John B

There are times when MPs need to rise above their party interests, their own interests and the views of their constituents. That may risk being voted out, but they may earn more respect by standing up for the national interest as best they can determine: that’s what representative democracy is for. In times of war or national crisis, defending the country from grave error, at whatever personal cost, is their duty. Brexit is the greatest threat to national wellbeing since the war, and this will test the mettle not just of individual MPs, but of the nature and purpose of a representative democratic system. The pound soared following today’s high court news because markets are idiotic, shaped by punters second-guessing one another’s idiocy. This doesn’t suggest, alas, that Brexit is much closer to being reconsidered. Reality will take the pound back down, predicted to sink further with each step towards to the exit gate. Next year’s prices will rise, NIESR reckons, by 4%, hitting those who are “just managing” even harder. Every day another bad effect is revealed before anything has even happened. Today reveals an acute labour shortage in the food processing industries, as east Europeans are reluctant to come here. The shrinking pound decreases the value of their pay, and they hear awful stories of racist attacks and abuse. Without actually leaving, we are already keeping EU immigrants away. The damage is beginning already. The latest regreters are the £4bn curry house operators, who voted out. They were lied to outright, as Priti Patel and others told them fewer EU migrants would open the door to the chefs they desperately need and promised a points-based system to let chefs in. This has now been reneged on. There will be massive closures, they say. How naive could they be? A public stirred by Mail and Sun anti-migrant horror stories were made even more fearful of Muslim refugees pouring than of Poles: of course the government now says the screw is tightening and there will be no more Asian visas. Others too will find how badly they were lied to. Only 37% of the UK voted leave - since when is this a "majority" that many pro-Brexiteers are talking about Theresa May's government is skating on very thin ice. The Royal Prerogative is incompatible with the sovereignty of Parliament, not to mention democracy - more so if it is to be used by an unelected Prime Minister to pursue a policy she has claimed she did not think was right for Britain, and has now flipped 180 degrees on the basis of a referendum decision that resulted from a fraudulent campaign that was seriously and deliberately misleading. The fiction that an MP appointed by the government as Attorney General can be an 'honest' legal adviser is equally preposterous. Brexit has amounted to a coup d'etat to seize power by a clique of right wing demagogues who deliberately led a campaign based upon deception, lies and reckless disregard of any planning for the consequential destruction of the trade agreements, and the destabilisation of pan European partnerships upon which the prosperity and long term security of the now disunited Kingdom is primarily dependent. These political clowns are rightfully ridiculed by European leaders of every hue. Guy Verhfostadt sums them up perfectly here. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/28/brexit-negotiator-hits-out-at-uk-ministers-mixed-messages Neither this government, nor our dysfunctional, archaic, and unfit for purpose Parliament, have any credibility that can give legitimacy to the politically corrupt Brexit campaign. Brexit has destroyed the unity of the United Kingdom; it has exposed how hollow and rotten is the constitutional pretence that we have a democratic system of government protected by strong checks and balances. House of Commons Select Committees are lacking in power to bring Ministers to acount. Prime Ministers are loose cannons. Neither the fractured United Kingdom, nor England, will ever be reunited by this rogue unelected premiership nor by a Parliament that seeks to pass over what has happened by, meekly acquiescing to the ludicrous undemocratic Royal Prerogative. Britain should be deeply ashamed that it has become so disreputable. The constitutional legitimacy of the shallow dishonest Brexit campaign and the validity of the referendum as an informed democratic decision must be challenged in the House of Lords and/or the Supreme Court by Public Legal Officials acting on behalf of UK citizens. There must also be a thorough inquiry as to what is so wrong with our entire system of government in the UK that it has lost touch with so many regions, and has failed the nation for so long that it has brought the nation to the brink of disintegration and collapse. Nothing less than a total Constitutional Reformation is now required. Parliament is effectively an unrepresentative sham democratic one House institution. The fictional 'make it up' as you go along unwritten Constitution is a wizard of Oz construct. It is high time Britain got rid of fake democracy. Parliament has become a decayed house of ill repute as decrepit as the building in which it resides. It is this or risk a constitutional crisis that might well provoke a second Cromwellian reformation. Either Parliament is seen to act honourably to cleanse itself or it will fall. Using the Royal Prerogative may end up bringing down Parliament and the Monarchy.

