The EU, after a weekend's work, have produced a graphic on the difference between the UK and the EU proposals for the backstop solution at the Irish border, explaining why it won't work HERE. Bear in mind the Joint Report was published seven months ago on 8th December. The EU published their draft of the legal text for the Withdrawal Agreement, which covered the backstop, on 28th February (HERE).
The Prime Minister dismissed it the same day (HERE) saying no PM could ever agree with it. That was three months ago. Last Thursday after weeks of internal squabbling and amid threats of resignation we submitted more proposals - not legal text mind - just some vague sketchy ideas about customs. Within one working day (excluding the weekend), the EU come up with a Janet and John style "infographic" which might have been labelled "Customs borders for the very young", that totally demolishes the work our brave UK cabinet has been slaving away at for weeks and weeks.
I imagine the cabinet member all sitting around the highly polished oval table sucking the ends of their coloured pencils in between scrawling very slowly in simple giant letters (not joined up of course) their own "ideas" for an invisible border as if from a fairy tale by the brothers Grimm. They are all looking mightily pleased with their efforts.
And now Barnier, in the guise of a primary school teacher, has collected up the work and pronounced it all very well done, before taking it into the store room and throwing it into the rubbish bin to be burnt later. Re-entering he puts up his infographic and begins to explain once again, slowly, carefully, patiently, for what seems like the hundredth time, how a border works between a third country and the EU.
Looking around the class he notices they are all fast asleep....
Once upon a time, I remember Sir Lew Grade, who was said to be looking with concern at the costs of a film he was financing called Raise the Titanic, which were spiralling dangerously out of control. He remarked drily that it might have been cheaper to lower the Atlantic. I am beginning to think in this long Brexit story that we will eventually conclude it will be quicker to separate Ireland into two parts and tow the Republic to the bay of Biscay.
