Johnson Declares The Withdrawal Acts Would Lock Britain Into EU Control
For the purposes of lulling myself into sleep the other night, I watched Boris Johnson’s House of Commons speech in defence of advising the monarch to prorogue Parliament, which was this week declared unlawful by eleven unanimous judges in the Supreme Court.
During the course of the proceedings, I witnessed Johnson, slowly but surely, making Corbyn look like he was clearly out of his depth, even after the court ruled in what seemed like the latter’s favour.
In actual fact, Johnson has enough evidence to overturn the Supreme Court judgment, on the ground that no such action was taken against John Major when he prorogued Parliament.
However, Johnson has chosen not to do so. In his own words, he doesn’t want to disrespect the judiciary at such a time political chaos, notwithstanding the support of his position by both the Attorney General and the Master of the Rolls.
Corbyn On The Ropes
Whilst Corbyn and the majority on the opposite side of the house fired volley after volley of impassioned allegations of Parliamentary impropriety, Johnson gave them answer after answer which they just couldn’t handle.
When he was accused of lying to the Queen, to Parliament and the people, Johnson effortlessly stated that he took a different position to that of the Supreme Court and quickly ridiculed Corbyn for Labour’s refusal to agree to hold a General Election without an extension of Article 50.
Corbyn could do nothing except stare at the notes between his legs, not quite believing what was happening to him, like a boxer who couldn’t rise from his stool to fight another round.
However, things got a whole lot worse for Corbyn when Johnson repeatedly accused him and most of the opposition of trying to break the promise given to the people that their decision would be honoured, no matter what the result the EU referendum turned out to be.
He also called Corbyn by his rightful name – a communist – then predicted that totalitarianism would ensue if Red Jezza ever takes office at Number 10, which is exactly what Corbyn has promised in his overtly Marxist manifesto.
Brexit Ovation
Johnson’s argument was a powerfully simplistic but effective one, which Corbyn was incapable of responding to substantively.
So he just continued firing allegations of Johnson being unfit for office, when that is exactly what he has proven himself to be, by pretending he is not bound by the promise he and every other Parliamentarian made to the people over Brexit.
Nevertheless, what Johnson said about that won him a very long ovation from the majority of the house, after he eloquently demolished any claim Corbyn might have previously had to political credibility.
One by one, MP’s from almost every party rose to support Johnson’s proposal that a new cross-party bill puts right the wrongdoings contained in both the 2018 and 2019 Withdrawal Acts, which seek to establish the supremacy of EU Law in Britain, at any cost.
The Surrender Bill
Rather comically, Johnson refused to stop referring to the second Withdrawal Act as “The Surrender Bill”. He did so because it seeks to give the sole power of extending the notice period prescribed by Article 50 to the EU.
This would, in theory, allow unelected bureaucrats to postpone the day Britain leaves into infinity, if Exit Day hadn’t already transpired on 29/03/2019, by operation of the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017.
Unfortunately, some of the women on the Labour back benches didn’t appreciate the seething irony of the situation, as they shook with hurt feelings and accused Johnson of using the kind of “violent language” that encourages the kind of right wing extremism that led to the murder of their ‘friend, Jo Cox”.
Here lies a stark warning of what would happen within every institution under a Corbyn regime – upsetting people with logic, reason, wit and evidence will be treated as an act of terrorism, just like it is in every totalitarian dictatorship.
However, it would appear Johnson won the majority of support in the commons this week on his own merit, if one has the eyes to see his performance and his stated intent without party political prejudice.
Unlawful Acts & Legal Nullities
Johnson stated in the debate that he will champion a cross-party bill to enact the terms of EU withdrawal and that it will not in any way resemble the provisions of the Withdrawal Acts of 2018 and 2019.
This might well be the first indication that his adviser, the Attorney General, now accepts that the Acts are nullities because of the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017, which I have already written about extensively here.
Furthermore, quoting directly from Johnson, talking about the existing withdrawal agreement in the debate:
“The problem with the existing withdrawal agreement is that it would lock us in to the EU….tantamount to vassalage…
“We will make sure that the deal we do bears no resemblance whatever to that predicament.”
