I do beg pardon 'shemozzle' but I seem to have misunderstood as I thought you were in agreement with the Brompton CEO's view.Not my assessment oldtom, the assessment of the CEO.
Now, misunderstandings and failures to grasp the full picture may not matter one iota in online forums but if negotiations ever occur between the EU and the UK.....I inadvertently keyed the 'Y' next door to the 'U' there which amused me somewhat as it then read, 'YUK' which could well be how the EU leaders perceive us these days!
The prospect of top-level talks on the future of our relationship with 27 other sovereign nation states may sound rather grand and immensely important but has anyone got the slightest idea of what our representatives will have to say? I, for the life of me, cannot think of any opening gambit from our side to which the other side's response is likely to be anything other than a resounding 'No'....'Nein' or 'Non'. It strikes me that the 27 other states hold all the aces and even if the UK has a joker or two to play, whatever they might have is way beyond my ken.
Given the current incumbents of our probable line-up for the negotiating match, if it turns out to be a battle of wits, then we enter the fray only half-prepared. Presumably, the 3 'Brexiteers' will be backed by a team of civil servants with a little more understanding of such matters than they....although I'm not even sure that's the case. Actually, the more I think about it, the whole exercise seems increasingly pointless so a tactical withdrawal may be the best gambit allowing us to negotiate improvements of the EU aims and structures from within, alongside other states of similar disposition.
However, I am open to persuasion if anyone knows exactly how we can get a deal which might be equal to or better than our current position. Has anyone spotted a trump card anywhere that would allow us cause the EU any problem?
Tom