Our obsequious media is actively perpetuating the myth that the monarch can do no wrong, and is apolitical. In fact the monarchy has been active and absolutely central to the seizure of power from the Westminster parliament in a right wing coup. Yesterday’s collaboration at Balmoral between the Queen and Jacob Rees Mogg is only the latest phase.
The monarch appoints the UK Prime Minister. The convention is that this must be the person who can command the support of the majority in the House of Commons. That does not necessarily have to be from a single party, it can be via a coalition or pact with other parties, but the essential point, established since Hanoverian times, is that the individual must have a majority in the Commons.
The very appointment of Boris Johnson by Elizabeth Saxe Coburg Gotha was a constitutional outrage. Johnson may have been selected by Conservative Party members, but that is not the qualification to be PM. Johnson very plainly did not command a majority in the House of Commons, proven by the fact that still at no stage has he demonstrated that he does. I do not write merely with hindsight.
Johnson’s flagship policy was always No Deal Brexit. Contrary to the monarchist propaganda spewed out across the entire MSM, not only is it untrue that the Queen had “no constitutional choice” but to appoint Johnson, the Queen had a clear constitutional duty not to appoint a Prime Minister whose flagship policy had already been specifically voted down time and again by the House of Commons.
The Queen has now doubled down on this original outrage by proroguing the Westminster parliament in conspiracy with old Etonians Rees Mogg and Johnson, specifically so that the House of Commons cannot vote down Johnson.
The monarchy will always be an extremely useful institution in promoting the political aims of the upper classes, not least because of the ludicrous media promulgation of its infallibility. When you have former Prime Minister John Major, senior Tories like Philip Hammond and Michael Heseltine, and the Speaker of the House of Commons himself all talking of “consitutional outrage”, it is plainly preposterous to insist that the monarchy cannot, by definition, have done anything wrong.
The Queen has appointed a Prime Minister who does not have the support of the House of Commons and then has conspired to prevent the House of Commons from obstructing her Prime Minister. That is not the action of a politically neutral monarchy. The institution should have been abolished decades ago. I do hope that all those who recognise the constitutional outrage, will acknowledge the role of the monarchy and that the institution needs to be swiftly abolished.
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Good to wake up to your common sense this morning, Craig. Thank you.
I’ll be going to Westminster to join the protests. #stopthecoup
German press calling it a Putsch which brings back memories of secondary school history lessons.
Spot on Craig.
We must have a General Election immediately, put Brexit on hold, and start plans for writing a Constitution which does not include any monarchical role.
We should get on the streets to demand this
Whilst I am no fan at all of the British monarchy, or the establishment in general, to describe what has happened as a right wing coup is absurd especially when you base it on a few habitually discontented, has been politicians. The Remainer wing of British politics has become as anti democratic, irrational and irrelevant as the Democrats in America. John Major prorogued Parliament for a much longer time than Johnson is going to so his ourage is hypocritical in the extreme. Hammond, Heseltine, Major and all their chums are completely at odds with 90% of the Conservative party members. They have consistently worked to undermine Britains position and against the interests of it’s people for a very long time. The sooner they and all the lying, backstabbing Remainer dross in Parliament are voted out the better things will be. There are very, very many outrages in UK politics but actually doing what the majority of the British electorate want is not one of them and seeing Remainers whining and crying when they don’t get their way is, most certainly, worth whatever Boris has to do.
Please explain how the Democratic Party in the USA is “undemocratic” and “irrelevant”?
Please enjoy your hard Brexit and all the food, fuel and medicine shortages, travel disruption, rampant inflation and civil unrest it will bring. Please also enjoy being ruled by your farcical tin-pot Mussolini.
Congratulations! You can now drop the OnlyHalfA from your title
Dear Alec you do not seemed to have grasped what Craig has written. Your devious low life lying scum of a prime minister represents everything that is corrupt and rotten in your Great British establishment. As for Her Majesty we saw just how pleased she was in 2014 when she started “purring” down the phone to Cameron in her unashamed delight that Scotland had lost the Referendum. Scotland does not want your racist English Brexit and is sick of the long line of incompetent English chancers who call themselves a Prime Minister. The French had the right idea about their monarchy and we, minus the guillotine need to rid ourselves of these manipulators of democracy. Your warped view of this nasty little country controlled by a wealthy elite and your evident pride in a “British (English) electorate” tells us all we need to know that your admiration for these people has been sorely misplaced.
@ Grafter. Had the English been included in the last Scottish Referendum, you’d all be sinking in your own filth by now. Most of us down here would be well shot of you and your perpetual whinging.
“Sinking in your own filth”? Goodwin a little racist perhaps?
Scotland wouldn’t want to include your filth in its referendum most of us up here would be happy to set you adrift.
Look at a map.
You will look so tiny to the rest of the world once they see your true size.
England is the ultimate bloodsucking parasitical country
If Scotland becomes independent, it should also be independent from Brussels. Otherwise you just swap one cabal for another.
I am often baffled why so many in Scotland are anti-UK but pro-EU. This does not make much sense to me.
