New Labour and the English Peasants Revolt

The Death of Wat Tyler at the hands of one of the King's men, 1381

'The Queen could decide to punish George Galloway under an ancient law, according to reports.

The 1382 Summons to Parliament Act allows the Queen to "amerce" - arbitrarily punish - the politician if she believes he has not "reasonably and honestly" excused himself from parliament to appear on Big Brother.

"Every one to whom it belongeth, shall upon Summons come to the Parliament," the law states. "If any Person of the same Realm ... do absent himself, and come not at the said Summons (except he may reasonably and honestly excuse him to our Lord the King) he shall be amerced, and otherwise punished."

Martin Salter, Labour MP for Reading West, was among those urging the Queen to enforce the law.'

Might this ancient law of 1382 giving the monarch such powers have had something to do with the English Peasants Revolt, a year earlier? Is Galloway perhaps the new Wat Tyler?

But aren't Labour supposed to the party of the 'people'? Given they are so obsessed with 'progress' and building a 'new Britain', isn't it a bit desperate to try and get the Queen to deal with their political opponents?