Fireworks inside the House of Commons
Yesterday’s return of the Remain harlots to the green benches they love so much that they are doing everything to keep sitting on them promised to be, well, let’s say: interesting. And by God, so it was!
I watched the whole thing, until the end at 11pm. It was well worth it, for the sheer theatre of the Attorney General Sir Geoffrey Cox – he of the booming mellifluous voice (and by golly did he boom!) -, for the sheer ‘grab them by their throats and shake them’ performance from the PM and for the grand finale by the Leader of the House.
It was especially worth it because, comparing what I and so many others watched unfold with the reports in today’s MSM, I can say that their Remain credentials are intact. None of them reported on one extraordinary scene – more on that below. JRM’s explanation regarding his remark that the SC verdict was a constitutional coup is also nowhere to be found in today’s MSM.
This remark was reported yesterday and had the Remain MPs in a tizzy of fabricated outrage. JRM said that this remark was falsely attributed to him (“you mustn’t believe everything you read in the papers” …) and was based on leaks from the cabinet meeting on the SC verdict. The MSM were not interested.
But let’s start at the beginning. The Attorney General had the floor and the attention of the full House. It was the best performance I’ve seen from the government bench for a long time. It was only topped by the PM, but we’ll come to that later.
Mr Cox’s opening act turned out to be the start of what became a veritable slaughter of the opposition MPs. Let me recommend the following video clips for your enjoyment, where Mr Cox unleashed his inner Cromwell: here, here, here and here – the last one with the screaming attack by that Labour MP. Mr Cox’s reply is stellar!
Quentin Letts in the paywalled Times has some choice descriptions in his Parliamentary sketch which you’ll enjoy as much as I do:
“Prowling at the dispatch box, tail swishing, one forefinger stabbing the air, Mr Cox raged that the Commons was trying to block 17.4 million people’s votes. “This parliament is a disgrace!” He told Opposition MPs that they were “too cowardly” to try to topple the government. All they wanted was to stop Brexit. “But the time is coming, Mr Speaker, when even these turkeys won’t be able to stop Christmas.” Behind him, Conservative MPs, who had earlier looked a little shattered, blinked and started to cheer. Ministers alongside Mr Cox looked alarmed. It must have been like being next to the blast of a six-cylinder Lagonda engine. Mr Cox was flaming. Scorchio.” (link, paywalled)
It gets better:
“His [Mr Cox’s] opening responses, delivered in his Aslan growl, were measured. But slowly the exasperation mounted. He was irked by his Labour shadow, who said that the loss of the Supreme Court case left Mr Cox without a “shred of credibility”. Mr Cox told the man not to be so “absurd and ridiculous”. Lawyers often lost cases. Soon came pesterings from the likes of Letwin, Grieve, Soubry, Benn and the Wollaston nightmare. […] Across Mr Cox’s eyes there flickered a few sparks of static electricity. […] He even had to put up with a complaint from Labour’s Emma Hardy about using the old legal expression “when did you stop beating your wife”. Ms Hardy, and Mr Bercow, thought it insensitive to domestic-violence victims. Good grief.” (link, paywalled)
Mr Letts doesn’t mention that this remark produced the first signs of emotional pleas from wimmin MPs to apologise for … language! There’s more:
“It was Rory Stewart who finally pushed Mr Cox over the edge. Mr Stewart lavished praise on the Supreme Court. Maybe Mr Cox saw his self-pleased smile as he sat down. Whatever, it detonated his anger and that was when we had the “dead parliament” eruption. And then we had Philip Lee, the ex-Tory from Bracknell who now pollutes the Lib Dem benches. Mr Lee told Mr Cox to show “more humility”. This from a man of the most sepulchral pomposity. Mr Cox: “Words fail me. They really do. He should be on his knees to his own constituents, begging their forgiveness for his betrayal.” Big hurrahs. Mr Lee is little liked. Cromwellian Cox united the House.” (link, paywalled)
I can attest to that! Here’s the summary from Benedict Spence who observes in the DT:
“It is quite a thing, then, that despite being a dead man walking, it was the sacrificial lamb who came up smelling of roses, and tolled the bell for his assailants.” (paywalled link)
What imagery! I love it. The MPs then had the opportunity they so wanted, to scrutinise the government. The main part was about that ‘Operation Yellowhammer’, again. Not only do opposition MPs have a remarkable lack of comprehension, some of their grandstanding questions were too ridiculous for words.
It’ll surprise you to hear that thanks to No-Deal-Brexit there will be a shortage of cheddar cheese and that there will be food riots because of that. Oh – and because of a shortage of carrots in Scottish constituencies. Yes, really! That’s what the Remain harlots wanted to come back for?
