So May lost for the third time, but not so big. Perhaps. But she still lost and although the Tory party governs it actually doesn’t. This is because about 100 of its own MPs routinely oppose it. Take those off the tally and May has fewer MPs behind her than Corbyn. So no wonder she […]
Well the answer cannot really be yes, because in the international definition of a constitution in a democracy we do not have one. We have a set of customs and practices based on precedent, or what has gone before. So if it worked last time we can do it again. Our problem today is that […]
In any other time since GB became a parliamentary democracy Yes. But in these tumultuous political times when the constitution is flexing and stretching in every direction, No. Not yet. But it is no longer governing as an executive. There are in the end two reasons for this. Forget about new acts and court rulings. […]
If May goes now she should resign only as prime minister and remain leader of the Tory party until the Brexit programme is decided and implemented. She can then resign as Tory leader in time for an election by party members to conclude at the party conference in the autumn. A caretaker PM should be […]
Having given an evasive and unconvincing performance at the EU Summit yesterday, the prime minister got her delay, but on very different terms to those expected. The council of EU leaders showed an ability to reach unanimity, make compromises and think creatively which far outshone the wooden May. One is truck by the qualitative uplift […]
Things have been made worse by the Fixed Term Parliament Act and the Supreme Court Ruling, both of which diminished the power of the executive and increased the power of the legislature, while leaving the structure unchanged. That is clearly not now fit for purpose. But it could have been managed as a problem revealed […]
So here we are. Still we do not know whether or what Brexit. Nine days to go and counting. But where to? Would there have been a referendum if Labour had won the 2015 election? No. Should there have been a study to determine what Brexit involved, what it meant and how to organise a […]
This Blog has been constant in recording the collapse of orderly and effective government in the United Kingdom. Well, at least some order has now been restored. It is a basic principle of Parliamentary democracy, which we invented hence all that Mother of Parliaments stuff, that if a government is defeated on its primary legislation, […]
Let us begin with the fact. Forget the politics for a moment. In law, both domestic and international, we crash out of the EU in 14 days time. Nothing which has so far happened in parliament has stopped that. We are on track and on target to crash out with no deal and there are […]
The government is now in a state of perpetual crisis. It is said that parliament has taken control. The truth is parliament is out of control. It can construct a majority against things but becomes a Tower of Babel when asked to explain what it wants. To say the EU and the world at large […]