When this nonsense started way back, I said that the EU was going to play very very hard ball from day one, in an effort to discourage any other member states from getting bright ideas about leaving as well.
I also suggested that they fully expected the UK to play even harder, and a rough tough fight to the line to follow.
What actually happened was Teresa May, almost apologising for trying to leave, and the EU riding even rougher shod than it thought it would need to, over the negotiations.
Here we are at the eleventh hour, and the EU stance has not changed at all - why would it? Ours however, thanks to Boris being at the helm, has grown a serious backbone, and a willingness to scrap all the way, and still walk away without a deal.
I hope the EU will not cut its nose off, and walk away with one hundred per cent of nothing, simply on the basis of some Galic arrogance, but I also hope that Britain will not concede in order to prevent it - and thankfully there seems little chance of that.