back to article Marmite's not the only national treasure hit by Brexit. Will someone think of the PCs?

Marmite-aggeddon? Blame Brexit. The implosion of the UK’s Labour Party? Blame Brexit (more so leader Jeremy Corbyn). Now it seems analysts want to put the sickly British PC market onto the list of things gone awry. The crystal ball-strokers at Gartner have forecast weak demand for traditional client devices for 2016 - …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    been told by our account manager that there are more price rises at DELL next month.

    Thanks stupid people

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      You should thank the financial sector, they the ones that are causing it.

      They have the power to bring down companies (or even countries) with their dodgy dealings.

      1. Zippy's Sausage Factory

        The financial sector is essentially composed of traders. Traders who don't want to lose funds for the pension funds, hedge funds and other investors who depend on them for their financial futures.

        So with the idea that losing their clients' money generally isn't the best strategy for staying in business, they look at the pound and look at Brexit and don't like what they see. So they sell pounds and invest in currencies that they have more confidence in as having a stable and prosperous future, like the US dollar or the Euro.

        This isn't some conspiracy, it's simply risk management.

      2. DavCrav

        "You should thank the financial sector, they the ones that are causing it.

        They have the power to bring down companies (or even countries) with their dodgy dealings."

        Question: How stupid do you have to be for me to log in just to downvote you? Answer: This stupid.

        1. Captain Queeg

          Me too...

          "You should thank the financial sector, they the ones that are causing it.

          They have the power to bring down companies (or even countries) with their dodgy dealings."

          Question: How stupid do you have to be for me to log in just to downvote you? Answer: This stupid.

          Yep, I logged in for exactly the same reason. :)

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Me too...

            I tried logging in, but didn't understand how to. So I can't up or down vote anyone. Sorry.

      3. hoola Silver badge

        Gambling

        Why al the down votes, this is not a Brexit issue? Clearly the majority of Reg commenters are pro EU but you can be absolutely assured there would have been variations in the event of an in vote.

        All the financial markets are just s giant betting shop with the added benefit that those taking part cannot lose (maybe a bit of bonus here and there). Put pressure on a currency and the chances are that central banks will push money into the system to support it. Trader take that and make even more money, basically stealing from the tax payer. The micro-second trading is equally bad cause, particularly as it is all automated and, as we have seen recently appears to have no absolute cut off.

        What is equally not helping is all the people that are totally unprepared to accept the referendum result and get on and make the best of it. Instead you have the CBI, half the MPs and other institutions and plenty of individuals still bellyaching about how bad it will be. If they put half as much effort into making things better instead of selfishly navel-gazing and trying to make the point by driving the country into the ground the situation would not be as bad. Constantly bad mouthing anyone who voted for Brexit is basic primary school playground behaviour. It is not going to change anything, and is symptomatic of a generation that only thinks of Me, Myself and I!

        There is no justifiable reason for the pound to fall the way it is other than a method for these institutions to make money. The real problem we have is that the financial sector is so big and essentially out of control that no single government is prepared to take them on.

        The one comment that Trump made that uncharacteristically made sense was when he said that the world is now controlled be a large corporations and bank.

    2. Dave 15

      Stupid?

      OK, lets go through it....

      a) Pound down, imports down, exports up, jobs up.

      b) Jobs up, benefits down, tax (or deficit) down

      c) Payments to EU eradicated, tax or deficit down

      d) Freedom to do what we like, more freedom to create jobs, support critical industry etc. more jobs.

      e) No rules used by government to justify buying Spanish tanks, more British tanks, more British jobs, more British investment, more British exports, less tax

      f) The list of good goes on for many pages.

      And yeah, I am sure the EU will continue to spout bull about 'no access to the single market without our rules" but bull is exactly what it is. If we can't sell there we stop them selling here... no spares for a bmw, no french wine, no italian cheese etc etc etc, they export more here than we do there, they will hurt most. We then offer country to country trade deals, I don't care what the rules are they club wont stick together... and even if it does there are massive markets outside the EU for us to sell to. And if we can't buy bmw spares we will make them, if we cant buy french wine we will make it, if we cant buy italian cheese we will make more of our own... more jobs, less tax, no losing for us here.

