After years of arguing, are Britain and Europe about to get along?

universe, Britain and the European Union would be gearing up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its accession to the club in January 1973. Envoys from the ’s still-28 countries would be steeling themselves for parties at His Majesty’s Brussels embassy flowing with English wines, one of the unspoken hazards of the local diplomatic circuit. The prime minister might have dropped by the European Parliament and tried a few of mangled French. London tabloids would no doubt have used the occasion to rustle up outrage over an alleged Eurocrat plot to rebrand Cumberland sausages as . Amid all the jollity, a row would have broken out over money.In the real world nobody is expecting the anniversary to be noted, thanks to the Leave campaign’s victory in the Brexit referendum of June 2016. The relationship between Britain and the has offered little to celebrate since. At once overconfident and underprepared going into divorce talks, Brexiteers had assumed they could somehow hoodwink the into granting Britain the benefits of membership while jettisoning the costs. But the Europeans fretted that a thriving big rival on its doorstep would provide unwelcome inspiration to others still in the club. Far from the being conquered through division it stayed united and gave Britain a rough ride. The upshot has been six years of more or less continuous feuding.