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In the context of the debate about what happens if Johnson loses a vote of no confidence, a reminder that we are already in a constitutional crisis.
Our government has made it clear that it will persist in a policy (no deal Brexit) with fundamental implications for all of us even if a clear majority of the House demands that it use the powers available to it to pursue a different policy.
And it also proposes to use its various powers to control the business of the House and to block legislation with financial implications so as to deny the House the chance to legislate so as to give effect to the will of the House.
This is fundamental stuff: but our constitution seems to have serious problems in addressing what ought to be a constitutional outrage.
We will have to see whether in the end our constitution manages to cope. But if it doesn’t, it will for many people call into question the legitimacy of our antique constitutional order (the duty that we have to obey the rules it produces). This is playing with fire.
And those who (to reference Cummings) produce moments of destabilisation and disruption so as to open up new political options don’t necessarily get to choose which political option - which “branching history” - is then taken.
