either he doesn't see this as a negotiation (in which case he has a middle-school understanding of civics and should get the fuck off his high horse about it)

He doesn't even understand the most basic facts about the legal system in question - he was going on about "b-but what if it sets a bad precedent"... the EU does not use fucking common law (completely, now that the Brits are out). They don't give a shit about precedents (well, at least they give less of a shit than a common law system would)!