The Deliberate Removal of Nuance

“Tyranny is the deliberate removal of nuance” commented American documentary film maker Albert Maysles (a relation of British comedian Alexei Sayle) during in the McCarthy era of the late 1940s & early 50s in America – a time when thousands of American were accused of “un-American activities” by Senator Joseph McCarthy. Evidence, debate and opinion were sidelined; if you are not for us you are against us said McCarthy. Maysles’ quote was true – when tyranny takes hold discussion, debate, different opinions, slightly different views - shades of grey - are the first things to go. All is black and white, no ifs, no buts, no arguments; you are either with us or against us, nuance and tyranny are mutually exclusive terms.

I have thought much about Maysles’ famous quote in the past 48 hours since Boris Johnson gained the Queen’s permission to shut down Parliament for five weeks. Put simply, Johnson has removed the opportunity for nuance (defined in my dictionary as subtle differences, shades of meaning) in our political and civil discourse; he has severely limited the opportunities for the sharing and putting forward of opinions different from his own and it leaves Johnson in complete control with no reference to anyone or anything else. No ifs, no buts, no argument. Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Mussolini and other communist or fascist dictators would nod their heads in knowing approval – it is the classic first step to the establishment of a tyrannical regime, the closing down of debate, of differing opinions; it is the deliberate removal of nuance.

Of course, Johnson’s supporters argue that the prorogation of Parliament is perfectly legal and anyway, they argue, for most of the time that Parliament will be closed it would have been closed down anyway for the annual Party Conferences. This argument is both facile and mendacious. Whilst it is true that it is perfectly legal to close down Parliament that closing down is usually done with the agreement of Parliament. And this leads to the second point: it is true that Parliament may have been scheduled to be closed for the Party conferences, but this is always with the agreement of the Parties involved. Boris Johnson has acted arbitrarily showing no respect for the principles and traditions upon which our constitutional monarchy rests – he has closed down the opportunity for debate and taken the first steps in tyranny.

The UK is one of the few countries in the world not to have a written constitution. The situation is made even more complex because as well as our elected Commons we have an unelected head of state who is a Monarch - head of state by birth rather than common consent - and a second chamber that is also unelected. No other country has such a complex (and many might argue contradictory) parliamentary system. Nevertheless, for hundreds of years it has served us well – but only so long as everyone plays the constitutional "game". Half a millennia ago Charles 1st didn’t play the game and it ended badly for the country and for him – years of civil war ripped the country apart and this was followed by Charles losing his head. Our system has built in contradictions almost at every point and juncture as to who is in charge – Monarch, Prime Minister, ruling party, House of Lords or Parliament as a whole? And each has its own delicate and minute checks and balances all steeped in the nation's history and traditions – little written down as specific rules or requirements, fluid, but built up over hundreds of years - and all somehow clinging together in what seems to amount to little more that a series of “gentlemen’s agreements”. The delicate balance of who is in charge was illustrated in 1642 when the Speaker of the House, William Lenthall famously defied the King. Charles 1st entered the chamber of the House of Commons, supported by 400 armed men, in an attempt to seize five members whom he accused of treason. When Charles asked Lenthall where the five were, Lenthall calmly replied "I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as this House is pleased to direct me". A clever but defiant reminder to the Monarch that Parliament is sovereign - although nowhere is this written down as a constitutional law.

In 1642 William Lenthall knew that our political system and constitution rely not upon written constitutional instructions and rules but upon matters of principle and tradition, upon following the common practice that has built up over centuries, and respecting the traditions and principles upon which our system is based. But most of all on a government's willingness to bow to Parliament as the supreme or sovereign body – more important than any single individual or party – be it the Conservative, Labour or Liberal Party or Elizabeth Windsor, Charles 1st or indeed Boris Johnson. Our current Speaker John Bercow knows it and that is why he called Boris Johnson’s actions “a constitutional outrage”. But following Johnson’s action this week all that has been blown away by this man who doesn’t give a damn for tradition, delicate checks and balances, unwritten gentlemanly "understandings" or parliamentary sovereignty. We now know what Johnson meant when in the Brexit Referendum campaign he said that it was all about "Taking back control" - he meant taking back control for him alone. And he is ready to destroy anything that threatens this ambition.

