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The UK is Again an Independent Nation, So Stay Out of Our Internal Politics!
It didn’t take even one full day(!) following the official Brexit date before EU politicians and former EC politicians began sticking their feet in their mouths by commenting on the internal politics of an independent nation called the United Kingdom — and this is in regards to the Scottish politician Nicola Sturgeon (SNP) who wants to separate Scotland from the UK (which, such referenda have never succeeded in the over 200-years that Scotland has been a member of the United Kingdom) and such referenda will never succeed it seems — if the people of Scotland continue to get their way on the matter.
Because every time there’s been a democratically held Scottish referendum it’s failed miserably thanks to Scot voters — and that, after much gamesmanship by those pushing their separatist garbage.
Yet, these are the same people who demand the utmost respect for the European Union project throughout the global body politic and among the world’s media.
Their gall is quite astonishing!
Imagine what the EU response would be if America, China, India or Japan began opining on some of the internal affairs of the European Union, let alone if a number of senior politicians in those countries were engaged in trying to break-up the European Union!
(EU) People Who Live in Glass Houses Shouldn’t be Throwing Stones
We have the situation in Catalonia where the leaders of that longstanding autonomous region who represent over half of the population there, were jailed or forced to flee to Germany after the Spanish government used police and security forces to brutally put down the peaceful and popular movement in Catalonia to become a fully autonomous state within Europe — a movement which was massively approved by Catalonian voters in a democratically held referendum overseen by official election monitors from around the world and the EU.
If heads of state of EU countries, former EC presidents, and presently serving MEP’s in the EU Parliament are going to comment on the internal affairs of the United Kingdom (which is now, again, an independent country) then, it seems fair game that the UK government and media, and indeed all governments and world media, should feel free to report on everything that’s occurred in Catalonia since 1962. And that’s a very big story which has yet to see the light of day.
But it would make a fascinating documentary series showing how continental Europe supports freedom and democracy and a people’s right to self-determination in every continent — except on the EU continent!
Ouch! It must hurt when people catch you out like that, doesn’t it? And there’s more…
Should the UK and Other Countries Accept Today’s Implied Invitation by (former EC president) Donald Tusk, (Irish Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar, (EU MEP) Guy Verhofstadt and other EU politicians, to Engage in Some Reciprocity by Fanning the Flames of Separatist Movements Within the EU?
For many decades, Basque separatists have been waging a campaign against both Spain and France as the Basque people apparently want their own country within Europe and (unfortunately and reportedly) may have resorted to terrorist actions (at least, that’s what the media has reported, but to travel there, you’d never know it as it’s a very restful and peaceful part of the world) and again, brutal police and paramilitary clampdowns became the norm in the Basque region going all the way back to WWII.
Similarly, in Greece, where several sides within Europe attempted to ‘own’ Greece via economic and other means over the past 25-years (by lending the Greek government far more money than they could ever repay, for one example) and only the united power of economist and former Greek Minister of Finance, Ioannis “Yanis” Varoufakis and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras were able to (mostly) counter the silent takeover of Greece by certain EU political parties, institutions, financiers, etc., — official and otherwise.
We could also discuss the situation in Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been waging a lonely battle against the EU autocracy since 2010 to maintain reasonable levels of immigration into his country and to retain Hungarian sovereignty vis-à-vis the overarching EU culture that wants to subsume the will of individual countries (especially small member countries) in favour of the EU’s better way — the “just eat it, it’s good for you!” mentality of dealing with member states.
And in France, millions of people have donned yellow vests (the so-called “yellow vest movement”) to protest high levels of taxation, which taxation is seen not only as punitive, but also (reportedly) targets groups, unions, certain segments of the French economy, and even individuals who aren’t toeing the government line.
There’s also the EU budget allotment procedure that rewards member governments that are compliant with EU diktats with generous funding and punishes those EU member nations that try to maintain control over key areas of their own economies as guaranteed by EU treaty.
It seems the EU people are the sweetest people in the world — but only when they’re getting their own way.
And that isn’t a way forward in the 21st-century, folks. That won’t fly. The entire world will join forces to stop you from again turning into the world’s bully (and that would be the 3rd-time we’d need to stop you from yourselves) within a 107-year timespan.
