Section:GDN 1J PaGe:6 Edition Date:190830 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 29/8/2019 17:41 cYanmaGentaYellowbla
- The Guardian Fr iday 30 Aug ust 2019
6 Letters
We must unite to stop
this fanatical cabinet
sidelining democracy
Re your story on the PM appointing
more unelected peers ( Report , 27
August), seats in parliament should
not be used as a hand out for big
political donors and campaign
apparatchiks. The fact that Johnson
would have to appoint a huge
number to signifi cantly “rebalance ”
the Lords shows the absurdity of the
current set-up: each new PM tries to
pack it with cronies to tip the scales
in their favour. Let’s not forget that
long after Brexit , these peers will be
claiming expenses and deciding on
our laws for the rest of their lives,
if they choose to. This feudal relic
needs to be scrapped and replaced
with a democratic second chamber.
It’s time to end the scandal
of unelected power in modern
Britain and give us a genuinely
accountable upper house.
Darren Hughes
Chief executive, Electoral
Reform SocietyCronyism making a
mockery of the Lords
Another
fi ne mesh
Fishing nets at
dawn, Etang
de l’Or, France
JEREMY JOHNS/
GUARDIAN COMMUNITY
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these pagesseriously consider a republic and
a written constitution.
Dr Mike Addison
Wilmslow, Cheshire- The Guardian ( Editorial ,
29 August) says Johnson’s
pronunciamento “is not a total
subversion of the constitutional
order on a par with a military
putsch”. Small comfort! A coup - the correct term for what he is
attempting – can proceed by other
means. The PM is subverting
the routine practices of our
(unwritten) constitution by trashing
the conventions that restrain
democratic politicians. This is being
enabled by the great majority of
Conservative MPs. Matt Hancock,
Michael Gove and Amber Rudd,
who fi rmly denounced the idea of
prorogation, have not resigned. With
the takeover of the historic centre-
right party by extremists, the threat
to democracy is real and urgent.
TG Ashplant
Oxford - The Guardian is at best
premature and at worst wrong in
stating that Johnson’s request to
the Queen to prorogue parliament
“observes the letter of the law”. The
legality of his request – to facilitate
major constitutional change for
which there is no majority in
the legislature – is the subject of
judicial review. The court may
well confi rm that it was unlawful
for the PM to request prorogation
with the intention of frustrating
There should be no surprise at the
action of Boris Johnson in using
any and every tactic to achieve
his version of Brexit ( Outrage as
Johnson suspends parliament ,
29 August). In common with pro-
Brexit colleagues appointed to his
cabinet, he has been taken over by a
fanaticism that does not recognise
logic, conscience or democratic
values. Alas, it is contagious
and has drawn in a number of
Conservative MPs who had
previously displayed quite diff erent
views. One encounters it at public
meetings. Recently, speaking at a
local meeting on a totally diff erent
subject, I was assailed by two men
whose sole purpose was to harangue
those present on the need for Brexit
at any cost. It was discourteous to
me as speaker and, even more so, to
the chairman who had invited me.
Those now setting aside all
the democratic channels parrot
the mantra that the “vote of the
people” at the referendum has to
be implemented and are unwilling
even to countenance the manifest
case that the whole process was
deeply fl awed and the fi nal vote
unsustainable. These individuals
are a minority of those who voted
leave but make up the group that
propels Johnson on the disastrous
course towards a no-deal Brexit. He
aims to prevent parliament voting on
Brexit because he knows he cannot
win and he dare not face a second
referendum because he knows he
will lose it. In this bizarre situation,
and on such a crucial issue, it is vital
that every MP who opposes Brexit
unites to defeat the cynical sidelining
of parliamentary democracy.
Michael Meadowcroft
Leeds- My mother, an Austrian refugee,
was a great admirer of British
government. She used to tell her
children that Hitler could never have
risen to power in the UK because
of the existence and powers of the
monarch. The events of Wednesday,
when the prime minister, foisted on
the country by fewer than 100,000
members of the Conservative party,
suspended parliament, proved this
argument false. Johnson is no Hitler
but he has silenced democratic
debate in parliament, removing
all checks and balances on the
executive while it carries out policies
which will damage this country
for decades to come. The Queen
was either unable or unwilling to
prevent him. What a precedent this
has set for more extreme events in
the future. Our head of state has,
it seems, no powers; she is merely
a tourist attraction. It is time to
the will of parliament and/or the
eff ect of restricting its scrutiny of
the withdrawal process.
Until the outcome of judicial
review is known, the Guardian
should not postulate that Johnson
has observed the law.
