"Brexit could well be the biggest act of self-harm that any nation has committed in modern times "
A SATIRICAL HISTORY OF BREXIT
Only two and a half years since the United Kingdom left the European Union and seven years after the referendum it is already clear that Brexit was a catastrophic mistake. Regardless of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the British economy is collapsing.
For small and medium sized businesses exporting to the EU has become all but impossible given the huge amount of new bureaucracy involved. Lorries at Dover are having to queue sometimes for days in order to complete EU paperwork now that the UK is a third country. The UK, however, is not yet in a position to impose import controls on goods coming into the country leaving our borders open to smugglers.
New immigration controls which make it almost impossible for anyone who is not considered ‘the brightest and the best’ to come and work in the UK and the return to the EU post-Brexit of hundreds of thousands of important workers has resulted in a severe shortage of workers in agriculture, hospitality, care, the NHS, building & construction and many other sectors.
The pound has fallen dramatically against the dollar and is at its lowest level for more than 45 years. inflation is now at 10%, the highest for more than 30 years and expected to exceed 13% next year. Exports to the EU are already down by 15%.
More than half a million children are living in poverty and there are now more food banks in the UK than branches of MacDonalds.
The NHS is in crisis, waiting times are the longest ever and it is often difficult to get an ambulance because of shortages of ambulances and staff.
Gaps are appearing on the supermarket shelves and food shortages seem inevitable owing to the difficulty EU producers are having in transporting their goods to the UK and also because many UK farmers have found it impossible to replace workers who had previously come from the EU.
Four Conservative Prime Ministers, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have all failed because of Brexit which has ruined or ended their political careers. Rishi Sunak seems certain to be the fifth.
This 96 page book is a satirical look at the history of this fiasco.
Available for immediate download or pre-order paperback version for delivery 1st October.
About the author
Background
Growing up in the South West of England I was always very ambitious and determined to succeed. However, never having discovered that I have any natural talents to develop and pursue, I decided to go into business and have been an entrepreneur ever since.
I had, in any event, always found business fascinating and found the challenge thrilling. Like many who become entrepreneurs it was the idea of creating a business and of being in control of my own destiny that was so compelling, much more than the idea of making a fortune.
Setting up a business is not for the faint-hearted. It can be extremely difficult. You almost always find yourself working far more hours for far less money than those who choose to be employed by someone else and if things do not work out you may very well end up losing everything. If, however, your business succeeds the satisfaction, pride and, of course, reward can be limitless.
Business Experience
During a very long career I have had direct experience of most aspects of business. I have been involved in product design, manufacturing, importing, exporting, wholesaling, retailing, marketing and sales. I have also spent years doing business all over the world. Business has given me the opportunity to spend a great deal of time in places such as Italy, Paris, Hong Kong and China.
Like all entrepreneurs I have always looked forward to the business which would ‘take off’ and become a huge success but, as of now, I am still waiting!
Brexit
In 1997 I started a new business designing souvenirs of Paris which I then had manufactured in China. Within a very short time I was supplying some fifty souvenir shops all over Paris. In due course we repeated the business in Brussels, Amsterdam and Barcelona. It was business that did very well and had a great deal of potential. By 2019 we had more than 200 customers throughout the four capitals. Over twenty years we had built good relationships with these customers. The business was doing well and we had planned to expand to other cities in the E.U.
However, Brexit killed the business instantly. We lost every one of our customers.
Previously it had been possible to take an order in Paris, deliver it within a day or so with a single invoice and then get paid by the customer shortly afterwards. It was no different from dealing with any customer in the UK.
Post-Brexit, however, everything changed. It is now necessary for any UK exporter to prepare detailed export documents including certificates of origin for any product from outside of the UK. The importer in the EU then has to register with their government as an importer, complete import documentation or pay an agent to do so for every shipment, to pay a VAT deposit and Import Duty in some cases before the goods can be released and delivered. This causes long delays and expense which small and medium sized enterprises are not prepared to accept.
YouTube
Having lost my business, my livelihood and what would have provided my pension I decided to make a single YouTube video to explain to others the madness of Brexit and how it would damage the economy by making it effectively impossible for small or medium sized enterprises to export to the EU.
I was expecting a hundred or so views but within days the video had been seen by thousands and more than 48,000 have now viewed it. I was so impressed and grateful for the hundreds of kind comments that I decided to make further videos and have been posting weekly ever since.
I am extremely grateful to all those who have viewed, liked or commented on any of my videos and especially to my many subscribers.