The people and politicians are up in arms – and rightly so. Boris Johnson’s undemocratic move to suspend Parliament has galvanised opposition like an electric shock.
This is no longer just about stopping a no-deal Brexit. This is about saving our democracy. We need to mobilise urgently on all fronts.
Protests are already erupting all over the country. A petition opposing the suspension of Parliament has gathered around 1.5 million signatures.
Most British people never thought they would have to take to the streets to defend democracy. But, in the coming days, we will need to protect Parliament against the prime minister. Clive Lewis, the Labour MP, said he would have to be dragged out of the House of Commons if it was actually suspended in the midst of a national crisis. We may need to provide him and other MPs with a ring of protection.
Johnson’s move was borne out of desperation not strength. He could see that MPs were organising to stop him quitting the EU without a deal – and thought he would just silence them.
But this mad move is turning placid souls into radicals. Philip Hammond, David Lidington and David Gauke – respectively Chancellor of the Exchequer, effectively deputy prime minister and Lord Chancellor under Theresa May – have been emboldened to fight. Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, and George Young, a government whip in the House of Lords, have resigned.
It now seems likely that MPs will rush legislation through Parliament next week to stop Johnson. If they fail, they may even decide to kick the prime minister out of Downing Street and replace him with Jeremy Corbyn on a caretaker basis. A few days ago, that seemed unthinkable. But, in politics as in physics, every action produces an equal and opposite reaction.
The legal battles against the suspension of Parliament have gone into overdrive. There are now initiatives in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England.
Johnson may well play dirty to try to foil MPs’ plans. A whole series of measures are being considered by his advisers, according to Buzzfeed. These include advising the Queen not to sign a law that Parliament had passed; disobeying any such law; and refusing to resign even if MPs pass a vote of no confidence in him.
It is astonishing that such methods are even being considered. We have not yet quite witnessed a coup. But if Johnson adopts these extreme measures, we will be in the midst of one.
Hopefully, it will not come to this. The UK is the home of parliamentary democracy. People should protest within the law and Parliament should stop Johnson’s power grab. But if he successfully manages to castrate Parliament, more extreme, albeit always nonviolent methods will be needed to stop him dead in his tracks.