Who is running this country?

When a focus group heard this fact about Brexit there was ‘horrified silence’

Not our keen Gnet Leavers then, who knew that they were voting for years of hardship and division... And who think that trade deals can be done in a few days...

Thank you contributors, this has been a really interesting thread to follow, your reasoned comments are most welcome and informative.

I know Maizie and I understand the difference. My point is that Parliament runs the country and it's interesting watching some of the Parliamentarians discovering their cajones.

Parliament hasn't been stymied this week. It's been asserting some of its rightful power.

When a focus group heard this fact about Brexit there was ‘horrified silence’

www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/when-a-focus-group-heard-this-fact-about-brexit-there-was-horrified-silence-alex-cole-hamilton-msp-1-5030710

I find it deeply disturbing that those such as Bercow and the Supreme Court Justices are vilified. They are vilified not just by members of the public, who may have a poor understanding of how our democracy and rule of law work, but by certain sections of the press and government, who should know better.

We undermine the rule of law and the pillars of our Parliamentary democracy at our peril. It may 'get Brexit done', but sure as ordure runs downhill, it will come back to bite us all - Leavers and Remainers alike. B-i-g time.

Sadly, many voters don't know much about what they're voting for either.

John Crace of Stathclyde University, who really does know what he's talking about on the subject of polls, reports that 44% of those people who think Johnson's deal is better than May's deal have no idea what the differences are. WTF?!

^ If they weren’t they would have been unable to stymie Parliament this week.^

Johnson is attempting to run a minority government. Would you like my little explanation of how a government needs a majority in Parliament in order to carry out its programme? Johnson has stymied himself by alienating the DUP and removing the whip from 'rebel' tories.

Parliament has the power to curb big business. Unfortunately, the issue has been muddied because a percentage of MPs care more about their personal bank balances than the role of parliamentarian. Even more unfortunately, some of them don't appear to be very bright and don't know what they're talking about much of the time. It would appear that even an Eton and Oxford education doesn't result in wise heads.

I said 'day to day running'. Which civil servants do all the time. We've had no proper government for more than three years now. Even Belgium only lasted some 18 months without one..

Though perhaps people are responding to NfkDumpling's post, rather than mine.

I do absolutely understand that civil servants do not make policy decisions. They just draft how these decisions are to be implemented

big businesses run the country,the ftse,drug companies,insurance giants, etc.In greed /profit we trust!

It might appear so from the point of view of those who would drive through Brexit an any cost. Fortunately, there are checks and balances in place.

It would appear that Parliamentarians who wish to remain in the EU and John Bercow are running the country. If they weren’t they would have been unable to stymie Parliament this week.

I agree with you absolutely Fiachna. Civil servants don't make decisions, so don't run the country.

Fiachna

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Civil servants do not run the country. That I know for a fact, though they often get the blame for things that are not of their making. At times they are a very convenient scapegoat for other people's c* ups.

I wonder what would have happened had James II not been Roman Catholic...

It was a time when the power of the monarch was effectively curbed. I know it didn't result in democracy, as we understand it, but (as you say) that's another thread. My point was that Parliament became sovereign - not the monarch (or PM as it would be now).

I would slightly disagree with your reading of the 'Gloriuos Revolution', growstuff, but we don't have a forum to discuss it on

The civil service is effectively doing the day to day running of the country, as they have done for the past three years while the supposed 'government' pratts around with trying to get us out of the EU.

During that time it appears that most of the other 'running' has been done by unelected 'advisers', most strikingly during the current administration.

The current WAI bill which Johnson is trying to get through Parliament is an attempt to grab power for the Executive through the use of 'Henry VIII powers' which give Ministers power to change the law without having to go through Parliament. This was a great worry when May's WAI bill was published and is even more so now when we have a maverick PM having his strings pulled by his chief adviser.

As Elegran has noted, we executed a monarch in order to stop a Dictatorship. We appear to have forgotten our history.

Nobody elected Cummings and the way the PM has been selected does not represent the people, which is why it's so important that Parliament and the law are upheld. Individuals must not be allowed to wield so much power.

I've just been teaching about James II and the "Glorious Revolution", which history nerds will know is when the king was deposed and William and Mary were asked to rule the country. Many historians regard it as the time when Britain became a constitutional monarchy with Parliament as sovereign.

James II tried to behave as his father, Charles I, had and ignore Parliament. I can't help seeing some parallels with the PM and his close advisors and government trying to behave like the monarch.

Parliament, elected by the people, rules the country and that's what Bercow has insisted happens. The way Parliament is elected needs to be reviewed (FPTP), but Parliament and the law of the land are still sovereign.

Come to that who elected Johnson?

DoraMarr while I agree with you in principle, where does Dominic Cummings fit into the structure? Who elected him?

Bercow is a Parliamentarian. He knows the rules and he makes sure that all members abide by them, from the newly elected MP to the Prime Minister and the cabinet. He is disliked by those who don't like the rules, and would prefer to tear up the rule book and have the country governed by the strongest personality with the fewest inhibiting scruples.

That has been tried before - a king lost his head in the attempt. Ever since then we have been wary of the possibility of it happening again. That is why we have a principle that no-one is above the rule of law.

The government of the day runs the UK. The government comprises the Prime Minister and the elected members of Parliament in the lower house, and the upper house. We elect those MPs- those of us who vote- as our representatives, so in effect we run the country. John Bercow, a Conservative MP, has been elected by MPs to be, in effect, chairman of the house. He makes sure MPs abide by the rules of parliament. We have a parliamentary democracy, of which Churchill said: “..it has been said that Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried from time to time.”