I didn't say that it was preferable, I said it was indispensible as a negotiating tool.
It is totally OK to say that. It's just an obvious bluff if the EU tries to make us believe isn't interested in a good deal with the UK, nobody would buy this.
"Wer Visionen hat, sollte zum Arzt gehen." - Helmut Schmidt
It is totally OK to say that. It's just an obvious bluff if the EU tries to make us believe isn't interested in a good deal with the UK, nobody would buy this.
You are mistaken. It can't be a bluff for it to be effective.
It also is the direct result of the fact that the negotiations take place for no other reason than that the UK just voted to break the old agreement.