Westministenders: The Non Re-Opening Of Parliament

[RedToothBrush]

Parliament will reconvene tomorrow, at 11.30am, as if proroguation never happened as the Supreme Court ruled that the government acted outside the limits of its power and this was therefore unlawful.

The most senior court in the UK has ruled unaminously to defend Parliamentary Sovereignity and the Rule of British Law.

Unusually for a Wednesday there will be no PMQ, however there will be time for Ministerial Statements, UQ and Debate under S024.
See the abbreviation thread if you are struggling with these

So tomorrow is sure to be explosive on way or another.

The Government is hitting back by questioning the Supreme Court whilst also saying they respect the Supreme Court's authority. This is an oxymoron. Its being done for political reasons and is, in its own way, a direct threat to the Rule of Law.

Robert Buckland is, again, having to do a lot in Cabinet to assert the point of the importance of the Rule of Law and how it prevents mob rule. Something that seems to keep getting forgotten by anonymous No 10 sources.

The political fallout from the ruling is sure to lead to calls for the Supreme Court to be politically elected. This has been a long term goal of parts of the hard right.

Johnson, is currently in the US, so the announcement that parliament will be back tomorrow has rather spoilt his jolly to see his mate Donnie. He will have to get on a plane smartish.

But for all the hard talk there will also be ramifications for Johnson. Whilst there will be a lot of 'nothing has changed', and there is no chance of a VoNC in the HoC being tabled by the opposition whilst no deal is still on the table on the 31st Oct, there will still be problems for Johnson.

There will be a post mortem within his own party. The next Cabinet Meeting will almost certainly be explosive. There are already attempts to set Geoffrey Cox, the Attorney General who apparently advised that proroguation was lawful, under the bus as the fall guy. This will perhaps be a deflection to try and protect Dominic Cummings, as there will be moderate Tories who will seek to use this as an opportunity to have him sacked. But more than this, its likely to result in other Cabinet Ministers being more forceful and to challenge Johnson more, both for their own political gain and for their own political protection. He will certainly be more questioned from within, about his poor judgement.

We also have him facing an investigation from the London Assembly over his conduct and suggestions of an inappropriate relationship with a busty blonde American woman.

Next weeks Conservative Party Conference is now in tatters. Whilst Corbyn has wrapped up the Labour Party Conference early to avoid a clash with Parliament being open, Johnson is stuffed. Next week's PMQ will clash with the schedule for his Party Speech. Normally parliament would be in recess for the conference season, but parliament has to vote to allow this. And there isn't a majority for the Conservatives to now be able to do this. So Parliament almost certainly will be sitting next week.

Unfortunately, the Tories are a little stuffed with their conference being held in Manchester. If (and lets face it, with the gloves off and time short) the opposition want to cause mischief, they will try and schedule crucial and embarassing debates during the party conference, to keep MPs stuck in Westminister as much as possible. And with good reason under the circumstances.

We still have the small matter of the 31st October deadline which Johnson is still sticking to saying we will either have a deal or we will leave without a deal - unlawfully.

Remember on that note, Johnson has already acted beyond his power and unlawfully on the basis of bad advice. Johnson being hulk, rather than a girly swat, relies on the advice of others more heavily than his own wisdom and experience - of which he has been exposed time and again - to be somewhat lacking in.

As a side note, its also worth reflecting on the NCA having dropped charges in relation to Leave.Eu and how the Electoral Commission has commented on this decision:
"We are concerned about the apparent weakness in the law, highlighted by this investigation outcome, which allows overseas funds into UK politics. We have made recommendations that would tighten the rules on campaign funding and deter breaches. We urge the UK's governments to act on those recommendations to support voter confidence"

In the context of an imminent General Election, this is really very concerning indeed.

Just WHO is in control? Cos it doesn't look like its Boris Johnson right now, thats for sure.

Thank you prettybird.

But don't underestimate Cummings. He's shown time and again that Parliament and judiciary mean nothing to him.

Agreed perking, we must not make the same mistake.

Plaid Cymru are calling for BJ's impeachment, even as Trump's impeachment inquiry begins. Certainly would be interesting to see both Tweedledum and Tweedledee impeached within weeks of each other.

Because he was hoping one of them would finally snap and get him his VoNC? To further the People (BJ) v Parliament narrative, in a desperate attempt to hold on to his core of right wing voters?

