That is not the reason because you can go to prison for an unlawful act, it doesn't have to be an illegal one.

He won't go to prison because he wasn't on trial personally. It was the advice he gave the Queen that was judged as unlawful. Should he do the same again, knowing that it has now been found to be unlawful to do so, then his risk increases.

I am no lawyer but this time there doesn't appear to have been any attempt to hold him personally culpable because the Court was unable to determine for sure what his motivations were due to the lack of an affidavit, although that did not stop them deciding that the advice itself was unlawful and that all that flowed from that advice equally so.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

Judges develop the common law.

These 11 Judges, our Supreme Court, the top legal brains of our hugely respected Judiciary, unanimously decided that Parliament's right to oversee the executive had unlawfully been interfered with.

Nothing to do with Brexit. Nothing to do with political interference. Two cases were put before them and they had a duty to rule on them. And did so.

This was a triumph for democracy and the rule of law. Nothing less.

Anyone who seeks to position it otherwise is only doing so for political gain.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

The difference is that illegal means an act forbidden by a law that has been passed. Unlawful means not authorised by law because no such law has been passed.
I ask again - whose advice should he have sought if not the Attorney General?

That Johnson is playing to his leave "base", just as Trump does to his, is obvious and revving up the rhetoric plays well with them. It also stirs up anger and as those female MP's were saying this is really quite dangerous for them. Your own language has been fierce on occasions, whilst others here have been worse. Imagine if you feel that angry and are also mentally unstable what the consequences might be? It's this lack of appreciation of what this approach is doing which upsets so many and is likely to consolidate the opposition to Johnson like nothing else.

I also don't share your view that it won't cost him votes. Not all "leave" voters are Tory. Not all are hard line, leave at all costs voters. Many won't like these tactics. Not as many as like them, I grant you, but enough. I cannot see him gaining votes from anywhere, except the Brexit Party, but I can see him losing them from softer leavers.

No-one WANTS a delay. They just want a no deal Brexit even less.

Imagine you are on a journey and you come to a raging river. On the other side some people tell you there is a land of milk and honey. The only way to cross is via a boat, but other people point out it is full of holes and probably won't get you there safely. What do you do? Risk the voyage because you are already tired of the journey and just want it over? Or wait and try to plug the holes so you can do it safely?

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

Illegal and unlawful? It just doesn't matter. The Oxford English Dictionary gives one as a synonym of the other. I see flimsy straws being reached for when substantive issues are at stake.

Did you watch Newsnight this evening?

It was suggested there that stories are emerging that the real reason that no affidavit was presented was because no civil servant could be found who was prepared to perjure themselves. The AG is an honourable man but his advice is, rightly, confidential, so what it actually was is unknown. We do know it wasn't shared with Cabinet. The AG is also a politician as we saw today.

There may well be much more to come out on this if Parliament press for the relevant papers.

Edited by Wisbech Eagle (26 Sep 2019 12.20am)

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

The HoC doesn't trust Johnson to keep his word and not try another trick to slip a no deal Brexit under their radar and in through the backdoor. Unlawfully proroguing Parliament gives them every reason not to trust him.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

Only JD.

And come 31st of October I'll be necking it like it's manna from heaven.

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

Haven't I made this plain enough before?

Having worked in institutions I know how it works. People stay within professions with similar like minded people...To stay long enough and promote high enough it mostly becomes self selecting as in the same people promote similar to them.

Not all but elites are more often than not silver spooned neo liberals who came from the same type of background, went to the same types of schools and whose lifestyle has meant they have lost touch with their history and heritage.

It was 11-0 and I would wager that they all voted remain.....As most elites did.

Edited by Stirlingsays (26 Sep 2019 6.10am)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

Listening to them trying to censor Johnson, playing the Jo Cox card, playing the victim - sensitive to any criticism calling them out.....Yet they are free with the abuse aimed at him.

Yes, all MPs are now that much in danger.....it isn't nice but that's how polarised this issue has become.

Those who put themselves in that firing line have chosen to willingly....that's on both the leave and remain side.

You can't go over the top and expect the opposition not to fire....the modern left are all about censorship and control of language.

The exact opposite of the left I grew up with.

Edited by Stirlingsays (26 Sep 2019 6.54am)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

I would be interested to know something that is unlawful, but not illegal, and for which you could go to prison.