Ditto
To an Englishman not much makes sense in the world
The thing is you show clearly that you have little knowledge of the workings of the EU
Each member of the EU gets a vote and has a veto and each member controls its own economy and finances
In the UK England has more votes than Scotland wales Ireland added together and England controls the economy and finances of Scotland wales and Ireland allocating each a budget each year
Simple really to understand why Scotland is leaving the UK
Tell that story about the members “controlling” their own economies to Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy ad infinitum ad nauseum
@ Alec Finally, the voice of reason.
Hoi Goatboy…sorry…Goodwin, please agitate to have England become independent from Scotland. We’d be ever so grateful. Sick of you parasites stealing our natural resources. 🙂
“John Major prorogued Parliament for a much longer time than Johnson is going to”
That is factually incorrect, Major did it for 19 days and just before a GE. The point here is that Johnson is doing it for six weeks in order to avoid a vote of no confidence so as to push through a policy for which he has no mandate and which will damage the nations interest. They are simply not comparable.
So, Alec, Remainer MPs have worked to thwart the will of the majority? Well, with the benefit of hindsight, more might have swallowed any misgivings they had about the ‘deal’ that Mrs May brought home and voted for it rather than against it. Mind you, the ERG voted against it too, every time there was a vote I recall. Are they ‘habitually discontented, has been (sic) politicians’? Do you brand them the same? Or, like them, are you a ‘no-deal’ Brexiteer? It seems to me that those who reject the only deal that was on the table care nothing for the continuation of peace and security in Northern Ireland. The ERG and their ilk are the outrage. They are the backstabbing Brexiteers. A ‘no deal’ outcome was their only objective and proroguing Parliament is merely a demonstration that they will do anything to achieve it.
How is what has just taken place anything other than a right wing coup? A small group of ‘Posh Boys’ from the millionaire class, aided and abetted apparently by an unelected Head of State seek to sideline Parliament. So what have we just seen- Eton Fives? As to remainers-do enumerate the means by which the UK can survive a no-deal in Economic Terms. I keep asking this question, but never get an answer.
What is surprising about the whole saga is that the Queen has been so open in collluding with Johnson and defying democracy – as well, of course, as the obvious collusion with the Americans over Brexit. It’s hard to know whether it is arrogance, complacency or desperation from the establishment – or a combination.
They seem to be wilfully misjudging the increasingly angry mood of the public that has been building since the 2017 election. Whatever happens on Brexit, it’s hard to see our constitutional set-up surviving.
Perhaps senile dementia is setting in to the old biddy. There should be an abdication and the end of the UK monarchy. Past their sell by date.
She is very unhappy about this. Read The Mirror. It is a coup. She has not signed the statement proroguing Parliament
I read the Mirror’s article but I didn’t read that she hadn’t signed it – always possible that I missed that bit. The media, as part of the establishment, will do their best to persuade us that the Queen had no choice but to sign it. Certainly that was the tone of the article that I read – its intent was to garner sympathy for her being put in such a position, I thought.
The Queen’s ancestors took the surname Windsor over 100 years ago. Consequently, she had the surname Windsor by birth, and therefore Saxe-Coburg Gotha is incorrect.
Boris Johnson has been lawfully appointed by her, and view of the DUP’s cooperation he not only does but will continue to command a (narrow) majority in the Commons, in the absence of a successful motion of No Confidence. Even if he had a minority government that would not be unlawful, since we have had such many times. It’s called a coalition.
In an imperfect world, Her Majesty is not only worth having, but also her son after her, and her grandson after that!
The crises of democracy that is occurring was not only entirely predictable but could have been avoided by the simple constitutional and democratic process of having a GE. The regime now occupying no.10 refer to themselves as “the new government” and the Queen is due to make a speech to the Commons outlining the manifesto of this “new government”, yet not one single person has been given an opportunity to vote for them. One can argue all one likes about legalities and constitution but this is not democracy.
Yeah but then she got married to a mr battenberg who had also had his name changed and then refused to adopt it as any head of a christian church should have.
There is a story about how Mountbatten had a design printed on the day of the marriage to celbrate the new monarchic name.
As the head of state it is hard not to conclude that on this occasion HMQ has let the country down. I agree with Craig, The Pig That Walks On Two Legs should never have even been allowed to get a sniff at no.10.
Any stunt like this from a Tory-Etonian leader will be cloaked in legitimacy by royalty, the BBC et al.
Yesterday Owen Jones asked people to consider how the British establishment would respond if Jeremy Corbyn attempted something similar if he were in Boris Johnson’s position
“Consider this thought experiment. Jeremy Corbyn is prime minister, despite never winning a general election. His party lacks a majority, and is dependent on the support of the Scottish National party, support he secured in exchange for bunging them a legal bribe. He wishes to impose a radical proposal which, by any objective measure, will result in a self-inflicted economic shock, damage the country’s social fabric and leave us internationally weakened. Knowing that parliament opposes such a measure, he simply suspends it. Imagine the hysteria, the cries of Venezuela, of communist tyranny. Where Johnson’s assault on democracy is normalised, if a Prime Minister Corbyn attempted it, the forces of the establishment would intervene to thwart it, whatever it took.”
Yes, too right is Owen. The establishment will do all it can to prevent Mr Corbyn getting into No.10. As a result, I fear for him. He really is up against it. There is so much that is wrong with what the Tories (aided by the Lib-Dems) have done to the fabric of this nation and yet, hardly a peep from the MSM. We are like lambs, willingly led to slaughter and barely a bleat is heard.
