After defeat in Saturday’s parliamentary sitting, Boris Johnson will still be smiling all the way. The eyes are on the Brexit-related legislation. A vote on the agenda is expected in the coming week. So still there is much to get through parliament. Without a majority of MPs Johnson could lose again in the election.
After Queen’s defeat speech, the opposition could call for a no-confidence vote. Johnson can be expected to himself take the initiative by calling a general election before 24 October. This can be done by setting down an amendment to the fixed-term act which would require a simple majority. As the current polls stand Johnson and Cummings know that a Tory majority is theirs for the taking.
It is all about bullying and propaganda with Cummings in No 10. The other tactic is to encourage the EU to not grant the UK an extension. But law can stop that from happening. Law says that the EU has a legal duty to all its member states to ensure that any withdrawal is not damaging to what article 13(1) of the treaty on European Union calls the “consistency, effectiveness and continuity of its policies and actions”. Till UK leaves it is still a member state. And the lawyers are making sure that this government does not ride roughshod over our laws and our constitution.
This scenario is clearly depicting what is not right with the electoral system. If Johnson were to win a general election, he would have a clear path to enact policies that the British public is increasingly resisting. People who gathered in thousands in Central London on Saturday to demand their say on any deal clearly now represent the majority of voters. And reports say just 20% would back the new deal for Brexit.