VdL is there for 5 years before the next election. Brexit is stupid idea which could damage the country for generations.
The people who voted in the referendum did not have the chance to negotiate with the people carrying it out, be told what the workable plan was, or to reject one form of leave to have it replaced by another option.
A totally different vote. Maybe our parliament should have done as the EU. Give someone the job of negotiating a deal taking into account of people’s ideas, put it to the EU, reach a deal and then have it ratified by the UK parliament, or rejected and then try again until an acceptable game plan is ratified. Then hold a confirmatory referendum. Then trigger article 50, with an agreed deal in place to take effect immediately after the referendum. In other words have the arguments, and a signed deal before leaving.
I appreciate the above appears sensible in theory, however, it never would’ve happened as the EU have never wanted us to leave. They would never offer a sensible deal pre confirmatory referendum as there’s no incentive for them to.
Also, from memory the EU refused to even discuss ‘a deal’ until we triggered Article 50, then they said until we had resolved citizens rights (always going to be straight forward), the divorce bill and the northern island backstop (far less straight forward) they wouldn’t discuss a trade deal
Unfortunately whilst this may have given the EU leverage in the negotiations, it’s made an even greater mess of an already messy situation.
If the trade deal could have been discussed in conjunction with the other issues it may have simplified matters (whilst Davis may have been incompetent as a Brexit secretary - partly his own doing, partly due to Mays involvement - he pushed hard for this but was ignored)
It may well have meant the backstop would have been irrelevant/redundant as the trade agreement would have incorporated any border requirements and/or solutions
Barnier is no doubt an excellent negotiator (far better than our useless lot), however, a lot of the issues arising now are due to the sequencing of discussions and events which were dictated by the EU.