The EU are simply sticking to the rules that the UK helped write to deal with if a country were to leave. Nothing more, nothing less...Nobody could predict that the EU would try and strip us of our sovereignty, not allow us to compete in a free market, seize control of our territorial waters, break up the Union and jeopardize peace in Ireland.
They are not trying to 'strip us of our sovereignty', not that we had ever lost it in the first place!
The people in Scotland chose to remain, as did those in N.I.
(Btw UK fishermen chose to sell their fishing quotas but apparently want to grab them back.)
Thus those who are to blame should the UK break up or peace is jeopardized in Ireland are those who voted to Brexit and those who agitated for the referendum.
But of course they will blame anyone else for their foolishness!
Direct from the vote leave campaign...The quote wasn't 'would be', Fox said 'it should be the easiest deal in history, and of course it should have
“There is a European free trade zone from Iceland to the Russian border and we will be part of it…
Britain will have access to the Single Market after we vote leave"
Note the repeated use of the word 'will'!
As always denials of the campaign rhetoric when it suits!