It’s time to grow-up kids and accept that life is a series of compromises and that you don’t always get your way.
It’s Astonishing that the Two Jurisdictions that Benefit the Most from the UK… Want to Sabotage that Relationship!
The Republic of Ireland economy would go into complete meltdown should the UK cease trading with it, as almost half its output is purchased by UK consumers. And it’s not like the EU is interested in buying Ireland’s goods, or they’d be buying it already! (Duh!)
Likewise with Scotland. Some 4/5ths of Scotland’s trade is courtesy of the UK, and English taxpayers have subsidized Scotland’s economy with many billions of pounds sterling (that’s English taxpayer money!) since 1800.
Are These People Monsters Or Do They Simply Not Get It?
What kind of people would kick English taxpayers in the teeth by trying to break-up the United Kingdom, just so they can score some cheap political points and not feel quite as embarrassed about the UK’s departure from the European Union?
Really, these people are a threat to their own economies specifically, and to stability in the Western Hemisphere, generally.
Maybe have a word with them at the next election (Irish and Scottish voters) because if you re-elect them you’re practically guaranteeing that trade with England will be cut off forever and your passports will never again be valid in God’s country — the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
But if that’s what you want… Good Riddance!
We’ll save the billions we spend to subsidize you and purchase from America and the Commonwealth, instead of from (the then) bankrupt Republic of Ireland, and instead of from (the then) bankrupt Scotland.
With ‘friends’ like you, who needs enemies?
Scotland’s SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon must be the funniest person on Earth — because 4/5ths of Scotland’s trade comes courtesy of the United Kingdom — and British taxpayers subsidize the Scottish economy with billions of pounds sterling every year — and she wants to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom! Yet every time Scotland has a (supposedly, once-in-a-lifetime) referendum on Scottish independence from the UK, Scottish residents vote against her Monty Python-esque plan. Check yer meds, woman, or we’ll nominate you to lead The Ministry of Funny Talks! Image courtesy of BBC.com
Post-Brexit: Building a License-Based UK Manufacturing Sector
One of the great things about Brexit will be the opportunity for the UK to sign trade deals with any country in the world and some of those trade deals may be quite innovative in nature. Novel trade opportunities shouldn’t be discounted simply because no one has ever done them, but such deals should be judged on their own merits.
In the age of the 3D-printing technology for example, there’s no reason why a company in America can’t electronically transmit code to a 3D-printer in the UK, allowing the UK company to manufacture the item there. Of course, this means paying a license fee to the American company, but think of the convenience for that UK manufacturer! Not to mention instant access to the item for the UK customer, and it means jobs at both ends of the equation. If you’re concerned about the CO2 emissions involved in shipping something from America to the UK, you’ll appreciate that transmitting a few hundred lines of computer code creates only a fractional amount of CO2.
Even better, is the case for cars and trucks to be built in the UK under license from American automakers.
For example, Ford Motor Company may choose to sell millions of automobile VIN numbers (basically, the serial number of each car or truck) and the complete instruction set for building and assembling each car or truck, to a UK company that specializes in building Ford vehicles. The UK company would pay a per-vehicle license fee to Ford Motor Company U.S.A. and agree to maintain the same high manufacturing standards of the American automaker and it would be required by Ford U.S.A. to adhere to the same warranty terms and conditions.
But still! Think of the CO2 savings, think of the jobs created in the UK, think about the UK building all Ford cars and trucks in the UK for the domestic market and exporting millions of those built-under-license vehicles to Commonwealth countries that have right-hand drive cars. That market, the right-hand drive car and truck market in the Commonwealth of Nations, would become the UK’s ‘beat’ and Ford would grant exclusive rights to the UK company to sell millions of Ford cars and trucks throughout the entire Commonwealth. (Note: Canada drives left-hand drive cars like the U.S., so Canadian cars would continue to be produced in the NAFTA countries)
So far, I’ve only talked about Ford vehicles. But what if it was all vehicles?
What if all American, Japanese, Korean and EU car manufacturers decided to make the same amount of profit per car as they do now, but only needed to sell a VIN number and the ‘vehicle blueprint’/computer code for each car to a UK manufacturer in order to do so? Ergo, all right-hand drive cars destined for UK and Commonwealth customers would be built in the UK and exported, where necessary, from Bristol.
