It is worth just taking a breath and considering that a prime minister of the United Kingdom has been found by the highest court in the land to have acted unlawfully in shutting down the sovereign body in our constitution, Parliament, at a time of national crisis.
And that was one of his first decisions on achieving the job. And the lying to the queen bit. And the fact that this was the unanimous decision of 11 judges, not something that can be shrugged off as the opinion of some chippy Scots court.
God knows where we go from here, but I’m just chuckling over the thought of what Dominic Cummings is thinking right now.
Part of his plan, I fear. This suits the Establishment-Versus-The-People narrative perfectly. Bring the whole thing down, they will say -because that always ends well.
*Chortle Chortle* The BBC correspondents, legal and otherwise are falling over themselves in their excitement on the bbc.co.uk live reactionpage
eg Clive Coleman Legal correspondent:
“I do not think any of us saw this being a unanimous ruling by all 11 justices
This is the most muscular example of judicial review, able to stop the government in its tracks.
It is ground-breaking, it is extraordinary, the consequences politically, constitutionally, are seismic.
We should just take a step back and pause for a moment.
This is a ruling that says that a prime minister of the United Kingdom has unlawfully prorogued the sovereign body in our constitution – Parliament.
Nobody saw this coming”
Why did it need a court to decide this – I don’t think a single person doubted the what and why. Joke and bluster your way out of this one you pompous clown.
I liked this quote about Johnson written by Martin Kettle in The Graun:
It is expressed so cogently and unambiguously that it will be difficult for him to wriggle out of it – even though he is certainly foolish enough to try.
At this time of near unprecedented political crisis, I do feel it is important that we remain grounded and continue to observe the merits of the newly released Gong box set.
An election is still an option for Johnson. And amazingly he might well win. He’ll be all reasonable and conciliatory and say, choking back tears, with a fist clenched, that he was doing whatever he could for his country – he didn’t mean to break the law – and now it is up to the people to back him, or vote for Jeremy Corbyn as PM.
Labour can’t change their leader now, but they would do well to get some of their more electable people up front and centre.
Lady Hale is 74. So she would have been about 21 in 1966, when The Who released A Quick One. I put it to m’learned friends that the brooch is a tangential reference to ‘Boris the Spider.’
That is a magnificently ingenious theory, Martin. I take my hat off to you. Her Ladyship was perhaps sending a message to the nation: “Won’t get fooled again”
My prediction? Boris going the full (scheming) bonkers and calling for a vote of no confidence in himself. “Well come on, then, um, if I’m so bad, you big girls blouses, I say no confidence in me, eh, hmmm?”
Sad to say, I don’t think it makes a lot of difference. If you’re a committed Brexiteer, it’s just another example of ‘The Establishment’ trying to frustrate the will of the people etc etc yawn. It’s a technical victory for the rule of law and one I applaud, but it won’t translate into any shift at the ballot box.
Now what? From what I understand, the Speaker can now summon MPs back to the House. But do they have to?
Well, plenty were against prorogation in the first place.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/john-bercow-announces-parliament-will-be-recalled-on-wednesday-morning_uk_5d89f71ae4b0d26946546058?ncid=fcbklnkukhpmg00000001&fbclid=IwAR0MOyUN-N-ayi_XqmvLE9ws8okvdJHZE0hL-jxlfMZxaPy81icrdL6xNU8&fbclid=IwAR0K_3yqH83oXa_0I8K9-okNwcO9tl798kW32UqtYyXd7nAgn3FHfubvrH4
The BBC legal affairs correspondent:
And that was one of his first decisions on achieving the job. And the lying to the queen bit. And the fact that this was the unanimous decision of 11 judges, not something that can be shrugged off as the opinion of some chippy Scots court.
God knows where we go from here, but I’m just chuckling over the thought of what Dominic Cummings is thinking right now.
Part of his plan, I fear. This suits the Establishment-Versus-The-People narrative perfectly. Bring the whole thing down, they will say -because that always ends well.
*Chortle Chortle* The BBC correspondents, legal and otherwise are falling over themselves in their excitement on the bbc.co.uk live reactionpage
eg Clive Coleman Legal correspondent:
“I do not think any of us saw this being a unanimous ruling by all 11 justices
This is the most muscular example of judicial review, able to stop the government in its tracks.
