Once upon a time there was a creature called Brussels that ate national sovereignty. This monster had a special hunger for Britishness, feasting on the independence of that nation, while its neighbours were mysteriously undiminished. France never became less French, despite dwelling closer to the beast’s lair. Prime ministers were forced to pay tribute to Brussels. They defended themselves with magical red lines, but the monster was too powerful. It had to be slain. [...]
David Davis, for one, does not fancy life in a third country. We know this because he was stupid enough to write it down. In a memo leaked last week, the Brexit secretary complained that “some EU agencies have published guidance to business outlining that the UK will become a third country when we stop being a member state”. This, he said, was spooking investors. But being a third country and not being a member state are the same thing. Davis is unhappy that Brexit means Brexit. [...]
Still, it is jarring for EU leaders to hear Britain ask for special deals when its membership package was the most bespoke of the lot: outside the euro; outside the Schengen border-free zone; treaty opt-outs on social protection and criminal justice; a budget rebate. Those concessions were won from a seat in the room. Once on the outside, the question is not what new favours are available, but how much it costs to restore old privileges.
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