At the start of the year, I was intrigued by how untroubled European leaders seemed by the fact that they had approximately 15 months left until the United Kingdom left their club.

They were happy for the door, left teasingly "open" at first in case the UK wanted to stay in, to swing shut so they  could focus on forging ahead as an EU27.

That is all the clearer today, with European chiefs now doubting whether the UK will ever return to the fold. Brussels has accepted, according to commissioner Phil Hogan, that the UK "is not going to change is mind on EU membership", so its departure means that "its flag will be hauled down from before the EU's institutions". Ireland's man in Brussels added that...