Britain's EU Withdrawal Agreement at least has a price tag. Alternatives don't.

By George ILIEV
Brexit Metaphor No 44

Theresa May's much maligned Withdrawal Agreement with the EU comes with a price tag, 39 billion pounds. This is the discounted bulk price for a package of commitments by the UK, but not too many commitments by the EU given that the future economic relationship is yet to be negotiated. Yet, at least the UK has been given a dinner menu with prices and knows the total bill for the dishes it has ordered.

Brexiteers and Labour leaders alike (including Jeremy Corbyn himself) have been going around the country calling for a renegotiation. Their purported aim is to get the EU to serve Britain more dishes (including free trade with the EU but not requiring the UK to join the EU Customs Union) and all this for a lower total bill. 

Is there a problem with this? Only one: they are ordering from an imaginary menu where each dish is priced at whatever you are willing to pay. 

Doesn't this sounds like early-stage communism? Or is Jeremy Corbyn just picking up random ideas from Venezuela and other basket cases with make-believe economic models?

Dinner menu, no prices (Source: Wikipedia)

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Notes:
1. Timeline: This article is part of a daily #BrexitMetaphors series, with 117 more Brexit Metaphors to follow until Brexit day, March 29, 2019.
2. Disclosure: The author has a master's degree in European Integration.
3. Invitation: If you'd like to contribute to the debate, you are welcome to leave a comment below.