BREXIT Mega Thread (The Saga Begins?)

[Great Nepal]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39492829

Why are we still using these dirty European standards?

...just dont drive in Central London.

[Fartsniffage]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39492829

Why are we still using these dirty European standards?

...just dont drive in Central London.

I wasn't planning on it. If I did I'd have bigger problems than the congestion charge....

[Ifreann]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39492829

Why are we still using these dirty European standards?

...just dont drive in Central London.

No one drives in London, there's too much traffic.

[Vassenor]

Food prices rose at fastest rate for more than three years in March

So it looks like another one of those things we were told would never happen is happening.

[Risottia]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39492829

Why are we still using these dirty European standards?

Ditto.
Britain should also quit using these dirty European devices called internal-combustion engines and cars, and switch to the only True British way of commuting: COAL-POWERED STEAM TRAINS IN UNDERGROUND TUNNELS!

[Neo Balka]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39492829

Why are we still using these dirty European standards?

Ditto.
Britain should also quit using these dirty European devices called internal-combustion engines and cars, and switch to the only True British way of commuting: COAL-POWERED STEAM TRAINS IN UNDERGROUND TUNNELS!

Dont diss on Steam power.

[Geilinor]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-39498647

May is softening her tone on Brexit. Cue the Daily Mail and UKIP outrage.

[Neu Leonstein]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-39498647

May is softening her tone on Brexit. Cue the Daily Mail and UKIP outrage.

Yeah, saw that today. Seems like there's a bit of a rift even within the Tory cabinet. May and Hammond want a permanent deal and a transitional arrangement to get there. Hammond reckons that trying not to do that would be "ridiculous". Davis reckons that no deal is fine, and Johnson said more or less the same thing.

All of which leads Peter Mandelson to suggest that people who wanted to Remain might be better off backing the May and Hammond camp rather than risk their being overthrown by the proponents of the Dirty Brexit.

In the meantime, Barnier had a chat to the European Parliament, and the European Commission made a website for its Brexit Taskforce: https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/t ... kingdom_en

[Vassenor]

Also Nigel is continuing his quest to make us an international laughing stock.

[Questers]

Food prices rose at fastest rate for more than three years in March

So it looks like another one of those things we were told would never happen is happening.

Food prices increased 1%.

Real GDP growth increased 1.6%.

So either you're being intentionally dishonest in an attempt to discredit Britain, or you have no idea that the difference between economic growth and price inflation is the growth figure. If your income grows 2% and prices rise 1% your disposable income has ceteris paribus increased, not decreased.

Either you're insanely unaware that real GDP (i.e. GDP growth against inflation) is increasing, not decreasing - which would mean you're mentally unable to commit to actual research outside of what tumblr type newspapers can feed you - or you're intentionally trying to masquerade this as an economic calamity in the service of a foreign power.

So you're uninformed and uneducated, or you're a traitor.

Not, I feel, a great choice.

[HMS Queen Elizabeth]

All of which leads Peter Mandelson to suggest that people who wanted to Remain might be better off backing the May and Hammond camp rather than risk their being overthrown by the proponents of the Dirty Brexit.

[Greed and Death]

Food prices rose at fastest rate for more than three years in March

So it looks like another one of those things we were told would never happen is happening.

But the pound keeps falling so it was cheap for me. I ate so many aged steaks when I was in London and Edinburgh 3 weeks ago.

[Neu Leonstein]

Food prices increased 1%.

Real GDP growth increased 1.6%.

So either you're being intentionally dishonest in an attempt to discredit Britain, or you have no idea that the difference between economic growth and price inflation is the growth figure. If your income grows 2% and prices rise 1% your disposable income has ceteris paribus increased, not decreased.

Don't worry about the level of food inflation. Like really, who cares.

How that number changed though over the past few months does start to get at the story.

There are some folks who worry a bit about what's happening to real incomes over the next year or so. Maybe they're wrong. But accusing them of not knowing the difference between growth and inflation doesn't seem like a winning strategy. Though I suppose the treason accusations are still available, and you wouldn't be the first one to go there!

[Hurdergaryp]

So Questers suggests someone turned traitor, while HMS Queen Elizabeth brought us a lesser meme whose supposed impact continues to fail to register with me. Just another day in the British Empire, I assume.

