lou McDonald
Even Labour in Shetland have woken up –
As a life long Labour Party member and former Scottish Labour candidate for the Scottish Parliament (with strong Green sympathies ), who has been impressed by our candidate’s campaign, I am obliged to make this urgent appeal to all readers, seize the day and deliver the result the UK, Scotland and Shetland needs: Vote SNP, stop Boris.
I expect at this point Ruth Davidson would also agree.
Peter Hamilton,
Scalloway
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2019/08/28/election-letter-vote-snp-stop-boris/
P.S..The Petitions is @ Over 1. Million..and Rising ..Fast
A reminder of the link –
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/269157?
Your appeal makes no sense. How does voting against a strongly anti “no deal” LibDem help “stop Boris”.
It might make sense, though, if you are planning to engineer expulsion from SLAB in order to defect to the SNP. Are you?
If Johnson goes ahead with this right wing coup and suspends the Westminster parliament, Holyrood should declare Scotland independent and immediately organise a referendum giving the sovereign Scottish people an oprortunity to either confirm independence or to negotiate a new act of union with England.
@Phil. Wouldn’t there have to be a referendum in rump Britain too on whether that country should negotiate an Act of Union with Scotland? That is assuming the idea enjoyed substantial support in rump Britain. Otherwise people in rump Britain might get annoyed that their government was negotiating uniting with a foreign country without them getting any say in the matter.
Most of those I’ve heard advocate rapid UDI don’t get what UDI would mean.
Sort of. If Scotland voted to negotiate a new act of union, the result of that negotiation would have to be agreed to by the people of Scotland in another referendum. The Westminster parliament could, however, decide for England as parliament is (supposedly) sovereign there rather than the English people. I agree it would be nice for the other regions to have a say too but as most (all?) of them are subject to direct rule from Westminster should Westminster decide to exercise it, then it is realy up to England.
‘Boris takes the gloves off’
Who loved that headline in tomorrow’s Daily Heil? Why? Toby Young. He was chosen by Sky News to review the papers tonight.
Boris is probably a dinner party guest of Toby’s. They are contemporaries. Boris was born in 1964, Young in 1963.
Toby Young shares an enthusiasm for eugenics with Boris Johnson’s “adviser” Dominic Cummings. At dinner parties at one of Johnson’s town residences perhaps they look out of the window together and comment to each other, “The mother of that chav on that bus should have been sterilised. And look at that one over there! She’s wheeling a pushchair! World owes her a living or what? Both of her parents should have been done!”
1.07 million signatures on the petition against prorogation now.
The remainers have been disgraced themselves, and are reaping what they sowed. I have zero sympathy. Sure, the prorogation is clearly political, and more than a little squirrelly. But some of the remainers have been discussing ‘national unity’ governments, whilst that idiot Lucas wanted some feminist autarchy They’ve acted in an underhand, arrogant, devious manner at all times, and simply refuse to respect the result of the referendum. So, screw them.
Personally, I am tired to the moral rhetoric. The whole existential crisis language. The UK will be fine. It’s over remainers, try again in 10 years if you must, but Boris tanks are on your lawn, and you’re toast.
@Hieroglyph, old chap. You need to organise your mentation. I get it that you don’t like Remainers. Basically you think what the government is doing, and in particular the contempt it is showing for its opponents, is justified because its opponents are bad guys, not occasional bad guys, but bad guys but all the time. Is that right? Are you sure your main concern here is the question of whether or not Britain should belong to the EU? Or do you feel instead that you’re teaching a certain type of person a lesson? I’d be interested to know why you think membership of the EU is some kind of problem. I realise you think your opponents are a bunch of smellybum lowlifes.
What a coincidence, eh, @Hieroglyph, that you decided Brexit was good and then you were confirmed in your belief at a later date by what a bunch of rotters its opponents are? But what was your original reason for supporting Brexit? Or was “Brexit” itself a cause that confirmed some earlier unspoken belief that you had, possibly also involving rotters?
I agree wholeheartedly….we need to move to independence now before it’s too late.
Build support for it fast then – call for a Scottish general election and promise in the SNP manifesto to “hold a referendum before the end of 2019 if you the people elect us”. What’s the problem with that? Who is stopping the SNP leadership from taking that tack?
I am .surprised to see that comment from you considering how bitterly opposed to Scottish independence you usually are.
Maybe you should have a wee lie down.
Totally agree SNP need to be more active publicly or will lose majority of All Under One Banner Votes to who ever is prepared to step forward and take the lead. Alex Salmond needs to come forward we the Independence voters would welcome him now
Yes – bring back Alex.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2019/aug/28/steve-bell-on-johnsons-plan-to-prorogue-parliament-cartoon
I imagined that the depiction of Balmoral in Steve Bell’s cartoon was imagined. No. It really is a multi-turreted horror hole. There is an image of it here –
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/inside-royal-familys-balmoral-holiday-18990845
‘The architect was William Smith of Aberdeen, although his designs were amended by Prince Albert. The castle is an example of Scottish baronial architecture, and is classified by Historic Environment Scotland as a category A listed building.’. You can visit the grounds April-August for £12 a pop. How kind of Her Maj.
‘The Balmoral Estate has been added to by successive members of the royal family, and now covers an area of approximately 50,000 acres (20,000 ha). It is a working estate, including grouse moors, forestry, and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland cattle, and ponies.’
Let’s knock the idea on the head that it is some kind of established principle that Parliament can sack the government but it has not got the authority to “direct” it, an idea which is currently doing the rounds in Tory circles.
Of course Parliament can direct the government.
It’s worth remembering that when the Commons held the government in contempt for its refusal to publish attorney general Geoffrey Cox’s advice, the government did then publish the advice. On that occasion – which was when Theresa May was still prime minister – Jacob Rees-Mogg said
“(it is) no longer a matter for this government to judge, it has been decided by this house, which is a higher authority”.
Then there was the Grieve amendment, which required that the government make fortnightly reports on the progress of talks towards re-establishing the Northern Ireland Assembly. The key words? It REQUIRED that the government do something. That is called DIRECTING the government.
Scotland should push for independence as soon as possible. Wales should also break away and stay with Europe as well.N..Ireland should unite with Eire.leave the brexiteers with a 3rd rate England on it’s own.underdog with American scraps dished out by Trump and his cronies.
You know that the SNP rejected you for what you represent; if you think that they will risk having their snouts pulled out of the trough, you haven’t gained emotional independence from them.