Shropshire Star comment: Politicians stumble to a new low
Just when you think British politics can stoop no lower, it manages to tumble down to yet another level of ineptitude.
Yesterday's explosive Supreme Court ruling means that we now have a Prime Minister who has potentially misled the Queen so he can shut down Parliament.
Regardless of the legal arguments over why Boris Johnson took the action that he did, the consequences will undoubtedly be far-reaching.
His intentions may well be to deliver Brexit, but he appears to have gone about it in the most ham-fisted manner imaginable.
And if he has a rabbit up his sleeve, he's doing a very good job of hiding it.
The immediate result of the court's ruling is that Parliament has now returned.
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Make no mistake, the majority our politicians did not want to head back to the Commons solely for the purpose of scrutinising the Government.
For the hundreds of MPs determined to stop Brexit this is a major victory, as under the guidance of Remainer Speaker John Bercow they are highly likely to try and use the time to block an October 31 departure once and for all.
For Jeremy Corbyn, the decision comes as manna from heaven, landing during a calamitous Labour conference which up until the court's ruling had been wrecked by Brexit in-fighting, preposterous manifesto pledges and a plot to oust deputy leader Tom Watson.
But the court's ruling is not just disastrous for the Tories, it is disastrous for the prospects of Brexit.
The sad fact is, there is no Brexit deal that will ever get through a House of Commons that is rotten to the core.
And with that in mind, the words of arch Remainer Anna Soubry in the wake of the court's verdict were telling.
She could barely hide her glee when she gushed: "The people of this country are taking back control."
Monumental
Taking back control of what precisely? Do MPs really believe that the vast majority of the public are happy to sit back and watch our politicians block the implementation of a democratic vote?
It is hard to make a case for the 17.4 million Brexit voters that MPs' return to Parliament is in any way positive.
It has been blindingly obvious for some time now that there is a huge detachment between Westminster and a public that is at its wits' end.
Like many of the elder statesmen of British politics, the majority of people – regardless of how they voted in the referendum – are resigned to looking on in horror from the sidelines.
And while politicians cook up their latest anti-Brexit plan, the uncertainty for businesses across the country deepens.
On the face of it, Mr Johnson has taken a monumental risk that has backfired.
But while the political classes rejoice and call for his head, in the eyes of many in the public he is one of the few people who is actually trying to deliver Brexit.
If Mr Corbyn and the Remainer elite want him out, then why not accept the offer of a general election?
Only then will we see which affront to democracy the public are more bothered about – the suspension of Parliament, or the concerted efforts of our MPs to overturn the result of the referendum.
