One of the more absurd common truths is the one that says the Uk lost an empire and now lacks a role. It is allied to the dangerous notion that the UK has to place itself under EU or US control to be a main player or to “have influence”.
The UK rightly gave away the empire. It had no wish to hang on to it after 1945, fighting battles against independence movements in the way some did. Nor does it lack influence or a role. As the world’s fifth largest economy with one of the most powerful militaries after the big two of the USA and China, the UK has a seat on the UN Security Council, and is an important voice again in a range of world bodies from the World Trade Organisation to the environmental conferences to the World Health organisation. When the UK has world class research and confidence in its own views and beliefs it can achieve a great deal through its soft power. As a leading member of NATO it belongs to the world’s most powerful military organisation, where it can bring force to bear with allies for a good cause if it agrees to do so. The UK has in recent decades a good record at protecting or liberating smaller countries from bullying invasions. Alone we evicted Argentina from the Falklands, and led by our US allies we freed Kuwait.
From my study of English and UK history our past underlines the kind of people we are and the role in the world that we wish to define and refine. We have always looked outwards, favouring free trade with as many parts of the world as will reciprocate. We have been on a long march to representative democracy, and have always been hungry for liberty. There are strong strands of anticlericalism in our roots that manifest today as sensible scepticism about some of the fashionable nostra of world tyrants and global bureaucracies. There is in us that respect for the rule of law and the form of the constitutions, tempered by a tough strain of protest if our liberties are too pinched by authority or if the rules are bent too far by government. Failure to understand that lost a King his head, cost later sovereigns power, and lost some Prime Ministers their jobs. It led us to Brexit when the public told their elites that they were promised a common market and ended up with a powerful international body making many of our  laws and deciding some of our taxes.
Slow to anger as a democratic people, preferring the paths of peace, we as a nation fight doggedly and accept sacrifice if an aggressive autocrat seeks to take over independent countries. In the sixteenth century England and Wales stood almost alone against the might of superpower Spain, helping the Netherlands in revolt against Spanish autocracy. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Great Britain organised Europe against the French superpower’s attempts to take over much of the continent by conquest. In the twentieth century twice we had to fight against German aggression and German attempts to create a united Europe against the will and freedoms of many of Europe’s countries.
It would be good if we can now avoid damaging European entanglements as we wish the EU success in creating a peaceful resolution of the various tensions and disputes between continental countries. There is no need for us to lead the questions of how the EU defines and defends its eastern borders. The USA and ourselves in NATO need to define limits to those who would threaten us through eastern Europe but should not get involved in the Balkans and former Soviet Union issues which currently preoccupy the EU. We may independently decide to help a country in distress from Russian invasion as we do with Ukraine.
One of the worst features of the governing elite in my lifetime has been the pessimism and lack of belief in our abilities as a country to influence the world for good and to prosper without being controlled by a larger power from outside. This has been allied to their dreadful run of boom/bust and austerity advice since the early 1970s, leading to an underperformance of our economy. Their poor economic policy feeds their wish to impose greater international strictures and controls on us. Why do they forget this is the country that not so long ago designed the first large working computer to break codes, developed the jet engine, built the world’s first civil nuclear power plant and with France produced the only supersonic passenger aircraft? The UK can achieve a lot, and would achieve a lot more if more of its governing elite had confidence in us.
June 4, 2022
Much truth in this. But the worlds only supersonic passenger aircraft was clearly a complete waste of money by the french and british governments. This so that a tiny number of rather rich people and celebs could get to the UK/US a couple of hours earlier while burning perhaps three+ times as much fuel per passenger in the process. Subsidised by many far poorer tax payers. All cheered on by people like Tony Benn. Who also gave us the disaster Hillary Benn who gave us the treachery of the EU surrender act.
The market for Concorde was predicted to be 350 aircraft yet only 14 ever flew commercially. The passenger death odds was about 1/50,000 per single flight you took. So for someone taking 25 returns about 1/1000 Similar in many ways to the waste we see now on HS2, net zero, the intermittent renewables agenda, pointless wars and all the the other vast government misdirected lunacy we see today. How can we stop this government lunacy?
June 4, 2022
Maybe you should put in the vast hours needed to get elected instead of complaining often with the accuracy of hindsight, from your armchair.
June 4, 2022
Under FPTP and the Party System, it is virtually impossible to get elected unless you represent one of the Lib Lab Con (or SNP). And you will only get selected as a candidate for one of the Lib Lab Con if you toe the party line (or meet one of their diversity objectives, in which case a bit of “character” can be permitted).