But Johnson is a coward – he has gone into hiding. The man who hopped up to Scotland at the drop of a hat to visit the Queen in mid-week is back in his burrow. He has created the greatest constitutional crisis this country has seen in many generations, set in motion a chain of events that will at the least split the nation even further and might possibly lead to civil unrest. And yet, except in the most perfunctory manner, he has not taken to the air waves or stood outside Downing Street and given some a cohesive speech to explain or defend his actions, and, it highly unlikely given his usual modus operandi, that he will allow himself to be interviewed by perceptive and forensic political commentators who might, God forbid, ask him some hard questions. This is a man playing fast and loose with not only democracy but with a nation – he needs to be held to account.

I am no fan whatsoever of Theresa May – either as a politician or a person but as with Margaret Thatcher I can admire her diligent management of Parliamentary process and procedures. Even the most strident critic like myself has had to give a grudging recognition to Mrs May as she fought for her EU deal – never once shirking her responsibility to be accountable to Parliament and the country. As I (and I suspect much of the country) watched her at the Dispatch Box hour after hour, day after day, being vilified and metaphorically torn apart by critics on all sides of the House (as well as large sections of the media who were quick to point out her short comings) she stood battered but firm. We all knew that she was said to be a stubborn woman but many, like myself began to think that this bordered upon self harm or some kind of masochism. I’m sure that there were many reasons for her intransigence: commitment to the EU Deal she was fighting for, personal bloody mindedness, belief in the democratic implications of the Referendum result, love of her country and her Party........but I cannot escape the fact that all of these ultimately must be rooted in her respect for Parliament, its procedures, its principles and its ancient traditions. Above all, I am firmly of the view that Theresa May, the vicar's daughter who once admitted that the naughtiest thing she ever did as a child was to run through a field of wheat, knew well the need to protect our delicately balanced unwritten constitutional monarchy with all its twists and turns and its delicate checks and balances of accountability, integrity, gentlemanly conduct - and above all its ultimate acknowledgement that Parliament is sovereign. She knew that all this is needed in order that opinion might be heard, shades of meaning understood, nuance protected - otherwise the House (Parliament) like a pack of cards, literally and metaphorically, comes crashing down. Theresa May knew well that Parliament, its opinions, and its nuances, must be heard, for if it is not protected, cherished and promoted then the UK is at huge risk of tearing itself apart. We have no written constitutional laws to protect either the individual or the state from those who would seize power when the Parliamentary system stumbles or finds itself in uncharted waters or when the whole pack of cards crashes down - as it is in danger of doing now – so despite my many policy disagreements with Theresa May I greatly respect and admire her for her commitment to the preservation of stability, good order and the protection of our civil and political liberties in these strange and dangerous times .

Boris Johnson’s prorogation of Parliament has driven a coach and horses through this delicate constitutional world. It is an aggressive provocation of Parliament which widens the already great Brexit divide into a civil war state of mind. It is explosive and dangerous and leaves a dangerous vacuum. If Parliament, which in our system, is and must be sovereign is sidelined, disregarded, superfluous, then what and who will step into the vacuum? The future is both bleak and dangerous – but Hitler, Mao, Stalin and Mussolini, like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse would know exactly what and who steps in. And so does Boris Johnson, and I have little doubt that he sees himself as the fifth member of that unholy band, ready to take control.

Tomorrow I will, for the first time in my life protest and join others in Nottingham (meet at the Brian Clough Statue near the Market Square at 11am) to try to ensure that opinion is heard, that nuance is not stilled and that even though Johnson has suspended our sovereign Parliament the views of the people will be heard.

Playing Fast & Loose With Principles

I have never been a monarchist but fully accept that the Queen has, throughout her long reign, worked tirelessly on the country's behalf and has upheld the position that she holds in a dignified and honourable way. Enough, however, is enough. I have watched amused, aghast and often angry over the years while the monarch has "ruled" over a completely bizarre and dysfunctional royal family completely removed from the realities of life in a modern society, but the Queen's bowing to Boris Johnson's power grab yesterday is too much: it has in one fell swoop destroyed the delicate checks and balances of our unwritten constitutional monarchy. I fully accept that the Queen has been put in a very difficult position and was damned if she did and damned if she didn't - but there are times, and the Queen will know this, when the hard decision  has to be taken and in this regard the Queen yesterday failed in her duty. She - and her family - should go, and go quickly.