      Now, put all that benefit against the fact you might buy a PC every couple of years and it might cost you a bit more than it did... I think the balance is clear. (Besides with the lower tax you can afford 3 or 4 new PCs anyway).

      Have fun :)

      1. oldcoder

        Re: Stupid?

        a. no local manufacturing. parts are now more expensive...

        b. no new jobs - cost of creating new companies too high.

        c. More local costs... and you can't travel to get jobs, thus less tax.

        d. no more jobs - only the same old ones, with no new facilities. they cost too much.

        e. no tax funds... can't fund the manufacturing, no added exports, inflation sets in.. and prices go up even more.

        f. The list of bad goes on for many pages.

        Others have tried this route before. All that happens is increased expenses to both parts.

        1. TVU Silver badge

          Re: Stupid?

          "a. no local manufacturing. parts are now more expensive...

          b. no new jobs - cost of creating new companies too high.

          c. More local costs... and you can't travel to get jobs, thus less tax.

          d. no more jobs - only the same old ones, with no new facilities. they cost too much.

          e. no tax funds... can't fund the manufacturing, no added exports, inflation sets in.. and prices go up even more.

          f. The list of bad goes on for many pages.

          Others have tried this route before. All that happens is increased expenses to both parts."

          That's more like it and Leave voters seem to have no understanding of fundamental economic concepts and so they resort to plain denial and diversionary obfuscation.

          The recent leaked Treasury document should that there'd be at least £66bn of economic damage to the UK resulting from a hard Brexit and I'd expect the final damage total to be an order of magnitude higher when all the car manufacturing, financial service and hi-tech firms start relocating to within the European single market area. No one will want to invest in an isolated UK either.

          The only sane Brexit route is the one advocated by the CBI and Adam Smith Institute, i.e. Norway-style accees to the single market area and that requires that the extreme Brexit hardliners are all sidelined.

          1. Hans 1
            Paris Hilton

            Re: Stupid?

            >Norway-style accees to the single market area and that requires that the extreme Brexit hardliners are all sidelined.

            This actually means common-market access with obligation to implement European directives which, you will have guessed by now, you have ABSOLUTELY NO SAY in drafting, right now, you still have your MEP's, soon, you will have to implement Brussel's laws without them ... so much for "we are governed by Brussels" ROFL!

          2. EarthDog

            Re: Stupid?

            And you have no concept of what happens when people get economically kicked to the curb. Look at who voted to exit. The people who got none of the "Globalization" benefits. Only the London area voted to stay, from the maps I saw, the rest of the country felt economically disenfranchised because they were. And when you have two generations of young men who were economically emasculated you will see some nasty things crawl out of the gutter, e.g. attacks on immigrants. What is needed is an economy which works for people, not one that increases GDP by destroying lives.

      2. Lars Silver badge
        Happy

        Re: Stupid?

        I am not surprised this whole Brexit is a bit confusing for many, to quote:

        http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/14/world/europe/uk-britain-tories-hard-brexit.html?mabReward=A5&moduleDetail=recommendations-1&action=click&contentCollection=Politics&region=Footer&module=WhatsNext&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&src=recg&pgtype=article

        Janan Ganesh, a columnist for The Financial Times, summed up the situation on Twitter: “There’s no plan. Each panic-inducing remark gets toned down. May as well ask your cat.”

      3. Infernoz Bronze badge
        Holmes

        Re: Stupid?

        The real benefit is regaining most of sovereignty a past __treasonous__ government tricked people out of via the 1975 Referendum (I could not vote in!!!) leading to the Common Market Act, by not telling them that __they knew__ it was really a political/legal/finance EU "Wolf" in Common Market "sheeps" clothing i.e. a Collectivist Trojan Horse.

        By exiting the EU, we will be able to scrap a mountain of bureaucratic, anti-capitalist, crony-capitalist regulations/'laws' which hamper SME business, regain control over our borders, regain full control over taxation, stop wasting Billions on anti-capitalist/wasteful agricultural subsidies and other counter productive & political vanity projects, including the powerless EU 'parliament' and it's pointless regular migrations, and not be part of an effectively tyrannical criminal organisation with no valid accounting for many years which is getting very close to the edge of a very steep financial cliff face.

