In a move best described as too late to matter, U.K. Supreme Court Rules Theresa May Must Consult Parliament Before Starting Brexit.
Britain’s Supreme Court ruled Prime Minister Theresa May must seek approval from Parliament before formally triggering the country’s withdrawal from the European Union, potentially complicating her path out of the bloc.
David Davis, the minister overseeing Brexit, said the government would send legislation to Parliament within days. “There can be no going back,” Mr. Davis said.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pledged not to frustrate the Brexit process, but said his party would seek to ensure Britain’s “full, tariff-free access to the single market” and prevent the government from turning the country “into a bargain basement tax haven off the coast of Europe.”
The court said Mrs. May needs parliamentary consent because EU law is embedded into U.K. law and therefore can’t be revoked without lawmakers’ approval.
But it also ruled that Mrs. May didn’t need to consult with the regional governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland before triggering Article 50, weakening their influence over the process.
Labour Frustrations
The ruling was widely expected, and the opposition Labour Party has resigned to accept it. Liberal Democrats and Scottish representative will likely load the bill with amendments, but those amendments will not survive.
Corbin’s pledge to prevent the government from turning the country “into a bargain basement tax haven off the coast of Europe” is a promise he is not in a position to make.
And his pledge of “full, tariff-free access to the single market” is not logically possible.
“Project fear” overplayed its hand. Many, if not most of Labour, is now committed to Brexit to the dismay of Scotland and the Liberal Democrats.
Prime minister Theresa May is fully in charge, and committed to Brexit.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
How is this even relevant?
There won’t be any negotiations — it will be a “hard” exit unless the EU suddenly starts acting like adults (which isn’t going to happen).
Article 50 is something for lawyers to argue about. If you are running any sort of business, you have to assume a hard exit. And for that matter, you need to expand your markets outside the Continent if you hope for your business to survive.
The EU cannot pay its bills.
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And what exactly is Parliament going to say?
No, we don’t want to be democratically legitimate. No, we don’t need to inform the Queen that Her sovereignty was given away to a committee in Brussels.
Of course they must approve Brexit. Legally, they might have a choice, but practically speaking they do not.
And the terms of exit? The EU won’t accept gentle terms, as they already explained. England won’t pay the current EU rubbish, much less a penalty exit fee. So its going to be a hard exit.
Individual countries still trapped in the EU that do lots of business with the UK will be forced to ignore Brussels or suffer horrible recessions. Ireland, for example, now faces a terrible choice.
Given that France is now a failed state, Italy and Netherlands are about to get anti-EU governments, Austria already has one, and Merkel is on very very shaky ground in upcoming elections — odds are very high that the EU won’t be around long enough to hold negotiations with England
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Ireland dependent to around 400K jobs.
400K jobs anywhere is a great deal but to Ireland it’s massive.
Ireland will pick up some of the relocating bank jobs to compensate but they will be around Dublin & in office but the 400K will be spread around including rural agricultural poorer areas.
Ireland will also be hit with losing control of taxes as tax harmonisation is forced down their throats and will become a net contributor to the budget – recipient of funds to date.
You can probably imagine how some in Ireland are beginning to think.
EU will survive, others talk of leaving but the EU/Euro but it won’t happen. They will forced into fiscal union. Only Germany is strong enough to leave either/both.
If an EU country also adopted the Euro they are super-glued to the edifice and sink/swim together.
Indeed, a failing EU would be bad for UK and probably US too.
Everyone says the EU won’t survive – bet on the opposite happening.
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In TPTB the EU is a religion as Mish has alluded too.
They will go to the extreme to defend their faith and have powers on their side.
Nothing will be left undone to keep it together.
Too many have too much to lose – handouts, market access, protectionism to key industries, a global voice they otherwise lack.
Germany needs it, France needs it and the rest need the handouts. All need the market access.
The fact it is inefficient and undemocratic in the real sense (even anti democratic) has nothing to do with it.
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For someone who is clearly a European, I find it odd your absolute rigidity that things in Europe will remain held together. For someone that is not European, but familiar with European history, it seems Europe, historically, has a hard time holding any form of union together.