Even before Boris’s coup d’etat, the UK system was not a democracy. Even when the government had the support of a majority of MPs in the House of Commons, those MPs had to swear allegiance to the Queen. So that ruled out committed republicans like Sinn Fein who, as I understand it, would have voted for Corbyn and given him a majority. That’s what would have happened in a real democracy, but it’s simply accepted that elected MPs can only vote in parliament if they’re monarchists or pretend to be monarchists.
Sinn Fein’s 14 votes in the House of Commons would make such an important difference. Is there no way they might be convinced of the importance of their votes at this critical time? Especially critical for the welfare of both N. Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Johnson’s decision to prorogue is primarily if not uniquely about the Conservative party’s prospects in the forthcoming general election. His NoDeal Brexit on 31st October will (he believes) demolish the Brexit Party’s prospects of grabbing Conservative votes. It is of no concern to Johnson what damage NoDeal will do elsewhere.
Maths bad, sorry. I believe the number of Sinn Fein MPs is 7
This is indeed a Putch.
No one however should be surprised at the actions of the matriarch of the royal family.
The queen ain’t no democrat.
She comes from a long line of fascists who believe in rank and privilege.
The slide into totalitarianism is now underway and who cannot but now not imagine what life is set to become for the underclasses.
Soewtto sink estates for the poor. Nacht und Nabel for the political dissidents. The future is not looking bright for the underclasses.
And in Scotland, dear old Scotland, the suspension of the Scottish Parliament.
Johnson was elected PM by no one save the Tory party. The Queen was elected by no one.
No democracy, no rule of law.
Time for us to return our MPs and for Holyrood to declare independence.
‘Nacht und Nabel’, Willie, please explain the importance of ‘Night and navel’ to us, unless you’ve made a mistake.
nacht und nebel – nazi decree to pacify occupied France early 1940’s – the suspect would disappear and loved ones would never be told what happened or where the suspect was. “Night and Fog” would descend on the resistance.
Yeah Old Lizzie hss form alright, she signed off on the transfer of sovereignty of 6000 miles of Scottish seas to England. She purred with delight at Yes losing the 2014 indyref.
I do hope in a future independent Scotland that we utterly reject the cosseted parasitic royals once and for all.
Meanwhile Jonna Cherry, who had a bogus smear campaign aimed at her recently, heads up a cross party group of MP’s and Lords that will ask Edinburgh’s Court of Session if it can overturn Johnson’s coming suspension of parliament.
As the Queen has already given consent for the proroguing of parliament the aim is to attempt to have it suspended rather than an interdict.
I should have added the petitioners (MP’s and Lords) are arguing that a no deal Brexit is illegal because it does not have the approval of MP’s.
Not relevant if The Oaf runs the clock down to November 1st. The extension ends and we are out.
It’s irrelevant and academic even if the projectistas from the EU grant or offer an extension afterwards.
So your claim of illegality is a very grand ‘non sequitur’…_
Its not my claim I’m merely passing info I’ve read as to options available. One other option could be a vote of no confidence in the government, which would almost certainly lead to a GE. Of which I’d hope Scotland would run on a ticket of independence provided the independence parties had a majority.
Though Johnson would more than likely wait until the deadline had passed to call it.
what if the EU does not accept our out because it comes out of SnollyG. Johnson’s fan club of leftover fascists, not by a majority of Parliament and or as the result of a GE.
I have been hopping mad for days in trying to find any coherence and or legitimacy in any of his moves. Now this Royal back slap and come on, what is the House of Windsor signalling to other Royalist’s households in Europe?
Is it ” bye bye you sad sorries, we are now sailing orf, I’ve got the biggest crown and the largest monies in offshore havens, together with crooks and dubious Russian oligarchs,etc., you will all have to be nice to me to come to my Garden parties, best bring some peasant loot to cheer me up some more, its all going to be soo expensive in future, hahaha tallyhoo”
The BBC has gone into full ‘migrants swarming our beaches ,again’ mode and apart from major resignations not much will emanate out of this propaganda machine in form of explaining why it is that the Royal household are getting the hobnail boots out to march to their own hollow sounds from their draw bridges and keeps.
Es ist ein Putsch, und wer will mit Putschisten debatieren? it is a coup, and who dares to speak/debate with runaway putschistas?
Yesteday when all thiswas unfolding, and we saw Mogg entering Balmoral, It struck me then that the queen was complicit and consenting, last night on Newsnight, a elderly retired judge pontificated that the PM is her sole source of advice and ashe had no choice but to accept it. It must have been obvious even to he that the proposal was an evasion of any democratic principle. This obvious failure may along with youth shagger Andy put paid to the credibility of the monarchy.But expect more media massaging of the queens position to make it seem she iswithout fault.Actually wondr if she can follow what is going on.maybe compulsory retirement at70 but that would see the dcision made by Charles. Actually it is all looking farcical.
To add to your farce, Charles will be 71 in November.
“That is not the action of a politically neutral monarchy”
lol. It is amazing this presentation of royalty as some sort of impartial arbiter of justice.
I think that it’s defiantly worth taking in the perspective that this is in fact not a coup. but a kind of meltdown. Though myself have big issues with republicanism & any centralised executive control structures, Can’t we just skip it? They are really very similar …What comes next…
?
