There is no sitting on the fence from German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble. He has stated explicitly today that if the UK leaves the EU as a result of Brexit we would have no access to the single market, not even limited access like Switzerland or Norway. Does this mean that for we Brexit Tommies "ze war is over". Nope, sorry Wolfgang but whatever you say, The Great Escape is still very much on.
You see we all know that the EU exports more to the UK than the UK does to the EU. And so if Germany forces all the other folks in the EU to impose trade restrictions on the UK and we reciprocate who ends up worse off? Yup those in the EU.
I am quite happy drinking wine from Australia, the US, Chile, South Africa and New Zealand or agricultural produce which - shorn of EU imposed tariffs - comes from across the world and is cheaper than it was before, rather than French muck. But as French farmers go bust as their exports to the UK dry up how does Wolfgang think they will react to a trade war he is creating? And what about those German automakers who see their exports to Britain dry up.
Wolfgang showed himself a prize bully as he destroyed Greece last summer but then Greece was led by Alex Tsipras, a man who made Neville Chamberlin look like a man of steel. I wonder whether he thinks that German leaders trying to bully the people of other European nations to bend to their will always works? History shows otherwise.
Bring on 23rd June - the British people really don't like being ordered what to do.