June 4, 2022
Indeed and was a politician and party member you largely lose you ability to tell the truth.
June 4, 2022
@Hope you missed my point. Not enough people did want to pay to justify the cost of developing the aircraft so only 14 ever flew commercialy and not the 300+ needed to justify the development. Hence government pissing cash down the drain as usual.
June 4, 2022
@Hope you missed my point. Not enough people did want to pay to justify the cost of developing the aircraft so only 14 ever flew commercially and not the 300+ needed to justify the development. Hence government pissing cash down the drain as usual.
June 4, 2022
as not was and your not you!
June 4, 2022
JR,
Why do we want to help Ukraine? You fail to make your case. We lost lives, people maimed with life changing injuries costing us a fortune through NHS and cost us taxpayersâ billions for your govt.s war in Afghanistan. Johnson then ran away preferring to save dogs than people who helped military and then Truss gave the Taliban, who your govt claimed were terrorists and the enemy, over ÂŁ100 million! Your govt then wants to engage in another war! Madness.
Your previous blogs were against getting involved in wars, so why the Ukraine? That is EU foreign policy to March east, as run away Cameron lauded.
Your govt should be engaged in mass farming production, get people digging veggie patches (not rewilding nonsense- we had EU idiocy of natural habitat to environment causing floods) energy sufficiency, industrial revolution to being back skills given away to China, India and the likes. Moreover stop its mass immigration policy through all forms then preach co2 output and net stupid!
June 4, 2022
Absolutely right, Hope. On that last point, the anti-Russia sanctions policy risks causing famine in the third world, and then what will impoverished Africans do? Make their way to Europe, and then find a dinghy to get them over to Britain.
The best thing Johnson could do to find an independent role for this country would be to change gear and throw his political weight into saving Ukraine from extinction, by negotiating with Russia while there is still something to negotiate. Brussels would hate it, as would the green loonies running Germany, but it would be a win for the hard-pressed public of this country if we could scale back the looming economic disaster the madcap Russia-baiting policy has brought on us.
Germany’s eco-zealots want this war to go on so they can impose Net zero even faster. I’d like to hope that isn’t Johnson’s thinking too.
June 4, 2022
+1. Trump said ” America first”. We should say “Britain first”, and mean it.
That means take back powers given away to supra national bodies. We’re still under the influence of the EU; our rulers would like to give the WHO power to lock us down; we’ve signed up to ruinous climate change targets.
We need a change of people at the top, obviously, but are unlikely to get it. No wonder Boris was booed at the Jubilee service.
June 4, 2022
+1
June 4, 2022
No thanks. But these things were obvious even at the time. Just like the EURO, the ERM, HS2…
June 4, 2022
CONCORD was certainly obvious hence no one else other than the Russian Gov. wasted much money on such a daft aircraft for people who want to pay many ÂŁ1000s extra wasting loads of fuel just to save a couple of hours.
June 4, 2022
What a daft comment life logic. I suppose the same could be said about faster cars, steam to diesel trains, wind to diesel ships, space rockets and other technological advancements. People should be able to spend their money on what they want. You are starting to sound like authoritarian nanny state Tory socialist govt.
June 4, 2022
This govt has deliberately stopped engineering industry like steel and ship building, jobs transferred abroad, east. Got rid of Cheap energy like coal and gas, dependent on other hostile countries. Currently getting rid of more farming, dependent on other hostile countries like France. EU destroyed a lot but UK determined to import rather than produce our own!
This govt is an utter disgrace. With the change of three PMs no difference in failed policies and failed delivery on what they got elected for.
June 4, 2022
+ many, Hope. Boris is helping EU industry and profits a darn site more than the UK. He is taxing UK business and workers out of existence, but still piles in the immigrants while destroying jobs.
June 4, 2022
I largely agree, certainly net zero and the war on CO2 plant food and cheap reliable energy is insanity as Kwasi and other Gov. ministers (albeit rather slowly) finally seem to be realising. It can however often be sensible to do certain things overseas where they have cheaper labour and resources but you have to ensure it does not put defence and supply at too much risk. Often it is almost impossible to compete unless you are in the right place -where the right suppliers, suitable cost effective labour, materials, specialised finance and expertise exist. Try competing with Taiwan on many types of semiconductors for example.
June 4, 2022
Indeed Hope
June 4, 2022
Nigl
Perhaps you should cease criticising others and stand for election, just saying!
June 4, 2022
Good morning.