Not a meltdown, A highlighting of deep issues. I think Aaron Bastani provided a very informative structural view. But though we no doubt need to work with parliament organisation in the short term, where we are heading should not be that as we know where it always tends. It’s only real “legitimacy” lies in the fact if we blew them up tomorrow? (hypothetically speaking) People have been made dependent on unjust forms of organisation & many more would suffer.
I am trying to imagine The Queen actively plotting a coup with Johnson .
Perhaps she consulted her second son for advice. He is, after all, the expert on (current) affairs.
I thought it was sex with young girls, but you are probably better informed Sharp.
Maybe all this agreement to Putschists is all about getting away from that awful ‘Epstein story’. My poor Andrew is more important than the state of this country? would not put such feelings past any mother, there other more awkward examples of this psychological bond being stronger than anything else.
Dominic Cummings plotted it. The queen collaborated by just happily waving it through.
Nepotism.
‘selected by 90,000 old men’
Judging from here in leafy Surrey, (all 11 Surrey MPs are Tory MPs and are ministers or ex ministers*) I would say mostly old women too.
Hunt to face Johnson amid rumours of tactical voting in Tory leadership race
Johnson’s team accused of skullduggery after Michael Gove knocked out by narrow margin
https://www.dumptheguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/20/jeremy-hunt-and-boris-johnson-are-final-two-in-tory-leadership-race
Johnson beat his rival, Jeremy Hunt, by 92,153 votes to 46,656. The membership is stated as 160,000.
Hunt is just as devious and dishonest and would have handed OUR NHS over to the Americans. I don’t think Boris will do that. Or hope not!
*Hunt. Milton. Gove. Hammond. Beresford. Lord. Gyimah. Grayling. Blunt. Kwarteng. Raab.
What makes you doubt Boris Johnson would hand over the NHS?
It always surprises me when I see photos of various royals wearing a watch, as if they really need to know what time it is, or if they have to be somewhere at a certain time. The Queen probably doesn’t even know what day of the week it is. Well, why would she?
Further, I doubt the queen has any idea what’s going on socially, culturally or politically in the UK but her army of advisors certainly do. These are the ones responsible for yesterdays events, not the queen. These people are the absolute inner circle of the British establishment and are the true enemy of the state.
They don’t appoint themselves though.
“It always surprises me when I see photos of various royals wearing a watch, as if they really need to know what time it is, or if they have to be somewhere at a certain time. The Queen probably doesn’t even know what day of the week it is. Well, why would she?”
Au contraire: “punctuality is the politeness of kings”. As you’d expect in view of the Queen’s work load – impressive for anyone, let alone a woman of 93. (Although some of Craig’s remarks – and those of his sympathizers – seem reprehensibly ageist. Other things being equal, what is wrong with being over 70, or 80, or 90? Is it significant that Craig himself is now over 60, which is apparently quite OK?)
“Queen Elizabeth II completed nearly 40 engagements in May 2019, an increase of 23 percent from the same month last year and a staggering 58 percent jump from May 2017.
“While overall her statistics are a bit down from the same time frame of last year (when she’d polished off 25 percent more work than the first five months of 2017), they are ahead of those same 2017 statistics, by 12 percent, to be precise”.
https://writeroyalty.com/the-queen-is-unstoppable-just-look-at-her-work-statistics/
“It always surprises me when I see photos of various royals wearing a watch, as if they really need to know what time it is,”
It’s so that they know when the 3:20 at Kempton gets underway.
I’m very disappointed with this Craig. First of all.
1) I AM NOT A MONARCHIST.
2) I DETEST THE TORIES.
3) I SUPPORT SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE
The Queen has no power. The Queen is not a politician. She is 93 years old.
Technically she may appoint the Prime Minister. But how many times since 1689 has the monarch refused the appointment of a Prime Minister? She may have some power in theory, but any exercise of that power is going to lead to a lot more problems than it could possibly solve. I know you may like that, but thank you, civil war is not a prospect I want.
Scotland needs to be independent. That will happen when the conditions are right for it to happen. As the Soviet Union fell apart peacefully so can the United Kingdom. I too look forward to that day, but it will not be achieved in the way you seem to want it.
And the Queen’s surname is Windsor. She is not German. Her maternal grandfather’s family were Scottish nobility.
I’m defending her and I’m not even a monarchist! Disliking the royal family will not make Scotland independent. I’m on your side Craig.
What would you prefer? Genuine independence for Scotland or a UK republic? Westminster is Scotland’s enemy not Windsor.
Blair sorted out the House of Lords and got rid of most of the hereditary peers. The Queen didn’t prevent that did she?
This from 2001:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1329604/The-Queen-could-in-theory-have-turned-the-Prime-Minister-down.html
?
Not that anyone plays with a totally full deck, But I don’t see where you are are coming from at all. Your not a monarchist but your defending it ? How does that work ?
I take it you must REALLY hate Heathcote Williams.
Ishmael, let me help you a little. John declares that he is not a monarchist, so his remarks do not reflect any bias on his part.
It seems clear to me that he is simply pointing out the unfairness and powerful bias evinced by Craig’s article.
“I’m defending her” ?
& We are all bias.
Also Craig is not attacking her in a personal capacity, but in political role. & anyone who doesn’t think they are a constant political force with very real influence influence in many arenas is frankly deluded. This is one case, & quite correct that it is a break to convention.
