Pro-Rogues Gallery

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Black Rod approaches the Commons Chamber. The cry is "close the doors". Black Rod knocks three times on the door.

The doors are opened. Black Rod enters the Chamber.

She summons the Commons to the House of Lords for the Prorogation

Black Rod has to wait impassively while the Speaker criticises this Prorogation as an "executive fiat" but says he will cooperate. He understands the position of those who prefer to remain where they are.

The Speaker leaves the House with Black Rod and the Mace

The party are followed by (virtually) all the Tories while the Opposition remains in place.

Arriving at the Lords, it is clear that scarcely any of the Lords have turned up. The people in the foreground are the Commons MPs.

So that's likely less than half the Commons and scarcely a Lord in sight.

Meanwhile there's some act to be assented to and this wigged figure responds to another wigged figure's request with the exclamation LA REINE LE VEULT (It is so wished by the Queen).

Then there is some repetitive cap doffing by the two male Commissioners. The lady Commissioner reads the Queen's (closing) speech which outlines at length the achievements of the current parliamentary session. She then effects the prorogation.

The Speaker returns to the Commons to wind up the proceedings and is received with rapturous applause by those who have remained in the chamber.

A queue then forms as each member individually takes leave of the Speaker. There will be more sitting days between the Queen's (opening) speech on 14 October and the Speaker's retirement on 31 October, but this has been an emotional day and night.

To sum up, we know that the Prime Minister lied to the Queen when seeking the Prorogation. The Queen must have known he was lying but she still acceded to his request. Shameful.

This is the background to many seeing this Prorogation as a fraud and refusing to have anything to do with it.

It is all really amazing stuff.

Some of the frippery described above just might be acceptable as an adjunct to virtue but when it papers over fraud it is not.

I was going to include this piece in my Brexit Musings post but I thought it had a stand alone quality about it and so I've kept it separate.