[Souseiseki]

http://data.parliament.uk/WrittenEviden ... 49464.html

the government of anguilla have submitted written evidence over brexit

at the risk of spoilers, it's not good news

[Vassenor]

http://data.parliament.uk/WrittenEvidence/CommitteeEvidence.svc/EvidenceDocument/Exiting%20the%20European%20Union/The%20UK%E2%80%99s%20negotiating%20objectives%20for%20its%20withdrawal%20from%20the%20EU/written/49464.html

the government of anguilla have submitted written evidence over brexit

at the risk of spoilers, it's not good news

So the tl;dr again is that the BUT EMPIRE crowd only cares about the overseas territories when it suits them?

[Hurdergaryp]

http://data.parliament.uk/WrittenEvidence/CommitteeEvidence.svc/EvidenceDocument/Exiting%20the%20European%20Union/The%20UK%E2%80%99s%20negotiating%20objectives%20for%20its%20withdrawal%20from%20the%20EU/written/49464.html

the government of anguilla have submitted written evidence over brexit

at the risk of spoilers, it's not good news

What are the possibilities for them to secede and join France or the Netherlands?

[Geilinor]

Food prices increased 1%.

Real GDP growth increased 1.6%.

So either you're being intentionally dishonest in an attempt to discredit Britain, or you have no idea that the difference between economic growth and price inflation is the growth figure. If your income grows 2% and prices rise 1% your disposable income has ceteris paribus increased, not decreased.

Don't worry about the level of food inflation. Like really, who cares.

How that number changed though over the past few months does start to get at the story.

There are some folks who worry a bit about what's happening to real incomes over the next year or so. Maybe they're wrong. But accusing them of not knowing the difference between growth and inflation doesn't seem like a winning strategy. Though I suppose the treason accusations are still available, and you wouldn't be the first one to go there!

Economists are traitors without a nation!

[Questers]

Don't worry about the level of food inflation. Like really, who cares.

Well, I agree. And I also agree that looking at the trend is important, too. But the trend shows nothing. Actually it shows that inflation correlates to traumatic political events: Iraq 1. Iraq 2. The recession. Brexit.

And in time the market adjusts. So to me this looks like basic political economy - political shocks cause economic shocks. But so long as those shocks are contained, the prices re-adjust themselves. So what's there to be worried about here?

Also, I have to say this, purely from my personal perspective, food in this country is incredibly cheap. I'm sure some things have got more expensive over time, but rarely have I been grocery shopping and found that some staples are expensive. It might be that some things that some people eat have got more expensive: if you're a Muslim you can't benefit from the fact that pork is extremely cheap or if you don't like pasta for some reason or whatever. Food inflation is actually pretty weird because of the massive choice available to people: some basket goods will go down and some will go up, but if you only eat one or the other, you're an anomaly - but a normal anomaly.

There are some folks who worry a bit about what's happening to real incomes over the next year or so. Maybe they're wrong. But accusing them of not knowing the difference between growth and inflation doesn't seem like a winning strategy. Though I suppose the treason accusations are still available, and you wouldn't be the first one to go there!

You're conflating official government statistics about real incomes, and people who find that concerning, with the people I criticise who post newspaper headlines that sound bad but actually have no observational or analytical content in them. This Independent article is pro-EU clickbait: it's a negative title that doesn't bother to explain any of the nuances or arguments naturally contained within its headline. That's not to say I close my ears to any information that comes my way from sources I don't like - it's just that when they don't actually look at what is happening and post editorialised articles subversively lobbying in favour of their position that it I'm annoyed.

Now if clickbait articles are editorialised to reduce confidence in your country's ability to perform (when actually the evidence suggests GB is one of the more healthy economics in Europe) and are designed explicitly for people to share to induce others to feel a lack of confidence, and hide true or balanced discussion about the economy - while treason may be hyperbole, I definitely think that spreading this type of "news" is doing the wrong thing.

And if you hadn't noticed, the Remain side engages in massive hyperbole. Why shouldn't the opposition?

[Questers]

Also this is why I like to read the FT, because from what I can see it's far more balanced and investigative. Even though the FT is a pro-EU publication, I'm actually very happy with its cover of Brexit. Someone recommended Bloomberg to me on the UK thread, so I'm going to be looking at that too.

And because real incomes are rising, the subscription fee for FT becomes cheaper :-)

[Theodorex]

https://youtu.be/RwduxnXpESM looks like ugly divorce

[Frank Zipper]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39492829

Why are we still using these dirty European standards?

...just dont drive in Central London.

The future is horse!

[Marado]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39492829

Why are we still using these dirty European standards?

...just dont drive in Central London.

Never. Ever.

[Ifreann]

...just dont drive in Central London.

The future is horse!

[Frank Zipper]

The future is horse!

Theresa May is going to use the money we aren't going to pay the EU to buy us each a pony.