“She is 93 years old.”
Trouble is she is still heading the country, at that age and long past her retirement date. Enough of your unconscious drivel she is “apolitical”, without her ascent ie signature/consent/agreement, no laws can be enacted and no prime ministers appointed, etc. That is not “apolitical ” but “bloody political”
“Westminster is Scotland’s enemy not Windsor.”
Yeah right, as if she wouldn’t know.
http://www.oilofscotland.org/scottish_politics.html#Scotlands_marine_boundries
Technically she may appoint the Prime Minister. But how many times since 1689 has the monarch refused the appointment of a Prime Minister? She may have some power in theory, but any exercise of that power is going to lead to a lot more problems than it could possibly solve. I know you may like that, but thank you, civil war is not a prospect I want.
How many times since 1689, John 2020, have the Queens of these isles gotten into problems and what did these entail, what ‘problems’ is she evading by giving her salute to some wannabe Churchillian interloper who lies and cheats? one of many well trained Etonian snollygoster’s.?
” But how many times since 1689 has the monarch refused the appointment of a Prime Minister?”
Far too many to list. You might want to start by looking up CJ Fox.
She is actually Mrs Mountbatten.
And there is no denying the German royal heritage in both sides of the current royal family – not that it upsets me so much it’s the obfuscation with names which is weirdly defended.
Tome Devine good this morning, and perhaps more relevance than a doddery old woman with no actual power.
The odious and the wretched lined up yesterday to congratulate Boris Johnson on his moves to prorogue parliament.
First up was Arlene Foster of the DUP, who welcomed the move, talks are underway between the DUP and the Tories to renew their agreement of support, cue the magic money tree, or a slice of the EU marked £39 billion pounds.
Next up was the man of Orange, the Trumpster, who Tweeted his support for Johnson’s suspension of parliament, no doubt it might give him ideas for back home.
If Trump had any doubts Johnson might be looking for a deal with the EU, and scupper the biggest US takeover of UK public institutions in forever, he needn’t worry, for his words to Johnson that the Brussels is such a tough negotiator, haven’t fallen on deaf ears.
‘…no doubt it might give him ideas for back home.’ Nope. Turn that round. The Trump chimp and its minions have shut down American government before, and threatened it as well. Where do you think the Johnson chimp got the idea from? It’s just the UK copying America, as usual.
The decision to prorogue parliament was not signed by the Queen. Her official statement is due on October the 14th. The media will draw up fury against the Queen, but I fear she may have been shoe horned into a fait accompli, a coup in other words. There is a plan to remove her physically for her own safety. This is a further coup. Our parliamentary system is a triple lock system. Law is initiated in the Commons, made to fit existing law by the Lords committees, voted for in the Commons again, and then signed into being by the Queen. The Queen has the right to call for Boris’s resignation. Because he is placing the unity of the United Kingdom in jeopardy, and is a clear and present danger to all of us. Who controls the army? Officially she does. Boris is inciting social unrest. We need the Queen to speak her own words and lead. William and his wife are not up to the job. This is a tough call for an old lady of 93. But it is her job and we need her to do it
Nope, not going to happen. Dream on …
Alyson,
All the queen had to do was tell Boris that “now is not the time” and that she’d consider the matter again in early November, after the fullest and best advice.
Laid bear before the British people, is how the ruling classes only allow ‘democracy’ when it suits them to hoodwink the masses.. The UK ruling class have had 700 years, to write laws and conventions and hint at customs to keep the plebs doffing their caps. It’s about time the working class took control and get rid of this dictatorship of capital and replace it with the dictatorship of the proletariat.
… time the working class took control … Noble sentiments indeed, but it was largely the working class areas in Britain who felt they had been left behind and had not participated in any of the benefits that the rest of the country seemed to be enjoying. Many of these areas voted in the EU referendum to withdraw from the European Union, influenced by what they read on the side of a red bus and not having either the wherewithal, inclination or the capacity to analyse exactly what their vote would result in.
One has to hand it to this ruling class, they really know how to get the proletariat to vote against their own interests time after time. While the proletariat are influenced by a billionaire owned press and think that Right wing media has their interests at heart, it’ll be a cold day in Hell before the working class of this nation can aspire to any seat of government – they have to be educated first.
In or out the EU the working class will pay with slump, trade war and shooting war. There was a very large element of the working class that just simple voted against the austerity imposed Tory government in 2016. They wanted to damage the Tories. Fast forward 3 years and the civil war in the Tory party is an open sewer. The Tories have exposed themselves as not giving a fig leaf about democracy and they are now going to pump billions into the economy. Misguided as it will be. In other words, those working class people, probably as high as 4 million, that voted simply as an anti Tory government vote and to get rid of Cameron have ‘educated’ the rest of the population about the true fascistic nature of British ‘democracy’.
The working class on the whole don’t believe the bullshit spewed out by politicians. To say they were ‘influenced’ by the red bus is disingenuous. There’s a simply truth the Tories and their hangers on in the Libdems, pushed since 2010 make the working class pay for the bail out. Don’t increase resources like school places, starve the NHS of cash by not increasing the number of doctors, GP’s and nurses etc., so the NHS becomes a worse mess than it was, allow expensive housing to be built that people cannot genuinely afford then on the appearance the ‘blame increased numbers’ for this is all to evident.
