EU STILL PLAYING THE BULLY-BOYS.

So, while Theresa May tries to find a way to bridge the gap to the European Union, Donald Tusk, one of the several Presidents of something or other in that Union, and Leo Varadkar, the Irish Prime Minister, have made it clear that they have no interest in listening to anything that Mrs May may have to say, unless, that is, it's that she's happy to leave the 'Irish Backstop' untouched.

The latest nonsense from the EU is to try to link the 'Backstop' to the maintenance of peace in Ireland, surely utterly ridiculous. The UK has made it clear that it will not create a 'hard border' between the north and south in Ireland, as has the Irish government; this is regardless of whether or not there is a deal over Brexit. The only participant in the discussions who does want a hard border is the European Union, desperately scared of the possibility of losing a few Euros through a bit of smuggling if there isn't one. What the existence of a border, hard or soft, has to do with the maintenance of peace escapes me altogether; peace will continue unless those of a violent tendency decide otherwise and go back to their former aggressive ways. With the IRA based in the South and it being the South which wants to annexe the North, it is Varadkar who holds the key to peace, not Theresa May, not the EU and certainly not a divisive 'Backstop'.

Thus far, the EU has shown no interest in exploring ways of managing a border through the use of technology or advance clearance. It has, and still is, using this fabricated Irish border issue as a mechanism to beat the British, and especially Brexiteers, around the ears. Today, Tusk has even gone so far as to invoke visions of a future in Hell for them, surely not language which should ever be used in diplomatic negotiations. It is clear that Tusk and his pals intend pushing things to the wire in the hope that the UK parliament will ride to the rescue of the EU by somehow stopping 'No Deal' or even Brexit itself.

All that we can hope is that Theresa May can convince her parliamentary colleagues to play this ludicrous game every bit as hard as is the EU. No one wants 'No Deal', and this is now all about which side takes fright first. Given that the balance of trade between the UK and EU is massively in favour of the latter, all that the UK has to do is hold its nerve.

Will it ?