[namelost]

You say to your friends, "Let's share the cost of dinner". Then when you decide you don't like the dinner, walk out halfway through, leaving your friends to pick up the bill for what you ordered.

Once word gets round, not only your friends but nobody is going to go out to dinner with you ever again.

[1undo]

Yes, I agree to "share the cost of dinner". But I don't get the food that I ordered, and eat very little of it. And I watch others eat a lot of food without contributing to the tab. I then want to leave the dinner which is only right

[namelost]

It doesn't matter. Once you have made a commitment to pay a share of something, you pay it.

What would you price the reputation of the UK at? I hope more than £39bn. All the other countries of the world are watching the UK's actions.

[toyg]

> I then want to leave the dinner which is only right

But you would at least pay for what you ordered. Anyone just upping and leaving would be considered very rude, and nobody would invite him ever again.

[jstanley]

But he's already paid for far more than what he's eaten. If anything, the others at the table should be giving him money back.

[petraeus]

The difference here is between how children react and how grown ups react. In the grown up world your words along with the SPIRIT of their meaning underpins your actions. in this case all the parties agreed on splitting the costs, not retro actively changing the rules to suit themselves.

[Anderkent]

Well, the dinner metaphor breaks down here. It's almost certain that the access to the EU workforce and trade markets have benefited the UK much more than the pocket change it pays into the EU; but it's hard to put an exact number on those things.

[toyg]

He paid for what he agreed to pay, looking at the menu and everything. If he's changed his mind, that's his problem.