24/09/2019
The Supreme Court's ruling this morning must surely be a death knell for Boris Johnson's term as British Prime Minister.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the prorogation was unlawful and is deemed not to have happened. Johnson broke the law in the advice he gave to the Queen and, aside from anything else, should be utterly ashamed that he has brought such shame on our country, our democracy and our monarchy.
To be clear, there should be no suggestion that the Queen has done anything wrong.
Her Majesty's role in this is, in effect, ceremonial. She acts on the advice (or the explicit request) of the Prime Minister.
This being the case, Johnson is surely not only guilty of Misconduct in Public Office, but of treason too.
treason
ˈtriːz(ə)n
noun [mass noun]
(also high treason) the crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill or overthrow the sovereign or government: they were convicted of treason.
Johnson is clearly guilty of betraying Britain by attempting to prevent parliament from scrutinising the government's actions.
It is just the latest in the (if we're being charitable) catalogue of errors of judgement from the bumbling Prime Minister.
I will admit that I used to actually have a lot of time for Johnson. He may have been shambolic in his appearance and manner, but he was clearly an intelligent and engaging character. He was, or so I thought, different to the worst of the power hungry politicians.
However, by ignoring his previous stance on the EU and instead joining the Leave campaign, he has shown that his hunger for power trumps any semblance of integrity he had.
Given how much faith I put in honesty, integrity and honour, his behaviour is something I find completely unacceptable.
I honestly believe that our parliamentarians must be held accountable for their wrongdoings and, when it is serious enough, face prosecution. The only way we can begin to restore faith in politics and democracy, is to ensure that those who represent us in parliament or in government (whether this is within Westminster or in local boroughs) must be able to prove that they are 'fit and proper' persons.
Fit and Proper
The 'fit and proper person test' is used to prevent corrupt or untrustworthy people from serving in certain positions of trust. This includes directors of major British football clubs and board members of NHS Trusts, but also (for example) to those holding 'controlled functions' in financial services businesses. If you have to be 'fit and proper' to be a financial adviser, surely you should also have to meet this criteria to be an elected politician.
I do hope that those who, sadly, have already started to cast accusations at the Supreme Court Justices will reflect on what actually happened and realise that they have not done anything wrong.
Quite the opposite.
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