To claim it is only the working class that is ‘influenced’ by the billionaire owned press is bizarre. The ‘Liberal’ Guradian has pushed and pushed the ‘Russians have done it’ (by it MH17, or the Skripals, or chemical weapons used y the Syrian government) and the gullible petty bourgeois have fell for it time and time again. Similarly, fall for the bull over Hong Kong and before that Zimbabwe. In fact the petty bourgeois are the instrument whereby the bull is attempt to con the working class. Sections of the ‘informed’ petty bourgeois voted to stay in the EU because they benefit enormously from it. Despite the way the EU, Britain included, treated Greece and in Britain’s case forced the Irish to bail out the Ulster bank – a British bank -to the tune of £9 million. The EU have always acted in the interests of big business when push come to shove and impose austerity on small nations to save the Euro, the single market and the customs union. It is no coincidence that Corbyn does not receive any good publicity on the continent for his idea about re-ationalising railways, water and energy. Because they’re mostly owned by German and French companies. If Corbyn does get elected when a general election is called maybe soon, watch the EU scupper his nationalisation plans or demand an exorbitant price.
The ‘debate’ about the EU is nothing more than a ‘debate’ about which side of the trade war to be on – the US’s side proposed by Johnson, Rees Mogg, Farage et al or the EU’s side proposed by the Blairites, other Labourites, Libdems, Greens etc. Similar, to the debates arguments in the 1930’s about whether to support Hitler or not. The working class have nothing to lose but the chains of the dictatorship of capital and should put all it’s efforts into analysing what is really going on and build a movement to take power through the dictatorship of the proletariat.
Russia has tried it, the result is well known. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Why? Because it would lead to invasions, sanctions, subversion of the sort being practised against Venezuela? And you are for a quiet life?
Some of the sincere illusion that in all these 700 years we have been guided by a Constitution, what a laugh we all had, more like a con titulation, the best book that never was, off course, this is always easy to usurp with the City of London Corp. management guidance.
Pedantry; “actively perpetuating the myth than the monarch can do no wrong”. Should it not be “that” ?
[ Mod: Thanks. Duly amended. ]
Very true Craig, fact is when Johnny Foreigners do this sort of thing, they are denounced as “tin pot dictatorships” and “banana republics”, won’t you agree that there should be some room made for a banana imprint on our national flag now?
Interesting article.
TBH, I was expecting a far higher level of REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, but previous commentators made up for this.
Good post.
The queen’s name
It isn’t Elizabeth Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. It’s Elizabeth Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg,
Eton College
Eton College is located next to the monarch’s principal castle, Windsor. Moreover, most of the senior male officials in the royal household attended Eton. It’s an institution that’s very close to the royal family and the monarchy.
Weaknesses
It’s not just Prince Andrew and the sex-crime allegations made against him, although the fact that these have been able to surface (whereas they didn’t in regard to Prince Philip’s involvement with Chatsworth, John Profumo, Stephen Ward and the Duchess of Argyll, nor – at least much – in relation to Prince Charles, Michael Fawcett and rent boys) does indicate they are in trouble.
There are also the details of prorogation. Its start date is not defined exactly and arguably leaves room for a vote of no confidence; and its end date has been scheduled before the next European Council meeting. They’re trying to cover a public relations gap and they’re failing. If they were strong they would simply say “Parliament is prorogued from right now until November, and anybody who doesn’t like it can f*** off”. And if hundreds of MPs congregate in Church House or Central Hall, just ignore them, smear their leaders in the press, or arrest them.
Moreover Boris Johnson has been telling the outrageous Trumpian lie that this prorogation is normal and he has also been saying that the only reason for it is that it’s been an unusually long time since the last prorogation, and that the government has got a big legislative programme (schools, hospitals, yawn), for which it needs a “Queen’s Speech”. Well it is not normal. And the stated reason that Parliament is running for two years rather than the usual one year was precisely because Theresa May said there wasn’t a great deal of legislation in the pipeline. It was also made clear after the election in 2017 that the Tory minority government didn’t want to suffer all the bother of a queen’s speech and to incur the risks that might be attendant on its putting all of its programme in one basket like that.
Those with memories might also like to think back to 2010, when as in 2017 the Tories similarly “won” but without getting a majority. The whole point of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act was to help the Tory government by making it harder for the Liberal Democrats to bring them down – under pressure from the LibDem membership or at least from the second tier – and there was also the ridiculous idea of requiring a 55% majority for a vote of no confidence to be successful.
This is important because the idiots who parrot the line that “the queen mustn’t be dragged into politics” as though that would be the most shockingly improper thing in the world (note that they almost always use the same verb – “dragged”) don’t even remember the circumstances in 2017 in which the 2018 queen’s speech was dispensed with.
Perhaps young people need it to be said clearly: the queen is a Tory. The queen is a Tory. The queen is a Tory. I hope I’m being clear. The queen is a Tory.
The queen is also a Brexit head. In fact her intervention, which was surfaced both through the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg (Tory) and the Sun newspaper (Tory), could have been what won the referendum for Brexit. Don’t tell me that when the queen appears on the front page of the Sun advocating Brexit on the eve of the referendum (the headlines were “QUEEN BACKS BREXIT” and “GIVE ME 3 GOOD REASONS TO STAY IN EUROPE”) that doesn’t influence a large number of people.
