Synthetic fury and the decisive PM

Many politicians are not back from their summer holidays, but that has not stopped an eruption of outrage at the Government’s decision to prorogue Parliament for five weeks this autumn in advance of a Queen’s Speech. Tempers have boiled over, with protesters in London chanting “stop the coup” and the likes of author Philip Pulman and actor Hugh Grant resorting to violent suggestions and vulgar abuse on social media. On the Continent, the newspapers appear convinced that Britain is squandering its position as a bastion of democracy and that Boris Johnson is seeking to “silence our elected representatives”. If only our neighbours showed such concern for democracy when technocratic governments were imposed on Italy and Greece at the height of the euro crisis. Among the more hysterical reactions on these shores was that of Lord Kerslake, former head of the Civil Service, who declared that civil servants should down tools to stop the Prime Minister.

Perhaps the most telling contribution, however, came from the Speaker, John Bercow, who interrupted his holiday to decry the move as a “constitutional outrage”.

Far from it. The timing of Mr Johnson’s decision to request the prorogation may have been thoroughly tactical but it was neither an outrage nor unconstitutional. Closing one session of Parliament and opening another is something that happens most years and is long overdue.

It is Mr Bercow who has spent two years slashing at the fabric of Britain’s constitution, going beyond mere bending of the rules of Parliament to rewrite them entirely. It is he who, upon Parliament’s return on Tuesday, is expected, once again, to suspend the norms of the Commons and allow MPS to take control of the order paper.

It must be remembered, too, that Mr Johnson has not abandoned hope of a negotiated exit from the EU, something his opponents claim still to support. That their machinations undermine that very cause appears to have passed them by.

The assistance of the Speaker aside, there are still constitutionally legitimate means available to pro-remain MPS should they wish to topple Mr Johnson. Voters, many of whom are delighted to have a PM who is finally taking decisive action, can see through their claims of a “coup” and are unlikely to look on it kindly if they persist with their synthetic fury.