Just when you thought the 2017 general election couldn’t get any more bizarre, along comes some goatskin make things even more complicated.
The Queen’s Speech, which signals the opening of Parliament, is set to be delayed, according to several reports.
The ceremony, which marks the beginning of a new year of Parliament, was due to take place on Monday June 19. And it would have gone ahead on that day, if the Conservatives had won the majority they hoped for in last Thursday’s election.
However, they lost seats and have been forced to enlist the support of the Democratic Unionist Party, who hold 10 seats, to help them gain a House of Commons’ majority. The two parties have yet to reach an agreement, and as such the drafting of the Queen’s Speech has been delayed.
The speech is written by the government and is essentially the laws planned for the next year. It is written on thick goatskin parchment paper which takes a week to dry.
Therefore, as the content of the speech has yet to be confirmed, the Queen’s Speech has been delayed. The government can’t exactly make any last minute amendments to a speech written on goatskin.
One of the reasons for Queens Speech delay – it takes a week to dry the goats skin upon which it is carved. I am not joking. #velum
— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) June 12, 2017
…it's goatskin parchment no longer vellum but the general point about it taking days to make and form remains one of the factors for delay
— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) June 12, 2017
