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The Dogs that Haven’t Barked (Yet)

The Dogs that Haven’t Barked (Yet)

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Public schoolboys should never underestimate girly swots (Joanna Cherry QC, Lady Hale, Gina Miller). Nor should Tory Ministers, though judging by their reaction since the judgment, they seem to be doing everything possible to show they still don’t believe the law applies to them. Rees-Mogg, a man without any legal training and author of an execrable history book, has reportedly informed Cabinet that the decision is wrong and a constitutional coup. Gove has suggested that some judges in lower courts…

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Wasting Time? How the Article 50 extension has been used

Wasting Time? How the Article 50 extension has been used

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As we await the Supreme Court decision reflections on what’s happened since it was agreed in early April When the last Article 50 extension was obtained on 10 April, Donald Tusk said: “Please do not waste this time.”   So how has Britain used the 167 days since then? Well, it has certainly been busy. There has been no shortage of activity to keep even the most jaded of political journalists interested:- The then Prime Minister entered into discussions with the…

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A Very English Vice

A Very English Vice

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Where would we be without hypocrisy? It may have been described (by a Frenchman, unsurprisingly) as “the tribute vice pays to virtue” but a life of complete virtue would be, frankly, intolerable. So let’s enjoy the various hypocrisies our leaders have served up to us in recent weeks:- Mrs May honouring her former press secretary, Robbie Gibb, with a knighthood having, rather nastily, attacked Cameron’s press secretary, Craig Oliver, for his own. However hard poor Sir Robbie worked, a good press…

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The Case of the Missing Documents

The Case of the Missing Documents

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One of the votes lost by the government shortly before Parliament was prorogued was in relation to a demand that it provide by Wednesday 11 September correspondence and communications (defined very widely) sent to or from 9 named people since 23 July “relating to the prorogation of Parliament”. There has been much fuss made about the demand for communications made on personal phones or via various message services as if this were an intolerable intrusion into people’s privacy and/or a breach…

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A Government of Laws

A Government of Laws

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A week is a long time in politics, as Harold Wilson reportedly said. This last week has been one such. On Sunday Michael Gove refused, explicitly, to say that the Government would abide by any law passed in Parliament to rule out a disorderly Brexit, describing such a law as “a pig in a poke”. During Tuesday’s debate when Gove’s pig in a poke – or the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 6) Bill – made an appearance, Johnson confirmed that he…

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The Elevator Pitch

The Elevator Pitch

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It’s all frightfully exciting, isn’t it?! Parliament being prorogued. People demonstrating against coups. Cabinet Ministers, the PM even, having to confirm that they will obey the law. Discussions about obscure precedents from the reign of Queen Anne about whether or not the Queen has to assent to legislation. Government defeats. The loss of its majority to zero as the PM was speaking, the later fall into a minority administration. Long-standing senior MPs being expelled from their party, some by text…

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The Tangled Web that has evolved

The Tangled Web that has evolved

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We should not have been surprised. Johnson has never had much desire to be held accountable. Not as London Mayor. Nor as Foreign Secretary. Even when he misspoke (to put it at its most charitable) over Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, his response was petulant and grudging. He went out of his way to avoid scrutiny at the start of his campaign to become Tory leader. This is not a politician who enjoys debate and argument, willing to test his ideas, face challenge….

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After an eventful day three Questions from CycleFree

After an eventful day three Questions from CycleFree

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Why is the current Tory government so unwilling to ask voters  – in a General Election (or via a referendum) or their representatives in Parliament – whether they want to leave the EU on the basis of no withdrawal agreement and with no transitional stage? How does the government think that such a decision (a No Deal exit) – and the means by which it is effected – will gain and maintain any consensus, and for how long? What arguments…

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