Britain, you're drunk!

Imagine, for a moment, you are the EU, or one of the heads of the EU27 or Mr Barnier. You are dealing with a potential trade partner that cannot make up its mind. Not in two years since the referendum, not before or since the sending of the A50 notification. And 13 months since sending the letter, the Cabinet of the UK still cannot agree among themselves what Brexit is or should look like.

And it has been like this since the referendum, and in this case, when the UK doesn't know what it wants, then the other side will define the destination, based on May's speeches in which she outlined red lines. Red lines mainly to placate her own party and the editor of the Mail, when in delivering what they want, and what is best for the country and commerce, then all potential solutions are impossible.

It all started out well, agreeing on a timetable that first morning last May, let's not forget which beforehand, DD had said the timetable would be the argument of the summer, but then capitulated before morning coffee was served on that first morning. That did create goodwill on the EU's part, maybe UK was going to be reasonable.

But since then, its as though DD and the Government has hit the bottle, big time; talk of Brexit meaning Brexit, bespoke deals, Canada plus plus, sunlit uplands, strong hands, bulldog spirit, technological solutions and just getting on with it.

The only way to get UK to focus was to set hard deadlines, like the one on December for a phase 1 agreement, stating that unless that was agreed, then nothing further would happen.

So, after week of mis-speaking, and getting their political partners, the DUP, on board, the UK agreed.

DD then tried to go back on what had been agreed, trying to say that the agreement didn't mean what it it said. He was corrected by the EU and had to issue an apology.

At the heart of that agreement, is the NI/Irish border, stating that if all else fails, then NI would remain in the CU and have strict alignment, and to avoid there being a border between NO and Britain, so would we.

After consenting on the December agreement, May has since tried to weedle her way out of it, calling it unacceptable. This is because it was a fudge, using vague language in order to be acceptable to all sides. The EU then put this down into legal wording, and in that said what the EU thought had been agreed to.

All sides seem to agree that there should be no border infrastructure on that border, and others, but for now just the NI/Irish border. Such infrastructure is needed if both sides are not in a SM, CU and don't have VAT alignment. Failure to have all three would necessitate infrastructure and more and more red tape. On both sides.

The EU is imposing another hard deadline in UK, as May is trying to delay the border solution(s) to October. Let us not forget that in October the ratification process has to begin so that the EU27 and the EU Parliament can give the deal their approval. The same will also have to happen in UK too, and maybe Scotland, NO and Wales, but maybe not.

Currently the Cabinet is arguing over two potential solutions to the border issue, neither of which is acceptable to the EU and was rejected last summer, and neither will be technically possible for a decade, if ever. As it appears that the latest Government IT project, for Justice, is delayed and way over budget. So, at best there is a decade gap between leaving the EU and solutions to the borders being workable. And then they have already been rejected by the EU.

Britain; you're drunk.

So, in order for there to be a dea of any kind between the UK and EU, a solution to the border will have to be found; by the end of June. Or, as above, a solution will be forced keeping NI in the EU in all but name. If there is no agreement, there is the chance the deal offered by the EU to UK will be ratified and it will be sitting on the table until 29th March 2019, sign or not. At 23:00 Britain leaves the EU and faces the consequences, and what a hangover that will be, and there will be no going back, the deed will be done, and the only way back in is via the Article 49 process.

Brexit would arrive, ready or not; the EU is ready, though not happy, but the infrastructure that UK needs hasn't been identified, does not have planning permission, has no staff nor IT system to make it work. And that is for all borders, the one at DOver being the busiest, and it deals with perishable goods.

The Government has suffered 14 defeats in the House of Lords now, adding amendments to the withdrawal bill, which thanks to the disastrous decision to have a two year Parliament, the Government can't overrule until after Brexit. This is because in order for that to happen, there has to be a new session of Parliament, with a Queen's Speech and everything. But this session of Parliament does not end until Autumn 2019, six months after Brexit. Another example of May painting herself into a corner.

It is ironic, of course, that the rights and economic wellbeing of the country is being looked after by the largely unelected upper House, populated with Bishops and hereditary peers. And very experienced politicians and pillars of industry, who really understand the implications of Brexit. And are just inserting oversight, and in many cases, common sense. This is how democracy works of course, but this has not stopped the Mail and Express saying the HoL is trying to derail Brexit. All they are doing is ensuring the Commons does its job and conducts oversight and scrutiny, even if the Commons does not want to.

To point out how mad this all is, the Conservative and Labour Peers both defied three line whips from both their parties to add meaningful amendments and clauses to the bill, to protect our rights, the country and economy.

In the end, the Brexit we get, will be the one the EU will give us. Tis is the way it was always going to be, as I have said for over a year now. It will satisfy neither Leavers or Remainers, and will be orphaned politically until it can be corrected, with at the national demographic changes, and Britain rejoins the EU having just its nose off to spite its own face. And its legs off too, to show the EU it wasn't bluffing.