You also forgot the role we played in the SCAMDEMIC where the UK led the way while the EU fiddled and dithered and, in order to catch up, it conspired to thwart our efforts and do harm. If ever there was an example of the contempt that they feel for us then one can look no further.
Sir John
You mention ‘Concord’ (no ‘e’ at the end as far as I am concerned). Well funny enough I was watching a YT documentary where the Britain led the way in aeronautics and produced the Fairey Delta 2, a fore runner of the Concord. The UK did an awful lot of research in this field and, thanks to the government White Paper by Duncan Sands effectively scuppered both it and many other leading aircraft designs.
I know I bang on about this but . . . ! When one looks at past history it has been the UK Government that has caused this nation to lose many a lead with its short termism and lack of belief in the UK. Its policies have done much harm and, once again we are seeing it with energy generation and supply.
It is high time we started employing both Civil Serpents and MP’s with qualifications from the STEM arena and not history, geography and the classics, and certainly not based on skin colour or gender.
Build Back Meritocracy !
June 4, 2022
I am all in favour of more STEM graduates but once employed or consulted in/by government they are not spending their own money and so very often just fall for what ever the current group think is or what government is looking for. Currently the net zero, expensive energy and intermittent renewables lunacy, advice that HS2 is sensible for example (when it is clearly even more wasteful than Concord).
Scientists should be on tap, but not on top was attributed to Churchill and others. But decent independent scientists Feynman types (and other experts) should be both on tap and on top. But they need to remain both honest and independent. If private industry will not finance it it is nearly always a complete waste of money.
June 4, 2022
Mr Redwood,
It is fine, you wishing the EU success, but you could do a lot better: stop feeding all this anti-EU sentiment and start working for a better trade agreement between these two unions. âTaking back controlâ doesnât mean that the term interdependence no longer exists.
June 4, 2022
It’s the EU that is anti British with its digfed interpretation of the NIP and banning the UK from Horizon.
France and Germany are not our friends and should be treated as such.
June 4, 2022
The EU sticks to its international agreements, including that it hasnât banned the UK from Horizon.
Both sides are threatening each other though, the UK with potentially scrapping the NIP and the EU with potentially not allowing the UK in Horizon. These are matters only to be solved at the highest political level (âChefsacheâ) as pointed out by Tony Blairâs current think-tank.
June 4, 2022
Peter they are clearly no doing so on Northern Ireland. Loads of other examples too.
June 4, 2022
+ many
June 4, 2022
The EU could offer us a better trade deal at any time of its choosing. It chooses not to because it doesn’t want a better trade deal, it wants to control us.
We tried the EU’s inter-dependence and rejected it. We voted to regain our independence. The EU should respect that.
June 4, 2022
The EU isnât at all interested in controlling the UK. It also has moved on for years now. Brexit is not on the agenda of any EU summit, but it keeps being debated in the UK (which was supposed to be so unified in its Brexit wish đ )
June 4, 2022
Donna, +1
June 4, 2022
The EU isnât interested in the UK, the UK chose to leave. Brexiters, by contrast, exist on grievance and are obsessed with the EU
June 4, 2022
Then Donna this blimin government need to push on with the promised Freeportâs, improving trade agreements with other Countries that are interested in the UK. Kia has become the best selling brand of car in the UK we need to facilitate that greatly with their reasonable priced electric offerings and 7 year warranties.
The people government hired in the trade department that didnât take a 20th of the calls predicted should be refocused on helping UK producers to get their N.Ireland paperwork together for FREE so they can expand their exports instead of just wringing their hands.
When people are cornered there is usually only one way to get out of that situation so why arenât our politicians acting together to support the UK.
As the EU spokespeople here PVL and Len have said many times theyâre not interested in us so letâs get on with alternatives and opening up more markets quickly, get back parts manufacturing in the UK.
June 4, 2022
There is a lawful method to unilaterally change the NI protocol article 16. As the EU did with Astra Zeneca vaccines. Examples of the EU bitterness includes threats to turn off electricity supply to blocking ports and a trade war unless they get what they want. Despicable organisation.
June 4, 2022
The paramount intention is not to make the country prosperous.
It is to maintain Tory rule.
If, to do that, it is necessary to feed the Infantile Absolutist mind – which is commonplace among their proudly anti-intellectual voters – with with false binaries or whatever other fallacy, then this will be done, even if it is economically or otherwise damaging to the country and to its people.
June 4, 2022
NLH,
The old trope about ignorant Brexit voters again, dressed up with a couple of fancy terms.
