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Stunning blow for Johnson as court strikes down parliament suspension

68 Comments
By Alice RITCHIE

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68 Comments
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I was expecting this. Why was everyone else stunned?

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Heres hoping Alex "Boris" Johnson sets a record for shortest serving UK Prime Minister, shuffles off and lets the grown ups try and sort out the mess he and his buddy Dom Cumming have made in the sandpit. Hopefully the grownups can get an extension, so they can sit down and discuss the terms of the Brexit they want in detail, giving an orderly process that will allow everyone to properly prepare for this. If there has to be an act of self harm, at least do it responsibly.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

It must be nice to live in a country where the Supreme Court is still a functioning independent body and not just a slavish rubber stamp for the executive.

When you lose 11-0 in court, that's a decision that unequivocally shows that your actions were anti-democratic.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

What ? You mean the courts made a ruling on law rather than a government whim...who would have thought.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Oh good to see some good news for a change.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Looks like "No deal" is dead, remind me again how the UK holds all the cards in Brexit negotiations.

Ill predict that Brexit will be hard a hell of a lot harder for the UK than the EU. What the UK has to some to realise is just how hard they want to make it for themselves

0 ( +4 / -4 )

This shot of the clown from 2012 really sums it up

https://www.ecosia.org/images/?q=boris%20stuck%20on%20zipwire%20image#id=CD5E432217652C84578FEEAB6198297DE6857FA1

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Johnson's position is untenable. He must resign or his fellow Tories will get the knives out.

Parliament resumes at 11am on Wednesday.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

zichiToday  09:16 pm JST

Johnson has spoken from New York claiming the UK is still leaving on Oct 31.

I think his repeat switch is stuck... either that or he's in complete denial

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Liar Johnson and his lying cronies said over and over again that proroguing Parliament had nothing to do with Brexit, now they are saying those who went to the Supreme Court did so to delay Brexit. They can't even remember their own lies.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

I am very happy with the result of the court case. I really hope that Parliament now goes ahead and revokes Article 50.

Don't get me wrong, I still believe leaving the EU is the correct thing to do, and personally, I wish to see a No-Deal. However, something more important needs to happen.

I want millions of fellow British voters to feel disenfranchised. I want them to know that their vote counts for jack. If the public does have to vote again, and gives the 'wrong' answer for a second time, the public will know that it can be drowned out with court case after court case, and millions of pounds thrown against it.

Democracy doesn't work. It never has worked in the interests of the people. It only works in the interest of the select few, who ignore the public and press ahead with their own agendas.

Millions of British people are coming to the same conclusion. We are near a tipping point. When enough people refuse to play the game anymore, that's when real change happens.

-2 ( +8 / -10 )

Fat lying Johnson is toast.

And good riddance.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

The Remainers are not interested in democracy. They want to keep having votes until people vote the "correct" way. Sad to say, but I doubt Brexit will even happen now....

-4 ( +8 / -12 )

Tangerine. Many of the 17.4 million may not be particularly vocal, but as Speaker Bercow might say, They will be heard.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Of course the Little Englanders are complaining about the UK's highest court getting involved and preventing the government from acting unlawfully..

What do you want? A Hitler/Mugabe style dictatorship state?

This is why the referendum should've never happened.. The self entitled baby boomers thought that they could have their cake and eat it too.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

We will not get anywhere until Brexiteers understand that Parliament is above the Queen, B Johnson, legislated that same law the Supreme just interpreted and, above all, Parliament is not bound by that idiotic Referendum.

Parliament rules; the people voiced their concerns in that stupid referendum and the plebes thought that was the end of it.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Get real; you voted on a Referendum.

It counts for nothing, as the highest authority in the land, i.e. Parliament decided.

Last time there was a serious sovereign dispute between the Monarch and Parliament, the King's head went South.

It's still missing.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

unelected and unaccountable judges

Hmm, that's almost word for word the statement Leave.UK issued. The PM and the Privy Council undermined the Queen when they lied to her.

Does Japan elect judges?