Then – the main act, the PM, Mr Johnson. For reference see the reports in the Express or this report in the DM. But be warned! Just as the broadsheets coyly omit reporting on what happened after Johnson’s reply to Corbyn’s statement, so the DM clips the video at that point.
I heartily recommend you watch what actually went on here – not just for the clapping and standing ovation but for the preceding reply by the PM where he shreds Corbyn.
Next, the Remain MPs became first irritated, then angry when Johnson called the Benn Bill the ‘Surrender Act’. They begged him to desist – desist he did not but doubled down, calling it the ‘Humiliation Act’ and the ‘Capitulation Act’. Their demands that BoJo stop this was to no avail:
So the ‘wimminz brigade’ rose and wailed with one voice about Johnson’s use of ‘violent and dangerous’ language. As far as I could make out, they meant words such as ‘surrender’ and ‘treason’.
It got worse. In a final act of what can only be described as scraping the emotional barrel, they blamed his language for the murder of Jo Cox MP – which had actually taken place over three years ago. Woman after woman rose on the opposition benches and wailed:
“Many of us are subject to death threats and abuse every day,” she said, “and let me tell the Prime Minister that they often quote his words, [such as] ‘Surrender Act’ and ‘betrayal’… We must moderate our language, and it has to come from the Prime Minister first.” The Prime Minister’s response began as follows. “I have to say, Mr Speaker,” he said, “I have never heard such humbug in all my life.” The Opposition gaped. Then they raged. The Prime Minister, however, remained unmoved. Moments later, in fact, he declared that “the best way to honour Jo Cox” would be “to get Brexit done”. […] Later still, he accused Labour of “synthetic outrage”. (paywalled link)
What has been disregarded in the MSM reports on this ‘synthetic outrage’ is Johnson’s repeated assertion that he would not ask for an extension. That’s now on the record.
Next, we were treated to a spell of points of order which were about – language! It turned into a veritable feast of mutual self-pity and emotion. At one point I thought the Speaker and some MPs – l’m looking at you, Ms Swinson! – were going to burst into tears.
So to the final act, the cherry on the cake of the government’s humiliation of the opposition: the Leader of the House announcing the business for today. It’ll be a debate on democracy and voters. The Parliament site hasn’t yet published the order paper, we’ll have to wait for that. You’ll not find his speech and replies reported in the MSM. There aren’t even video clips as of yet.
As I’ve mentioned above, JRM clarified that remark on ‘constitutional coup’, not that this penetrated the thick skulls of the opposition MPs. Thus a Labour MP – a woman, of course – rose, smirking, and asked him which of the two versions of ‘coup’ he meant. She quoted those versions straight from a dictionary (here). When will they learn that it’s futile to try and embarrass JRM like that?
In a brilliant play on words he replied that there was actually a third version of “coop”, meaning ‘a hen house’ … laughter all round. The Lab woman sat smiling, not having realised that she had been skewered. It was vintage JRM: lethal courtesy, the stiletto slid into the heart so elegantly that the victims don’t even notice they’re already dead.
At the end of 11 ½ hours of parliamentary theatre, I rubbed my eyes and asked myself if this really was why the Remainers wanted Prorogation stopped by all and any means. This drubbing by Messrs Cox, Johnson and Rees-Mogg cannot have been what they expected.
The three acts by these three gentlemen have inflicted such damage on their standing in the eyes of us voters – all attempts by the MSM to spin this notwithstanding – that they are dead buffoons walking.
I’ll be watching today’s session which promises even more fireworks.
KBO!
My thanks to viv also. I’ve watched Cox and Boris but why can’t I watch JRM?
I think everything has been said but would like to offer my grateful thanks for the articulate way you present all the news Viv. I don’t bother with much else now.
“They” don`t get it, I don`t just mean JRM`s stiletto, but the whole shebang.
I have watched and listened for over 3 years to the dedicated remainiacs (and fellow travelers and inside sleeping agents) moaning and groaning that they don`t TRUST the government and lately in the last few days the Benn surrender act (and interpretations) has become an object lesson in pointing out that distrust in writing and now for the last couple of days we have had the same incessant moaning from parliamentarians..
Why this endemic distrust?
They should cast their minds back to the very reason a referendum came about, remember it was Brown who started it all, he failed to order/give the referendum that Blair promised, then it was Cameron`s turn, he went for some spurious sham negotiation and couldn`t even sell the result to his own party, never mind the electorate and all this time it was becoming more and more evident that the EU was to say the least “bad news” and that parliament was in their pay and thrall and all their efforts were becoming clearly self oriented and OBVIOUSLY the electorate were being ignored and indeed hoodwinked.
At last a referendum came, the mass of electorate had twigged this infamy and voted accordingly, it had even become evident to a substantial number of people who had no interest in politics, but they now knew when they were being conned..
