[pjc50]

> negotiating parties will reach a mutually beneficial deal at the 11th hour

Compare with the situation of Greece. There was essentially very little change in the EU position, and Greece eventually realised they had no leverage and would be worse off outside the EU and had to acquiesce.

The only deals that have a chance of happening are "forget the whole thing, no Brexit" or maybe "Norway" (EEA including free movement, but no voting rights). "No deal" would be a disaster.

And if it's left until the 11th hour plenty of companies will have no choice but to avoid planning beyond that time. Like Ryanair pointing out that they can't take bookings without knowing what legal framework will be in place: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/11/ryanair-chief-mic...

Addendum: this article by Gordon Guthrie, Erlanger and former extremely minor politician, sums up the lack of choice: https://medium.com/@gordonguthrie/no-deal-wont-happen-e185f9...

[bostik]

The 11th hour is already at hand. Some pretty big players are ready to trigger their contingency plans if certainty about future remains unclear: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/04/eu-transiti...

[gordonguthrie]

Minor politician, ya cheeky git ;-)