        A lot of the freed up EU 'fees' (extortion) could be redirected to more productive investments like much delayed infrastructure repairs/replacement and other things net helping the UK get better, maybe even allow less taxation, so more available for genuinely productive private use.

        Trade will happen if two parties chose to, it doesn't have to require inter-nation agreements, if inter-nation agreements are needed, this won't require the EU at all and probably will be much faster, easier and cheaper!

        When a major Euro-zone member country fails (e.g. Italy is a current favourite) the Euro is probably toast, it is doubtful that the EU will survive for long after that! When the UK has exited the EU, we will probably see far less fallout from such a collapse.

        1. H in The Hague

          Re: Stupid?

          "... regulations/'laws' which hamper SME business"

          Examples please. Or are you proposing to get rid of health and safety regs (incidentally, I ratehr think the EU ones are inspired by the British ones, not the other way round) or working times, holidays, parental leave regs? If so, I though Brexit was supposed to protect "ordinary, hard-working people".

          So, please give some clear examples.

          1. Hans 1
            Joke

            Re: Stupid?

            >So, please give some clear examples.

            Alright:

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfh6sGyso

            1. H in The Hague
              Pint

              Re: Stupid?

              Thanks, enjoyed that after a busy day. Here's one for you (not brought to us by the Romans I think).

      4. H in The Hague

        Re: Stupid?

        "e) No rules used by government to justify buying Spanish tanks, more British tanks, …"

        I presume you're too young to remember the cosy arrangements between the defence industry and the MoD before these contracts had to be tendered internationally. Perhaps it might be an idea to have a chat with an old financial geezer who can tell you about the benefits (for the manufacturer, not the tax payer) of cost plus contracts, etc. Going back to national procurement would increase costs, reduce quality and decrease pressure to innovate.

        Also, if the UK doesn't buy kit from other countries, they won't buy kit from the UK. Talk like this, and the alleged ban on non-UK academics at the LSE advising the government on Brexit can really hurt exports. I've just been peripherally involved in a UK defence contractor's prequalification for a tender to be issued by another EU country. One of their local competitors could claim that if the UK government doesn't trust foreign nationals then it should also work the other way round and the UK contractor should not be permitted to bid on the contract (worth millions of pounds).

        "tanks": why are tanks always given as an example? Seems a slightly unhealthy obsession. Why not incontinence supplies for the NHS: an invention of much greater benefit to mankind.

        Have you ever done business internationally? Compared the ease of doing business within the EU with the hassle, in many cases, of doing business outside it? Inquiring mind wants to know.

        I'm not attacking you - just asking questions. Sensible replies will make me more likely to respect you, even if I disagree with you.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Stupid?

          Also, if the UK doesn't buy kit from other countries, they won't buy kit from the UK.

          What you mean like the kit we sell the Saudis so they can kill civillians in Yemen

      5. H in The Hague

        Re: Stupid?

        "f) The list of good goes on for many pages."

        I doubt it does. My guess is you're too young to have done business before the common market. Never mind the tariffs: paperwork relating to import duties and VAT was a real pain. Temporary exports/imports were a particular headache: had to get a carnet, or pay VAT when it goes into a country, then try to reclaim it when it leaves (of course, the cargo has to be accompanied by the same person both times).

        I've just been to a good concert by the Unthanks (folk group from the NE of England): without the common market they would have had to get an ATA carnet (look it up, relates to temporary imports) to take their musical instruments across the North Sea - costs time and money. And the carnet wouldn't have covered the CDs they sold - even more hassle. If you don't believe me, then go and ask some other oldies who can remember the time before the common market. Or who import/export stuff from/to further afield.

        Incidentally, what industry do you work in, what role? International trade experience?

      6. hammarbtyp

        Re: Stupid?

        @Dave 15 Haven't you ever wondered if it was that simple why all countries don't just devalue their currency?

