Could The PM just dissolve the Scottish Parliament?

[Icecreamscooper]

In light of what Boris Johnson has said last night about devolution being a disaster, and concerns over the internal market bill there has been a lot of talk and suspicion that he intends a massive power grab from Holyrood or even to dissolve the Scottish Parliament.

This seems unthinkable to me as the people of Scotland voted for devolution by a huge majority. Do people believe this could actually happen?

@Bytheloch

Ask yourself, why have the media picked up on this story so much🤔 Holyrood V Westminster, pay per view fight. I’m not defending Boris, but to even worry that he could just shut down Holyrood is laughable. He really can’t. But he doesn’t have to like the devolved arrangement or the personalities contained within it, ditto in reverse from here, their contempt for Westminster is obvious. Our dear FM can give as good as she gets, ditto Blackford who doesn’t speak on behalf of us all as a Westminster SNP MP, yet he appears to believe he does.

Boris could have framed it better though, it’s a bit of a ball ache for the Scottish conservatives to respond appropriately but hey, that’s Boris🤷‍♀️

This.

He is a highly tactless liability. Conversation leaked by Tory MP as they are trying to get rid of him! Absolutely no way would that happen in a million years .

He is a liability, but I think Gove is the smarter, smarmier, more mercenary version of him, and if he's installed by the party instead of BoJo then we really should be on alert.

Boris doesn't HAVE a long term strategy. Of course he's not going to close the Scottish parliament, daftness.

Or rather Boris's long term strategy is to get kicked out and rake in cash in the US having trump voters pay him oodles for after dinner speeches.

Gove won't be PM, tories don't actively try to commit electoral suicide like labour does, I hope you're right though, Gove is so uncharismatic Keir Starmer will get a boost from that.

Johnson can't shut down the Scottish Parliament without triggering massive protests (or worse).

He is an absolute gift to the SNP, though. Sturgeon must give thanks weekly for such a Westminster mouthpiece on independence.

I think what's happened is that Cummins isn't there any more to whisper, "For fucks sake don't mention Scotland" in his ear every five minutes.

"Or rather Boris's long term strategy is to get kicked out and rake in cash in the US having trump voters pay him oodles for after dinner speeches."

He's probably desperately wishing he'd done that 18 months ago. If he's not actively pursuing it now I'll eat my tartan bunnet.

I think Boris has found his PM dream has lost some value coming true, we'd face tougher odds arguing he will hang about!

@anon444877

I think Boris has found his PM dream has lost some value coming true, we'd face tougher odds arguing he will hang about!

Agreed, I'll be amazed if he completes his term. He looks done with it already.

Why would he do something so contentious? Scotland can’t have the vote unless he says so. And he is many things but stupid isn’t one of them. He doesn’t need to do some mad power grab, he can just continue to deny the vote. End of.

Is he physically closing the Scottish Parliament building? No.

Is he (and his party) taking back powers such as those relating to education and effectively diminishing the Scottish Parliament? Yes. 100 %.
This is happening right now via the internal market bill. The standards of teaching will be lowered as will the quality of imported food. This is just two areas they're taking control of.

*Hence they're able to take control of areas that normally come under Holyrood without the outcry. Has the internal market bill been in the news? BBC or STV informing Scots that Holyrood powers are being moved to the UK Gov? Nope.

@Bluntness100

Why would he do something so contentious? Scotland can’t have the vote unless he says so. And he is many things but stupid isn’t one of them. He doesn’t need to do some mad power grab, he can just continue to deny the vote. End of.

That's a moot point. The one about the power to hold referendums only being in the power of the UK government I mean. That's currently going through the courts. No one says Boris is stupid. Venal, egotistical, corrupt, and a 'shapeshifting creep' yes, but stupid? No.

oh and 'racist', patronising, bombastic, unfunny...

Westminster can repeal the Scotland Act which would dissolve the Scottish parliament

Sandman it’s not moot, the fact it’s going through the courts is. There is no way to predict the outcome of that, and right now, the power is with the Uk government and ultimately Boris due to his majority.

And Boris and the rest of the current UK Gov do not follow the law anyway as they broke International Law when dealing with the EU.

moot: debatable; undecided: a moot point; disputable, unsettled

@TheSandman

moot: debatable; undecided: a moot point; disputable, unsettled

Exactly, the fact the Uk government has power right now is neither debatable or undecided, it is factual

The court case out come is undecided and debatable so is moot. and does not impact on where the power lies today. It would only change where it may lay in the future.

So the fact power is with Johnson is not moot. The court case outcome is. And quite frankly it’s just another legal challenge. And highly unlikely to win,

Now that’s what moot means,

Why do you say the Keatings case is unlikely to be won? The judge who allowed the case to be heard commented that she thought it had a pretty good chance.

@PaperTowels

Lol, he just spouted without thinking, as per.

He's not going to shut anything down

Exactly this. He's not a fan of devolution, fair enough.

That's not the same as wanting to close it down though, whatever the rabid nats would have you believe.

@HirplesWithHaggis

Why do you say the Keatings case is unlikely to be won? The judge who allowed the case to be heard commented that she thought it had a pretty good chance.

Can you link to that? Lady Carmichael who ruled on it being allowe to proceed as far as I can see has maintained her role of impartiality and not commented on its chance of success, purely on whether legally it should go ahead and what next steps should be taken, ie submission of arguments.

I haven’t seen anything where she’s pre empted any decision and commented on chance of success?

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=www.scotcourts.gov.uk/search-judgments/judgment%3Fid%3D26a5fba7-8980-69d2-b500-ff0000d74aa7&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjg45Sf9IztAhUpQUEAHSqQDbQQFjACegQIChAB&usg=AOvVaw1RAeoonOjXeqELf7dwUQm1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?q=www.scotcourts.gov.uk/search-judgments/judgment%3Fid%3D26a5fba7-8980-69d2-b500-ff0000d74aa7&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjg45Sf9IztAhUpQUEAHSqQDbQQFjACegQIChAB&usg=AOvVaw1RAeoonOjXeqELf7dwUQm1

It's in Lady Poole's decision dated 30 July 2020, section 12 on page 8 of the pdf, photo attached.

I was wrong about it being the judge who allowed the case to proceed, it was the judge who denied Keatings' application for a protective expenses order. Sorry for misleading.