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. 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 podcast on Brexit.

I'm Tony Connolly, RTE's Europe editor in Brussels.

I'm Sean Wheelan, RTE's correspondent in London. And I'm Colm Ongine, RTE's Deputy Foreign Editor in Dublin.

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

This week it looks like Christmas won't be coming early or at all, for those who wanted a protocol deal nicely wrapped up and laid under the tree.

Yes, all the signs are that the talks have hit

a deadlock on a number of fronts and are going to drag on into next year. We'll assess why the

mood, which was buoyant a few weeks ago, has turned sour and what the holdups are. And we'll be hearing

from Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney and Northern Ireland's secretary Brandon Lewis

on whether or not Article 16 of the protocol will be triggered.

And as Boris Johnson, Mihal Martin and Emmanuel Macron all issued their own warnings, we'll also ask,

is the US holding up Trump-era tariff reforms on US steel exports because of that Article 16 threat?

And we'll be hearing from one of the authors of the Irish Maritime Development Office report

on that massive shift of Irish freight traffic away from the UK land bridge.

But first I'm going to get in a plug for a bonus podcast we have out this week, which is on

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