Although this exercise (brexiting) appears to have elements of a pantomime, politicians of all the legacy parties responsible for this mayhem should beware of the cry “look behind you” from the audience, if they don`t achieve a reasonable result by the 31st October, there could ensue a second peasant`s revolt -.I had a friend in this afternoon pointing out that our fighting services were so under strength that this used to be circumstances for a civil war (I also remember flyer`s 10.0000).
It has taken us to very brink of everlasting doom (vassalisation) but at last, at the very last, having reached the democratic cliff edge (no not that mythical Brexit cliff edge) Leaver passion erupted, and spectacularly. What a joy. Finally they allowed themselves to call a spade a spade (Capitulation/Surrender Bill; It’s not no deal they want but no Brexit; Bad law made on the hoof for political reasons; Unconstitutional).
Genuine passion that could no longer be contained. Anger, disdain and disgust for the Remain establishment, came out loud. But why, oh why, has it taken so long? For over three years the Leave side stayed calm and dignified and spoke quiet reason and logic in the face of incessant and appalling misrepresentation and abuse from Remainers, expecting (after all we’re British – or we were [clapping in the Commons for God’s sake!])… expecting those traits to win out. But the MSM has created its own self-intoxicating Remain bubble (outside the Westminster Bubble) eschewing or drowning out reasoned argument, every interview backdropped with an array of EU flags. Hour after hour of the same miserable people repeating the same miserable falsehoods, complaining someone has stolen their toys.
The Leave Lion roared. And weren’t those bullies strangely cowed, if only for a while, as only bullies can be when someone decides to fight back. If only Leavers (Farage excepted) had taken off their gloves six months or a year ago…
Sorry but what you are describing was pure theatre.
I have been forecasting for many months that:
A. The Backstop will be ‘adjusted’ to suit the Northern Island Politicians,
B. The HoC will pass a minimally amended May ‘agreement’,
C. The UK will be tied to the EU, ‘ad infinitum’
D. Boris will receive an Oscar for his ‘over-the-top’ performance.
END OF STORY.
I don’t disagree. Those are my fears precisely. Brexit Party all the way. But it was just so pleasing to see the Remainiacs battered for a change. And it is still true that if the true leavers had been more combative months ago we may not have come to this pass.
The empty benches in this afternoons debate on Democracy and the Electorate speaks volumes about our unRepresentative Parliament.
The following clip gives clear view of the situation;
https://youtu.be/SZE9So1M0As
How petty to vote down the 3 day recess for the Tory conference. The vote was swung by you guessed it nine of the Tory rebels (traitors) voting to prevent it. Hope they get booted out of the party for that (finally.). Will the SNP be allowed one? Silly question.
Viv I think you are wonderful sitting through the pantomime for such a long time. Lesser mortals would have given up after half an hour. Than you gor your diligence.
J R-M could have used the Scottish meaning of coup, (pronounced kow-p) as an alternative to the one chosen, although that was very good.
It means “midden” or “rubbish heap” and to me it perfectly describes Parliament as it now is.
Viv (warhorse) you`ve obviously got better hearing than me or interpretive skills, but I listened to Bojo and for approx. 3.5 hours was under the impression that the Benn Surrender Act he was trashing was the Withdrawal Agreement.
Is it too much to hope that is what he is doing too, i.e. not only getting rid of the back stop, but also crossing out the bits that deny us a full and COMPLETE return of Sovereignty ?.
I`ve always enjoyed the Burmese name Cox`s Bazaar, I thought our Cox was truly bizarre and such an energizing spur to his party.
I loved your description of the chorus of collective Soul Sisters which I characterized as a collective cacophony of hypocrisy and crocodile tears arch hypocrite Sourpuss did say she was actually crying strange how one so adept at dishing it out, cannot take it when she is the recipient, maybe just confirms she is all mouth and no trousers.
If I may, a final question/observation
Boris was asked what his vision was of life for the nation outside and beyond Brexit,or words to that neffect I think we should be looking for a clear answer, because I watched Corbyn`s keynote speech to the Labour conference and while he was in “leaving mode” he seemed to envisage a sort of 2nd rate damp squib “friends of everybody, enemies of none” pacifist sort of non-nation, creeping around the world stage but definitely not striving to take advantage of opportunity and enterprise another sort of international nuclear submarine with no missiles.
The Surrender-Humiliation-Capitulation Act demands that the PM asks the EU for an extension, with a letter they (with a little help from the EU) have written for him, with the addition that such extension should then be negotiated on the basis of the May WA, thanks to the Kinnock Amendment attached to it.
Johnson was rubbishing it because he is negotiating something he hinted was somewhat different (I wish i could believe him) and would not therefore need one extension.
Further questions in the HoC this morning form the opposition (I’ll report on that tomorrow) showed that the Remain MPs were and are incapable of understanding this.
They seem to think that this Number Two Bill means he must (!) ask for any xtension, now, negotiating or not.
