Pragmatic politics and residual resentment

At least it's real politics without all this windy stuff about European values and the 4 Freedoms. Says the Graun:

According to EU sources, the UK government threatened to walk away from information sharing if it could not have an equivalent to the SIS II database, which is used by British police every day....“The UK basically said it was not interested in what the EU suggested and that if they can’t have it then they would rather have nothing. So they are playing hardball,” said one EU official.

There is a hint of lingering resentment:

During the EU referendum campaign experts warned Brexit imperilled access to the database and would damage the UK’s ability to fight terrorism and crime....The report fuelled complaints that the UK wants the benefits of EU systems without offering reciprocal aid – a charge strongly rejected by the government.

A UK government source described the EU account as “highly misleading” but did not deny rejecting the lesser offer...“What we are seeking is a future internal security agreement with the EU which provides capabilities similar to those delivered by SIS II, but I’m afraid the EU’s alternative proposals on data sharing are nowhere near reminiscent [sic] of this and are of limited operational value,” the source said.

EU hands are tied: it is really just a legal matter-- or is it?

case law from the European court of justice (ECJ) ... limits what can be offered to an outsider....European diplomats also cite political factors such the UK’s refusal to countenance a role for the ECJ and opposition to any reference to the European court of human rights (ECHR) in the EU-UK treaty.

 Meanwhile, back in the pragmatic world:

In 2018 the UK responded to 7,000 alerts put on the SIS II system by other countries, while it issued more than 22,500 alerts that led to responses around the EU.

Are they really going to risk that?