What if it was more than cars and trucks?
What if Airbus, Boeing and Lockheed Martin sold per unit license fees to UK manufacturers, along with Bombardier and Embraer? What if Caterpillar heavy equipment and Toshiba and Hyundai Heavy Industries sold per unit license fees to UK companies? Yes, those companies would earn the same profit per unit as they do now — by selling only the license fee and VIN number and the technical aspects to the UK company — which, in turn, would manufacture those units within the UK and offer them for sale in the UK and to Commonwealth of Nations countries exclusively.
I’m still not done! What if everything sold in the UK was manufactured in the UK? How many jobs would that create?
What if you wanted a right-hand drive Mercedes CLA 250 4MATIC coupe? And what if you could simply order it from Mercedes online, and the Mercedes Benz approved manufacturer would fly you from anywhere in the UK to the factory in Bristol to pick up your new car, right off the assembly line. Some people might like to arrive a day early to watch their own car being built to their own option specifications. Then, you could take a nice leisurely drive home in your brand new car and not have to pay £2000 in shipping costs to get the car delivered from Germany, as is the case now.
What if you wanted an ACER computer, or a Lazy-Boy brand reclining chair? What if you wanted a Texas A&M hoodie for walks with your dog in cool weather? Get one for the dog too, is my advice, you’ll look great together! Or, what if you wanted the latest Italian cookware? Now, what if you could simply buy what you wanted, but it was manufactured in the UK under license from the original manufacturer, and in so doing, you received it sooner, with lower shipping costs, and far lower CO2 emissions — compared to the item being manufactured overseas and then shipped to the UK?
And what about companies in the UK making those items (and many more!) for Commonwealth of Nations consumers — which will number 2.5 billion by 2022?
Great for exports and great for those countries! Why? Well, assuming the UK government doesn’t blow this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, there won’t be enough labourers in the UK to build all those cars, trucks, forklifts, computers, furniture, t-shirts, medical instruments, dishwashers, etc., etc., etc., and the UK will need to import Commonwealth workers to keep up with demand. Which itself, will help Commonwealth nations improve their per capita, disposable income — meaning, they’ll have more opportunity to afford such items.
Yes, via the UK hiring Commonwealth workers for UK assembly plants, people from Commonwealth nations will then have more money to spend on UK-manufactured goods, goods that might well be assembled by their very own children who work in the UK during their gap year between high school and university. Even mature workers from Commonwealth nations should be able to gain a UK work visa for one-year, to earn some British sterling, thereby advancing their own family finances, and find themselves better able to purchase a UK manufactured car or other item once they return home.
Just because it hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
Just look at what JFK did… he promised America would put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade, and he succeeded in that. Nobody else was doing it, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be done.
All the UK needs now is for a JFK-like leader (either in UK politics or a captain of industry) to do what nobody else is doing and make this thing fly. Many will say it can’t be done, but I don’t believe it for a second. Only mediocre people say things can’t be done.
So, stop talking about it, and get it done!
Because if you think you can dither and delay for 3.5 years like you did with Brexit, don’t bother trying, as you’ll soon find that every country in the world has beaten you to the punch and it will no longer be worth doing.
It Couldn’t Be Done
by Edgar Albert Guest
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and get to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it!
###
And this is the attitude sorely lacking in recent generations. In my generation (yes, I know what that sounds like) our generation arrived at the best plan and got right to it.
We left our egos at the door, we left our personal lives at home, and we got the job done on-time and on-budget — or we were judged by our peers to be ‘not worth spit’.
And while that modality may seem harsh to some, it’s the best way to build a rocketing middle class economy, it’s the best way to create a thriving family lifestyle, and it’s the best way to stay ahead of our competitors who aren’t in the business of working for our best interests.
‘All for one and one for all, must henceforth be Britain’s clarion call’ if post-Brexit Britain is to succeed!
Brexit: Well, That Only Took 1317 Days!
After a gestation period that would’ve impressed a Brontosaurus (44-months, or 188-weeks if you prefer to measure time by the week, or 1317-days, or 31,608-hours) the UK government finally kept its promise to Britons who voted for Brexit on June 23, 2016.