In a weird way I would hop this was true.

I don't think it is. I believe the truth is far more scary.

This is simply the contemptible, immoral and truest narcissistic man Boris Johnson is.

@thecatfromjapan DH noticed that.
The huge amount of security, particularly for Gina Miller is a new and worrying thing.
Woman going against populism require a lot of protection.
DH isn't a very new man and even he noticed.

Posted at 18.04

Harry Cole @mrharrycole
PM to address special meeting of the 1922 Committee at 1130 tomorrow morning... which is unusual 👀

Johnson will never go quietly.

He'd rather take the whole house, and the entire country with him.

He is an arsonist.

Just bear it in mind. He MEANS do or die.

He will try and start to mob, if there is an attempt to get rid of him.

Trump will do this in the US too.

Neither is fit for office. And now having taken office with the blessing of those who should have known better we will all pay the price of that folly.

Lewis Goodall@lewis_goodall
Just heard from well placed MP that there is talk of a motion of censure against the Prime Minister (even, wildly, impeachment) after today. “Utter disgust from many Tories too. He had very few with him on his benches by the end.”

Censure does nothing apart from make those doing it feel better about themselves and as if they have discharged their responsibility.

It doesn't.

Hannah Al-Othman @hannahalothman
Some MPs were in tears tonight, some walked out, some told me they feared they won’t be able to return home because of the language the PM is using, some told me abuse on twitter has already got worse tonight:
www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/hannahalothman/boris-johnson-jo-cox-brexit-brexit-debate?__twitter_impression=true
Female MPs Accused Boris Johnson Of Putting Their Lives In Danger After A Furious Brexit Debate In Parliament
BuzzFeed News spoke to several MPs who accused Johnson of "inciting violence" and using "the language of fascism".

Written by Hannah Al-Othman and Alex Wickham

What does that mean RTB? "Start to my mob" ?

Not "my mob" just "mob"

Meanwhile waiting in the wings

Nigel Farage @Nigel_Farage
Politics in the UK and USA are two sides of the same coin.

The 2016 losers will not accept the result and are prepared to destroy trust in politics.

On both sides of the pond they will be judged harshly at the ballot box.

Start the mob.

It's late.

All I can think about is Faust this evening and, obviously, DC as the devil.

If Farage thinks referendum losers want to "destroy trust in politics" then Johnson and his cronies just want to destroy politics.

Take the time to read the time lines of Sarah Kendzior and Jasmin Mujanovic and your vision and perception of what is going on in the UK gets grimmer. Everything happening in the US is happening here but we don't see it in the same way because we are either too close to it, because our media reports it badly or because we don't want to see it.

Jasmin Mujanovic @jasminmuj
This won't be a popular take but now is the time to recall that one makes peace w/ their enemies, not their friends. Ds must put together strongest, tightest case possible for impeachment. But success will depend on GOP support. This means giving the GOP a credible "out".

Republicans have behaved shameful in every sense of the term, and they have conspired w/ Trump to undermine constitutional govt & the rule of law in the U.S.. But their support for removing Trump from office is nevertheless necessary.

Ds messaging must evolve to provide "good" Rs w/ credible means to break w/ the WH. If it's a zero-sum, good vs. evil battle it won't work, much as D base might want to spike the football. The goal is preserving rule of law, constitutional govt. That requires consensus.

Ds must build strong case, marshal public opinion, then sell GOP graciously on idea that to save their party, they must oust Trump; he's not your party, does not represent your principles, act for good of country etc. It'll be more a peace agreement than constitutional process.

This may seem unlikely to work given the GOP's post-2016 track record but success in this endeavor requires a credible scenario for how to clinch the deal. And this is the only way to do it, practically and politically speaking; give them a rhetorical, politically off ramp. /x

This is equally true in the UK.

With the added problem that waiting behind Johnson is Farage as his back up.

To reach democratic safety the Tory Party itself must be given an out and a way to survive post Johnson.

After tonight, think about this and what it entails. Hard.

The story of Naga highlights why we are in the position we are and why the BBC are having problems

amp.theguardian.com/media/2019/sep/25/bbcs-naga-munchetty-reprimanded-over-trump-criticism?__twitter_impression=true
BBC’s Naga Munchetty reprimanded over Trump criticism
Broadcaster says discussion of president’s racist tweets broke editorial guidelines

The BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty breached the broadcaster’s editorial guidelines after she criticised racist comments by Donald Trump about the backgrounds of four female politicians, the corporation has ruled.