But the Queen is not alone. The last three years have seen the country descend into the depths, becoming a banana monarchy as the populist right wing Tory and Brexit bandwagon has consistently and continually lied to the electorate, subverted democracy, made the UK a laughing stock amongst nations and threatened the very future of the nation with its crackpot plans (or lack of plans) for Brexit and the post-Brexit world.

For three years the Brexit debate has been framed almost entirely in economic terms - whether it will make us better or worse off - and, of course, that plays into the hands of the Brexiteers for they know that, as their hero Winston Churchill famously and contemptuously complained about the electorate "...the British, alone amongst nations, vote with their wallets not with their heads". It was true in Churchill's day and in our contemporary world it is even more true: we have become a nation who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Everything in contemporary Britain has a cost rather than a value and in that kind of society basic values - telling the truth, honest action, matters of principle, respect for others, fairness, justice, decency, acting honourably, seeing the bigger picture rather than the short term gain, or doing what is right are now very small voices in our raucous, dog eat dog, "cost/benefit" Brexit, right wing populist world where envy and greed rule and where the mantra is increasingly "stuff you - I'm all right Jack". We have a Prime Minister who is a proven liar, a man who will pervert any situation to empower himself or to feed his delusional self important ego, and yet no-one, it seems, is much concerned about this. Indeed he is lauded and glasses are raised to him in the pubs and on social media - "Good old Boris, what a wag!" say the unthinking, the uncaring the wilfully ignorant. And yesterday our monarch, worryingly, took advice from him - and gave him the royal approval by suspending Parliament at his behest. I might wonder how the American people can elect someone as morally bankrupt and politically ill fitted for public office as Trump  - but we are no better. Like the Americans, we too have lost the ability to stop and ask ourselves the question "Is what we are doing right, is it fair, is it worthy, is it just, is it acceptable, is it decent, can it be morally or ethically justified?"

When I was at school 60+years ago we sang a hymn the words of which I can still remember with absolute clarity. They spoke to me then and they still speak to me today – about the sort of person one should aim to be and the things that one should aspire to.

Heavenly Father, may thy blessing
Rest upon thy children now,
When in praise thy name they hallow,
When in prayer to thee they bow:
In the wondrous story reading
Of the Lord of truth and grace,
May they see thy love reflected
In the light of his dear face.

May they learn from this great story

All the arts of friendliness;
Truthful speech and honest action,
Courage, patience, steadfastness;
How to master self and temper,
How to make their conduct fair;
When to speak and when be silent,
When to do and when forbear.

May his spirit wise and holy

With his gifts their spirits bless,
Make them loving, joyous, peaceful,
Rich in goodness, gentleness,
Strong in self-control, and faithful,
Kind in thought and deed; for he
Sayeth, 'What ye do for others
Ye are doing unto me.

I have a strong suspicion that the sentiments and the aspirations offered in this hymn would get short shrift in our contemporary society where it increasingly seems to me everything has a price and talk of qualities such as gentleness, self control, faithfulness, fair conduct, honest action and the rest are so often seen as old fashioned, boring or irrelevant to our modern world. Indeed, knowing what we do about our current Prime Minister – a man who is, as I noted above, a proven liar, who has night time visits from the police because of his nocturnal arguments with his mistress, who is happy to use expletives in his public life, and a man who has seen it as worthy to father children with women other than his wife – it is difficult to imagine that he could in any way subscribe to the sentiments in the hymn. And yet, few seem worried about this – “It’s his business” is the usual excuse offered. Or more worryingly, “His private life is irrelevant as long as he does a good job”. Once we subscribe to that philosophy the battle is lost for we are giving carte-blanche to anything and at the same time reaffirming the zeitgeist of our contemporary world that anything can be accepted at a price; the price being that as long as the Prime Minister does what Joe & Joan Public wants then anything will be forgiven.