So, after bobbling the ball for 3.5-years, the UK government finally got it right (Thanks, Boris!) and at 11:00pm GMT on January 31, 2020, the UK left the European Union. And not a moment too soon, as if the dithering on the UK side had continued much longer the UK would’ve been thrown out of the EU — instead of leaving of its own accord! Yes, the frustration with successive UK governments grew to record highs over the past 3.5-years…
Anyway, that was then, and this is now, as they say.
What Next for the UK?
According to the terms of the Brexit agreement with the EU, the parties have 11-months to agree a trade deal to govern the future trading relationship, unless the parties decide to extend the trade deal negotiating period for another year, or longer.
I feel positive about getting a trade deal with the EU as it’s so obviously in the interests of both parties to arrange a fair-to-both-sides trade agreement, that there will be a signing ceremony before the end of 2020. Let’s hope!
Of course, the EU isn’t the UK’s only trading partner, so a trade deal with the Americans is important for the UK, And that too, must be concluded in a reasonable timeframe if the UK is to capitalize on its economic prospects following its departure from the European Union.
Let’s hope that Boris Johnson’s team sees the value of signing onto the CPTPP agreement — to become a member of the Trans Pacific Trade Partnership agreement — which is a huge trading region headed by Japan as the leading economy in the bloc.
Subsequent deals with Commonwealth of Nations countries — I’m hoping for a massive agreement between all Commonwealth nations, on par with the excellent CPTPP trade agreement. And, why not? The UK has ignored the Commonwealth for far too long now and huge opportunities await UK companies within that 2.5 billion member bloc (2.5 billion citizens/consumers in the Commonwealth of Nations countries by 2022) and further, the economy of that bloc consists of rapidly developing economies whose citizens are now beginning to enjoy real growth in their disposable income. Disposable income that could be used to purchase UK goods and services if you take my meaning.
Yes, huge trade opportunities await the UK, and not a moment to lose going after it. Because if the UK doesn’t go after that business, some other country or bloc will snap-up all of it and could completely displace UK trade in each country. That’s the punishment for taking too long to agree a trade deal.
Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May and her government found out what happens when it takes too long to accomplish something really important to the UK people, and those excessive delays are the only reason that Boris Johnson is now the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. So… fast, fast, Boris, on the trade file!
And thanks for getting Brexit done.
Putting the UK – EU Relationship in Context
All in all, the UK – European relationship has been a good one when measured over the past 107-years.
In that time, the UK fought to bring peace to the continent in WWI and WWII, it was a solid contributor to the NATO alliance during the Cold War, the UK participated in operations like the Berlin Airlift, the fall of the Wall/reunification of Germany, and in missions in the Balkans to try to prevent genocide and enforce International Court of Justice rulings against non-state actors there, and it invested trillions of pounds sterling in the continent in the 20th-century.
The UK helped to bring peace and prosperity to Europe and was an early supporter of a unified Europe from the time of former UK Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill — although Winston often said that the UK did not belong “in” continental Europe, but rather, that it should support a unified continent from “outside” continental politics.
Having played a pivotal role in the creation of a peaceful and prosperous European continent, the UK can now leave with its head held high, having accomplished all of its long-term objectives there, knowing that the ongoing peace and prosperity on the continent will continue for decades to come, due in part to the UK’s huge commitment to continental Europe since 1913, or thereabout.
Although the Brexit process might have frazzled nerves on both sides, there’s no doubt that the United Kingdom and the European Union will continue to be allies sharing a similar worldview and will continue trading with each other on an epic scale. While some tears have been shed over Brexit, the special relationship with our continental friends will endure for centuries to come, of that there’s no doubt.
Now, let’s make it easy on ourselves and quickly agree a fair and comprehensive trade agreement, so that both parties can continue to build on the successes of the previous century — as befits true neighbours, friends, families, and allies — thereby setting the bar for how countries can and should work together to create a better world.
And I wouldn’t expect anything less from Prime Minister Boris Johnson or from EU President Ursula von der Layen. In fact, we’ve only just begun!
Thumbnail image courtesy of www.ft.com
Letter to Britain 