        Pound down can be good if you are a company who exports, but for the people who live in the country (assuming they do not own exporting companies) it is not so good.

        Basically the £ in your pocket is worth roughly 10% less than it was a few months ago. So yes we export more, but our pay can buy less. Is that what you really want?

        1. Hans 1

          Re: Stupid?

          >So yes we export more, but our pay can buy less. Is that what you really want?

          Where are our factories with which we export ? Do you mean the car industry like Honda & co ? They're off to the continent, soon, because the spares come from Japan/Korea etc, depending on manufacturer, and double tariffs kills it for them ... what else is left ? Serious question, I might be wrong, I might be missing something, something big, that is wholly produced in the UK and exported ...

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Stupid?

            I am 14 and this is politics

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Thanks stupid mark Carney

      For lowering the interest rate to deliberately cause import inflation, to justify project Fear...befier qwe even left the frikkin' EU!

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "been told by our account manager that there are more price rises at DELL next month."

      At least we will eventually be out of the EU and free immigration. It's well worth any pain...

  2. Pen-y-gors

    Correction...

    Marmite-geddon was nothing to do with Brexit, it was Unlilever being greedy. Marmite is produced in the UK, from British ingredients, so is unaffected by a falling pound. Arguably Unilever can make MORE money as any exported marmite will be with an increased margin. So no justification to increase prices by 10%.

    But as the pound has fallen so much, there may well be a case to increase the price of products with imported ingredients, possibly by more than 10% - for that you CAN blame the Wrexiteers.

    1. JimmyPage Silver badge
      Mushroom

      Re: Ah, the year 1 school of thought

      "Marmite is made here blah, blah blah". It's like the morons who say "look, the sun is shining, why don't we close all the power stations and go solar".

      really, Brexiters should realise they are intellectually outgunnned and try and maintain a dignified silence. (Vain hope, I know).

      Quite aside from the fact that transport costs (y'know, petrol, oil, gas, and energy in general) are priced - and paid for - in dollars, there's the little fact that foreign companies (like Unilever) are going to have to keep their FOREIGN investors happy.

      If that means whacking prices in pounds up 10%, then that's what they have to do. And will do.

      Followed by every other company that has to pay dividends in non-sterling currencies.

      There were repeated warnings that Brexit would create a UK vs. the rest of the world scenario. Now it's started, it seems some people haven't the stomach for the fight.

      Too late was the cry.

      Just wait until after Christmas when the projections for 2018/9 are flowing in. Then we will really see some price hikes. Along with some players possibly abandoning the UK as unviable with such a low pound.

      1. Dave 15

        Re: Ah, the year 1 school of thought

        Wrong on a number of counts.

        a) There is no evidence that it was intellectually a sensible idea to vote to stay, there is no evidence that there is an upside to staying in a club that has consistently failed to deliver anything good for you.

        b) No they wont put the prices up... if they do they lose business, if they put them up too much then competitors emerge who under cut them and they go out of business (at least in the UK, which is a massive market). Sure the prices might bob up and down as they normally do but nothing extraordinary will really happen.

        Yes oil and gas are in dollars (why there was a gulf war... because certain countries threatened to sell oil in euros). But if the price is too high we travel around and frack some gas or drill some more holes in the north sea

        1. Terry Barnes

          Re: Ah, the year 1 school of thought

          "no evidence that there is an upside to staying in a club that has consistently failed to deliver anything good for you."

          Apart from the whole 70 years of peace and prosperity between nations that were previously in a state of almost perpetual war - ignoring that bit you mean?

          "No they wont put the prices up... "

          ...because the freefalling pound has the same effect on British purchasers anyway?

          1. itzman

            Re: Ah, the year 1 school of thought

            Did we join the EU in 1946?

        2. Hans 1
          Happy

          Re: Ah, the year 1 school of thought

          > a) There is no evidence that it was intellectually a sensible idea to vote to stay, there is no evidence that there is an upside to staying in a club that has consistently failed to deliver anything good for you.