Alice Appleton
Leeds- At long last the leaders of the
opposition parties in parliament
are working together to stop the
disaster of a no-deal Brexit, which
threatens the wellbeing and the
livelihood of thousands of our
fellow citizens. The hardworking
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letters-termsMatt Hancock,
Michael Gove and
Amber Rudd, who fi rmly
denounced prorogation,
have not resignedTG Ashplantremainers are being heard and at
last respected. Johnson delivers
like an enemy of parliament and a
short-sighted Brexiteer putting our
constitution and our institutions
at risk. Parliament has only a few
days next week to save the situation
and everything depends upon its
willingness to do so.
Shirley Williams
Liberal Democrats, House of Lords- Has Theresa May been working
in league with the ERG and the
hard-right Tories from day one?
The slick timing of events leading
to the Queen’s consent to prorogue
parliament, which began with May’s
resignation on 7 June, leading to
Johnson’s coronation on 24 July and
the subsequent recess of parliament
one day later , suggests a collusion
between May and the ERG to
achieve within the recess period the
formation of a cabinet dominated by
hard Brexiteers and the neutering of
parliament’s ability to stop no-deal.
She was obviously an admirer of
Johnson, having made him foreign
secretary and refusing to sack him
despite his many gaff es.
David Outen
Cazoules, Dordogne, France - Might parliament circumvent
the disgraceful prorogation of
parliament by using the precedent
set by Speaker William Lenthall in
1642, when he and the Commons
defi ed Charles I? Charles was then
the government, in that parliament’s
power was limited and in transition.
When the King tried illegally to
arrest fi ve MPs in parliament, asking
Lenthall where they were, the
latter replied, “I have neither eyes
to see nor tongue to speak in this
place but as this House is pleased
to direct me.” He and parliament
defi ed the governmental power.
The government is now Johnson
and his cronies. Parliament should
assemble now, if necessary at the
request of the Speaker, to defy this
rogue government.
Jane Card
Harwell, Oxfordshire - I am a mother of four who grew
up in Northern Ireland. I live in fear
of a no-deal Brexit. Not because
of trade or fi nances but because of
the return to violence which a hard
border will bring with it. Every day
of my childhood was spent hearing
of people being killed by bombs
and bullets. I lived in fear that I, my
siblings or parents would be next. Is
this what we want for our children?
Individuals outwith Northern
Ireland have very quickly forgotten
the terror and killing in the past.
Some of us will never forget. I do
not profess to be an expert on the
Brexit deal but I do know human
life is more important than any
so-called deal. For those intent on
pursuing a no-deal Brexit without a
backstop, I fear there will be blood
on your hands and the streets of my
beautiful home country once more.
Fiona Black
Edinburgh- I have metastatic thyroid cancer,
which is aff ecting my sacrum,
pelvis and hip. Last Monday, I had
an appointment with my consultant
to discuss my latest scans, which
show the cancer has spread to
another area of my hip.
The treatment is superb:
radioactive iodine, which targets the
tumour directly. This treatment has
- I have metastatic thyroid cancer,
For those intent on
pursuing a no-deal
Brexit without a
backstop, I fear there will
be blood on your handsFiona Blackreduced my pain and extended my
life for the past six years.
However, when my consultant
advised me on Monday that
another round of radioactive iodine
treatment is now necessary, I asked
how that will work after 31 October.
He shrugged his shoulders, threw
his arms in the air and said: “Who
knows, Linda, who knows ?” Six
years of positive treatment and now
“who knows”. It’s devastating.
Linda Wilcox
Ashford, Kent- The government’s position in the
Lords is even more precarious than
that suggested by Heather Stewart
( Johnson seeks to create new peers
to boost his authority , 27 August).
Crossbench peers and bishops,
though not subject to the whipping
system of the political parties, are
often critical of government policy
and many are likely to join Labour
and Liberal colleagues, not to
mention some Tories, in opposition
to Johnson over Brexit.
Jeremy Beecham
Labour, House of Lords - I quote from your article on the
silver hoard and the post-Norman
period of British history ( Report ,
29 August): “Imagine a period of
instability with someone in charge
of the country that not everybody
actively supports and uncertainty
in terms of the relationship with the
continent ... the sort of circumstances
in which anyone might bury their
money.” Now we all know what to do.
Jackie Epps
Alton, Hampshire - I understand that Mussolini,
whatever his faults, at least made
the trains run on time. May we
now expect improvements in our
railway timetables?
Rev John James
Highbridge, Somerset - In light of recent events , I have
the perfect strategy for regaining the
Ashes. We simply have to win the
fourth Test, then prorogue the fi fth.
Sorted. Thanks, Boris Johnson.
Stephen Marshall
Cambridge
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