No one is saying we shouldn't leave the EU. They are saying that the UK constitutional process for anything that changes a person rights in law is for a parliamentary act. Brexiters need to get a grip and get over it. I voted remain but would support my MP voting for Article 50 to leave the EU. because I understand democracy. Changing our constitution where parliament is no longer sovereign is the first step to dictatorships and fascisim. You do make an interesting point that the average person does not understand the issues relating to the EU and Brexit and have been led to believe untruths and lies. Even yesterday Bill Cash was either intentionally or possibly because he did not know saying things about the EU on how it works which were factually untrue. On the World at One Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, says he accepts that Britain should leave the EU. But parliament needs to be consulted on the terms of leaving He says the government cannot get away with refusing to reveal its negotiating stance. This needs to be repeated over and over until even the thickest Brexitbot gets it...the decision is not about overturning the referendum but about ensuring parliament correctly acts as a brake on the Executive and post EU the country is reasonable state with people in jobs. It's clear that the government is blundering around blindly in search of a strategy and yet some people think that parliament should pass up the oversight function How irresponsible would that be? May and the Brexiters need to get their arses into gear and start formulating a strategy and then explaining it. I agree with Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative chair of the Commons Treasury committee (and a remain voter in June), on the court ruling who said . Whatever the supreme court decides, the government should be much more transparent about its objectives in the negotiations, in some detail, and the sooner the better. It should also ensure that parliament can scrutinise the objectives, and vote on them. There are many good reasons for this. Among several, it can enable the construction of broad-based public consent for the UK’s future relationship with the EU. The UK is leaving; a public debate is needed about where we want to arrive. Before taking off, it is always a good idea for the pilot to discuss with the passengers and crew where they might want to land. Second, clarity about the government’s objectives would enable a serious discussion with other Member States to get underway, prior to the triggering of article 50. And third, it can reduce the economic damage caused by uncertainty over the likely shape of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. It is the uncertainty about the terms of that relationship, far more than the additional time required to clarify the negotiating position, that carries the more significant cost. But at least SFC are still in Europe and our European Manager and Players are doing well

Surely you should be cheering today’s high court judgment as one of the loudest defenders of parliamentary sovereignty. So the judges have heeded your earnest plea to make parliament supreme. Your insistence that Westminster be the ultimate arbiter of our national affairs has been given the judicial seal of approval. Except, of course, you are not ,you wanted to leave in the name of wrestling power from Brussels to Westminster went strangely quiet when it came to the question decided by the court today: who has the power to trigger article 50? Suddenly you have found that parliament was not quite so sacred or central, that some things were best left to ministers to decide. Well, the judges have called out that hypocrisy. They have decided that the Brexiteers should have to comply with their own logic – and bow to parliament.

Affirmation of parliamentary sovereignty - just what the Brexiteers wanted! Great! So far May’s team have been all over the place when it comes to prioritising what is best for Britain, and it’s time they pull their socks up and started taking this seriously. Ultimately, the British people voted for a departure but not for a destination, which is why what really matters possibly allowing them to vote again on the final deal, giving them the chance to say no to an irresponsible hard Brexit that risks our economy and our jobs.

I am quite happy with the way things are going at the moment there is no guarantee with new owners that we will do any better but I await developments

Forster; Martina VVD Yoshida McQueen Romeu JWP Hojbjerg Boufal Austin Redmond

It definitely includes you Duckie who does not know that the previous Bank of England Governor and Villa supporter was Mervyn King Inflation up to 4%, growth down ,real wages falling, deficit rising ,that's brexiflexity for you! but not good economics

I agree with Wes and presumily Les that there are Eurosceptics and there are Brexiters Brexiters are Eurosceptics too but not all Eurosceptics are Brexiters. Some Eurosceptics realise that Brexit is an economic disaster in the EU but some Brexiters will eventually realise this too as the cost of petrol diesel foreign holidays Inflation Marmite and Unemployment rise. I think staying in the EU customs zone is probably the best approach now but not sure how that affects and banking and services sectors.

There is a considerable difference in the obligations and rights of a state under being a member of a customs union and being a member of an integrated internal market or at least having free access to it. In a customs union there is no requirement to adhere to free movement of workers or comply with the markets regulations on product standards, however being in a customs union means that you cannot arrange and agree your own trade deals with countries that are not in the Customs Union, the reason for this is that if you could arrange your own trade deals, the UK could flood the EU markets with cheap exports that they originally imported from countries with whom they had arranged very favourable trade terms. The so called country of origin issue. A country benefits from being in this customs union by having tariff free trade on goods only not services.