The amount of filth that could come out about the royal family would exceed the waste from any army latrine.
Lastly: I am fed up to the eye teeth of hearing posh scum and their middle class journalistic hangers-on saying that it takes months to organise a referendum. No it doesn’t. Greece held one in little more than a week, and Britain could too.
But…..but….what about all the hospitals and bridges they pay for that get named after them……oh, hang on. My mistake sorry.
Lets not forget Harry dressed as a Nazi, Prince Andrew feathering his own nest as British ambassador of trade, whilst his ex-wife (toe sucker) Sarah rented him out to the highest bidder.
Or the millions of pounds of public cash spent on Willie and Kates luxury pad.
The royals are nothing more than a antiquated and very expensive sideshow.
“It’s not just Prince Andrew and the sex-crime allegations made against him, although the fact that these have been able to surface..”
The English establishment was not able to suppress the allegations because they were in US court documents. The allegations were then published in US media and on widely-read independent websites. If the whole case had been in the UK, I am sure we would have heard only rumours.
The US establishment initially tried to hush up Epstein’s crimes and his association with figures like Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz, Bill Richardson, Donald Trump (at least before he fell out with Epstein) and others. However, the US has strong constitutional rights and ultimately Epstein’s crimes did become public knowledge.
What is amazing about Andrew Windsor is that he continued his friendship with Epstein even after Epstein’s conviction, knowing full well what the consequences might be if his “friendship” became public knowledge. I think this says a lot about how invulnerable the English ruling classes believes itself to be.
And yes, the Queen is certainly a Tory by sentiment. But, like a judge, the head of state is supposed to put that aside and not allow personal bias to affect her judgement. She has not. And because she has not, she is no longer credible as head of state. She should abdicate immediately.
What crimes? The age of consent in the UK is 16. We may not like what he did, essentially buying sex, but it is not yet a crime.
Bevin we don’t know what he did nor Epstein for that matter. I’m all for “innocent until proven guilty ” but in this particular case, a visceral emotion arises when I consider the many hundreds of young girls raped, beaten and lent out by Epstein over the last 20 years – also Maxwell’s reported remark “…. these girls are just trash…. “. I thought the dildos, rape dogs and naked bum pyramids at Abu Gharib was “the fall of the west”, it turns out I was wrong – that was just the warm up act. The industrial scale sex trafficking operations of Epstein and facilitators ( Maxwell, Dershowitz, Kenneth Starr et al ), which I contend, like the Great Wall of China could’ve been seen from outer space was “the Fall of the West”. Don’t forget the Miami Herald article touches briefly on the suicides and drug addiction present among the group of potential witnesses.That is just in Florida.
Craig :
“The very appointment of Boris Johnson by Elizabeth Saxe Coburg Gotha was a constitutional outrage.”
and
“The Queen has now doubled down on this original outrage by proroguing the Westminster parliament …”
and
“… John Major, senior Tories […] and the Speaker of the House of Commons himself all talking of “consitutional outrage””
and
“I do hope that all those who recognise the constitutional outrage, will acknowledge the role of the monarchy …”
Rees-Mogg :
“Outrage Over Suspending Parliament is ‘Phony'”
Oh, really? Well if you say so.
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201908291076667619-outrage-over-suspending-parliament-is-phony—uk-parliament-leader-jacob-rees-mogg/
Some years ago I went on a tour of royal yacht Britannia moored in Leith. I was amazed (appalled would be more appropriate) at the degree of design and build that went into this boat to prevent the exulted royal family ever having to see or interact with the crew. Apparently there was hell to pay when Princess Diana on one occasion actually engaged crew members in conversation. The Royals are an outdated anachronism that symbolise everything that is wrong with this country. Doff your hat, know your place and do as you’re told—they should be pensioned off and their huge wealth and landholdings should be used for the public good.
Agree Harry. The entire concept of “royalty” should not exist outside of fairytale books. Patently absurd that it persists in an age of universal education.
And interestingly, Harry, Britannia was the last royal naval vessel to afford its ratings a bunk bed when they previously slept in hammocks slung from the bulkhead. Hence the saying : Sling your hook !
Thank you Rod for that very interesting snippet.
I should add Rod, this site disagrees with your synopsis.
“The term sling your hook is a polite way of telling someone to go away. This term has a nautical origin. Hook was a name given to the ship’s anchor, and the sling was the cradle that housed the anchor. Therefore, to sling your hook meant to lift anchor, stow it and sail away.”
Other interpretation are available though. Such as yours.
https://www.grammar-monster.com/sayings_proverbs/sling_your_hook.htm
I also remember Rod that bar room facilities were segregated into three or four categories amongst crew members with the lowliest of the low allowed only beer and stools whilst at the top the captain was allowed wine and spirits with upholstery. Was the captain’s backside in any more in need of comfort than those who did all the donkey work I ask myself? In fact the whole on board experience was a microcosm of the class system writ large—and when the tour was over you they wanted you to buy their overpriced souvenir tat of which, naturally, I did not partake.
The name is actually von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha.
If she had refused, I wonder if certain photos, etc might have made their way into the MSM. Any connection with Andrew?
No, that’s not the name. The woman who is referred to got married. Among German princes it’s the male line that counts.
