Praying for this week of Brexit
Each day that passes this week shall be the last of that day we shall be in the European Union. The last weekend is already gone: the coming Sunday shall…
Democracy
US Presidential Election: chaos, confusion, litigation and… whatever
The Trump Presidency has been like no other, and as we observe the agony of the election count it is entirely in keeping with the last four years. It feels like a third-world election being played out in one of…
An Advent General Election won’t be a time of peace and goodwill toward men
A General Election has been called for 12th December. There are three possible, even likely outcomes: a Conservative majority, permitting Boris Johnson to bolster freedom and push his Withdrawal Agreement…
Brexit is in limbo: a nation is bored
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has refused to accept any blame for the current Brexit impasse: the "original sin" lies with the UK, he said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has…
Lawfare — politics is now waged through the Courts
There is one enduring feature of all functional democracies – that of balance. Over-mighty monarchs, barons, presidents or workers' councils do not make for happy societies. If the definition of…
The United Kingdom is no longer a Constitutional Monarchy
The unanimous judgment in the Supreme Court that Parliament is not and never has been prorogued, and that the advice of the Prime Minister to the Queen was "unlawful, void…
The Legislature has become the Executive, and there is no mechanism to call them to account
Now that the Yellowhammer document has been placed in the public domain, one understands why there might reasonably have been a reluctance to do so by any responsible government at…
Operation Yellowhammer: political advantage trumps right to privacy
The end of prolonged conflicts can be both brutal and swift. The American Civil War ended with Sherman’s brutal 'March to the Sea' and the First World War ended with…
Brexit Derangement Syndrome: the contagion reaches the Bishops
Every profession seems to have been infected, and within each there is notable carrier who is especially unwell. Brexit Derangement Syndrome is spreading like the Plague of Justinian, and there…
Euro elections: you can ‘send a message’, or you can vote to get Brexit done
Being an Anglican blog, there is no absolutism, command or demand in respect of the way people choose to exercise their vote; there is no 'must' or 'should' or 'ought',…
Bercow: all Brexit options must lead to the Treaty of Rome
Following last week's 'indicative votes' to determine what sort of Brexit Parliament is for (as opposed to what it is against), yesterday's 'indicative votes – the sequel' yielded four more…
Welby to MPs: ‘Respect the vote of the people and unite our country’
By their 'indicative votes' ye shall know them. Last night MPs tried to determine what, if anything, they preferred to Theresa May's 'deal', and they said 'no' to everything. Motion…
Church of England’s Brexit prayers – what exactly do they mean?
A few months ago the Archbishop of York issued a Brexit prayer, or, rather, 'A Prayer for Parliament in Time of Brexit Trouble'. It was a fairly benign effort which…
The divine right of Dominic Grieve and the ‘sacred duty’ to prevent Brexit
"My right honourable friend the Prime Minister talks about her sacred duty over Brexit," declared former Attorney General Dominic Grieve in the Valentine's Day debate on the UK's withdrawal from…
Bercow, Brexit, conspiracy and coup: the inescapable feeling of betrayal
The most difficult controversies are those in which both sides have a point. Two well known historic examples come to mind. The English Civil War was contended on multiple controversies,…
Happy Brexit Year: control the language, control the argument
"An ennui hangs over British politics and the prime minister is depending on it", wrote Matthew Parris in the Times a few days ago. "Like a thin, wearisome fog it…
Brexit impasse: democracy can be messy – but the alternative is terrifying
'And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee' (1Sam 8:7). It might not end well, but never let…
Lowering the voting age to six isn’t a bad idea: it would give the family its rightful electoral status
Prof David Runciman (Cambridge University) is of the view that an ageing population is creating a democratic crisis: the views of those beneath the age of 18 – the current…
The People’s Vote strategy is to goad Brexiteers with being frit
"The right hon. Gentleman is afraid of an election, is he?" goaded Margaret Thatcher. "Afraid? Frightened? Frit?" she persisted, with perfectly alliterative thrashings of her serrated tongue. "Could not take…
Brexit: the Bishop of Leeds asks “What’s it all for?” as he condemns the corruption of public discourse
The Bishop of Leeds the Rt Rev'd Nick Baines delivered a measured and thoughtful speech in the House of Lords on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. His theme was basically the…