[Magdalen] Interesting times

[Roger Stokes]

St Paul enjoins us to be obedient to lawful civil authority but that 
presents us with a problem currently both sides of the Atlantic. There 
are serious questions as to the lawfulness of actions of our respective 
Heads of Government. In the USA the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives has (at last) agreed to proceed with an official 
investigation on possible impeachment charges against the President. We 
all know that whatever happens in the House any trial in the Senate 
would not provide the required 67 votes to convict but it's an important 
step in holding to account.

This side of the pond we do not have a written Constitution, though I do 
hear that there are now suggestions that we need one in view of what has 
happened in recent weeks. That culminated today with a unanimous finding 
in the Supreme Court that the Prime Minister had acted unlawfully in 
advising the Queen to prorogue Parliament, advice you was by convention 
bound to follow, and so deny the legislature their proper role in 
scrutinising the actions of the executive for an extended period and 
without due cause. In an earlier age the Prime Minister would have been 
headed for the Tower of London when he returns from America but not now, 
though the implication of the Supreme Court ruling is that he frustrated 
Parliament's legitimate role and so arguably is in contempt of 
Parliament. That would be an interesting situation to have the Prime 
Minister at the bar of the House of Commons facing such a charge.

It is reported that Boris Johnson has spoken with the Queen after the 
judgement was delivered. Such conversations are never reported though I 
imagine today's would have been Very Interesting. What will be reported 
is what happens tomorrow in the House of Commons. The Speaker has 
indicated that he is minded to allow urgent questions to ministers, a 
procedure that does not require the normal length of notice of 
questions, and statements from ministers which will be questioned 
extensively. It will be an interesting session starting at 11.30 BST, 
6.30 EST. My current view is that the government is on the back foot 
especially as they do not have a majority in Parliament.

Roger