Boris is to. blame for the House of Commons decay

                               Photo: chris robert on Unsplash

TRACTORS are having their moment in the sun, or in the memes, with the artistic comedians among us trying to present a porn-y encounter between the agricultural behemoths.

 

And are wives and girlfriends everywhere nodding in recognition at ex-MP Neil Parish’s explanation that “he was looking for something else and the porn site popped up”, so he had a good look at that, and then a second look. Really, darling, I was trying to find electric foot massagers for your birthday!

 

For all of us except the Parish family the story about the MP who watched porn during a session of the House of Commons in Westminster has been rattling good entertainment. ‘Serious commentators’ have been bemoaning the disgraceful dishonouring of the Mother of All Parliaments, the precipitous low to which standards have fallen in Britain. 

 

And Neil Parish, former MP for Tiverton, is the fall guy. 

 

But a fish rots from the head, and the head of the governing Conservative Party, Boris Johnson, is the one to blame for such disrespect of Parliament. As Prime Minister, Johnson has shown far more serious contempt for the House, and has thus undermined its majesty (if you like) and importance fundamentally. 

 

Nearly three years ago the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Johnson’s attempt to suspend Parliament, during his headlong plunge to finalising Brexit, was illegal. He had advised Queen Elizabeth to prorogue Parliament when the extreme circumstances to do so did not exist, except the PM knew that he did not have the votes for his latest plans. Lady Hale, the president of the court, became famous for the spider brooch she wore when handing down the ruling, and that superficial detail tends to stick in the mind. But it was Boris’s manoeuvre, yet again, to treat Parliament as a trading chip, that showed the true agenda of this exceptionally egotistical politician. (And yes – there are no ego-less politicians.)

 

Johnson has also shown his contempt for the House of Commons by lying, inside as well as more usually outside the chamber. And his third-rate government’s attitude to international agreements, such as the Northern Ireland protocol, don’t merely risk undermining the seat of government, but the whole of society. If the Leader of the House can airily comment that the government signed the Protocol, and the Brexit withdrawal agreement, with the intention of changing them, where is contract law?  Where is the foundation of all our dealings with one another, of a society where agreements are made and adhered to, and even your word should be your bond.

 

I’m not trying to argue that the British Parliament used to be a super upright and scrupulous place where nobody ever lied, took cash for favours, or committed sexual indiscretions. All that goes on all the time, as in any large power-centre. But Johnson’s interest only in Johnson, and gaining power without any particular policies in mind, is the wide end of the wedge he has driven into the reputation of the Commons. The thin end is the ignoring of the rules, making everything a joke, don’t be a serious old bore, characteristics that were evident in him during his Oxford days, as this contemporary reports.

 

Anyway, don’t blame Neil Parish for dragging Britain’s Parliament to a new low. The credit goes to Boris Johnson.