After the war, in the fifties and sixties, we had roads that were neither single carriageway nor dual carriageway. They were something in between, not two lanes or four, but three. This might seem odd to anyone under about 40 but this is what we had. And wait for it, the centre lane was used for overtaking in both directions. It sounds terrible today doesn't it? They were very dangerous. Pulling out to overtake you had to be sure the lane was free. Sometimes it wasn't but the vehicle coming from the opposite direction was a long way away and you might think you could manage to overtake and get back in. Often people got it wrong.
You would frequently get vehicles on track for a head on collision. Then it would rely on one driver or other giving way. If two strong willed drivers gambled that the other would back down it could get quite messy.
One gets the impression this is what is happening with Raab and Barnier.
When I read that Raab is telling MPs to "hold your nerve" (HERE) I recalled a work colleague from years ago who would pride himself on not backing down on these three lane stretches. He would sit behind the wheel of his Ford Cortina, puffing away on a pipe as he overtook other vehicles with an oncoming car racing towards him. "Don't worry, 'e'll gi' way", were his far from calming words as the passengers, those that were prepared to travel with him, sat wondering if their life insurance policies were up to date.
Usually the other driver did "gi' way" luckily for him.
In the negotiations Raab is the madcap driver and we are his passengers. It's the same thing isn't it? He is gambling with our lives and our livelihoods in exactly the same way. It might end well or it might not.
