Time is running out
Britain is slated to leave the European Union on 31 October, but whether this will actually happen and, more importantly, how it will take place is still very much a big question. The EU already had a deal with the UK on departure terms, but it was rejected in the British parliament. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson now wants to drastically renegotiate the agreement or leave without a deal on the established date.
The events as they unfolded this week continue to throw serious doubts on Britain’s future – political and economic – as the country where common law was born wrestles with its democratic choice to leave the EU, a decision that was taken in a referendum more than three years ago and which is still haunting the nation and, with it, the whole of Europe.
As things stand now, October will signal the end of European membership for Britain. But Johnson is facing opposition from politicians who do not want to see Britain leaving without a deal. Throw into all this the idea of an early election and the mess is completed.
Johnson used the Brexit crisis to build his own success and climb up the political ladder, ultimately reaching his target – the prime minister’s seat. But since becoming head of government only two months ago, Johnson has had to deal with one defeat after another, in Parliament and outside, including defections from his own party.
Only this week, Britain’s Supreme Court ruled that his decision to suspend Parliament in the crucial countdown towards the Brexit deadline was illegal. The court unanimously turned down the government’s contentions that the suspension was routine and not related to Brexit – instead, the court deemed it as an attempt by Johnson to dodge scrutiny of his Brexit plans.
Supreme Court President Brenda Hale said the suspension “was unlawful because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification.”
After such a harsh blow to his credibility, it was inevitable that Johnson faced calls for resignation, which he rejected. The British Parliament was quickly reconvened, with MPs taking the opportunity to accuse Johnson of showing disrespect to the rule of law and also of deceiving Queen Elizabeth when he asked for her permission to prorogue Parliament.
He showed no signs of contrition, repeatedly not ruling out the possibility of suspending Parliament again in spite of the Supreme Court’s 11-0 ruling.
Political observers say that this is the worst constitutional and political crisis that Britain has had to face in its history. And they are not wrong. The problem is that it does not look likely that the issue will end anytime soon. Even if Britain does leave the EU at the end of the October, the country will then have to deal with the repercussions of its decision.
The appealing thing about democracy is that it gives people the power to chart their own destinies, as the British did in 2016. But this same democracy which the West cherishes often leads to complicated situations that are hard to disentangle.
Brexit is the perfect example of how chaotic democratic nations can be – when the people get to choose what to do, today’s stability can become tomorrow’s question mark.