As for Britain after Brexit: well, I can only repeat Messrs Cox, Johnson and Rees-Mogg and others: either prorogue and have a Queen’s speech or have a GE so we can have new legislation on domestic matters.
Corbyn & Co don’t want that …
I am sure you have all moved on from this but I keep being stuck on the power or lack of, of the Courts to interfere with Parliamentary processes.
The first Miller case to force Government to invoke Article 50 was in breach of the Bill of Rights 1689 Article 9 that:-
“That the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament;”
It is quite clear that it states ‘in Parliament’ that would include the workings of Government not just ‘of’ Parliament which then would be those parliamentarians as a whole. This to me means that if Government as being ‘in’ Parliament means to prorogue Parliament they cannot which has many precedents then that cannot be challenged by the Courts. This was the conclusion The Master of the Rolls came to.
By the same measure both cases brought by Miller were illegal and should have been dismissed.
That then brings focus to those individuals who allowed their judgements to be enforced.
Unfortunately there is also a Judicial Immunity and so those judges cannot be prosecuted for breaching the Bill of Rights 1689.
Could anyone who knows more or can explain the lack of attention to this point please say so?
Btw Although it is very hard for me to trust a Conservative, nay impossible, I must say Johnson did very well in Parliament yesterday.
Kim,
You are absolutely right to keep on about this. We cannot afford to have it swept under the carpet of more recent discussions only to have it pop up again in yet another attempt to frustrate democracy. It must be disbanded and consigned to history; clearly Blair had ulterior motives in creating it in the first place. Given the background of the eleven judges it is clear that they were selected with a particular verdict in mind. Their backgrounds may be found here:
https://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2019/09/25/exclusive-why-this-supreme-court-was-never-going-to-find-bojos-proroguation-legal/
For decades now opinion has replaced truth as vehicle for political and social discourse. And this could not be more obvious in the hysteria displayed in the news channels this morning. Brexit was completely forgotten in rush to accuse Boris Johnson of intemperate language, inciting hatred, ………. even of causing some MPs to receive death threats etc.
But there is such a thing as truth and this was brought home to Jeremy Corbyn who was completely lost in the contradictory position he found himself in, and from which he is obviously incapable of extricating himself. It surprises me that there are no Labour MPs who are willing to stand up for the working class who have been hardest hit by the chaos the EU has caused.
Birkenhead MP Frank Field has always stood up for the working class. He left Labour about 2 years ago and now stands as an independent.
https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/social-affairs/news/105712/former-labour-mp-frank-field-stand-birkenhead-social-justice
I’d like to thank Viv for all her hard work in putting up these daily articles. They are interesting, informative, amusing and sometimes depressing, all in one. The links are particularly useful, as they save me hours of YouTube searching.
Thank you again. I feel much more optimistic today after reading/watching all this.
My thanks to you as well, for your kind words! Such praise fires me up to stay as relentlessly on the track of the Brexit Wreckers as they are relentlessly trying to scupper Brexit.
I’ll KBO until we have Brexit!
We are all immensely grateful to Viv – no-one could do it better, thank you.
Seconded.
Absolutely agree Bernard. I read a lot but Viv is best! KBO I say!
Astonishing. Having angered and infuriated millions by refusing to implement the Referendum result and refusing a GE the Parliamentary Remainiacs now look afraid and complain about the reaction they have provoked. What did they expect? They’ve, sown the wind and must now reap the whirlwind.
They also complain about the language used, “Traitors”, “Surrender”, “Treason”, etc, which is totally appropriate given the fact they intend to prolong our subjugation to a Foreign power, and, have openly colluded with a Foreign power to that effect. The truth hurts.
Ignore the will of people at your peril
The Lib Dems gross and abhorrent campaign message, B+++++++s to Brexit is enough to make me see red. Their MEPs sported yellow t shirts emblazoned with that in EU parliament. John Bercow’s wife has a sticker on her car bumper expressing that statement. How do you explain such to an enquiring 6 year old child when you walk past a Lib Dems street stall and their campaigners are wearing those offensive t shirts. (If it read B++++++s to Britain, it would be more honest).
Notice about today’s business in the HoC:
start at 9.30, with a vote on having that thee-day recess next week for the Tory Party conference. After that, a business statement from JRM, as Leader of the HoC, followed by that debate on “The principles of democracy and the rights of the electorate”.
I shall watch with keen interest!
Don’t blink
Sterling effort, Viv. Not sure how you keep it up, but we are in your debt. Essential daily reading.
Thank you for your kind words!
As for how I’m keeping it up: I think it’s because this here old warhorse has been sniffing the Brexit Betrayal air, pawed the ground and is now running with the bit between her teeth. Warhorses are notoriously hard to stop …
🙂
Keep it up Viv