scrubbedexpat098

What is the worls's largest economy?

Which country's economy has the most protectionist measures imposed?

Protectionism isn't the big evil it's made out to be

astera

Hang on there hotshot.

The gov't needs to do what's right for the people, what benefits them the most, raises our prospects, etc.

There's a reason why the referendum is NON-binding. The general public aren't steering this ship with personal accountability - their representatives are. Similarly how society procures surgeons but doesn't instruct them on how to carry out an operation.

Even if it was the gov't itself that decided something yesterday - with or without a referendum preceding it - and tomorrow it was known to be a bad idea with ill consequences, their OBLIGATION is to do what's right according to TODAY's situation.

Beoz

Sounds like they are acting on what is right - killing off uncertainty

Amazulu

Chill turbo

You can slice and dice it as much as you like but it's happening - it shouldn't, but it is

The people have asked the government to implement Brexit - and they are

Brexit is not a good idea, democracy is

If you don't like this then use your vote at the next ballot to register your displeasure....................................... .......Jeremy Corbyn

Beoz

Today's situation is a a Brexit, like it or not. A worse situation is uncertainty. Onwards and upwards.

OzTennis

The latest is that some MP's want to force a vote in the Commons:

Brexit block Miliband tries to force Commons vote on single market | UK | News | Daily Express

As said, the UK didn't vote to leave the single market in the referendum but to leave the EU (e.g. Norway not in one, in the other)

Charismatic

They don't need a further mandate to invoke Article 50 in my view.

However obviously trade deals would broadly need parliamentary approval to ensure they are broadly acceptable and, in reality, the public will need to return a pro-Brexit majority (not government, just majority) or it could be interpreted as a U-turn by the public.

Clearly there needs to be a lot of work prior to Article 50 to get some trade deals in place and steady confidence in the transitional process.

Also, as Liam Fox said, the current account needs some re-balancing with GBP falling fast UK consumers need to tighten their belts and stop buying imported goods. The concept of sovereignty is a meaningless if you are the next Greece.

Beoz

Ah don't worry about that. As the baby boomers say, head in the sand, let the next gen and the one after pay for our greed. As long as they get their pensions and at the same time horde assets, we are all good.

DC10

Indeed - after all, they "paid their taxes all their lives" (it's true, they did, usually about a third of what they will eventually suck out of the public purse)...

Beoz

That is true, but our baby boomer leaders who expect our society to become more debt riddled than ever before have no care for those left behind when they are long gone to clean up the debt mess.

ozzieeagle

I actually agree, even on the cusp of retiring. I think what is needed is a massive inheritence tax... like 60 pct or more, including the family dwelling.

This way the oldies, including myself are obliged to spend rather than horde, which has to be better for society as a whole.

I think leaving large assets to young people is a very divisive and damaging thing.

DC10

One major public hospital operation is all it takes to wipe out a boomer's entire life of tax contributions. But said person will still drone on about the taxes they paid, and go on to claim another 30 years of pensions and medical care. I agree that the answer will eventually have to be significant estate and/or property taxes.

astera

I cannot remember it ever working quite that ideally. People vote for governments, not banks. And yet subsequent govt's take the interests of banks over the population at large.

The EU will (rightfully) not give the banking sector full access to the EU market without the UK wholly adopting the 4 principles of freedom. It's "take it or leave it" (or rather "take it or f.o...") and the EU is speaking from a position of power, whereas our chimps are in a dire position of preventing this idiotic notion of brexit from turning into an economic disaster for the UK.

Add 2+2 together and read yesterday's quote from Rob Rooney, chief executive of Morgan Stanley:
“It really isn’t terribly complicated. If we are outside the EU and we don’t have what would be a stable and long-term commitment to access the single market then a lot of the things we do today in London, we’d have to do inside the EU 27.”

Bingo, end of story. Puzzle solved.

So, following the trail of simple logic:

- Banks need full access to the EU market.

- UK govt will give the banks WHATEVER they want, at WHATEVER conditions are required

- Banks get full access to the EU market.

- UK upholds 4 Freedoms

- UK still ends up with a multi-billion bill to the EU each year

At the end of the day hardly anything will change, except that the UK will undergo a cosmetic change from being a fully-fledged member of the EU to just being in the EEA. Yawn...

OzTennis

Even the Treasury is scaremongering now!

'Hard Brexit' could cost up to £66bn and slash UK GDP by almost 10%, Treasury warns | The Independent

scot47

So the UK is leaving but will still be in ? What about all these *****ing foreigners then ?