We are about to get into the reality of how the negotiations will unravel - there has, IMO, been so much nonsense posted on here about the what will happen and the strength of the EU and UK positions. Most of it is just ignorance born out of the desire to see Brexit unravel - well-meaning from the Remainer POV but still all bollocks.
So far the EU has not had to 'do' anything - they have been able to watch the events unfold in the UK in the expectation that we will do their work for them - with the recent events, so long as May gets her necessary majority, they will have to see it through and complete the job themselves.
Just consider what it is that the EU really wants - it is absolutely that the UK remain within the EU. At this point it is not about hard or soft Brexit they still want to see the decision reversed. Referendum outcomes have been reversed in the past but this one is being particularly difficult - but the UK remaining will still be their preferred outcome and they still have reasons to be hopeful.
If you consider their 'negotiating mandate' it is nothing less than a total victory for the EU - there is not really anyway the UK can go through a multi-year process if that mandate truly reflects the EU stance and there is no compromise on their side. This mandate will have been developed probably over the last 8 months, with the expectation that it will be what they use as we go back and forth to parliament for a 'meaningful vote' - which of course would have always been rejected. Then years would have gone by ending up with some device to make us remain - tail between our legs.
In this article:
http://www.irishnews.com/news/repub...-can-to-stop-brexit-says-john-bruton-1010631/
it is easy to see the desperation for retaining the UK within the EU.
I am concerned that with the EU having made this 'hardest of hard' negotiating mandates they may not be able to find the compromises necessary for successful win/win negotiations - especially as they have to keep going back for agreements amongst the EU27.
If they are unable to make compromises I can see this ending up with the UK having to introduce the threat of walk-away' - afterall the EU wold be content to let this all drag on for many years so long as they have our contributions - they will still be hopeful of us not leaving at all but remaining on worse conditions than we had pre-23/06.
I suspect that May might need to bring things to a head long before March 2019. I hope she has the balls to do that if they show no budging.