Brexit: A failure to understand.

Above, a sight many computer users dread seeing. Especially if they have NOT backed up their data beforehand!
The excellent and learned Doctor North’s blog-post today (http://eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=87367) makes sobering reading.
What it seems we are facing are the consequences of a political system that has failed to function effectively at a critical point in this nation’s history.
It has happened in the past. There are those who will cite the Suez Crisis of 1956, but in the BG’s opinion the Brexit Crisis transcends Suez in terms of both scale and nature. Suez was a crisis brought about by the UK proceeding on a foreign policy course of action without the support of the super-power the USA.
It was a harsh object lesson that demonstrated that the UK could no longer act independently of the USA and was in effect the junior partner of the bilateral alliance and very much subject to the wishes of the senior partner.
If a date and time could be set for when Europhiles first dreamed up what has now become the EU, it was in 1957 when the French (it must be remembered that Suez was a joint, British, French, Israeli operation) decided that the answer to the dilemma of possessing the capability of a foreign and defence policy independent of the USA power was contingent on creating an États-Unis d’Europe.
As to the current failure of the British Political System, an event far further removed from the present day should be remembered. This was the South Sea Crisis of 1720. The economic effects on 18th Century Britain were most severe and a “No Deal Brexit” could rival this in terms of scale.
The most glaring evidence of this failure of course is the occupancy of #10 Downing Street by the Buffoon! Together with the apparent lack of awareness by the Tory grass-roots that there is a serious problem!
That the Buffoon is a “lightweight” was demonstrated most publicly by his inability to effectively deal with a Mr Omar Salem, a Labour party activist, whose daughter was a patient at Whipps Cross Hospital at the time of the Buffoon’s visit there.A competent Prime Minister is URGENTLY needed!
The Buffoon as his educational attainments prove, is a highly intelligent fellow, but he lacks the drive, the determination and the desire to put in the hours of hard work necessary to get on top of his job! Done properly, the job of Prime Minister is a heavy demanding one, as evidenced by the harsh physiological effects on several previous incumbents of the office, particularly Tony Blair and Theresa May. It is highly unlikely that the Buffoon will be in office long enough to demonstrate the countering evidence – namely a lack of the physical effects of stress due to a lack of stress brought about by a lack of application.
In this, the Buffoon is not alone. There are and have been, and will be, examples like him in other positions, other occupations whose singular lack of effort can lead to disaster, not only for themselves but others as well.
In fact, there is a case which I recall from my past experience. This was the case of a small to medium enterprise in the engineering industry back in the 1980s. I will not identify the enterprise or the individuals involved. The business was a private limited company whose major shareholder was the grandson of the founder of the business. It was located in the West Midlands. The business had prospered over the three generations and this was due largely to the efforts of three men, the major shareholder’s grandfather, the major shareholder’s father and a Mr X, the firm’s General Manager.
The major shareholder – let us call him Mr Y – held two thirds of the company’s shares. The remaining third had been held by a cousin of the major shareholder but these shares had been purchased by private treaty by Mr Y’s father-in-law and gifted to his daughter on the occasion of her marriage.
My dealings (as a sales representative) were with Mr X. I had no contact with or communication with Mr Y who occupied the positions of Chairman and Managing Director. The position of Company Secretary was occupied by the Mr Y’s wife, Mrs Y, who was the other director of the company, the company having just two directors. The General Manager was not a director.
My dealings with Mr X were due to the fact that neither Mr or Mrs Y took no active role in the running of the business whatsoever. The duties of Company Secretary had been delegated to the firm’s accountants who prepared the papers for Mrs Y to sign.
Thus it was that the firm of certified accountants undertook a considerable amount of work with the firm and thus it could be said that the day to day running of the business was handled primarily by the General Manager who oversaw the engineering business of the firm, the generation of sales and the purchasing functions and the accountants acting in an oversight capacity insofar as the finances of the business was concerned. This was due to completely unfounded concerns by the major shareholder that Mr X, “may have had his fingers in the till.”
The firm generated a good profit and paid a handsome dividend which enabled the major shareholder and his wife to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. In my dealings with the firm, I never met the couple. Although the firm was located in the West Midlands, the couple lived in the Home Counties. The firm’s registered office was their house. Board meetings were held there and Mr X never attended.
Mr X worked six full days a week. Sunday was his day off. Mr and Mrs X regularly had a Sunday roast dinner at a pub. Afterwards, Mr X habitually imbibed more alcohol that he should given he was driving to and from the pub. One tragic Sunday Mr X whilst over the limit caused the death of a pedestrian crossing the road. The result was a 6 month prison sentence. Had the offence occurred today, it is possible that it could have been 6 years. In any event however, Mr X’s incarceration proved disastrous to the two dozen employees of the firm. This was because Mr Y sold the firm to a US competitor for a sum less than what Mr Y could have hoped for but which still left him a very wealthy man.
Once the sale was concluded, the new US owners promptly closed the firm as what they valued was the intellectual property contained in the firm’s designs. All production was transferred to the US firm’s premises in Michigan. The West Midland premises were put up for sale and the workforce made redundant.
Mr Y could have taken over the running of the business himself but whilst highly educated, he like the Buffoon had been to public school and Oxbridge, lacked the particular knowledge, experience and drive that Mr X possessed.
Mr X did not survive his sentence, dying of a heart attack 6 weeks into his sentence. I do not know about Mrs X.
Mr & Mrs Y moved to the Isle of Man following the sale of the firm. They lived comfortable, wealthy lives and if still alive, will be in their late 80s. They never had to visit such as below!