Taiwan's fight between the legislature and the Cabinet has escalated into a public constitutional shouting match, and there is no referee left to settle it.

• Legislative speaker Han Kuo-yu attacked the Cabinet for refusing to countersign bills passed by parliament, saying no governing power outranks the constitution.
• Premier Cho Jung-tai fired back that Han should spend less time on old books and more on the constitution and the budget law.
• Lawyer Lin Chih-chun turned the argument around: the opposition KMT and TPP paralyzed the Constitutional Court themselves, so nobody can now rule on who is right.
• With the court frozen, disputes between branches come down to raw power, and the Cabinet controls the civil service and the police.
• Critics say the opposition keeps passing laws that raise spending, which the Cabinet can simply ignore because no court can strike anything down.

Outlook: Expect more open defiance between parliament and the Cabinet, with a no-confidence vote the only real tool the opposition has left.