Sir, – Author and journalist Simon Jenkins, in his A Short History Of England, states that the real hero of British history, if there is one, is parliament. When it was at its strongest Britain was most successful.
Before the Tony Blair years and the creation of a supreme court, it was said that the British constitution was what the principal private secretary to the monarch and the principal private secretary to the prime minister, on a stroll in Hyde Park, might decide it was.
Jenkins says that he once thought that countries with written constitutions were immature. Over the years he has changed his mind.
In 1931, the Labour prime minister Ramsay McDonald submitted his resignation to King George V, the present queen’s grandfather. The king accepted the resignation of the government but not McDonald’s advice. He, his cabinet and Baldwin were stunned when the king asked him, and not Stanley Baldwin, to lead a national coalition government, including the Conservatives. Where there is no written constitution it is difficult to know what happens next in a constitutional crisis.
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Surely George V has set a precedent? He did not accept the advice of his prime minister. Could not the present monarch do the same if the current prime minister loses a vote of confidence and choose an MP to lead a national coalition government to sort out Britain’s mess before an election?
Then the people could pass judgment on the outcome. – Yours, etc,
GAY MITCHELL,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – With Brexit going down to the wire, I imagine the one thing England does not want is extra time and penalties. We know their record on penalties. – Yours, etc,
TOM GILSENAN,
Beaumont,
Dublin 9.
Sir, – As the Brexit circus rumbles on in the UK, I find it increasingly frustrating that Ireland and the EU are not drawing a line in the sand.
Perhaps they will do in due course, if the UK requests a further extension. However, it seems the EU is trying to appear flexible for when the inevitable finger-pointing starts during the fallout.
To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, we need to start dealing with “known unknowns”, instead of the current “unknown unknowns”.
Make a decision, EU, and move on. Let the UK row its own boat. We need some certainty. – Yours, etc,
RONAN McEVOY,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – Boris Johnson says he disagrees “profoundly” with the ruling of the UK’s supreme court. What bits of “supreme” and “court” does he not understand? – Yours, etc,
RAY CRAWFORD,
Portmarnock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – When I was growing up, I used to see Boris Karloff in spooky movies. Now I see a new Boris threatening everyone with a no-deal Brexit in time for Halloween. I don’t know which Boris scares me the most! – Yours, etc,
CIARAN DONNELLY,
Lane Cove West,
New South Wales,
Australia.
Sir, – This week the new British polar research ship is being officially named RRS Sir David Attenborough. A public poll to choose a name resulted in the name “Boaty McBoatface” winning the poll. The decision was overruled by the competition judges who deemed the public’s choice unacceptable. If only we could also overrule the results of elections and referendums so easily! – Yours, etc,
MIKE FORDE,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – It is sad to see Irish media and opinion gloat so smugly at what appears to be Britain’s humiliation and political difficulty. The difficulty is likely to be rectified by the next British general election which could cause a much sadder situation of Ireland discarded by an economically struggling EU for not successfully derailing Brexit, and despised by Britain for trying so hard in the attempt. – Yours, etc,
PADRAIC NEARY,
Tubbercurry,
Co Sligo.
Sir, – I believe that we must take proactive steps to break the deadlock in the Brexit negotiations.
I would suggest that we consider allowing Britain unilaterally terminate the backstop on one condition — that it automatically triggers a vote in Northern Ireland on Irish unity.
That way, Westminster would not be locked into a customs union and single market forever, which is their main objection, but there would also be a price to pay: the risk that the people of Northern Ireland might opt for unity. Which, of course would be greatly influenced by how well or badly they had fared in the intervening period under whatever arrangement Westminster had decided on for them – and if they had been left outside the customs union, that is likely to be very badly indeed. – Yours, etc,
TERRY PATTISON,
Glenageary,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Your headline “British Border ideas are fanciful, says Coveney” (News, September 26th) delighted me. Although your headline writer didn’t intend it, it’s about time someone called it the British border rather than the Irish border. After all, a hundred years ago we tried really hard not to have any border, but the British government insisted on it. – Yours, etc,
FINBAR KEARNS,
Piercestown,
Co Wexford.
Sir, – It is about time that somebody told the British to do with their constitution what every seven-year-old child is told in school: write it down so you might remember it. – Yours, etc,
JUDITH GOLDBERGER,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.