The UK Supreme Court ruled that the prorogation of Parliament by Boris Johnson was unlawful, which resulted in a swift restarting of Parliament last week. It would appear the battling forces within British politics are becoming more entrenched and the cross-party support needed to strike a deal with the EU fading. A request to extend the deadline for Article 50 is now most likely, after which we can expect an election or fresh referendum.
Politics escalated even further in the US, with an announcement of the start of an impeachment enquiry into the actions of President Trump. This is centred around a telephone call with President Zelensky of Ukraine, in which it is alleged that Trump asked for an investigation into the activities of the son of Joe Biden, who just happens to be one of the front runners for next year’s Presidential election.
The process is as much political as it is legal, with proceedings needing to pass through both the House and the Senate; the latter being controlled by the Republicans, with a two-thirds majority. It is worth remembering that a President has never actually been impeached; although it was a close shave for President Nixon, who resigned before Congress could vote him out of office.
So, with global data suggesting that growth is slowly dissipating and in much need of both fiscal and monetary stimulus, the governments either side of the Atlantic seem to currently prefer the distraction of playing politics.
