Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Further Evidence There's Never Been A "Democracy" On The Face Of This Earth

All over but the anarchy now.
The Guardian:  ‘Stop the coup’: Protests across UK over Johnson's suspension of parliament  —  Organisers say in London thousands marched from Commons Green towards Downing Street  —  Aamna Mohdin, Maya Wolfe-Robinson and Marvel Kalukembi — Within hours of Boris Johnson's decision to suspend parliament, impromptu protests were being held in major city centres across the country, including in front of the Palace of Westminster in central London.

Demonstrations were scheduled to be held from late afternoon onwards in areas including Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Cambridge, Brighton, Durham, Milton Keynes and Chester.

Protesters gathered at Commons Green, just outside Parliament, and marched towards Downing Street. Organisers claimed the crowd numbered in the thousands.

The demonstrators described the move to suspend parliament as a coup and called for Johnson to resign. At one point, the traffic at Downing Street was at a standstill as protesters chanted “save our democracy, stop the coup” and sang “No one voted for Boris”.

Amelia Womack, deputy leader of the Green party, was one of many opposition politicians present. She said: “We’re here to stand against Boris Johnson’s coup. We have a representative democracy and by suspending parliament, you are removing people’s democratic right.”

Speaking of the decision to prorogue, she said: “I feel like we’ve been expecting this for a while but I didn’t think he would make such a brutal move that showed such a disregard for our parliamentary procedures.”

She added: “I think what he has done is unite parts of the country who don’t support a no-deal and his form of process that is denying democracy.”

Jane Keane, 54, said she had been protesting every day since Michael Gove announced the government would start making preparations for a no-deal. “It is a complete contradiction to what parliament has said three times. They’ve said no deal is unacceptable. My understanding is parliament is sovereign not Boris Johnson.”
Financial Times:  Boris Johnson's suspension of parliament is an affront to democracy
New York Times:   Boris Johnson Shortens the Fuse on Brexit
Kate Proctor / The Guardian:   Boris Johnson's move to prorogue parliament ‘a constitutional outrage’, says Speaker
Alex Wickham / BuzzFeed:
Boris Johnson Is Planning A Series Of Extreme Measures In The Coming Weeks To Force Through Brexit
Tim O'Donnell / The Week:   Boris Johnson might reportedly attack Parliament with a slew of national holidays
Anne Applebaum / Washington Post:
Boris Johnson's constitutional crisis now resembles America's
Benjamin Kentish / The Independent:   Boris Johnson's plan to suspend parliament branded ‘constitutional outrage’ by John Bercow
BBC:
Government asks Queen to suspend Parliament
The Guardian:   Suspension of parliament: MPs react with fury and Davidson set to quit after Johnson move - as it happened
Guy Davies / ABC News:   Queen approves UK government's request to suspend Parliament during crucial Brexit period
GOV.UK:   Queen's Speech: invest in NHS, attack violent crime, cut the cost of living
David A. Wemer / Home Page Rotator:   Will Suspending Parliament Strengthen Boris Johnson's Brexit Hand?
Charlie Cooper / Politico:   Boris Johnson vs. parliament
James Delingpole / Breitbart:   Brexit Is Happening. Savour Those Remoaner Tears!
John Plunkett / The Poke:   The Queen has consented to Boris Johnson's request to prorogue Parliament - 24 favourite responses
Benjamin Soloway / Foreign Policy:   Around the World, Forests Are on Fire
Elliot Hannon / Slate:   Boris Johnson Moves to Suspend U.K. Parliament Ahead of Brexit, Sparking Outrage and Possibly an Election
Dave Brockington / Lawyers, Guns & Money:   Destroying British Democracy to Save Democracy, or Something.
"Must these Englishmen live that I might die? Must they live that I might die?"