Replies

I know the 40 bn was not necessarily fines, but that is what it amounts to in some sense. It was shorthand rather than explaining everything you did. I still believe they have quite a bit of leverage in this deal that they have not used. The 40 bn payment for one thing and the fact that the Country of Ireland does not want a ‘hard border’ with Northern Ireland for another.

There are things that they have to negotiate with and I don’t think Theresa May has done a good job in these negotiations. First off, she should have had a list of ‘must haves’ from her Torrie/DUP members that needed to be in the deal before ever going to negotiate. She must have known that the ‘backstop’ part of the deal with Northern Ireland would be a non starter for DUP.

It's a lousy deal, but any negotiated severance deal was always going to be a lousy deal, no matter who was negotiating. Blaming it on May, as so many do, misses the point. You don't get much out of a negotiation if the other party holds all the cards, as was the case with the severance. The UK was asking for a lot but had nothing to offer in return. (It will be a different matter with a trade deal, but those talks haven't even started yet).

The choice was always going to end up between a lousy deal and no deal.

Those calling for May to be tried for treason and the like hysterical nonsense completely misread her character. She's the typical grammar school-educated daughter of a Middle England Anglican clergyman. Takes on any job she finds herself lumbered with and sticks with it stoically. Limited abilities, no imagination, but unimpeachable integrity (at least by politicians' standards.)