In July Trump tweeted that congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley should “go back to the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came”. All four are US citizens and only Omar was born overseas.

The following day BBC Breakfast invited a Trump supporter on air to defend him, prompting Munchetty to discuss the US president’s use of loaded terms.

“Every time I have been told, as a woman of colour, to go back to where I came from, that was embedded in racism,” the BBC journalist told viewers in July. “Now, I’m not accusing anyone of anything here, but you know what certain phrases mean.”

Both siderism is not appropriate. The meaning being encoded in euphemisms does not mean that you should ignore the meaning as a journalist. It means you should talk about that encoding and highlight it without merely letting it pass unchallenged and without scrutiny.

We all know what Trump meant and intended, yet we can't say it out of politeness and respect. A politeness and respect not afforded to those Trump attacks.

Things must be challenged but we must not assume this is about political tribalism which the BBC assumes here.

The culture war is all about assigning things along a them and us axis of tribal rather than a sense of right and wrong which all parties share which is inherent in liberalism. This sense of right and wrong encompasses the respect and adherence to the rule of law and respect for others with different views through common decency. The two things Johnson broke in the HoC today.

Don't know how true it holds here, but in current US politics one of the most reliable signals of what Trumpians are up to, is what they accuse their opponents of.

(Some of it may be projection; for Trump personally it may also be that he simply can't help repeating what's on his mind.)

That Farage tweet looks an awful lot like the projection. Destroying trust in the existing political system so the people flock to the Strong Man is absolutely what he's about.

Don't know how true it holds here, but in current US politics one of the most reliable signals of what Trumpians are up to, is what they accuse their opponents of.

It 100% is the same.

Less obvious as Trump is so much more blunt in his use of language and Johnson and Co (particularly Mogg) dress it up in language which is more respectable. It is no less filled with euphemisms and dog whistles though as well as the DARVO attacks (DARVO refers to a reaction perpetrators of wrong doing, particularly sexual offenders, may display in response to being held accountable for their behavior. DARVO stands for "Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender.")

Johnson always tries to cast himself as the victim to his target audience whilst he goes on the offensive.

The narrative of tonight has been that under attack from all sides of the establishment who are determined to frustrate Brexit Johnson is the plucky underdog fighting for the people and their interests. Thus he speaks to them as asks them to voice their dissatisfaction (he incites them).

Had a good look at Twitter just now and I've never seen it so one sided. Only, as far as I can see, Iain Martin if The Times, Toby Young and Julia Hartley Brewer speaking in favour of Johnson. Everyone else beyond disgusted.

All that seems to have been highlighted, no, underlined, today is how powerless everyone is to stop Johnson doing whatever he likes.

From April but Kendzoir has retweeted today with good reason in the context of impeachment (read keeping Johnson in mind at all times and the Tory moderates and the journalists)

We have stood by the rule of law but any one who hasn't spoken out against Johnson within the Tories or as a journalist needs to keep this in their minds.

The rule of law is not merely defended in the courts but also by people speaking out.

I'm looking at you Geoffrey Cox and you Robert Buckland and your complicy in this. I'm looking at you BBC. I'm looking at you Nicky Morgan. Etc etc.

Sarah Kendzoir @sarahkendzoir
"This was previously not a controversial view, as Trump has committed a multitude of impeachable offenses, including but not limited to: violating the emoluments clause; obstruction of justice; ordering unconstitutional imprisonment of migrant families..."

"...abusing the pardon power; high crimes and misdemeanors; conspiracy against the US; and conspiracy to illegally influence the 2016 election. Trump has committed these crimes in plain sight and confessed to some of them, like obstruction, on television."

"These are not merely constitutional violations but severe threats to national security and public safety that require immediate action – investigation and indictment as well as impeachment. "

"Impeachment is not a snap of the fingers producing an instant result. It is a process of hearings in which officials present evidence of crimes and deliberate in a public forum, removed from media bias."

"Americans these days tend to exist in information silos, but hearings, from Comey to Cohen, have brought our country together to bear witness. Hearings give the public information long withheld from them and shift expectations of accountability."

