Monday Brexit

Yeah, running out of titles for these posts. Only so many times you can say omnishambles.

Today, the PM said, and I quote: "UK will not be in single market or customs union but ambition is “access would continue as now”". This shows that May has leaned Jack Shit in 18 months of Brexit and thinks that she can still to ask for impossible things.

Today, the EU said there are two choices: Norway or Canada deals. Nothing inbetween. Britain decided to leave, now it must face the consequences.

Or: “You can’t have frictionless trade and be outside the customs union and the single market. The way to have frictionless trade is to be in those constructions. That’s why they were created.”

May was asked which country is outside the EU and does not have a hard border. We said we would make it work says May. Hmmm. If you have done.

"If you've done six impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe." Or why not demand more unicorns? Its the same thing really. Like wanting the leave the EU but there be no hard border between NI and Ireland. You can one. Or the other. Not both.

Tory comedian, JRM still bangs on about his demands, not being a vassal state and so on. What did he think the end point of Brexit would be, fields of unicorns in sunlit uplands having cake and eating it? And what of these WTO rules everyone is ignoring.? Yes, those.

Or as DAG states:

Life of Brexit

"Suppose you agree that UK can't actually have regulatory divergence, which is nobody's fault, but that UK can have the *right* to have regulatory divergence."

"It would be symbolic of UK struggle against oppression."

"Symbolic of UK's struggle against reality."

Splitters!

And the cherry on the icing on top of the Brexit cake is that today, May's Brexit Cabinet met with the aim of deciding what the final negotiating will be for Britain. Only, they couldn't agree on that. The point being that unless there is a position then you cannot negotiate, or the EU cannot negotiate a transition not knowing what the transition is towards. And until Britain decides that it cannot discuss transition then going on to talk about trade talks. Just a reminder May has less than three months to get the transition agreed until talks about trade talks begin, which then have to be concluded by the end of September 2018. Next year. Nine months time.

No hurry then.

Thus far Britain has capitulated to the EU on everything, some might say there is a pattern developing.

We sent the Article 50 notification at the convenience of EU27 ("no negotiation without notification")

We agreed to the sequencing of issues at the convenience of EU27 ("orderly Brexit")

We have agreed, in principle, to pay €60-100 billion at the convenience of EU27. We have also agreed, in principle, to almost the entirety of the EU27's position on citizenship rights. And to regulatory alignment in Ireland. ("sufficient progress")

We are about to agree to a transition period where the full Acquis of EU law and policy will continue to apply in the UK for at least two years, on the insistence of EU27.

And even now, some Leavers are surprised that the UK is only going to be offered a trade deal which will suit the EU27. This is what "taking back control" means in practice: UK having no option but to do things at the convenience/insistence of EU27. Again and again.