In all areas, the UK continues to backtrack.

The European Union argues that we should be subject to rules of the club that we have left.

The precondition is the level playing field.

We can deliver a real Brexit that achieves our objectives.

But if there is not a deal, we still need the Irish protocol or the Northern Irish protocol fully implemented.

I'm going to miss being the pantomime villain.

Hello and welcome to Brexit Republic, RTE's weekly podcast on Brexit.

I'm Tony Connolly, RTE's Europe editor at the EU summit in Brussels.

And I'm Colum Ongoongone, RTE's Deputy Foreign Editor in Dublin.

Each week, Brexit Republic, brings you all the latest developments from London, Brussels and from here in Dublin.

This week, Boris Johnson walks away from the negotiations and bids his country to prepare for no deal with a high heart.

Or does he, at the end of a theatrical week, even by Brexit standards, Johnson says the talks are over,

only to be contradicted by his own spokesman who said, well, maybe the talking can continue, but only on our terms.

We'll get to the heart of what went badly wrong this week,

how the tweaking of a word here and there in the

EU summit communique prompted Johnson to storm offset. And where are things at on the outstanding

issues should those talks get back off the ground on Monday? And the curious case of the fish

and the light bulb. Could the EU start using the leverage of its energy market to get the UK to move on fisheries?

We'll flick some switches to find out.

But first, Tony, a deadline set by Boris Johnson for this summit, the 15th of October.

Time to find out whether a deal could be done.

The 15th passed into the 16th and ultimately the summit conclusions weren't to his satisfaction.

...