"We see parallels with Watergate, in which much of the republic was unconvinced of the severity of Nixon’s crimes until hearings began and they learned the full details. The public has the right to information and to make up its own mind."

"Our media is largely sponsored by dictators or dictated by sponsors. It is critical that officials present evidence to the public directly."

"This is not a partisan issue; it is a matter of public safety. Trump’s supporters have as much right to the truth as do Trump’s opponents. We are Americans, and we are in this together."

"Pelosi doesn't seem to see herself as in it together with us. She sees herself as above it. She sees Trump as a partisan matter, not an urgent public threat. She does not understand that we are already divided as a nation, and that truth and transparency are the salve."

"Pelosi is replicating the mistakes made by the Obama administration (and by the FBI and James Comey) when they withheld the truth about Trump and Russia from the American public due to their fear of seeming 'divisive' or angering Mitch McConnell."

"The GOP has been hijacked by a transnational crime syndicate masquerading as a government. This is not a secret."

"We have seen the indictments and we have seen the panicked protectiveness of Trump by the GOP even when they are confronted with his most severe and obviously illegal infractions."

"Any possibility of bipartisan support for impeachment, for the GOP to put country before party is a myth. The Republicans created this situation: they long ago abdicated their duty through corruption and capitulation."

"If the GOP were to impeach Trump, they would effectively impeach themselves, since they are caught in Trump’s web of criminality. (Michael Cohen, for example, was the deputy finance chairman of the RNC.)"

"But when Pelosi makes a bipartisan resolution that she knows is impossible the standard for following rule of law, she continues the very abdication that the GOP initiated – and in doing so, aids in their complicity."

"Supporters of Pelosi believe there must be a secret message or a secret plan behind her statement, but there is very likely not. (We will be delighted if we are wrong and there is a secret plan, since we are thinking first and foremost about the welfare of the American people.)"

"Some have said the point of Pelosi proclaiming Trump 'not worth it' is to wound his ego – as if Trump remotely cares what Pelosi says. All Trump cares about is money, power and being immune from prosecution."

"Impeachment hearings actually threaten all three of these things Trump cares about. Attempted jibes do not."

"The message Pelosi conveys when she says Trump is 'not worth it' is that it is not worth holding him accountable for crimes that have resulted in the loss of human life and the ongoing destruction of our nation."

"Pelosi may not have intended for this to be her message, but that is how many received it. She hurled a grenade into progressives and wounded many with her words. She may think we can vote Trump out, but she has hurt that very cause."

"We have heard from younger voters and voters from marginalized groups who no longer want to vote for the Democratic candidate because her flippant dismissal of impeachment as an outcome has led them to believe that the two parties are the same. They are not the same."

"One party is an existential threat, and one party is deeply flawed. We encourage you to support the Democratic candidate in 2020. But we demand that the Democrats confront our grim reality head on – that there may not be a 2020, that there may not be free and fair elections."

"Every day is damage done. It may be a partisan game to you, Speaker Pelosi, but for the rest of us, and for this country, it is a matter of life or death."

"It is critical that the stakes are made clear. Refusal to impeach sends the message that the situation cannot possibly be that dire – it if were, the Democrats would move to impeach, right?"

"This is the same disastrous miscalculation that gave us an unpunished cadre of criminals from Watergate, Iran-Contra, the War on Iraq, and the 2008 financial crisis – criminals who are working with the White House right now!"

"This is not a comparative study; this is literally the same people committing crimes over and over without repercussions. We would not even been dealing with this crisis if officials had acted with conscience and conviction earlier, and brought these criminal elites to justice."

"Let us be clear: we do not think that, if the House impeaches Trump, the GOP-dominated Senate will convict. We also do not think that if the Senate, by some miracle, impeaches Trump, that he will leave."

"Trump has made it clear he will not leave office even if the will of the people demands it in an election, and even if the will of Congress demands it in impeachment. Trump is an aspiring autocrat, and the GOP is seeking a one-party state."

"So what is the point of the House impeaching Trump? An informed public is a powerful public, and hearings are the best way of informing the people on what the White House has done."

"Autocrats and wannabe autocrats live by their brands. A symbolic vote of impeachment by the House, sending the world the message that the United States still stands for the rule of law, damages the Trump brand."

