The hardness of Brexit

[mtbc]

The EU made it clear even before the referendum that the UK's exit is to be rather separate indeed as anything else will be offered only at high cost. Their rhetoric has consistently made it clear that they have no intention of agreeing to anything that looks remotely like the UK both having its cake and eating it: they have their own constituents and need to make an example of those who not only resist integration but even reverse it.

Yet the news is still full of people who, if they must accept the UK leaving the EU at all, hope to make that a soft Brexit wherein the country continues to enjoy good access to the single market and suchlike. Am I wrong or are these people stubbornly deluded? They had better hope that being outside the customs union does enable some good non-EU trade deals in the medium term because I expect the EU to be in no hurry to make an independent UK's life easy.