The new bill will repeal and replace this unequivocally unlawful Act, along with the equally unlawful European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act 2019, which also seeks to go behind the provisions of the 2017 Act by illegally extending an already illegally extended notice period.
In passing such a bill, Parliament would reaffirm the supremacy of Common Law and every Briton would enjoy the protection of our ancient constitution once again, free from unaccountable meddling from unaccountable tyrannical bureaucracy.
It would also constitute a statutory condemnation of the attempted subversion of the will of the people by Parliament, since its legitimacy is entirely contingent upon possessing the majority’s consent.
Preparation Meets Political Opportunity
Judging by the way Johnson has so easily overcome Corbyn’s challenge, it looks likely Boris knew the Supreme Court would probably rule his proroguing of Parliament was unlawful, given its president’s open opposition to Brexit.
It therefore follows that Johnson was fully prepared to take the opportunity to turn his adversary’s attempt to end his political career into his own triumph.
By declaring that the unlawful first Withdrawal Act will be replaced with a new bill, along with the second Withdrawal Act, which is nothing but a surrender to the unjustified demands of the unelected EU commissars.
In the event he proves to be true to his word and forces such a bill into force and effect, the supremacy of the British Common Law Jury System will be restored.
Key Establishment Figures Dismissed
Lest we forget, Johnson has already sacked establishment stooges, Nicholas Soames and Ken Clarke, which in and of itself is at least prima facie evidence that he is not having his strings pulled by those who have controlled every UK government since 1815.
Having gone on to weather the storm caused by the Supreme Court ruling against him and to accuse every MP who has opposed Brexit of betraying the people, even critical thinkers are starting to wonder if Boris Johnson has the makings of a Prime Minister capable of leading Britain out of this seemingly endless Westminster pantomime.
Moreover, the confident manner in which he is doing so implies he has dropped the facade of the buffoon, revealing a well defined agenda, which his political adversaries clearly never expected.
If we were talking about a game of chess, Johnson now has his opposition in Fool’s Mate. The irony certainly isn’t lost on me.
Is This The Real Boris Johnson?
On the subject of who the real Boris Johnson is, his sister said in a definitive documentary about his irresistible rise:
“He knows life is a competition and he always wants to be top.”
If the ovation he got from the commons after his easy dismantling of the opposing arguments is anything to go by, he already has the necessary majority to force through his plans.
Nevertheless, he has still appealed for cross party support to put right Parliament’s wrongdoings and has already garnered it from across the house.
Can we say any such things about any past Prime Minister of Britain?
Putting Power Back In The People’s Hands
Not only is there not one example in living memory, there is no historical record of any of his predecessors putting the voice of the people above the whims of those who commit their white collar crimes in the shadows.
However, it was Johnson’s calmly delivered performance in the face of that furious vitriol, as well as his intelligent and effective erudition, which gave rise to an instinctive feeling that we are witnessing events unlike any others that have ever transpired on these shores.
Britain Left The EU On 29/03/2019
Furthermore, since Johnson has already adopted the position I was for so long the solitary holder of – that the first Withdrawal Act of 2018 was and remains an attempt to lock Britain into EU Law – I am given to wonder if he is will soon declare that the UK left the EU on the 29th of March by operation of the the 2017 Act.
It certainly would be an efficient method by which we can finally get on with Brexit, without leaving the EU jurisdiction to meddle in the affairs of the British people.
In which case, Boris Johnson, no matter what else history records, will be remembered as the Prime Minister who put the power to affect the course of their own lives back into the people’s hands, where it naturally belongs.
Parliament Dies If Johnson Lies
One way or another, will know whether or not he is just another political snake-oil salesman, spinning a populist line in service of a covert agenda, soon enough.
Whilst my head points me toward educated skepticism, my instinct reminds me that the only thing certain in life is that nothing stays the same forever.
Perhaps that is enough to justify holding a cautious optimism that Johnson knows that if he breaks the promises he made to the people in this week, Parliament will not survive.
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