(Transcription of an editorial published in the Observer on 23 January 2022)
A fiś rots, it z sd, fṛm ɖ hed dǎn. Wɖ clemz v blacmeil, bŭliyñ n resizm, it sīmz so tù dz a pliticl parti
Súnde, 23 Jańri 2022
F a Britiś ministr nwñli mslidz parḷmnt, ɖe r xpctd t rzîn az a consttyśnl cnvnśn. Śd a ministr rfyz, ɖen ɖe cd līġli cari on in ofis, bt it wd b unconsttyśnl. Boris Jonsn sīmz nt t cer. Last wīc, h breznli rfyzd t axpt ɖt ɖ pliticl prínsipl śd aplî t him. Ẃt r ɖ consiqnsz v layñ t lwmecrz? Ɖ ansr cd b nʈñ mć. Ɖt hîlîts a far bigr probḷm.
Britn z guvnd bî a pliticl – rɖr ɖn a līgl – consttyśn ɖt rlîz heṿli on cnvnśnz, n līdrz wɖ a sns v dīsnsi, t wrc. Ɖ dsonist n dsitfl Mr Jonsn z ynīcli unsūtd fr ɖ top job. A fiś, it z sd, rots fṛm ɖ hed dǎn. Wɖ clemz v blacmeil, bŭliyñ n resizm, it sīmz so tù dz a pliticl parti.
Ɖ Britiś consttyśn z sd t b unritn. Ɖs z onli partli tru. Ritn acts v parḷmnt d reğlet xektiv pǎr. Ɖ Yṛpiyn Cḿṇtiz Act 1972 tc ɖ YC intu ɖ YY n alaud jujz t dis’plî lejsleśn in conflict wɖ Yṛpiyn lw. Hvr, parḷmnt rmend ultiṃtli sovrin in ɖ sns ɖt it dd, undr Mr Jonsn, rpil ɖ act in līvñ ɖ YY.
Ɖ despot hu dīmz ɖmslvz t b abv ɖ lw wz spozd t b dn awe wɖ bî a consttyśnl moṇci. Bt Mr Jonsn śoz ɖ nīd t b pṛtctd fṛm ǎr ilectd repriznttivz az mć az ǎr formr royl rūlrz.
In Britn ɖs denjr z hîtnd bî ɖ pǎr v a Comnz mjoṛti, ẃt Lord Hêlśm dscrîbd in 1976 az an “ilectiv dictetrśp”. Hiz ansr wz mor dmocṛsi, nt les. Ɖ pir’z pṛpozlz fr a fedṛl Britn n an ilectd secnd ćembr hv mć t cmnd ɖm tde. Ɖ Hymn Rîts Act, cuṛntli menist bî Mr Jonsn’z pṛpozlz t holo it ǎt, flfilz Lord Hêlśm’z cōl fr a bil v rîts. Ultiṃtli, ɖ formr Tori lordćanslr blivd onli a ritn consttyśn cd baḷns parḷmntri pǎr.
Britn cd mudl intu a ny consttyśn, unḍgrdd bî ɖ rūl v lw. Ɖr wd b no rqîrmnt fr a sepṛt consttyśnl cort ɖt cd strîc dǎn prîṃri lejsleśn. Bt jujz cd act f ɖ rūl v lw wz ʈretnd – az ɖe dd ẃn Mr Jonsn ilīġli atmtd t pṛrog parḷmnt.
Similrli, ɖ corts wd step in f a prim̦inistr traid t leɉslet fr a longr parḷmnt ɖn fîv yirz t hold on t pǎr or rig ilex́nz bî rstrictñ ɖ franćîz. Ɖ rūl v lw cd b intrenćt sć ɖt onli a suṗmjoṛti in parḷmnt cd rpil it. Sć a pìsmīl aproć mt b hǎ a ny consttyśn imrjz.
Ɖ “partiget” scandl hîlîts ɖt Mr Jonsn w’nt cnsid ɖt ɖ xektiv z subjict t ɖ lw n īql t its sitiznz bfr it. Ɖ prim̦inistr hz litl rspct fr ɖ sivl srvis, locl guvnmnt or parḷmnt. H me, śemlisli, mc a fou cntrît apoḷji ɖs wīc in ɖ wec v a rport bî ɖ Cabiṇt Ofis’z Su Gre intu iligl Dǎnñ Strīt partiz. Az arbitr v ɖ miṇstirịl cód, ɖ prim̦inistr dsîdz hiz ǒn fet. Ɖ betñ z h w’nt sác himslf. Ɖr r fy wez – bar a vot v no confidns – t gt rid v a bad prim̦inistr. Ɖr z no lw agnst cabiṇtneṿri. Mbi ɖr śd b.
Mr Jonsn wns ʈt impićmnt, last yzd in 1806, wz a dūmzde wepn agnst a prim̦inistr. H traid t impić Toni Bler ovr ɖ Irac wor. Phps MPz śd b ebl t hold a conṣqnśl Comnz vot on ɖ conduct v ɖ prim̦inistr, az wn v Lord Hêlśmz Lebr sxesrz, Lord Fōlcnr, sjsts in a ny bc, fr ofndñ ɖ consttyśnl prínsipl v ɖ rūl v lw. F sć a tst hd xistd, Mr Jonsn wd hv feld it loñ ago – n ɖ cuntri wd hv bn mć betr of.
