THE ultra fragility of the May government has been underlined by the fact that its attempts to stay in office via a £1bn payment to the DUP has now been legally challenged by the heroine of the pro-EU bosses and bankers, Gina Miller.
After her latest legal challenge the government has now confirmed on Sunday that the fund will only be released to Northern Ireland upon ‘appropriate parliamentary authorisation.’ Jonathan Jones, the Treasury Solicitor, who also heads the government Legal Department commented that ‘No timetable has been set for the making of such payments.’
The official said May’s government was going to use ‘long-established procedures, under which central government requests the grant of money by the House of Commons’ in order to pay the promised payment to the DUP. In her legal letter, Miller said: ‘It beggars belief that, neither at the time the government sealed its dubious deal with the DUP in exchange for their votes in the Commons, nor at any point since, has the government made it clear that the £1bn of taxpayers’ money for Northern Ireland could only be handed over following Parliamentary approval.’
In his letter, the solicitor Jonathan Jones said the government intends to use ‘long-established procedures, under which central government requests the grant of money by the House of Commons’ in order to pay out the funds. No doubt such a grant will also be legally challenged as the ruling class civil war over the EU continues and gets even hotter.
As well, the DUP deal is being challenged in a crowdfunded legal case by Green party activist Ciaran McClean, that claims it breaks the promise of impartiality in the Good Friday agreement and breaches the Bribery Act. The High Court has notified both sides’ legal teams that, because of the urgency of the claim, it should be heard in October, at the beginning of the new legal term.
The May government has no future. It is all the more dangerous that the pro-EU bosses and bankers have been allowed to take the initiative against this minority government, and against the 2016 referendum result to leave the EU. Yesterday at the TUC Congress, its leader O’Grady underlined the complete bankruptcy of her leadership, and that of the General Council when she did not even make a call for the government to resign and made it clear that alongside the bosses and the bankers the TUC General Council supports the single market and the customs union and wants the the UK to remain in both, that is to remain in the EU.
She limited herself to appeals to the government not to cherry pick the groups of workers that they will allow to breach the pay cap, namely the police and the prison officers.
O’Grady told May that ‘The Prime Minister’s top priority should be to defend Britain’s best interests. Not stop the Conservative Party falling apart.’ But there are two Britains, the Britain of the ruling class and the Britain of the working class, and the two are irreconcilable.
Far from taking action to bring the government down and bring in a workers government, O’Grady made the following appeal. She said: ‘On October 17th, public servants will rally on Parliament Square. And send a clear a message to Mrs May: five million hardworking public servants need a pay rise. The public backs it. Now just tell the Treasury to get on with it.’
O’Grady is on her knees. There must be a general strike on October 17th and millions must march on the House of Commons to bring the Tories down and bring in a workers government and socialism. This is the only way for the trade unions to proceed if they are to really represent their members.
The best that O’Grady could come up with was to tell the bosses: ‘Our eyes are on you. Trade unionists are standing by your gates. Either you sit at the table with us and work out a better deal for your workers. Or we’ll see you in court. And on the front pages.’
The TUC Congress must reject this nonsense. Forward to the general strike on October 17th to bring down the Tories and bring in a workers government and socialism.
