Negotiation works best

[Suff]

When the parties involved understand each other.

I've been reading the FT and other press on the statement from May that the EU is deliberately trying to undermine the negotiations. Aha say the Germans and the Italians and others. This is electioneering, we understand this...

Surprise!

Yes May would be an idiot to ignore such good press. On the other hand, it doesn't mean she's going to say one thing today and do something different in June. Because she's not.

This, as I see it, is the crux. They all have PR or two round elections like the French. The closest you come to having to do what you say is the French two round system. They are clueless (have always been), about how the UK works. They are trying to approach May as if she's Blair. This, in my opinion, is a very grave mistake. They would be better casting their political minds (if they have any) and memories (even more tenuous), back to Thatcher. When asked about May, by the French, I have one response. Elle est comme La Dame de Fer. They understand instantly and then they say "this is not good for the EU after Brexit".

I guess that by the time the EU has finished poisoning the well I'll need to sort out my French citizenship. Because the way the EU is going right now, it will be politically impossible for May to accede to _Any_ of their demands.

Perhaps the greater EU would be better listening to the Finnish EX PM, who came out clearly stating that "interests" in Brussels had absolutely no intention of making it possible to have a UK trade deal post Brexit. Apparently German companies are starting to become worried. They'd be fools if they were not.

So it looks like we're all in for a group self harm session and we can all lick our wounds come 2019.