Parliament is a sprawling mess in many respects. The building complex itself is in dire need of repair. Rats and mice scuttle about, inviting lazy comparisons with the Palace of Westminster’s elected and appointed professional inhabitants. Small fires, large patches of mold, flooding, and electrical malfunctions are commonplace. The United Kingdom also has no written constitution, so much of the political machinations that go on in London rely on interpretation, precedent, and legal tests. One such test has just occurred in Scotland: a judge in Edinburgh found the prorogation of Parliament (bringing a closed session early to limit debate) illegal. The finding will now be passed to the Supreme Court in London, where a judge will make a ruling on whether that reading is correct; two other rulings on the same hearing in England and Wales said it was not illegal.

At the start of this week, international viewers and the sizable number of British people who tuned into BBC Parliament when they’d ordinarily give it a miss were treated to the antiquarian peculiarities of the House of Commons, with “the Lady Usher of the Black Rod” asking MPs to leave the chamber to end a session of Parliament. The post, which derives its name from the ebony “black rod” adorned with a golden lion that is carried by the aforementioned “usher,” is currently held by Sarah Clarke, its first female occupant. Listing it as a sign of progress for women is akin to boasting about being the first feminist to catch bubonic plague. Members of Parliament on the opposition benches complained vocally about the prorogation, and were chastised in the usual fashion by John Bercow, the returning speaker of the House of Commons, who essentially keeps everyone in the Commons in check as a school principal might.

The legal case against prorogation will be heard next Tuesday. Party conferences will begin very shortly afterward, so it remains highly unlikely Parliament will return early at all. Instead, Labour and the Conservatives will begin their election campaigns in earnest while the government seeks to persuade possible coalition parties to get on board with whatever they propose when Parliament returns, while at least pretending to attempt to make a deal with the European Union that differs from Theresa May’s endlessly rejected deal.