Brexit negotiations: Phoney war is ending as reality bites

Estranged but not as yet embittered couples sometimes enter divorce negotiations with high, almost noble intentions.

“We will be civilised and fair,” are the watchwords. “We will not quarrel, we will not mutually destruct or beggar each other,” is a well-worn path that rarely reaches a happy ending.

These good intentions are forgotten when the real cost of divorce, a beloved home or a significant portion of a modest pension say, is made clear. Daggers are drawn when accountancy tramples high-minded aspiration.