          I, personally, on theregister forums, have spent time trying to thump some sense into you brexiters, and I don't even vote in the UK, don't really care what you do. All you guyz were doing is "fingers in ears and LALALALALALALA". What else can I do ? At least, I tried.

          I will summarize my arguments below:

          "Brussels" as you call it, is not some undemocratic institution imposing its directives on you. Your prime minister, along with the heads of state of all other EU members designates the head of the commission (This is something BRITAIN wanted and imposed on us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!), the president of the commission then chooses some "colleagues" that are vetted by the European parliament (which has a number of British MEP's). Claiming the BRITS have no say in choosing the head of the commission is BOLLOCKS. Saying European directives are imposed on you IS BOLLOCKS!

          The single market has a lot of benefits and, as such, has a price. We want the single market to grow (in GDP terms, or better GMP, in this case), so we subsidize poorer areas, like Cornwall, some parts of Poland, Greece etc as well as farmers, because they are essential in feeding us (d'oh????) ... This has a further price, agreed. Obviously, the money Britain puts in the pot is NOT directly given back to Britain in form of subsidies, because the EU uses those funds to improve the economic conditions in poor areas across the union.

          However, being a member of the single market gives you access to one of the world's largest markets, a lot of foreign non-EU companies have factories in the UK producing goods for "export" into the EU, the City enjoys passporting rights which means a lot of international banks have chosen London for their head offices to cater for all markets in the EU..... I could go on.

          Just because some lunatic coward cretin managed to convince you that all our woes were due to undemocratic, dictatorial, socialist, nazi, or <whatever they came up with> "Brussels", you voted Leave.

          The worst, the Leave camp saw that there were not enough cretins in the UK to win the vote, so they had to get the "real black holes" on the boat as well, somebody (I think it was Farage) came up with "Sergey the foreigner" stealing plumbing jobs from "honest" London plumbers.

          We have warned you more than once, I said all the "experts" were on my side ... you believe professional liars over "experts", your call!

          Imagine, would you hire a plasterer to design your network security landscape ? Well, exactly what Britain just did.

          Again, I don't care, I just felt like playing "Catcher in the Rye" again ... I'll never learn, I guess ...

      2. Infernoz Bronze badge
        Mushroom

        Re: Ah, the year 1 school of thought

        Being an intellectual is overrated as Nassim Nicholas Taleb has pointed out, practically is more important, he also pointed out that more centralisation leads to more fragility; the cracks are quite blatantly growing in the EU and it's stupid Collectivist dictates are causing growing cracks in member countries too e.g. from the growing chaos caused by large numbers of Refugees from incompatible cultures and the unsurprising growing native hostility to this!

        British people have had centuries of healthy distrust for Continental intellectuals, who often complicated or wrecked things e.g. the Normans who replaced an arguable better Saxon culture in the UK, and the incompetent French intellectual world war refugees who introduced the toxic bureaucracy which caused the economic decline of the UK to the 1970's.

        I voted for a Brevit expecting that there would be a period of pain following a Brexit, because freedom is not free, so I'm not crying at all, but that after that period the UK will probably be in a much better position than if it had stayed in the crumbling EU. When a lot of the EU regulations and fake laws have been revoked, a lot of trade will probably become much cheaper, and served more by other countries outside the EU if the EU is so stupid as to try to damage trade with the UK.

    2. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

      Re: Correction...

      Strange that the Jar of Marmite I have in my larder says

      Made in Belgium

      Apart from that, the price of Petrol will rise quite a bit. I recon £1.25/ltr. The Pound has taken a big hit against the USD (from $1.45/£ to around $1.23/£) in recent months.

      Add the recent decision by OPEC to cut production and we are going to get well and truly stuffed.

      The only (small) bright spark is that North Sea Oil becomes a bit more profitable which will please the SNP a lot more than Westminster.

      IMHO, it will get a lot worse before it gets better (in 3-5 years) unless Herr Tusk sitcks his oar in where it is not wanted and makes sure that there is a huge tarriff on all UK Exports to the EU just because we had the temerity to reject the EU experiment and to deter other nations from quitting.

      1. Pen-y-gors

        Re: Correction...

