Prorogation: no holds barred

It's almost half a century since I taught what was then rather grandly called "British Constitution," but I remember at leat one of the standard textbooks (possibly Wade and Phillips Constitutional Law) explaining that parliament was solemnly prorogued, normally in the autumn of the year, and then solemnly opened again a day or two after.

From time immemorial these procedures normally took place in early November, which is why we have Bonfire Night on November 5th. (That was the date in 1605 when King, Lords and Commons all met in the same place at the same time for the "Opening of Parliament," so Guy Fawkes, had he succeeded, would have got rid  of the entire political establishment in one go.)

So Mr Johnson's excuses for suspending parliament for several weeks are contrary to convention and flimsy in the extreme.  This is clearly an attempt to prevent our legally and democratically  appointed representatives exercising their functions at a time of great political crisis.


I am not as familiar as I'd like to be with the histories of other countries but understand that it is not unusual for megalomaniacs , often generals and suchlike, who think they have populist  support, to overturn the normal political institutions, with their built in checks and balances,to implement their own  intentions which they dress up as the popular  will.

Johnson has not gone so far as to overturn our democratic institutions of ever (yet), but to suspend them at this critical time shows outrageous arrogance.  Let's hope he and his cohort now in No 10 have overstepped the mark and get their comeuppance.