Opinion

Today the Department for Exiting the EU published its white paper here . In it, 12 principles are laid out. My main concern is that most of these are promises and aspirations, with very little that is measurable. 1)  Providing certainty and clarity , meaning nothing. We've also been told there'll be no running commentary. So what can businesses expect? What certainty is there for EU nationals living here? Nobody knows. 2) Taking control of our own laws . EU laws offer a huge amount of flexibility. Unfortunately Britain will be a little fish in a big pond, and will have diminished international influence and control over the EU and no control over the rules of the market which we must trade with. Britain is already shunned internationally. This statement amused me: "Whilst Parliament has remained sovereign throughout our membership of the EU" . The entire point of Brexit just evaporated right there. 3)  Strengthening the Union - whatever that means. Scotland

Yesterday was the last hope of averting Brexit - where the UK parliament voted to notify the EU that the UK was leaving. There was a possibility that enough MPs who were pro-EU and think Brexit would be a disaster would vote with their conscience, or that the UK Labour party would oppose the motion. There was also the hope that public opinion would have shifted by now as it became apparent that every single one of Leave's promises and projections were false.  There would never be £350m per week for the NHS, and that we are unlikely to get a trade deal with EU and maintain access, let alone free trade or services with the EU single market. We will all be poorer. Since public opinion is still apparently in favour of Brexit, MPs have been sat like rabbits in headlights watching Brexit approach them. Nobody really believes in it, and even Brexit supporters are quietly admitting their lies that there will be a financial cost, but stubbornly insist that the prize of "sovereign