Brexit is coming down to a game of brinkmanship

“We won’t get to the endgame until one or other of the options for Brexit are eliminated,” said Charles Grant, director of the Centre of European Reform, a research institute, “and maybe not until March.”...“At the moment it seems highly unlikely that Mrs. May can get her deal through,” said Mr. Grant. “But if the cliff edge is looming, there is no general election, a second referendum seems impossible and Parliament doesn’t want a no deal, then Mrs. May’s deal does have a chance.”

...“If the British knew what they wanted and had a unified position, then perhaps you could do that negotiation in two years,” said Mr. Grant. “But do they want a customs union? Do they want Norway? That’s one reason the EU would be bonkers to put a time limit on reaching a trade agreement.”