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This prorogation is significantly longer than usual (see: https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-parliament-prorogation-explained https://www.channel
by bambataa 7y ago
This prorogation is significantly longer than usual (see: https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-parliament-prorogation-explained https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-parliament...). It is usually for less than a week and this is for up to 34 days. The Government has failed to give a reasonable justification for the extra duration. Every complaint about "blocking" remainer MPs makes clear the real reason. Trying to block a no-deal Brexit of course does not entail overturning the referendum result as no-one was proposing no-deal during the referendum.
That said, I agree with you that Parliament doesn't seem capable of much. Personally I think too many MPs are caught up in their own importance and should have recognised the need for something like citizens' assemblies long ago. If Macron can organise them after some protests why are we still stuck where we were three years ago?
- nailer 7y agoWhich is a net loss of four sitting days: https://order-order.com/2019/08/28/boriss-prorogation-will-shorter-majors/ https://order-order.com/2019/08/28/boriss-prorogation-will-s... (also added to the above). Be careful of Channel 4 in general, it's not unusual they'd omit something like this from a fact check.
- bambataa 7y agoI'm not sure that demonstrating that Major used prorogation to avoid scrutiny of a scandal really changes much. So we're agreed that PMs prorogue Parliament for abnormally long periods when they want to avoid awkward questions? Why might Johnson be doing that now? Why risk all of these negative headlines to avoid just four sitting days? Of course, it's also absurd that Parliament has carried on with its usual summer and conference recesses as if nothing important is happening.
- tomatocracy 7y agoHe wants the headlines I suspect. They only hurt him with people who would never have voted for him anyway, and they help him with groups who might.
- nailer 7y agoI suspect because the last few days before the deadline will be the peak of negotiations, because the decision of whether to leave the EU was decided by a referendum in 2016, and because referendums should not be overridden by MPs.