Having spent most of my working life in negotiations I take both sides statement with a pinch of salt. There is a lot of public grandstanding going on that may or may not reflect the real position of both sides.
The earlier May negotiations were poor but were also bedevilled by too much analysis by onlookers. If we have played a dummy with this proposed treaty change and it lets both sides negotiate on the real issues then so much the better. I think it’s significant that the EU has given us three weeks to think again but hasn’t withdrawn from the talks. Maybe it will drift away, maybe we will trade it for a concession. Who knows... but it gives the press something to gnaw on meantime.
I have to trust that we now have better negotiators in place than the hapless politicians who pretend to be in charge. And I don’t mean Cummings. Time will tell.
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