Unelected, yes but they are accountable. I'm glad judges are not elected, they are independent. Look at the mess of the US Supreme Court, all political appointees. The independent Supreme Court has ruled that the PM and Government are not above the law.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Sad to see that the high court is filled with remainer swamp creatures. The elites are truly betraying the populations of Western Europe.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

Good. A nation of laws and not men....

2 ( +2 / -0 )

at this point. I would just nullify the referendum. Its in essence was no difference to an online petition.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@zichi, I know you mean well, but the number of your posts is getting very high recently. Are you OK?

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

WiilB

The elites?????? Who on earth do you think Johnson, Rees-Mogg et al are???

This is the most unfathomable aspect of the entire Brexit situation - how the elites are pulling the wool over people's eyes as if they (the elites, unelected BJ) are not the elite, and (elected) Parliament and the EU is. What has Rees-MOgg got to do with a shipyard worker from Sunderland? He would normally be their landowner and they would be the serf, but they have made themselves out to be the under-dog, the wronged, the oppressed. Poor, oppressed, Eton and Oxford going Tory elites.

It is absolutely frightening how many people have been taken in by this complete and utter BS. Blatant parallels with the Nazis.

Read Umberto Eco on Fascism and how the elites simultaneosly portray themselves as the weakest and the strongest, in order to get power. They fall down eventually, like Johnson, because you can't go on living lies forever. Can't fool all the people all the time...

1 ( +4 / -3 )

This is the most unfathomable aspect of the entire Brexit situation - how the elites are pulling the wool over people's eyes as if they (the elites, unelected BJ) are not the elite, and (elected) Parliament and the EU is. What has Rees-MOgg got to do with a shipyard worker from Sunderland? He would normally be their landowner and they would be the serf, but they have made themselves out to be the under-dog, the wronged, the oppressed. Poor, oppressed, Eton and Oxford going Tory elites.

Bang on. Some of our American friends receive their "news" from the likes Fox, Breitbart and Stormfront. Those "news" providers present Brexit as elites vs the people and they regurgitate that nonsense on here.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Tangerine2000

Why do you want a no-deal? What on earth are the benefits of no-deal? It's inconceivable. When has chaos, hassle, increased prices and extra bureaucracy helped anyone??

3 ( +4 / -1 )

there is speculation he may now have to return to face a crisis at home.

Ya think?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This ruling has made all decisions by the Executive justiciable. It is an outrageous power grab by a group of unelected judges (a third of whom work for the EU), and they have singlehandedly destroyed the separation of powers, set a precedent that in future any wealthy malcontent can challenge government decisions, and finally, installed speaker John Bercow as de facto President.

Utter hysteria nd untrue hysteria at that.

The Supreme Court was created in order to deal with exactly this kind of constitutional issue.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

BungleToday  08:38 am JST

Here's a nice summary of the situation for spectators to ruminate over.

The 11 justices ....

Charles Day The Spectator

That would be The Spectator that "Boris" used to be the editor of. I don't think I need to read the summary to know what it's going to say. Who's "Charles Day," anyway?

BungleToday  08:12 am JST

A: None, because their is none. For 800 years, prorogation has been taking place and not a squeak out of the courts. Therefore, they're making up the law as they go along ("ultra vires" which English courts are not constitutionally allowed to do).

Doesn't matter what English courts are or are not allowed to do.

That that the Lord Chief Justice, Master of the Rolls and President of the Queen’s Bench Division all disagree with the Supreme Court's decision is more than enough to tell you that the decision was politically motivated.

That's only three people. The eleven Supreme Court judges were unanimous.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

desperate Boris... this is it.

i,d have a big laugh at this. i,d almost find this funny. but... it isn,t. in fact, i,m worried about the UK and the British people. some politicians must be held accountable. it,s because of them that this mess began in the first place. making some people believe that the EU is some kind of bogeyman and awakening other people,s xenophobia was a very ugly thing to do. now deal with it.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Go on then: what law did the justices cite as precedent for declaring the prorogation unlawful?

Johnson and the Privy Council lied about their reasons for proroging Parliament. Isn't that enough? You don't think they should be exempt from misleading the monarch and Parliament?

