Getting stuck in a tunnel is usually something to avoid, but not in the strange world of EU and Brexit diplomacy.
Entering the tunnel is a good thing. It means a select group of negotiating partners huddle to iron out the final details of a deal.
So at the end of a week of despair what is now happening?
After yesterday’s seemingly positive meeting between the Prime Minister and the Irish Taoiseach, Michel Barnier now says ‘technical discussions’ are intensifying ‘in a constructive spirit’.
It all hinges once again on Northern Ireland and Boris Johnson has refused to rule out the possibility of Northern Ireland staying inside the EU customs union.