Scotland
At the press conference to confirm her resignation as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson did not condemn Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament, as some had assumed she would, insisting instead that she believed he was still working toward a deal with the EU. On the streets of Edinburgh, the reaction was very different.
Waiting for the bus on Princes Street, 27-year-old Laura Martin was rendered momentarily speechless as she contemplated the move she went on to describe as outrageous. “I don’t think I was shocked, because I’m learning not to put anything past Boris Johnson,” she said.
Her friend Anstice Pryst-Hawkins, also 27, holds out little hope of the hearing currently under way at the city’s court of session challenging the decision: “Taking America as a template, no matter what happens he’ll find a way,” she said.
On a break from work outside the Balmoral Hotel, Aivaras Langis, a 32-year-old EU national, also said he was unsurprised at the news: “We know Boris Johnson and we know how politics is going at the moment. It’s just not democratic anymore,” he said.
The Lithuanian, who has lived and worked in the UK for seven years, has already applied for settled status. Scotland is a welcoming place, he says, noting that the country voted against Brexit, and that he can only assume the latest crisis at Westminster will boost support for independence.
Wednesday’s front pages reflected the mood of weary outrage, compounded by Davidson’s exit and immediate speculation about the impact on the future fortunes of her party and the union itself.
The Herald chose a striking black background to display the first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s quote about “a dark day for democracy”, and the Scotsman leader said the prime minister was “acting with contempt”. Both the Daily Record and the independence-supporting National led with questions about the impact prorogation might have on the long-term future of the UK. LB
Wales
Welsh politicians have taken a dim view of Johnson’s move, and the first minister, Mark Drakeford, immediately asked the presiding officer to recall the Welsh assembly next week to discuss the crisis. “Boris Johnson fought a referendum campaign to put power back in the hands of parliament and now he wants the Queen to close the doors on our democracy,” he said.
On the streets of Cardiff, members of the public were also appalled. “I think it’s despicable,” said Sean Patterson, 46. “Boris was unelected. No one asked him to lead us through this mess and now he’s doing everything in his power it seems to make sure we leave without a deal. They should be making the most of what little time they have left to sort this mess out. It’s just ridiculous.”
Michelle Davies, 30, agreed. “It is all a game to Boris and his self-serving supporters. Whatever the outcome of Brexit they will still be rich and powerful. There’s no risk for them but they are gambling with ordinary people’s lives,” she said.
Prorogation is the official term that marks the end of a parliamentary session. After being advised to do so by the prime minister, the Queen formally prorogues parliament. This takes the form of an announcement in the House of Lords on the Queen’s behalf. It is a speech, written by the government, which usually describes the bills that have been passed during that session and summarises what has been achieved.
It means that all work on existing legislation stops, and MPs and Lords stop sitting. Prorogation also automatically kills any bills, early day motions or questions to ministers going through parliament.
Parliament can then be reopened a few days later with a fresh slate of legislation intentions, set out in a new Queen’s speech at the formal state opening of parliament.
“Suspending parliament could put a stop to vital work that protects the vulnerable in society. There is an important bill to give more protections to survivors of domestic abuse that is yet to pass. Plunging the country into more uncertainty is not the answer. It is a selfish shortcut driven by ego, not what is best for the country.”
Others backed Johnson. Jade, 24, said: “I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad idea to suspend parliament. They’ve already had ages to work something out, so I don’t think a month is going to make a blind bit of difference to be honest. I think it’s good. Just send them home, have a cup of tea and go from there.”
As a country Wales voted for Brexit but the capital was for remain, and around 400 people took to the streets to take part in a “block the coup” march.
The Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts called the move an “undemocratic coup d’etat”. “Boris Johnson’s actions are those of a coward and a bully who fears scrutiny and who seeks to blame anyone else for actions that are entirely his own doing,” she said. “The risk of crashing out of the EU without a deal poses too great of a risk for the prime minister to run roughshod over parliamentary process.”
Johnson’s decision may boost numbers at a march for independence in Merthyr Tydfil on 7 September. One of the organisers, the musician and activist Cian Ciaran, said: “This latest action by Westminster comes as no surprise. It adds to the urgency required for self-determination here in Wales. Independence is normal and this development by Boris and Co goes on to the ever-growing list of why I’ll be marching.” SM
Northern Ireland
Johnson’s move to suspend parliament has left people in Northern Ireland shocked and polarised. Some called it an assault on, and others a victory for, democracy.
Either way, both sides agree it is momentous – a new, radical phase in the Brexit process. “I think it’s the end of the union,” said Ruairi Cunningham, a director of Strathroy, a dairy based in Omagh, County Tyrone. “It very much seems that the Tories want Westminster to be an English parliament for an English people.”
Most people in Northern Ireland, like Scotland, voted to stay in the EU and and are now having their wishes steamrollered, said Cunningham. “Politics was always a dirty game but at least there were certain standards. Not anymore. Boris has surrounded himself with similar thinking people prepared to do anything to get a seat at the top table.”
The Ulster Unionist party (UUP), which has backed Brexit, joined the pro-remain parties of Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance in condemning the suspension of parliament.
Arlene Foster, the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader defended the move as “eminently sensible” in a Belfast Telegraph article. “Those shouting the loudest about the prime minister are missing the mood of the public,” she wrote.
Norman Fitzpatrick, a grocer in Killyleagh, County Down, agreed. “Boris Johnson is doing the right thing. He’s doing what Theresa May should have done. Take a stand and stand by it,” he said.
Suspending parliament felt “unreal”, particularly given the mothballing of Northern Ireland’s assembly, but it was justified because of the 2016 referendum mandate to leave the EU, he said. “You’ve got to follow through. Democracy has to stand firm.”
Paddy Malone, a chamber of commerce member in Dundalk, which borders Northern Ireland, said people were thanking God the republic had a written constitution to guard against prorogation. “We have checks and balances that protects us from this sort of thing. Bad and all as we are sometimes no taoiseach here could ever do that. We’re just scratching our heads and wondering, is this for real?” RC