        @Steve Davies 3

        Odd, the jar on my shelf doesn't mention where it's made (unless it's in very, very, very small writing)

        Real Marmite is made with used yeast from Burton on Trent. If Unilever are starting to make a pseudo-Marmite using yeast from Belgian beer then more shame on them. It's as bad as the Merkins changing the recipe for Cadbury's Dairy Milk. But after Brexit we can BAN all nasty foreign-made foods. Les fromages francaise à la lanterne!

  3. Pen-y-gors

    Software as well

    Went to buy an updated copy of WS_FTP last night. Advertised on home page as only £30, get to checkout and it's £31.52 - methinks there's an automatic conversion going on here. I know I could complain to trading standards but I really can't be arsed.

    Just glad I paid for my new laptop a couple of months ago.

    But on a happier note, I've been lending money to various people around the globe using the Kiva micro-finance site. That's all priced in dollars, so I reckon that, even though I don't get any interest, I'm about £1000 up thanks to the falling pound.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Software as well

      Well, what a surprise, that's exactly what happened here when the euro/dollar exchange rate went from 1.4 to 1.1 (and as euro/yen rate changed as well). A 20% difference is not something most companies will ignore, unless they have very, very good reasons to do so.

  4. Mephistro
    Facepalm

    "My God, it's full of dominoes!"

  5. J.G.Harston Silver badge

    Could be there's a downturn in buying new hardware because we've just spend last year replacing all our hardware. We've finished replacing everything, so there's nothing left to replace, so there's no need to buy anything any more.

    1. Duffaboy
      Thumb Up

      This person has it in a Nutshell

      New hardware has been bought by those still using XP (and there are still 1000's out there still in use as seen with my own eyes). So companies have done their IT spend for quite some time now, that's the reason, they have been dragged kicking and screaming into an upgrade they didn't want to do and burnt their cash in the process

  6. lukewarmdog

    "The implosion of the UK’s Labour Party? Blame Brexit (more so leader Jeremy Corbyn)."

    Shouldn't that say "thank Jeremy Corbyn"?

    I'd be all for forking Labour so we can all see which flavour we want to vote for. There's a rainbow of ideology under this single one word umbrella "labour" and some of it is not mutually compatible. We need at least two parties, Blairites and Corbynites, people can make up their own mind which Marmite they want to vote for then.

    As for currency fluctuations, It would be nice (for us in the UK at least) if the BoE and Government could stop talking the economy down and start bigging it up.

    1. TVU Silver badge

      "As for currency fluctuations, It would be nice (for us in the UK at least) if the BoE and Government could stop talking the economy down and start bigging it up."

      The ones who are really talking down and destroying this country's currency and economy include every single defensive Leave voter and the Brexit hardliners within the May government.

    2. DavCrav

      "As for currency fluctuations, It would be nice (for us in the UK at least) if the BoE and Government could stop talking the economy down and start bigging it up."

      Oh for fuck's sake. The only reason anyone listens to the BoE is because it doesn't lie through its teeth about things like this. Boris Johnson is bigging up the UK economy, but nobody believes him because he's an idiot. Experts -- don'tcha just hate 'em -- use logic, reasoning and data to make predictions. If the BoE said "everything will be amazing, trust us", traders would say "Why? Nobody else is saying that. What secret data and models do you have?" No response: the sell off continues, but with the added bonus of traders don't trust BoE statements as well.

      The trouble is, you cannot fool clever people who know things with it'll be all right bullshit, just stupid people. Hence Brexit.

      1. Aitor 1

        Experts

        But @DavCrav people are tired of experts, so lets do what our gut tell us...

        Brexiters might say whatever they want, but money is coward, and the investors won't risk their investments.. so down we go.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Oh, the irony...

        "The trouble is, you cannot fool clever people who know things with it'll be all right bullshit, just stupid people. Hence Brexit."

        Finally you understand why the clever people voted 'Leave'

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I'd be all for forking Labour so we can all see which flavour we want to vote for.

      That was tried back in the early 80's. It didn't end well, either for the SDP or the Liberal Party they eventually merged with.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    When all else fails ...

    Blame Brexit!