Here is Jacob Rees-Mogg on 3 December 2018 saying in the Commons that the Commons is “a higher authority” than the government: video clip (for those who like such things), and the record in Hansard (for those who prefer reading).
“When the Government lose a vote, they must follow the will of this House under an Humble Address, according to all precedent. It is no longer a matter for the Government to judge; it has been decided by this House, which is a higher authority.”
The idea that Parliament can only sack the government and can’t “direct” it is currently being spread around in Tory circles. It is utter cack. Parliament routinely directs the government, for example with instructions that a minister should appear before a committee. Only a short while ago there was the direction that the government should publish the Geoffrey Cox advice, and there was also the Dominic Grieve amendment requiring that a minister report to the Commons.
Never trust a sneering Tory a*sehole, whether he calls himself a politician, a historian, or whatever, who goes on about the “constitution” and “precedent” and “protocol”. He means mainly one think: that his type should be able to get away with anything they want. Tories are thugs.
To be outraged by the monarch doing what the monarch has done, is the same as being caught with your pants down unexpectedly. It should surprise nobody.
The Queen has the task of holding her kingdom together, might not be important to most of us here, but it is essential to her, it goes with the job.
As most everybody here realises, the prospect of that kingdom being wound down is real. Indyref 2, and Irish unification referenda are serious prospects. So stop running around like headless chickens…_
Hi Craig, always a troublesome issue. If the Queen is only permitted a decorative role in the political system, you cannot then ask her to act beyond what her political masters tell her to do. Otherwise, you would appear to be demanding of the monarchy a political role which is surely undesirable. The travesty today is that those who can claim political mastery not only are in a position in which they can take parliament out of the equation for several key weeks, but also that they should choose to do so in what is so clearly a cynical ploy to force their own agenda.
After Boris Johnson’s election by the conservative party, to whom else could the Queen turn for the appointment of a prime minister in the absence of any other party or coalition able to claim a majority?
On the subject of majorities, I have too often heard it claimed that we should respect the “will of the people” or the “majority” who voted for Brexit (me included). 17.4 million is a long way from a majority of the total voting population of nearly 46 million (in 2016). That may partly account for the level of dissatisfaction felt today. It’s time, in my view, that such a major consitutional change as Brexit should command a true majority of 60% of the voting population. I certainly did not vote for a “no-deal” Brexit. Like you, I would be happy to see something similar to Norway.
So you’re content enough with 50% for Brexit, but should there be any future referendums ( in Ireland, Scotland, or Brexit2) you want to set the hurdle at 60%. I see.
You Tweeted: ‘selected by 90,000 racist old men’.
Since shortly after the last war, the Conservatives and Labour have pursued a bipartisan policy of Third World immigration. Why would racists join a party which is resolved to make whites a minority? Like much else of today’s offering, it doesn’t make sense.
If you are a racist and want also to have cheap immigrant labour to do dirty and underpaid jobs, then why would there be any objection to supporting the Conservative Party which has a long track-record of ticking both boxes? Johnny Foreigner is fine so long as he/she keeps his/her mouth shut and does the jobs we consider beneath our dignity. I would not dream of saying all Conservatives are racist – because they are not. However most racists vote Conservative, … or Brexit or UKIP if they do not think the Conservative Party is racist enough.
Why would a racist vote Labour, LibDem, Green, or SNP in Scotland? Hardly likely to deliver the goods as the Conservative Party has consistently with its “Hostile Environment” and proven track-record with Windrush.
TonyT12—Churchill, deeply concerned for social cohesion, suggested ‘Keep England White’ as an election slogan when he was prime minister. By the standards of the time, the sentiment was unremarkable. Today’s Conservative Party bears no resemblance to the party of 60+ years ago.
Today’s conservative party is the party of sixty years ago. In the 1920’s, Lloyd George, long after being co-opted as an establishment tool, wrote of the right to bomb niggers – meanwhile Churchill was ordering the gassing of the Kurds of Mesopetamia . Today tory grandees ( or if you prefer deep state insiders ), like Baron Patten of Barnes, are attacking Johnson but not as mea culpa – along the lines of “oh why did I not realise that Johnson is bad” . Johnson and his cohort are their children, their political heirs. The stench of political hypocrisy is almost as strong as the stench of poison gas was in the genocided Kurdish villages of 1920’s Mesopotamia. I am reminded of Tiberius as he considered his heir, Caligula –
“I am nursing a viper in Rome’s bosom,”
As Philip K Dick highlights in “The Man in the Highcastle” THE EMPIRE NEVER DIES
“Today’s conservative party is the party of sixty years ago. In the 1920’s, Lloyd George…”
David Lloyd George was leader of the Liberal Party, and was their last Prime Minister.
“Why would racists join a party which is resolved to make whites a minority? Like much else of today’s offering, it doesn’t make sense”
Indeed John, Craig is as guilty as the rest of them propagating the phony left/right divide, the illusion of ‘choice’.
How people can still get excited by this media game of ‘bread and circuses’ for the gullible is beyond me.
The game is rigged, choice is an illusion, how long will it take the ‘left’ , the ‘right’ ‘nationalists’ ‘federalists’ remainers’, ‘exiters’ and the rest to realise this?
While we squabble and fight among ourselves, we are ruled and the 1 world agenda unfolds without our consent, get used to it.