Re: Brexit?
So far we have yet to hear of negotiation
Agree with you on this point - I've yet to see the UK government put a serious offer on the table other than suggest it will do nothing and thus fall off the end of the Article 50 conveyor - which effectively is the default EU deal and negotiating position, namely: it is up to you to come up with and present an offer that is more beneficial to the EU than the default one.
What people are missing is that in a traditional sales negotiation, whilst my intention is to sell as high as I can and deliver as little as I can, my fundamental desire is to get the customer to believe the deal is a good one for them so that they sign up to it as: no signature = no contract = no commission. Simples!
Now if we compare this to the UK-EU Brexit negotiations, I can see no schmoozing, no selling of why an independent UK is good for the EU, hence why they should give the UK single market access etc. on terms very similar to those currently enjoyed but without the inconvenient requirements and most certainly without the cost.
Also, it is clear the UK isn't negotiating like a customer who, having realised they have been shafted, is now trying to extract as much blood as possible from a supplier.
Hence it becomes obvious the only things the EU27 really need to concern themselves with are the implications of the UK falling off the Article 50 conveyor on themselves. The fact that the EU negotiators quite happily use figures of 60~100bn Euros without flinching, tells me that the EU27 can take the hit and have in fact already factored that in and so can calmly play the game of bluff and make their demands. So to them, the UK's threat to walk away isn't a threat, it is merely an anticipated outcome.
Hence putting this into a 1980's context: T.May and the UK are Arthur Scargill and the miners' unions and Jean-Claude Juncker and the EU are M.Thatcher and her government - it is obvious who will finally prevail...
Biting the hand that feeds IT