    1. DavCrav

      Re: When all else fails ...

      "When all else fails ...

      Blame Brexit!"

      You think the 20% fall in Sterling is unconnected to the EU Referendum result? Interesting position.

  8. analyzer

    and yet

    The Christmas before the vote you could find people being concerned about the actual value being much lower than the markets were showing at the time. [1]

    Things are not usually as simple as people make out, the GBP was effectively being protected by the skirt of the EU from a much earlier fall of ~20% in value.

    [1] Yeah yeah, I know, the Torygraph, but there are other publications that noted it as well.

    1. Hans 1

      Re: and yet

      Congrats, you found an "excuse" to hang on to, great ... what a feat! Problem I found is, there are publications earlier that state the pound is overvalued, however, nowhere near what torygraph claims.

      Anyway, BoE took quite some time to react to the situation, as it only started touching interest rates in August ... wait and see ... if this is not pure Brexit-caused drop, which would make some sense, we are not even out yet, lets wait and see ... for the reasons I have outlined time and time again about the effects of a hard Brexit, by 2018, pound will be roughly 2:1 to the Dollar and Euro. Welcome back to the 70's, where everything murikan was horrendously expensive, as will be the German and French goods ... Winter of Discontent, anybody ?

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Monotonic prices

    Funny how prices go up when the pound is weak and don't go down when it's strong...

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Act now!

    People, people..! Why all the moaning and endless arguing? Why not act before you've to shuffle through Tescos with a candle on the handlebar of your trolley? Why not secure yourself some accommodation on the Continent before all the ferries are sunk and the Tunnel is flooded? I heard some will be available soon in Calais... Something else might be more difficult to get since we let the PEOPLE of the EU know that we actually don't like them and they should sod off. But hey, we're so British that we don't have sex and our royal family actually has a German family name...

    Going for a warm beer with some great British beef...

    PS Unilever is an ANGLO Dutch company --- so it's also the local geezers doing the price increase...

    1. Colin Millar

      Re: Act now!

      "Windsor" is a German name?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Act now!

        No, Mrs Elizabeth Saxe-Coburg Gotha is not an English name, no matter how much you change your name you cannot change your ethnic origin.

        1. Allan George Dyer

          Re: Act now!

          "you cannot change your ethnic origin" - That would be "European Royalty" for Mrs Elizabeth Saxe-Coburg Gotha. I think a case could be made for designating them as a separate ethnic minority.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Act now!

            Hummm, now that's be an interesting one. Since they have "different ethnic origins", and one of the main motivation for the Brexit voters was/ is to reduce the numbers of those pesky foreigners, are we going to ask the royals to leave the UK? Oh, and if your argument is that you don't want to be ruled by Belgium:

            "As of 2016, branches of the family still reign in *Belgium*, the *United Kingdom*, and the other Commonwealth realms". (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxe-Coburg_Gotha)

            Then again, with rising UK food prices, I suppose it's helpful that your family name is similar to that of a (German) sausage... http://www.germanfoodguide.com/wurstdetail.cfm?wurst_number=7

            "We will fight them on the beaches..."

      2. Hans 1
        Coffee/keyboard

        Re: Act now!

        >"Windsor" is a German name?

        You, sir, owe me a new keyboard!

        You seriously think that that monarch's official surname is "Windsor" ? Please, I beg you, please tell me you're American ... that's the last little hope I have left ... at least you would have an excuse ...

  11. Richard 45

    Also happened in Ireland

    Funny that you "forgot" to mention that Unilever attempted to pull the same price hike on Tesco in Ireland, which as far as I can recall hasn't had a referendum to leave the EU. Ergo, Marmitegate had nothing to do with Brexit and everything to do with Unilever trying to pull a fast one. Facts, eh?

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can we start talking about Donald Trump again...?

    O.

    1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

      Re: Can we start talking about Donald Trump again...?

      Nah,

      The Trumpeteers will just say that everything is rigged against them.

  13. EarthDog

    PC sales are down everywhere, can't blame Brexit

    Brexit has nothing to do with it. Smart phones and tablets are killing of PCs, not one nation rearranging it's trade relationship. With the pound dropping I see the cost of labor dropping, potentially making Britain a good offshoring location.

