Brexit Has Turned British Politics Into a Circus
The British tradition of ‘Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) is a weekly session in parliament, where the Prime Minister faces off against the leader of the opposition and other parliament members, answering questions for several hours. It is always a loud, entertaining affair full of British satire and old-school political rivalry. The Prime Minister answers questions about his government’s policies, plans, and recent developments. On the other side of the chamber, the leader of the opposition is expected to ask uncomfortable questions in a tough, uncompromising manner. Though it might surprise you to hear that Britain doesn’t have a formal, written constitution, traditions like the PMQs constitute the UK’s unwritten set of political norms and institutions. This particular system of democracy— a system that doesn’t require a formal constitution, simply because norms and social conventions are respected nonetheless — has long been admired by Democrats across the globe.
And then came Boris Johnson and his decision to suspend parliament. Johnson, seeing how the British parliament blocked his predecessor Theresa May’s attempts to get Brexit done by opposing her deal with Brussels, decided to make his job a tiny bit easier by sacking the democratically-elected members of parliament to an early recess, effectively sidelining parliament from the whole Brexit process: A bold, but also extremely unpopular and controversial move which soon backfired. On the streets, people shouted: ‘Stop the coup!’ whereas in parliament, members of Johnson’s party defected to the opposition, meaning that Johnson lost his majority — and as a consequence his authority and legitimacy.
Acting swiftly before its own dismissal which was set to last from mid September to mid October, parliament voted to take control of the Brexit process and block ‘no deal’ which pushed Johnson to call for an early general election before the Brexit deadline in October. Johnson asserts that the opposition aims to continuously delay, and ultimately stop Brexit. Nevertheless, his claim to represent the ‘democratic will of the people’ is ironic considering he didn’t become Prime Minister by winning a popular general election. And there’s a strong argument to be made in the urgency, and parliamentary legitimacy to stop the economic disaster of ‘no deal’.
An early general election which Johnson wants to call is very likely to further complicate the Brexit process with new twists and turns. Brexit has already evidently led to a crisis of British democracy. A constitutional crisis which has exposed and challenged the unwritten constitution. At the heart of this crisis, lies the central question: Who has true and ultimate authority and power? Parliament or the Executive? Thinking back to the 2016 referendum campaign, one remembers the ‘Remain’ campaign’s central argument: That Brexit, with its countless complexities and uncertainties, would lead to political and economic turmoil. Meanwhile, the pounds is now at its lowest values in three years. The government doesn’t have a majority in parliament, and an economically catastrophic No-Deal Brexit is still a possibility. Will there be another delay? Can Johnson cling onto power? If Labour wins the election, what happens next? Brexit brings only one certainty. The certainty of bringing more questions than answers.
Dear Britain, would have you gotten yourself into?
* This article is the first of a five-piece miniseries analyzing the main events and development in global politics over the summer. The next issue will cover the wave of protests in Russia and Hong Kong.
