PICTURED: Prime Minister Theresa May, opposite the Queen wearing EU flag’ hat at State Opening of Parliament.
Mike Robinson
21st Century Wire
On 8 June 2017, Theresa May cast her vote in a General Election she had called in the belief that Jeremy Corbyn was so weak that she would end up with a huge majority in Parliament; a de facto dictator. Within twenty four hours of her vote being cast, she was aware she had made the biggest mistake of her career, and that her party had not received the votes necessary to achieve an outright majority.
The procedure for the transfer of power from one government to the next is clear. In the case that a political party wins an absolute majority at a general election, the party leader wishing to form a government takes a trip to Buckingham Palace and asks permission from the Queen. This is a key constitutional protection, and one which the monarch is expected to take seriously, even in this modern age where the constitutional role of the monarch is viewed by most as a mere formality.
In the case that there is no clear majority, the situation gets a little more complicated. The incumbent government is entitled to remain in post (with limitations on what they can do) until the first sitting of the new Parliament to see if they can “command the confidence of the House”. In other words they have a short time to try to enter into coalition with another party. Or, if they’re feeling particularly bullish, or have a particularly charismatic leader, they may feel they can operate as a minority government and make individual agreements with other parties for each piece of legislation they try to introduce to the House.
If neither of these options is possible, the incumbent Prime Minister is expected to visit the monarch to tender his or her resignation as soon as it is clear that they cannot “command the confidence of the House”, at which point other parties have the opportunity to attempt to form a government.
Immediately following the 2017 general election, it became clear that a minority government was not a realistic option for Theresa May. Charisma she does not have. She had to make a deal, and she had to do it quickly. Jeremy Corbyn, buoyed by his unexpected success, was champing at the bit to be given the opportunity to form a coalition government.
What was she to do?
Well, if the most recent issue of the Sunday Times is to be believed, and in this case there is no reason to doubt it, she did what she does best – she lied … to the Queen.
The Sunday Times quotes a Buckingham Palace source, that the Queen was “furious” with Theresa May because she “misled” the Queen about the negotiations she was holding with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), her party of choice for coalition partner.
Theresa May, it seems, told the Queen that it was a done deal, when it wasn’t.
A major sticking point with the DUP, it seems, was money. The DUP was in a bit of trouble itself at the time, having allowed the power sharing Assembly in Northern Ireland to collapse because of a dirty “Green Energy” scheme which saw the Northern Irish taxpayer defrauded of £500 million.
Corbyn: lawful claim to head UK gov.
To return to the Times’ allegation that Theresa May lied to the Queen: she did not have a deal with the DUP when she said she had one, and under that falsehood pressed ahead with her claim to power. Jeremy Corbyn was not offered any opportunity to form a government.
The trampling over the constitution did not end there, however. The Sunday Times’ source reported that Palace officials were also “annoyed” when Theresa May further “breached protocol” by making the claim that she had “formed a government”. “Breached protocol” once again understates the situation.
Constitutionally this is something she has no power to do. She has the power to inform the monarch that she is in a position to form a government. It is the monarch, acting as arbiter in these situations, who has the final say on whether or not that can happen.
The Sunday Times reports that the “Palace was alarmed by her formulation of words.” More understatement and a recognition that her words amount to treason – imagining the death of the Queen.
The incumbent government is entitled to wait until the first meeting of Parliament to see if it can command “the confidence of the House”. That deadline came and went. No DUP deal.
Rather than resign as the rules require, Theresa May decided to press on regardless and in the process delayed the Queens Speech – an “unprecedented” event.
But that week of June was Royal Ascot week. Since the present occupier of the monarchy is less concerned with constitutional issues than Royal Ascot, the annual highlight of the horse racing calendar, the Queen was less than impressed at the potential effect this would have on her entertainment.
In protest, she refused to wear her robes of state. She refused to wear the Crown.
IMAGE: Alongside Prince Charles, the Queen enters Parliament without her crown, rather, dressed in stylish EU-themed, pre-Ascot garb.
Instead she appeared in a blue hat with yellow buttons on it, very reminiscent of the flag of the European Union. She quickly read through the speech and was away to the races before the ink was dry on the paper she was reading from.
And still no deal with the DUP. That did not arrive for another week, and at an outrageous cost: £1 billion with a review after two years which is widely expected to cost another billion.
So let’s sum up: a Buckingham Palace source alleges that Theresa May lied to the Queen about her ability to form a government. This meant Jeremy Corbyn was not given the opportunity to form one. Continuing delays caused in the Queen’s Speech to be delayed resulting in a ceremony which did not follow the rules – do we have a legitimate Parliament even? Finally, a bribe to a political party which Teresa May is now beholden to, potentially destabilising a political situation already destabilised by the charade of Brexit.
Is this the basis for a successful government?
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