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A ridiculous situation

As I pen this letter on the first day of Autumn, I am reminded of a line by a famous writer, ‘now is the season of our discontent ...’, never has this been more true.

Over the past few years we have had Conservative Prime Ministers warning us that they are the bastions against chaos (Cameron), offering strong and stable leadership (May) and lastly, him or more chaos (Johnson).

We have a Government that sacks its own cabinet ministers and advisers, forces out potential challengers from Scotland and threatens to be defeated seven out of 10 times in court when its own laws on freedom of movement after Halloween are challenged.

I was always under the belief that the often slow process of governance was so that prospective laws could be discussed by civil servants so that potential flaws could be uncovered and amended before becoming the law. Haste has thrown caution to the wind which can only lead to poor rule-making. Some MPs will be in a difficult position. Imagine representing a constituency that voted to remain and your leader is threatening to deselect you if you don’t vote leave in Parliament? What should they do?

To cap it all we have a situation where the Government is threatening not to obey (its master) Parliament.

The liberal Conservative world I grew up in seems to be coming to an end. We are being made to look ridiculous in the eyes of Europe and the world.

Bob Pixton, Abney Moor

Sense of honour needed

I was listening to the BBC Radio 4 BH programme this Sunday morning before attending Church. In it Lord Peter Hennessey said of Boris Johnson’s treatment of the Queen over the proroguing of Parliament.

“To think that anybody, in the twilight years of her reign, would even conceive in their remotest low moment to put the Queen in that position is appalling”. He then went on to say, “He has done something deeply unwise.”

Johnson knew Her Majesty had no choice other than to agree to his hijacking of Parliament. For him to use the Queen in this way shows how low he can go.

Now it is up to MPs to save us from the disaster of a no deal Brexit. The Government’s own leaked documents show that our food, medicines, clean water and jobs will all be put at risk.

With the vote on a knife edge, the key is will enough Conservative MPs put country before party and their careers to break ranks and rebel? We will soon know.

Frankly I cannot see James Gray MP being one of these patriotic rebels. He has consistently backed no deal and publicly supported Johnson’s disgraceful and anti-democratic antics. Let us hope that there are others in the House with a greater sense of honour.

Dr Brian Mathew, Lib Dem prospective candidate for North Wiltshire

Queen not independent

In his bid to secure Brexit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has made the Queen an accomplice.

Yet she did have a choice. She could have refused to prorogue parliament on the grounds that it is not what MP’s want, that it is undemocratic.

She has done what she has been told, which only highlights just how impotent she is as head of state.

The answer of course is for Britain to have an elected, effective head of state, one who could make an independent decision and be democratically accountable. For years monarchists have told us that the Queen is a check against the power of politicians, that she’s impartial, and independent, and has an important role to play. This incident shows otherwise.

Jeff Adams, Bloomsbury