With British politics in disarray, we try to sort out what's a stake - legally, constitutionally and electorally. Can Johnson refuse to do what parliament demands? Can Corbyn get the election he wants? What is Dominic Cummings playing at? And how much is the Fixed-term Parliaments Act to blame for the mess? Plus we explore the likely choices ahead for voters and politicians and we ask the big question lying behind all the drama: is this a question of politics or is it a matter of law? With Helen Thompson and Kenneth Armstrong.
Talking Points:
What was Johnson trying to achieve with prorogation?
A lot is going wrong for the government right now and it is struggling get to the general election it wants to fight.
Corbyn says that the opposition wants a general election, but only after no deal has been ruled out.
At some point there will be a general election: the government is framing it as a choice on Brexit.
This is an unusual government: the stories about Dominic Cummings are damaging, but it doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere.
Mentioned in this episode:
Further Learning:
And as ever, recommended reading curated by our friends at the LRB can be found here: lrb.co.uk/talking
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