jno - // andy, EU businesses can trade all they like with British businesses, but any international deals - the sort of things that provide for preferential treatment, reduced tariffs and so on - will have to be made with the EU as a whole. And any individual state can block them. //
I understand that, and so do all the partticipants in this farce.
Which is why the EU is terrified that once any member state sees the UK thriving quite nicely outwith its expensive trade umbrella, they will consider holding their contributions in their own banks, and making their own deals, and the EU will be consigned to history.
That is the reason why Brussells played hardball from day one of the negotiations. What Britain failed to do was acknowledge its position of strength in the game, and play hardball right back. If they had, we would be in a very different position now.