    1. Hans 1

      Re: PC sales are down everywhere, can't blame Brexit

      >With the pound dropping I see the cost of labor dropping, potentially making Britain a good offshoring location.

      1. Where are your factories ? You know, those that you did away with in 70's and 80's because the financial sector was gonna take over that part of GDP ?

      2. Where is your infrastructure ? British rail ? ROFL, obsolete. Public transportation ? Outside of London, unreliable to non-existent, depending on areas. London ? Still too expensive to locate to. Shit, even your motorways are in a dire state.

      3. You are not gonna get any offshorers who need to import parts from other countries because of tariffs ... you, sir, live in a fancy world :-). Seriously, who in their right mind is gonna offshore to a country where you have relatively cheap labour (still, nothing like Asia or Africa), but where you have to pay tariffs to get spares in and tariffs to export the produce ? Thought so ...

      Now, don't you go thinking that little Britain is a "big" market by any means, IT IS NOT, on its own, it is a small market. I have warned you time, and time again .... haven't I ? Britain is no longer a world power, Britain is a relatively small yet expensive market, considering its size, the average wages, and its tariffs.

  14. Herby
    Joke

    Marmite??

    Peanut butter for me (no Nutella!!).

  15. Jason Hindle

    Upgraded my MacBook Pro a generation early

    To hedge against price rises. To be fair to the price rises, they've not happened as quickly as I thought they would, which, worryingly, is probably a good indication I have the economic literacy of an average Brexitard....

  16. Magnus_Pym

    Brexit as I see it.

    kids: "are we nearly there yet?"

    sat nav: "at the roundabout take the third exit"

    dad: "Not much further now"

    kids: "You said that an hour ago and it's not very comfortable in the boot of this car"

    sat nav: "At the roundabout take the third exit"

    dad: It's fine up here in the drivers seat and, let me tell you, the view is magnificent"

    kids: "Shouldn't we have taken the third exit?"

    dad: "I don't have to do what the sat-nav says if I don't want to"

    kids: "It's cramped and we can't see anything. Can we come and sit up on the back seats"

    dad: "No. The sat-nav says it's not allowed. Nothing I can do about that."

    mum: "I agree with dad"

    dad: "Anyway we had to take all the other seats out. It's all the fault of that hitch-hiker we picked up.

    mum:"I agree with dad"

    kid1: "I don't think this is fair. Can't we fix this?"

    dad: "No, there is nothing wrong and if there if there is is not my fault"

    kid2: "Listen to the dad, he knows. This is a rubbish car"

    kid1: "He obviously lying. The dad has put us in here on purpose"

    kid2: "No, dad's great. The car is ruined lets set fire to it"

    kid1: "Can mum drive?"

    kid2: "No. Dad says she crashed the car last time"

    kid1: "Everyone says it was the other drivers fault"

    kid2: "Dad said h's the best driver so it must be true"

    dad: "Yes kids. safest if I drive".

    kid2: "Can we set fire to the car?"

    dad: "If you really want me to set fire to the car I will. You know I'll do anything for my kids."

    kid1: "but we are in the car on a motorway it's dangerous and we'll be stuck at the side of the road"

    kid2: "Scaredycat"

    later

    kid1: "It's getting hot in here on account of the car being on fire"

    kid2: "Cars get hot or cold. It's natural. Don't worry"

    later

    kid2: (shivering in the rain, hair gently smouldering, watching the traffic go by and waving goodbye to dad as he gets in a taxi) "we'll who would have thought that would happen? But still this is much better than being stuck in the boot of that car eh?"

  17. Martin 63

    Decimalisation

    I remember as a kid when decimalisation came in, all companies rounded up.

    I remember when I lived in mainland Europe, and the Euro was introduced, all companies rounded up

    GBP was at a parity exchange rate a while back. Companies didn't discount the UK. The general statement back then was xxx company didnt take into account exchange rates.

    Rules change to fit the boss staying in their post. The rest seems nonsense to me.

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