As Ive said many times, who wants to stay in the UNDEMOCRATIC EU?
Why?
If we stay in they can bind us ever closer and we never get the chance to say no.
Let's go and sod them all
So far as I can see, Jim, the EU want things to fail - it will be to discourage les autres. We need to be prepared for it. I would much prefer (by a million miles) to have an amicable, friendly relationship - but their set path simply doesn't allow for flexibility as far as I (and obviously 'they') can see. It's the EU organisation that is the problem, not 'other countries'. You know I lived in France for 15 years, we can get along - EU rules won't let us.
I don't think the EU wants things to fail, but they wouldn't want to see an outcome that undermines the principles EU. Rightly so, and perfectly sensible.
"...but they wouldn't want to see an outcome that undermines the principles EU. Rightly so, and perfectly sensible."
Quite so, Jim. There is no reason why the EU should sacrifice its key principles to satisfy the whims of a departing member. The problem is (and has been from the beginning) that the UK expects the EU to make such a sacrifice. This is because those conducting the negotiations for our departure have seen Brexit as a damage limitation exercise rather than an opportunity to go down a different path (which is what the majority of those who voted chose). They are attempting to keep the UK as closely aligned as possible with the EU instead of making a clean break. Hopefully their overtures will be soundly rejected. But I'll not hold my breath.
The EU don't like it, the remainers don't like it, the leavers don't like it. Only May and her supporters claim it's ok. May is trying to find a compromise all will accept and inevitably falls between the two stools with the worse bits of both included rather than avoided. Remaining under EU control whilst fiddling at the edges and pretending to have left. Nobody else wants that.
At this rate we will continue to disagree until time is up and we're out with the 'no deal' scenario. Which has seemed near inevitable for some time now. The EU refuses to agree and prefers a hit on their trade in the hope we'll be hit too, instead of modifying their stance and allowing a separate trade arrangement to benefit both sides. Holding on to their political dogma and block rules without considering how parallel arrangements can be in place also.