Just another boring day in politics

So, that court ruling. Boring, boring, boring. Just another week of rehashing arguments from last year. Brexiteers making their tedious talking points and remainers doing the same. In that regard both are stuck in a timewarp, unable to comprehend that the debate has moved on and consequently have nothing worthwhile to contribute.

Both sides have equally useless positions. Our future economic prosperity was not assured by remaining nor does Brexit promise to fix anything. All that matters now is that we do leave with the minimal amount of self-harm.

In this, the Brexiteers are more nuisance than asset. The broader questions of democracy cannot be divorced from the democratic process. We are not leaving a regulated sphere to enter unregulated sphere and there is no Brexit scenario that sees us free to do as we please without obligation. Because of this popular misconception Brexiteers are all too happy to press the self-destruct button. A new Jerusalem awaits! This is where I lose all patience. A right wing utopian vision is just as awful as a left wing one and just as likely to lead to ruin.

Ultimately this is a question of who has power over us and in what circumstances. In that estimation I find Westminster every bit as disagreeable as Brussels. I do not want power returned to those who did this to us in the first place. They are not to be trusted with it. I did not go through all this so I could have a say in whether oven gloves are tested to ISO specifications.

Technocracy is the lubrication of free trade. I didn't vote to abolish it. I just want us to have some control over it so that one size fits all policies do not wreak havoc without recourse or exemption. There is no call for mass deregulation nor is there any advantage in it. Nor is there any gain to be had by insisting only UK bodies can make it. Duplication is pointless.

Brexiteers seem to inhabit a fantasy land where the absence of regulation leads to free trade and increased wealth. The very opposite is true - and anyone with a grasp of reality needs to hammer this point home. Because of this flimsy worldview we are leaving the single market for no good reason, in pursuit of some tenuous goals on immigration and a flawed idea of sovereignty. I see no reason why we should resign ourselves to accepting this singularly bovine course of action.

It would be nice for once if people could drop their dismal tribal mantras and actually engage in the issues at hand - and stop pretending there are magic wand solutions to complex problems. We have our answer that we are leaving the EU. Now we must concentrate on shaping that process and look at ways to ensure they never get to do this to us again. We ended up in the EU because of parliamentary sovereignty. Proof enough that power cannot be entrusted to Westminster. If that wasn't proof enough then the last six months should have been. If by now you still believe that parliamentary sovereignty is the answer then you simply haven't been paying attention.