Brussels didn’t blink: Walls closing in on Britain as Brexit mayhem escalates

With the EU unwilling to make Brexit simpler for Britain in any significant way, it may already be too late for London to leave the EU in any orderly fashion, experts told RT after Theresa May’s deal was rejected by MPs.

The Tory government lost a second crucial vote on Tuesday evening when a deal agreed with Brussels on how Britain would part ways with the European Union later this month was defeated. The EU agreed to slightly alter the deal compared to the previous version that was voted down in January, but it was still a far cry from what the British legislator would be willing to accept.

With just over two weeks left before the March 29 deadline, Britain is already late in bracing itself for the Brexit impact, according to Francesco Rizzuto, professor of European law at the Edge Hill University.

Even had the miracle happened and [Prime Minister Theresa May] had won tonight, we simply don’t have enough time between now and the end of the month to put in place all the statutes that we need.

He added he considered it unlikely that May would test the deal she managed to get from the EU with a third vote, saying that doing so would be “completely crazy” for the British government. “Brussels didn’t blink and they are not going to blink,” he said.

The train wreck of a political process is now moving to its next destination. The MPs are expected on Wednesday to reject the other option for the country – a no-deal Brexit. Another vote on whether to seek a delay in enacting Article 50 would be held on the next day.

European Council President Donald Tusk washed his hands on the situation, as his spokesman told journalists that the EU had “done all that is possible to reach an agreement.”

It’s far from clear whether the EU would be willing the grant a postponement to Britain, even if asked. Brussels has proven to be unyielding in its negotiations of the terms of the divorce. At this stage, it may be more interested in making the UK hurt so that other members that would think twice before they consider leaving, Mark Garnett, a senior lecturer in politics at the Lancaster University, told RT.

I suppose all the way through [the EU] had two goals: the first one, if possible to convince Britain to go back on the vote, but secondly, if there is going to be Brexit, they wanted to set an example that it would not be easy for any other member.

The option of a second referendum on Brexit has been repeatedly rejected by Prime Minister May, who argued that it would undermine democracy in the UK. She also opposed prolonging the current state of uncertainty. But the apparent impasse seems to be leaving no room for maneuver and has boiled down to ‘who blinks first.’

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