We are, like the USA, supposed to be a Christian country and yet we manifestly no longer subscribe to the advice given the Bible to the Philippians: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Together with the USA, we have not only stopped seeking these things in our everyday lives and in our public and political discourse but have lost the ability to even ask questions so that we might understand them. In our celebrity obsessed, wealth driven, increasingly coarse and vulgar society where ignorance is perceived as some kind of virtue and the addictive watching of banal soap operas and  mindless programmes like "Big Brother", Love Island" or " Strictly" are thought to be cultural high spots we no longer want to know or understand what is good and worthy and which things are fundamental to our individual and national humanity. In short we have become a nation that doesn't care about right and wrong and when that happens a society is on the way down. We, in the UK and the USA are the modern day versions of the awful M.& Mme.Thenardier in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables a couple who roamed the Parisian sewers scavenging, making a fast buck through any devious means possible and selling to and involving ourselves with anyone that will share our tainted values or buy our tainted goods - and all with no consideration of whether we are acting decently or doing the right thing. Brexit, and the Brexit cheerleaders, have highlighted the true character of contemporary Britain, both collectively and individually, and shown how far we have sunk and how our values have been demeaned. It will only get worse in the next few weeks and months. And Elizabeth Windsor yesterday, bought into that pernicious and desperate value system and gave it credibility.

We are now heading for a re-run of 1933 Germany when Hitler took steps very much like those that Johnson did yesterday. Those who are not worried by this are to be pitied. The prorogation of Parliament is in itself inconsequential; it is the principle that matters. As Lord Bingham - the ex-Lord Chief Justice - said of these important principles and values that we have increasingly sidelined and lost in our country:  “Which of these principles (rights, privileges, laws etc) would you discard? Would you prefer to live in a country where they did not exist? There are, indeed, countries in the world where these principles are not easily available to their populations, but they are probably not places where any of us would wish to live”. Our democracy, our government and ultimately our way of life fall apart when a government or an electorate no longer cares about principles - integrity, justice, doing the right thing and the rest. Look at the demise of any great society from the past (Ancient Egypt, Athens, Rome, the France of Louise XIV, Tsarist Russia et al) to see the truth of that. Our own society in Britain and the most powerful society the world has even known - the USA - are falling in power and influence, and like ancient Rome it is because we are rotting from within, unable any more to make sound judgements, stick by our principles, recognise and understand the important values and obligations of life and society.  And when these principles are not cherished or are usurped so easily by those who would take power then we should all be very afraid. It is only when these things are lost that we will know that the family silver has been stolen - and by then it is too late for then we will have a state much like Hitler's Germany.

Yesterday's events have taken things far beyond Brexit. I have long resigned myself to the fact that some kind of Brexit will take place. But increasingly I am of the view that this must be; not because I think it is a good thing or even remotely acceptable but because I am increasingly of the view that we British should no longer be allowed to pour our scorn, force our crass behaviour, peddle our boorishness and display our anti-foreigner poison on our neighbours. We should not be allowed at the top tables of nations - or even any table - until we have learned a few lessons about the important things of life. If we wish to "walk with Kings" as Rudyard Kipling said in his great poem "If" then we maybe need to take on board the great principles and weighty obligations that go with that rather than just be looking for the main chance to put one over on Johnny Foreigner. And if that means that we have to have a few years of massive economic suffering to bring us to our political, social, ethical and spiritual senses, to understand concepts and ideas like decency, humility, and honest thought - to reset the moral compass - then so be it.

We are entering a new and frightening phase; whatever happens with Brexit the sky will probably not fall in but we will have changed forever as a society and a political entity. It is therefore crucial that the Queen, our political leaders, such as they are, our spiritual leaders and those who care about what sort of society we want, stand up and be counted. It is not enough for those leaders who oppose Johnson to wring their hands and Tweet "It's outrageous" - the time is long past for simple words of horror and hurt pride. I have never once in my 70 odd years on the planet waved a flag of protest or demonstrated but I now find myself asking the question "Could I look my 5 grandchildren in the face and defend what we are doing as a society and what we are allowing our politics, our society and our moral compass to become - is this what I want for them? Do I want them to think that honesty, integrity, honourable action, justice, decency and all the rest do not matter? Do I want them to grow up thinking that principles are not important and can be cast aside for short term gain or for economic reward as is being done by Boris Johnson and his compatriots? The answer, of course, is no. My grandchildren may disagree with me - that is their right (and a fundamental principle on which our society and democracy is based and which Johnson and Elizabeth Windsor have played fast and loose with) - but even if they disagree profoundly with my views I would like each of them to remember me as someone who cared enough to stand up and be counted for the things I believed in.

It is time for all of us who are concerned about the fate of a once great and respected nation - John O'Gaunt's "sceptered Isle" - to stand up and be counted. History will judge us unkindly if we do not.