The courts have been used throughout history to keep the Government in check and ensure they are not above the law. The judgement cited an example from 1610.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

BungleToday  10:32 am JST

That's only three people. The eleven Supreme Court judges were unanimous.

And I raise 17.4 million Leave voters to your eleven judges.

Those 17.4 million Leave voters didn't exactly return a pro-Brexit Parliament in 2017.

Britain is not a kritarchy; the people are sovereign.

The sovereignty of the people is embodied in Parliament, not the Prime Minister or the Royal Prerogative.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What Great Britain requires is a General Election. Let the people decide, democracy. This parliament is a busted flush.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

One thing this has shown is that some people have no idea whatsoever what the word Democracy means.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

There are only three types of people who voted for Brexit. Older people with no faith in, nor understanding of the future. They’re desperate, their days are numbered, they cling to the past, though the natural order of things sees their voices only growing softer. Of more emergent concern are those deprived of much, they can never see themselves or their children having. Centuries from now, perhaps solutions to ameliorate this discrepancy will be found, though history isn’t kind on that score and it won’t be any time soon. Finally, there are those who would seek to use both groups as a power base, for their own ends. Brexit is nothing new. It’s the latest in a long line of uprisings, stretching back millennia.

It takes an angry, hopeless, bitter person to petition for no-deal. To willingly step into an abyss, in the belief anything is better than what is. There's a blind, rebellious, self-destructive ignorance that’s as tragic as it is terminal. Much of modern Britain isn't perfect and a far cry from days gone by, but to place all your hopes in resurrection or an undiscovered land of milk and honey, is as pitiful as it sounds.

The current Prime Minister has no plan and hopes that by burning everyone’s ships, he can somehow unify the country into clawing their way back toward the light. If anyone survives, he’ll take credit. If it’s a disaster, he’ll retire somewhere quiet, comfortable and financially secure the rest of his days. Only the resurrectionists and Grail hunters can’t see it. It’s the young I pity the most. How anyone can believe they’re doing them a service in supporting this Brexit madness, is the greatest crime of all.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

 Let the people decide, democracy. 

They did. They voted for Brexit in most direct kind of vote possible, in case you missed it. It's the remoaners who are struggling with the concept of democracy. Ergot: "We didn't get our way, so we need to have a second vote."

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

All of my family....voted to remain.

So what? They were outnumbered by those who wanted to leave. What's your point?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

JeffLeeToday  09:20 pm JST

So what? They were outnumbered by those who wanted to leave.

Leave on what terms? I doubt they were all in favour of leaving with no deal and I bet a lot of them would have voted differently if they could have foreseen the pigs' breakfast that the Brexiteers would make of the Brexit proceedings. Gove and Johnson bottled it when they won and left Theresa May to try and fail to clean up their mess. Also - voters are fickle. It's why the same politicians don't keep getting re-elected. You think a second referendum would produce exactly the same result?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

 I doubt they were all in favour of leaving with no deal 

The voters knew what they were doing. At the time of the vote, "Leave" meant leave. The ballot didnt state "leave after sealing a trade-customs arrangement with the EU" and it didnt state "allowing an open border with Ireland." Leave meant leave, and today leave still means leave. That's what the vote was for. .

2 ( +3 / -1 )

JeffLeeToday  05:44 am JST

The voters knew what they were doing.

No, I don't think so.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

A general election will settle the issue once and for all!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

In response to Zichi.

I am one of the "older people", and know too well a significant proportion of Brexit voters were of my demographic.

Many older people voted to remain.

Many older people understand the benefits of remaining part of the EU.

Many older people have diverse, valid, articulate, rational, realistic and informed opinions about the United Kingdom; it's social, economic, cultural, and political future.

My point was that if you examine the statistical breakdown of who voted for what, older voters made a significant contribution to the 2016 vote. Likewise, clear divisions are evident on the basis of socioeconomic and educational representation. I'm not saying it's good or bad. Simply that every examination of voter turnout highlights these divisions.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

A general election will settle the issue once and for all!

im sure it will, as soon as Bozo or somebody else in his party get a deal with the EU, the law clearly states a no deal Brexit is illegal, voted and passed by a majority in Parliament.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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