I dont think leaving the EU with a falling pound inflation and low growth is a solution to our balance of payment problems and consumer debt. But of course you are right but these problems have not been addressed by the Tories in the last six years because of Osborne and his austerity let see what Hammond does

A falling pound was the shock that Britain’s ailing exporters desperately needed to halt their terminal decline. That’s the message repeated on an almost daily loop by economists for Brexit like the two you mention. Now that sterling has lost almost a fifth of its value against the dollar and about 14% against the euro since the referendum, it follows that the EU referendum vote was the best thing that could happen to the economy and manufacturers have found the price of their goods abroad have dropped, making them more competitive. They just need to let the currency work for them, revving up production safe in the knowledge they can undercut their rivals. It is a narrow economic argument that uses Germany’s exporting prowess as a template. This success is all about exporting upmarket cars, trucks and machine tools to China, Brazil and the Middle East. German goods are well designed and reliable, of course. They also come with the added bonus of being priced using an artificially low rate of exchange gifted by the euro. In theory once a relatively low exchange rate is established investors and businesses have a clear view of the better profit margins on offer from exports and will invest more in the latest machinery and industrial processes. Britain needs good news from the future now that the immediate effects of a low pound are making life difficult for consumers. Import prices are rising and already feeding into shop prices. We’ve seen the signs: Apple added £500 to the cost of its latest MacBook Pros and Unilever’s prices, including for Marmite, leapt by more than 10% at Morrisons. Consumer confidence surveys have dipped in the last month after a post referendum bounce and might deteriorate further should the two things people covet the most – the latest mobile phone and a new car – increase in cost once the currency hedges that keep prices stable run out. We import all the phones and a majority of the cars we buy, so prices are going to rise some time after Christmas, if not before. Yet the chances of mimicking Germany are slim. Firstly, there is the currency itself. We have a floating exchange rate against the rest of the world, which means it goes down in the bad times and up in the good times. Why would a manufacturing company bet on the currency staying low when a recovery in the UK’s fortunes will send it back up again. Neither the Treasury, nor the Bank of England has expressed an appetite for managing the pound. By the way what do you think about staying in the EU Customs Union which seems to be the option favoured by the Government for Nissan.

It maybe over valued post Brexit and may fall further but I dont think it was over valued pre Brexit as many countries we happy to buy sterling

As there is ignorance among Brexiters concerning the exact nature of a customs union, I should like to recommend to interested readers a most accessible guide to all things European. It is called The Routledge Guide to the European Union, and the authors, **** Leonard and Robert Taylor, have long experience of the EU.

I think you and your fellow economically illiterate Brexiters are in for a shock as Low-earning families that Theresa May has promised to help will be thousands of pounds a year worse off by 2020 because of rising inflation, lower wage growth and Tory social security cuts. One consequence of the big falls we have recently seen in the value of the pound is that prices will rise more quickly over the next few years. This will squeeze family budgets with higher prices in the shops, and turn the cash freeze in social security support for working age families into a significant and painful real terms cut. Brexit has caused the UK permanent damage that would be made worse by higher inflation and slowing consumer demand, which would result in lower growth

Surely it is win the PL you have to be able to beat saints away

We dont need him now we have enough midfielders what we need is a striker and a CB

We dont need him now we have enough midfielders what we need is a striker and a CB

I think we need Fonte for Chelsea and Inter so I would play Stephens otherwise I agree with you

I think we need Fonte for Chelsea and Inter so I would play Stephens otherwise I agree with you

Excellent result

Leaving the EU is the most stupid thing the UK has ever done

Tonight is Claude Puel's 91st match in European competition

I still think we need another striker if Jrod does not perform well in the next couple of months and a young CB to eventually replace Fonte

Take Brexit, add inflation, a collapsing pound, an interest rate rise and falling living standards and you get a mighty mess

Must admit I dont get it Inter are just an ordinary Serie A team who will be putting out a second rate team and there is nothing much at stake as if we lose we still have three matches to qualify for the next stage of the Cup A goalless draw would be a great result as would a goalless draw next Sunday