"It leaves a mark on the Trump brand that Ivanka must carry with her as she continues to represent us abroad. The House must begin impeachment proceedings to help restore America's standing in the world and because it is their constitutional duty."

"Impeachment sends a message about who we are as a country and what we will accept and abide. The rule of law demands action. Refusing to take action is normalizing atrocity. Lawlessness must be confronted regardless of the outcome, as a matter of principle and conscience."

"Fighting only the battles that you know you will win is a sure way of ensuring you lose. Preemptive surrender, in a rapidly consolidating autocracy, is permanent surrender."

"The American people have suffered enough under Trump; they should not have to suffer due to Pelosi’s capitulation as well. We all deserve better than this."

Yellow Hammer (and Black Swan if it exists) and other documents the government itself has produced are our truths and our evidence.

I look to Thomas Jefferson quotes in trying to defend liberal democracy.

“He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it the second time.”

And

“I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led.”

And

“Truth is certainly a branch of morality and a very important one to society.”

And

“It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.”

And

“There is not a truth existing which I fear… or would wish unknown to the whole world.”

And

“The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.”

And

“The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.”

Tonight is one of those nights I feel the need to dust off old Jefferson for my own sanity and to remind myself of what matters. Jefferson helps me focus on dangers and how you fight back. It always comes back to exposure to the truth - how do you work to expose this (and the role of journalism in this)

It is not your identity as Leaver, Remainer, Tory, Labour, LDer, SNPer, woman, man, English, Northern Irish, Scottish, Welsh or European right now.

These identities are harming us, by making us look at the wrong thing rather than see the real danger facing us. They divide us whilst they conquer us.

What you should be focusing on NOW is your commitment to democracy in the face of someone in power actively and explicity saying the rule of law does not matter and the courts are wrong. That is advocating mob rule.

Johnson stood and said threats to MPs were humbug. And refused to moderate his language despite so many (mainly female) MPs saying the threats they received were extremely serious (remembering we've even had a prosecution for a plot to kill Rosie Cooper as well as other successful prosecutions for threats to MPs)

This is where we are at.

Focus on it.

No Deal Brexit and the future of liberal democracy in this country are indivisible and inseparable. They are entwined by the rule of law.

Brexit is NOT in of itself a threat to liberal democracy. It is HOW we leave that is.

I wish this was being said and emphasised concisely and cleanly.

It is not your identity as Leaver, Remainer, Tory, Labour, LDer, SNPer, woman, man, English, Northern Irish, Scottish, Welsh or European right now.

These identities are harming us, by making us look at the wrong thing rather than see the real danger facing us. They divide us whilst they conquer us.

What you should be focusing on NOW is your commitment to democracy in the face of someone in power actively and explicity saying the rule of law does not matter and the courts are wrong. That is advocating mob rule.

Johnson stood and said threats to MPs were humbug. And refused to moderate his language despite so many (mainly female) MPs saying the threats they received were extremely serious (remembering we've even had a prosecution for a plot to kill Rosie Cooper as well as other successful prosecutions for threats to MPs)

This is where we are at.

Focus on it.

No Deal Brexit and the future of liberal democracy in this country are indivisible and inseparable. They are entwined by the rule of law.

Brexit is NOT in of itself a threat to liberal democracy. It is HOW we leave that is.

you have just said it concisely and cleanly - EVERYONE should read this.

I cannot believe the UK has come to this point...

It seems abundantly clear he is having coaching from Trump and his team.

I've said since the ref we aren't in a liberal democracy any more - it's being clarified daily. How does normal business resume after this? It doesn't.

Yes, that really is clear.

I’ve read many posts on here tonight and very depressing. The state our politics has descended to.

It’s entirely due to a democratic vote not being respected, the biggest ever.

Many say there’s no mandate for the deal or even no deal.

There’s even less of a mandate for remain. If no deal is not what people voted for, remain definitely isn’t.

The anger and language are getting more shocking, but expect more of the same and increasing as our politicians refuse to take the lead and our democratic institutions are torn apart by legal action.

Brexit now, or Brexit later after a Farage win.

Many would do well to step outside the echo chamber.

Whenever I see anyone supporting Johnson now I simply state that if someone thinks it's ok for him to lie and cheat to get what they want I will assume that is how they behave themselves and treat them accordingly.