Excellent comment on the Guardian website under today's live blog:

It seems pretty clear that this withdrawal agreement is flawed to its very foundations. Dangerously imbalanced and unsustainable, splitting the UK into fragments that add up to the *opposite* of the ideal compromise, without any crumbs of comfort for anyone. Northern Ireland given economic favours it doesn’t want. Scotland denied those same economic favours it *does* want. The sensible half of England and Wales shafted from every angle, and the insensible half given poverty and weakness dressed up in the same warmed over empty promises they so eagerly believed three years ago.

If this was an agreement intended for the long term it would almost certainly lead to the eventual collapse of the United Kingdom, but of course it’s not a long term agreement. It comes with a sell by date that falls long before - *years* before - a trade agreement could conceivably be reached, with the default and most likely outcome being no deal. In voting for the agreement MPs only give up the safeguards they have today to stop no deal. They put the right to trigger it in the hands of a man who can’t even be trusted with his own name, and has proved time and again that he can’t be trusted with power.

This week many MPs will be tempted to vote for Johnson’s deal because the nation is exhausted and frustrated, eager to ‘get Brexit done’ provided the many millions who feel otherwise are carefully ignored...

...MPs, be bold, and remember that we sent you there not to bow to the confected rage of the right wing press, nor the threats of the leadership and the bullying whips, nor even to be delegates for our own opinions and anger. You were sent to that place to *represent our interests* to the best of your abilities, to use your judgement and conscience to make the lives and futures of the people you serve better. The impact of your decisions this week will be felt for decades. Only you can decide whether to hurt or help us, and deep down you all know that Brexit can only cause harm. Please, do the right thing.

My sentiments precisely.