People are sharing this Handmaid's Tale quote in reaction to parliament being suspended

In the Margaret Attwood novel and popular TV series, The Handmaid's Tale a totalitarian regime rises up to overthrow the American democracy in order to radically fix the world's plummeting fertility rate.

In 2019, the British government led by Boris Johnson has sought consent from the Queen in order to suspend parliament for five weeks, in order to force through a no-deal Brexit, something which nobody voted for and for which there is no mandate.

Although the problem's of 2019 Britain and The Handmaid's Tale aren't exactly the same, the way in which the two governments have attempted to correct the very serious issues that they are facing are uncannily similar.

This is perhaps best summed up in a quote from Attwood's novel which now feels worryingly pertinent.

That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn't even any rioting in the streets.

People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction. There wasn't even an enemy you could put your finger on.

In the wake of yesterday's event, this quote has begun to pop up on social media as people act with dismay at the suspension of parliament.

This could be considered a slightly hysterical reaction to the news but it is another scary example of how easily life can sometimes imitate art.

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