I am always fascinated by how different walks of life do - or don’t - learn from others.

Business, for example, has learned a surprising amount from sport and the military - team building, training, scenario planning, studying the opposition. Businesses have to be open to new ideas and be good at adopting them - or go out of business. They also have to know how to negotiate.

Looking at how our politicians are currently acting makes you think that they are slow learners.

In Brexit the UK is engaged in one of its most important ever negotiations. We do not have many cards but we do have some. Many states in the EU are sorry to see us go - they admire our liberal values, tolerant way of life and free market dynamism. They also want us as a counterweight to an over mighty Franco-German combination. They would help us if they could.

The one thing the European bureaucracy - or it is theocracy? - who desire ever closer union, do not want is that a member leaves, flicks two fingers at them, pays them no money and then makes a success of things. They do not want us to leave without a deal.

Back to the card table and the foolishness of some of our politicians. The one strong negotiating card we have is that we still might leave the EU without a deal. Without that possibility why should the EU as a body or any member of it move an inch? Daft politicians who demand we remove that option know nothing about how to negotiate and are doing the UK no favours.

The British people are not united on what they want from Brexit or whether they want it at all. The UK Parliament faithfully reflects this but has managed to make one thing clear - it does not want to approve the present agreement. All big negotiations go down to the wire - that’s just what happens. The period just before the deadline often looks the least auspicious for a sensible deal - and yet one is achieved.

The SNP manoeuvre only to make the UK Government look bad. A second public vote? The last thing the SNP actually want - a catastrophic precedent for their own plans for Scottish Independence - where just like Brexit, what could actually be delivered would be a lot less appealing than what we are told at the start. Labour, who surely should be 20 points ahead in the polls but are not, are as divided and unable to agree as the Conservatives. Their plans are a carefully constructed series of contradictory boxes which simply cannot all be ticked - and the electorate senses it.

If the UK keeps its nerve the EU will come towards us - not all the way, we are not going to get all that we want - which is not surprising because we don’t know what that is.

Businesses have to be pragmatic - and deal with the world as it is not as they would like it to be. Governments have to do the same. When a company Board takes a clear decision in difficult circumstances and puts it to shareholders for approval they nearly always get backing for their decision.

Theresa May should go as far as she can to get a better deal. That deal should then be put to Parliament and, if it is not approved, it should be put to the people of Britain - I think we would back it.

Pinstripe is a senior member of Scotland's financial services community.