Brexit Tic Tac Toe

Here is an article I wrote last week.

It's a big long shot so REMAINERS ... give it up a bit ok ?

Here goes ... deep breath..


This one is a bit of a long shot…. but there again …


When a player accepts the offer of a game of Tic Tac Toe for the first time, against someone who has played before, the outcome is always predictable. To start with, the experienced player wins …. and then after a while, nobody wins. The same is true of negotiations,*the longer they go on the more likely it is that they end up in deadlock.

Sound familiar ?

Brexit is the biggest game of Tic Tac Toe on the planet and the weak and feeble Theresa May has been playing her best moves against a very experienced opponent for nearly 3 years. There have been new players that have come and gone, namely David Davis and*Dominic Raab all of whom walked away even though they knew, if they stayed, ultimately, the worst case scenario would be stalemate - the predictable outcome in this game.

Nobody wins in Brexit Tic Tac Toe……. but there again, nobody loses either, but one outcome is consistent, no matter which way you look at it, stalemate is stalemate…. it’s how you interpret it that counts. You either see it as both sides winning or both sides*losing or both sides failing or both sides giving up …. you get the idea.

So yesterday, a 2 week unconditional extension of Article 50 was granted to the UK by the EU. If Theresa Mays deal does not pass (I very much doubt it will and it may not even get to the vote anyway) then we have 2 weeks extra to determine our next steps to*break the deadlock or … we basically just have another game of Tic Tac Toe with the same players. It’s simply, pointless doing the same thing over and over in our game of Brexit Tic Tac Toe when the outcome is the same every time. There is no “best out of*three” or “winner takes all” in Brexit Tic Tac Toe… deadlock is deadlock, stalemate is stalemate and the only way out if it is to basically … stop playing and try something else.

The UK leaves the EU on the 29th March*2019which is written into UK law. I’m quite convinced only another act of Parliament can change this, in the same way it was created in the first place, by approval in the house of commons, house of lords and then finally*by royal ascent. However, rather oddly, last night in Brussels, the Prime Minister has given us this new date of 12th April when we leave the EU which she has agreed, not with Parliament or with royal ascent, but instead, with Mr Tusk and Mr Juncker.*

Could it be that that we leave the EU on the 29th March as planned with no deal, but we remain “In the EU in Name Only” with 2 weeks of the “status quo" to finalise our free trading arrangements and avoid the issues with the Irish border ?

Did we just see our Prime Minister and the EU cheat at the game of stalemate so the only outcome is that everyone wins at Tic Tac Toe ?

Re: Brexit Tic Tac Toe

The only ones playing tic tac toe are the mp's in the HoC. The UK and EU concluded their negotiations with a deal. These negotiations are over.

The leaving date is not determined by UK law, but EU treaty.

If may can't get her deal passed before the 29 march its april 12 by which she has to apply for another (long) extension.

Re: Brexit Tic Tac Toe

I have been suggesting as much for acouple of weeks now Bread.

Best regards Donkeyman.

Re: Brexit Tic Tac Toe

Over here we play noughts and crosses 🤭