Has anyone made a rounders analogy about this backstop business?
The first backstop is there to retrive the ball if the batter (UK) misses the ball (Brexit negotiation) thrown by the bowler (EU). The backstop can pick the ball up and throw it back to the bowler, who will then try again to bowl at the batter. In an ideal game, contact between ball and bat is made.
Sometimes if the bowler throws a curve ball (too fast or off target) then the batter and backstop miss the ball entirely and it goes off into the long grass, maybe into a ditch. To prevent this, a
second backstop is employed behind the first backstop, equivalent to the third man in cricket. Their job is to retrieve the ball if both batter and first backstop miss it. I think we’re now at the stage where the second backstop is fucked off to the extent they retrieve the ball from the long grass, run to the edge of the field and throw it into the Irish Sea… or something.
