Parliament in the Age of Empire: The Hold of Tradition and the Obligations of Power.

• Author: Robert, Charles

Parliament in the Age of Empire: The Hold of Tradition and the Obligations of Power

Time and Politics: Parliament and the Culture of Modernity in Britain and the British World by Ryan A. Vieira (Oxford University Press) 2015.199p.

Essays on the History of Parliamentary Procedure in honour of Thomas Erskine May edited by Paul Evans (Hart Publishing) 2017. 347p.

For the past three years Parliament at Westminster has been embroiled by Brexit and the negotiations to take the United Kingdom out of the European Union following the 2016 referendum. The process has been arduous and dramatic. The referendum led to the resignation of David Cameron as Prime Minister. Failed attempts to secure Parliament's support for an EU agreement caused another Prime Minister, Teresa May, to resign. Her successor, Boris Johnson, the third Prime Minister in this drawn out saga, pushed for the adoption of a revised agreement as an October 31 deadline drew near, but he was repeatedly rebuffed by the House of Commons. He lost several crucial votes, expelled almost two dozen dissenting members from his own party, attempted to prorogue Parliament unlawfully, and was forced to seek an extension for further negotiations with the EU before finally succeeding in getting approval for an early general election. It has been a mess. Even the Speaker, John Bercow, became involved. He was variously blamed or praised for allowing backbenchers a greater role and for frustrating the government. Brexit has deeply divided the country and it has raised questions and complaints about Parliament and its capacity to deal with a complex subject sure to determine the social and economic future of the country. These complaints have been amplified through broadcasts and media streaming of the parliamentary proceedings. In ever mounting frustration many simply want "to get Brexit done".

Questions about Parliament and its effectiveness are not new. Throughout much of the 19th century, when Britain ruled a global empire and led the world in industrial production and international trade, Parliament was challenged by numerous issues that revealed persistent tensions. Some of these tensions were similar in nature, if not always in scale, to Brexit. Foremost was Ireland and the struggle for Home Rule. It was deeply controversial and dominated much of the business of Parliament during the last quarter of the 19th century. Indeed, failure to achieve Home Rule through two attempts in 1886 and 1893 ruined the premiership of Gladstone, wrecked the Liberal Party, and threatened national unity. It also undermined public confidence in Parliament, at least temporarily. It is no small irony that Brexit itself has stumbled because of Ireland and the backstop proposal between Northern Ireland and the Republic. In the end, it may be asking too much to expect Parliament by itself, as the national forum of debate, to resolve such fundamental questions. It is just as likely that debate will be fierce and will expose depths of division that cannot be easily reconciled. Such debates, even in the 19th century, can test the limits of traditional representative democracy and the role of...