I think they will accept that

a watertight backstop won’t get through our Parliament, but I also think they will take the consequences as the lesser evil to risk setting a precedent on diluting the four freedoms. It was interesting to see how hard they’ve been with Switzerland on that one. I’m afraid that the complexities of the Irish position was always going to be a tough nut to crack - less so if we accept regulatory alignment (as the Swiss have) but then what would be the point of Brexit? I could be wrong but I do think we overestimate the strength of our hand in this, and especially the potency of No Deal as a negotiating lever.

Posted By: Tressells Broadbrush, Oct 3, 12:03:36