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wrldtrst never underestimate the capacity of politicians to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. While the EU is unlikely to survive long term as things stand now, Brussels will do anything and everything down to and far beyond the wire to maintain cohesion as Fish says.
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Indeed Ireland would be very severely hit by a hard Brexit and could expect little aid from Brussels in that event. However I have had the thought that a hard Brexit could even have completely unexpected consequences, like Ireland becoming a part of the United Kingdom. Impossible is the immediate thought, but what if the price was devolved government to the extreme and, more importantly, reunification? Just a thought.
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Nothing can go wrong with the UK after BREXIT? Good luck with that – I don’t want to live there with all the pain coming to them. Hey – but I will enjoy an unexpected low cost vacation in London 🙂
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We’ve been through a great deal – Civil War that devastated the population, massive upheavals, 2 world wars, loss of empire and influence etc. etc.
Had to be bailed out by the IMF in the 70’s.
Some of that was not chosen by the people – declaration of war 1914, 1939 wasn’t voted on, they were executive decisions.
This time people voted for it. No way to know what the future holds.
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HT – might be a good idea to take your trip sooner rather than later. Some serious money is betting on the GBP becoming a haven vs the Euro following some turbulence.
I know that sounds counter intuitive, that’s what I thought, but it’s no joke.
Food and fuel inflation will hit, have to wait and see.
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wrldtrst, the ruling class in the EU won’t allow it to fall to pieces.
It doesn’t matter what people want, the leaders know best and won’t allow it.
My take is that the EU needs real, deep, substantial reform.
It might happen but fall to pieces? – no. When so many see it as the logical outcome too, best to bet against.
The answer to all problems in the EU is more EU, more integration. Precisely the outcome they want. Crises are the seed corn the super-state will grow from. The idea is there is no exit and countries will hand-over more and more sovereignty in exchange for this and that to help them.
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That ruling class seems to be taking it on the chin pretty good these days. Military? I don’t see that either. The Germans have all been neutered, Frenchman are more feminine than the women. Italians are pretty close in the fem department as well. The toughest are the Eastern Europeans and I don’t see them as truly committed to “western” ideals. The next toughest are the Brits and they already want out. And I say good for them and wish them the best, but I am a big fan of the Brits.
So who is this army?
I said the same about my USA, who exactly is going to go fight the Russians. Our act of war friend Phil, that shows up here to bitch his vagina off about Trump. The stereotypical tough guinea kids from Brooklyn you see in all the old war movies are now kids that have parents that won’t let them get on a bicycle without a helmet. Off to basic training.. ROFLMAO.. All too fat. Go fight against Russia, a country where suffering is like poetry. One youtube video, real life, of bodies flying like Heartbreak Ridge and it would all be over.
Elites?? I don’t share this belief that so many here have of this all powerful cabal. All I see are a bunch of old withered pathetic fucks, who will blow away when the winds next change. And the winds seem to be blowing them around pretty good these days. If a recession hit tomorrow and the blame was to be placed somewhere, this thing would already be over. Those in power always get knocked out when things go bad.
Of course I always bet on instability and volatility and change. A bet that has worked very well for me so far so I’ll just keep making it.
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The only way I see the EU possibly failing is through violence.
When the democratic route of venting frustration is closed off it will find another way out.
It’s not there yet.
Just as the UK had problems with the IRA and the Spanish with the Basques the EU will find itself with multiple groups from suffering areas rising up and taking a fight to the centre to break free. Might be a reaon for wanting an EU army, to put down dissent.
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Agreed on that, the constant push for EU army and deeper security cooperation is the only way to suppress discontent and unrest when it comes. Don’t believe that ploy will work however. People are surely not that stupid!
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that last sentence might more hope than conviction.
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I will truly believe in a hard Brexit when I see it.
I hope I am wrong and Mish is right on this one
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And if the UK waits a few more months, other EU members can join in to tell Brussels “Good-bye”.
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The UK Supreme Court was created by an Act of Parliament and can be dissolved by an Act of Parliament, and its functions can be returned to the House of Lords (unless that too is dissolved).
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Blair has been in Brussels, plotting.
A very nasty piece of work.
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