TIME FOR MRS MAY TO STAND FIRM.

Following assorted meetings and discussions between European Union national leaders yesterday, one of the multitude of EU bureaucrats with their noses in the trough of public money, Donald Tusk, has reported back. It seems that Theresa May's latest proposals regarding the Irish borer and future trade arrangements are unacceptable and she's been told to go away and think again.

Tusk has said that the proposed new economic partnership "will not work" and risks undermining the EU's single market; he appears not to care about the UK's own single market which includes Northern Ireland. It's reported that Mrs May has said that she'll listen to any new ideas, although it appears that she is still wedded to her Chequers' deal, which almost no one else considers workable, and won't listen to suggestions from the European Research Group, chaired by Jacob Rees-Mogg; she's far more likely to make further concessions to the EU.

Throughout the Brexit negotiations, the UK government has adopted the position of supplicant, doing the EU's bidding and being repeatedly told that their homework has not been well received and they need to do better. Instead of telling the EU what they were prepared to offer, they have bent over backwards to meet every demand that the EU has dreamt up. Even now, it seems that Mrs May might well concede more ground.

The EU is like a greedy child, the more you give it, the more it comes back for yet more. If, at the outset, the UK government had taken a firmer stand, things would now be much easier and clearer. The EU would have been in no doubt that the UK was serious and would have been far more amenable to make concessions of its own; sadly, the boot is on the other foot and it is the UK which is making all of the concessions.

We can only hope that Mrs May stands her ground, listens to the likes of Mr Rees-Mogg, and tells Mr Tusk and his fellow EU cronies that enough is enough and there will be no more concessions from the UK. 'Like it or lump it' should be the message and 'No Deal' should be the clarion call, loud and clear, if they won't take note.

What chance of that happening ?