Thursday 20 September 2018

Liz Saville-Roberts or Caroline Lucas for Prime Minister?

Clearly Prime Minister Theresa May telling rebels in her divided party that if they torpedoed her Brexit deal then the United Kingdom would leave the EU without any agreement, is an attempt by someone who is fast loosing authority that she is still in charge.

Of course she isn't and it may be that the UK Prime Minister is "First among equals", but she is not a constitutionally elected president , and can be removed by her party by s simple vote.

Remember Margaret Thatcher was replaced with John Major , without the Tories going to their membership , never-mind going to the country in a General Election,

Anyway it is of course, the head of state Mrs Windsor AKA Elizabeth 11 and not us who appoints the Prime Minister.

That is why even if a party wins an overall majority , he or she must still ask the queen to form a government




It is a situation that the Comedian Chris Addison understands but not apparently,  broadcaster and newspaper columns Julia Hartley-Brewer

 I was reminded of this as Sky News has urged, n independent body should be set up to run television general election debates,, amid fears that broadcasters could be cut out of the process entirely in the event of a snap post-Brexit vote

Though SKy seem to be pushing for it to be restricted to the leaders of the Tories and Labour.

John Ryley, the head of Sky News, said:
 “This is all about doing what’s best for the voting public. Sky News, along with the other broadcasters, changed the political landscape in this country by creating the first leaders’ debates eight years ago. Sadly it stands as an exception rather than the watershed it should have been.
“Political manoeuvring and failings by the broadcasters has allowed that momentum to be lost. Sky News believes an independent commission should set the terms for debates in future, to inform and engage the voting public with a head-to-head debate between the two political leaders battling it out for No 10.”

But as I wrote earlier, it is not a presidential election and it does not mean that either of the two leaders becomes leader.

It is not very unlikely that in the event of a hung parliament , neither Mrs May  or Mr Corbyn can go to the palace and inform the Queen that she or he can form a government.

It would be controversial  but not unconstitutional that  Labour, Lib Dems, Greens, the SNP and Plaid Cymru, could agrre to form a government that would in parliament would reform the electoral system, the devolution settlement into a Federal UK and in the wake of Brexit se us joining a Single Market and or Customs Union.

In this scenario, it would not be automatic that the Labour Party leader would become Prime Minister and it would be not impossible that  a minor party leader in the coalition could be the nomination to be Prime Minster ,

The sight of the Green's Caroline Lucas or Plaid's Liz Savile Roberts going to the palace to ask the permission of Mrs Windsor to form a government would send the likes of Julia Hartley-Brewer, rendered  into a state of Apoplexy , would be worth the licence fee alone.

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