TL:DR This is a lengthy article, so in summary: The negative and counter-productive comments by the European Commission (EC) are due to it having a public service that has direct policy making power and is unelected and unaccountable. I argue that urgent reform is required to remove those powers and to focus it upon the actual job of a public service organisation; policy implementation. Additionally the EC needs to be removed from the 'Brexit' negotiation process and the responsibility for EU negotiation must be vested with the Parliament and Council alone. The apparent EC view that it should be the pre-eminent power within the EU has resulted in the likelihood that Britons considering either a vote to accept the results of the negotiation or to reconsider membership have hardened their attitude, now being convinced that the last thing they'll do is fall under the effect of these arrogant mandarins. If the intention of the EC was to encourage th...