One of the biggest problems with having people like Johnson in charge is that they only believe in one thing, themselves. They claim to be fighting for the good of the country and to uphold nebulous concepts such as sovereignty yet have no respect for the conventions and procedures that give them the power they yearn for. I guess it’s human to show support for things when it suits but populists take it to another level.
The Brexit vote was supposed to be all about sovereignty yet Johnson prorogued parliament, the very essence of sovereignty in this country. It turned out that he had done this illegally and lied to the then Queen in the process.
He’s now having a tantrum over the Privileges Committee investigation into whether or not he misled Parliament over the Patygate affair. He is one of the very few people to have seen the draft report. It is quite right that he gets a chance to respond to its findings first and it may yet be some time before the final report is released.
His response has been typical, referring to it as a kangaroo court yet, as he well knows, unlike a court, it has no decision making power. The Committee, made up of seven serving MPs, currently four Conservative, two Labour and one SNP can only make recommendations which must then be approved, or not, by Parliament. This supports and maintains the sovereignty of our elected officials and acts as some brake against any of their excesses.
The greatest sanction that the committee can recommend is to suspend the MP from Parliament. Anything over two weeks could result in a recall petition, where constituents can ask for the MP to be recalled and, if enough signatures are gained, a by-election is called. Ironically, Johnson’s seemingly petulant act of resigning his seat with immediate effect has the same outcome but without having to get Parliamentary approval.
Whatever you think of Johnson, it cannot be that anyone is above the will of Parliament. That is the principal body by which we are governed and in which our laws are made. It is not the plaything of any individual, no matter how charismatic or flamboyant they may appear.
If sovereignty means anything, then this is it.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 