News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:England's Upper Classes – A Dangerous Cult by simonh on Friday July 30, 2021 @05:06AM (#28005981)
I look forward to your similarly vitriolic complaints when a politician you support wins the premiership (not the football one).

The fact that prime ministers are answerable to parliament, and that parliament is sovereign, is IMHO the single best and most important feature of the British political system.

Contrast that with presidential systems, particularly that in the US in which the president fulfils the constitutional role of an elected George III circa 1790. Which for some reason Americans seem to think is somehow modern over 200 years later. If one of them goes off the rails you're stuck with them for years. Our leader of government serves at the discretion of our elected representatives and can be turfed out at any moment, which actually happens and isn't just a theoretical mechanism. An excellent arrangement.

Re:England's Upper Classes – A Dangerous Cult by chalst on Friday July 30, 2021 @05:56AM (#28006294)
Parliamentary sovereignty as a principle was fundamentally weakened in the tussle over the Brexit leave date: the government lost the battle but won the war. This parliament has been very ineffective in providing oversight of government. I'm not seeing the advantage of the UK system of oversight over the US one right now.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_(Withdrawal)_...

Re:England's Upper Classes – A Dangerous Cult by simonh on Friday July 30, 2021 @06:12AM (#28006378)
Well, as a confirmed remainer and someone who will never forgive Johnson for stabbing us in the back, eh. The act required him to send a letter, which he did. Frankly, it's a silly and spurious requirement. It didn't require him to want an extension, or bar him for saying he didn't think it was a good idea.

Parliament can't directly negotiate treaties with foreign powers. It's just not possible, that's a function of the executive. Parliament can approve or disapprove of such treaties but can't determine what the executive wants to do. The same goes for the referendum and is why it was a stupid idea. No referendum can require parliament or the government to want to do something, or specify exactly and unambiguously how they should go about doing something they don't want to do.

Re:England's Upper Classes – A Dangerous Cult by chalst on Friday July 30, 2021 @08:44AM (#28007331)
The purpose of the extension was to reduce the risk of a no deal Brexit, which Johnson didn't want but was at risk of stumbling into in his efforts to please ultras. Parliament succeeded in its goal, which did not require any of the things you claim.

With the benefit of hindsight, it all worked out well for Johnson: he cowed the party, could renegotiate without much fear of the ultras, and could choose the circumstance of the next election to his best advantage.

The methods he chose to achieve this, though, greatly weakened parliamentary sovereignty.

Re:England's Upper Classes – A Dangerous Cult by EliRivers on Saturday July 31, 2021 @05:40AM (#28016729)
I look forward to your similarly vitriolic complaints when a politician you support wins the premiership (not the football one).

Well of course I will. The system won't have changed, will it? I think you're actually accusing me of complaining just because I don't like Bojo. That's a really underhanded thing to do, and if you're going to say that, just say it straight like an adult. The rest of your comments are thoughtful and considered and part of an adult conversation; this passive-aggressive childishness really works against that.