On Friday, the president of the European commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, gave a speech in which he expressed his frustration at the British government's position on its financial obligations when the UK leaves the European Union. Here is a quote from the speech:
If you are sitting in a bar and if you are ordering 28 beers and then suddenly some of your colleagues is leaving and he’s not paying, that is not feasible. They have to pay. They have to pay. Not in an impossible way. I’m not in a revenge mood – I am not hating the British. The Europeans have to be grateful for so many things Britain has brought to Europe – during war, after war, before war, everywhere and every time. But now they have to pay.
In the British media, the word 'divorce' is frequently used to describe Brexit, and here I think it's very appropriate. Junker's words are the words of a partner who has suddenly realised s/he cannot enjoy the same lifestyle without his or her partner's financial contributions to the relationship.
Is that an exaggeration? I don't think so. You see, after Brexit, there's absolutely no way the EU will continue to exist in its current form. Mr. Junker wants to keep Britain's credit card behind the bar because, quite simply, he is selling drinks to people who can't pay for them. Excluding Germany, the UK pays more into the EU than the other 26 member states combined. As Guido Fawkes' blog points out:
...add up the debits and credits of every member state from France to Poland bar Germany and it comes to a figure less than Britain’s EU contribution.
As one of the UK's more notable Prime Minister's once said, the problem with other people's money is that eventually, it runs out.