It is ground-breaking, it is extraordinary, the consequences politically, constitutionally, are seismic.
We should just take a step back and pause for a moment.
This is a ruling that says that a prime minister of the United Kingdom has unlawfully prorogued the sovereign body in our constitution – Parliament.
Nobody saw this coming”
Is the Tower of London still open for business?
Not since Rudolph Hess left for Spandau…..I think.
The Kray twins were held there briefly.
(According to a recentish docusoap.)
Well, to be fair, desperate times call for desperate measures…Tony Hadley was a hard man to replace.
Talking of which, Andy Wigmore – friend of Arron Banks – looks like he belongs in a Spandau Ballet tribute band.
Fantastic!
Hopefully in the words of George and Weedon Grossmith in Diary of a Nobody.
‘Cummings is Gowing’
Pooter for PM!
Wasn’t Mr Pooter PM from 1990 to 1997?
Why did it need a court to decide this – I don’t think a single person doubted the what and why. Joke and bluster your way out of this one you pompous clown.
Jabberwocky – by Donovan, of course
Johnson came whiffling through the tulgey wood, burbling as he came.
The party of law and order.
I wonder if Johnson literally felt terror before committing the crime or after he was found to have done so?
*points NE towards DC*
See, that’s how you do it you spineless bastards.
It’s actually not done yet.
I liked this quote about Johnson written by Martin Kettle in The Graun:
It is expressed so cogently and unambiguously that it will be difficult for him to wriggle out of it – even though he is certainly foolish enough to try.
At this time of near unprecedented political crisis, I do feel it is important that we remain grounded and continue to observe the merits of the newly released Gong box set.
You wouldn’t ground the flying teapot, would you?
Quite. The song contains the lyric:
‘If you try to do the cat in
You can only be a loser’
Clearly BJ has not been listening.
So we’ll go no more a-proroguing
So late into the night
You make it sound so folksy, like pace-egging or wassailing.
An election is still an option for Johnson. And amazingly he might well win. He’ll be all reasonable and conciliatory and say, choking back tears, with a fist clenched, that he was doing whatever he could for his country – he didn’t mean to break the law – and now it is up to the people to back him, or vote for Jeremy Corbyn as PM.
Labour can’t change their leader now, but they would do well to get some of their more electable people up front and centre.
Hail Lady Hale!
I have bought one of these and am now a fully paid-up member of the Lady Hale fan club. A mere tenner.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lady-Hale-Spider-Brooch-T-shirt-UK-Politics-Boris-Johnson-30-to-Shelter/223679208508?pageci=f4f0ba26-ac59-4ab4-aa67-9d04d6ec96e4&fbclid=IwAR3W_aylSrdxIEf9yiFbTLxawCBUTC-1JUF0ku8iu4Pk7rFUcKXmi6PaTig
Brilliant! I want one too. I suspect she is now more popular than Spiderman.
She has others, it turns out. https://www.legalcheek.com/2017/11/lady-hales-best-brooches/
Lady Hale is 74. So she would have been about 21 in 1966, when The Who released A Quick One. I put it to m’learned friends that the brooch is a tangential reference to ‘Boris the Spider.’
*strokes chin and gazes into middle distance* You may have something there…providing girly swots at Girton were into the ‘oo.
That is a magnificently ingenious theory, Martin. I take my hat off to you. Her Ladyship was perhaps sending a message to the nation: “Won’t get fooled again”
As the Supreme Court judgement was streamed live to all of us with a smartphone, it was certainly “Going Mobile”, anyway.
My prediction? Boris going the full (scheming) bonkers and calling for a vote of no confidence in himself. “Well come on, then, um, if I’m so bad, you big girls blouses, I say no confidence in me, eh, hmmm?”
Good day for the girly swots.
Sad to say, I don’t think it makes a lot of difference. If you’re a committed Brexiteer, it’s just another example of ‘The Establishment’ trying to frustrate the will of the people etc etc yawn. It’s a technical victory for the rule of law and one I applaud, but it won’t translate into any shift at the ballot box.
Nail hit squarely on the head
Spot on – look at the headlines in the right wing press today.
Nail hit squarely on head and into coffin.