[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Chris

No Deal would have been an acceptable bargaining tactic towards a deal, had none been done by 31 December. The EU has had philosophical difficulties with this process; (unsurprising, as we thoroughly upended their ever-closer union narrative by leaving) it might have been necessary for them to see us walk before they were ready to accept the concept of the national sovereignty of a third party. Had it happened, a deal would have been done some time in 2021. No Deal as an end in itself was only ever the wet dream of a very few. You really ought to put the Grauniad down and get out a bit more.

Within the EU we had no deal at all. Brexiteers have repeatedly asserted that the price of access to the single market was too high. We now have freedom to manoeuvre, we’re not paying billions to build dual carriageways in Spain and Bulgaria, and about half a million people in this country were vaccinated against a pandemic disease while the 27 member states of the EU sat around prioritising solidarity over saving lives. I know which side of the fence I’d rather be on.

Perfectly put.