June 4, 2022
More repetitive nonsense from NHL
Keep insulting the voters it will ensure Labour remains safely out of power at the next election.
June 4, 2022
So for whom do the fly-tippers, litter droppers, dog-foulers, football hooligans, and the rest vote then?
The European Union-backing Greens, LDs, SNP, Plaid C, and – as you claim – champagne socialist metropolitan elite Labour?
June 4, 2022
Why dont you give us your unbiased opinion on the matter NHL
Or maybe just keep listing groups of people you dislike and claim they all vote Conservative.
June 4, 2022
Goodies and baddies, that’s your world, lad. Ignorant Brexit-voting oiks versus well-educated progressive europhiles. And you have the nerve to blame others for ‘false binaries’!
June 4, 2022
Neither side has much to gain from a better trade agreement. We have more to gain from your side actually keeping to the terms of the existing trade agreements, both the general WTO agreements and the special TCA. My abiding interest is not in a better trade deal with the EU but in the liberation of Northern Ireland from EU control, restoring the province to its proper position in the UK as is still so far desired by the majority of its citizens. That betrayal was only possible because too many people uncritically accepted the lie that we desperately needed a special trade deal with the EU, and now we are hearing the same kind of nonsense about a trade deal with the US:
https://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2021/09/24/the-problems-with-the-single-market/#comment-1262165
âA trade agreement with the US could increase UK GDP in the long run by around 0.07% (within a range of between 0.02% and 0.15%) or 0.16% (between 0.05% and 0.36%) under scenario 1 and scenario 2 respectively. This is equivalent to an increase of ÂŁ1.6 billion or ÂŁ3.4 billion compared to its 2018 level.â
June 4, 2022
See my comment to Donna above.
Also: Northern Ireland is so much more than the DUP!
Among the communities in N. Ireland there is a majority for sticking with the NIP, which makes that Northern Ireland economy outpaces post-Brexit Britain (Office for National Statistics).
Just siding with the DUP is not what is best for N. Ireland.
June 4, 2022
I don’t know whether the communities in NI are so much for sticking with the NIP. Just because they vote for parties that support it, doesn’t mean they agree with them on that particular point.
I suspect the DUP is more representative of NI than people think. They above any other UK party comprise decent people, so they must be despised by the MSM and the people of NI are influenced by the bad press. When people in NI realise their UK citizenship is under threat, you might see a resurgence in unionist sentiment.
June 4, 2022
peter van LEEUWEN.
If you are residing within the EU then stay there and support it as much as you like.
If you are in the U.K. then I suggest you move, because quite frankly the majority of people here quite rightly, decided to get as well clear of it as possible.
June 4, 2022
Pauline
Not a very democratic and tolerant attitude. We live in a liberal democracy
June 4, 2022
Why are we not fracking? What happened to âAction This Dayâ
June 4, 2022
James1. Hear Hear. Get fracking NOW.
June 4, 2022
+10000000000000
June 4, 2022
In my experience, so called STEM type graduates are usually deficient in the necessary wisdom for government, the ‘humanities’ being a vital part of who we are as a nation. Churchill was so right about having them ‘on tap, but not on top’. Our Queen has demonstrated this principle perfectly. Globalisation rejoices in technocracy, and is the greatest danger to freedom as we have known it.
June 4, 2022
Yes it makes you weep at the number of times our establishment have squandered a technological lead . You might say they are world leaders at the skill , then having abandoned the technology they beg foreign concerns to bring that technology back here at great cost. They should hang their heads in shame.
June 4, 2022
100% Mark B, we are better and deserve better!
Our fighting forces are world beating but the government treat them so badly its embarrassing. Our fathers have led the world in invention and development, government allow them to bought by foreigners and remove to other countries.
We need to crush the party system of government that relies on short term planning and find a system that facilitates very long term planning and promote a pride in our country by destroying multiculturalism, with is dragging us DOWN not levelling up !
June 4, 2022
From Johns’ positive outlook this morning there are 2 published comments dragging us down again. This is so wearisome. The commenters must realise that if they have any influence at all then others will parrot this and so the disbelief in UK power goes on. Life is not all about supposed scientific facts , facts in the world are also attitudes and how people use words and argument to gain control of small things and greater things. Of course this isn’t my concept..I stand aside to a great thinker… Wittgenstein .but herewith demonstrates how this man has influenced many .. that is a fact.So back to Johns’ pro UK piece today. The only way we can keep building is to tell others we can do it , looks at past successes , acknowledge wrong doings with a view to how things have been changed. ” Just look em in the eye and say, we gonna do it anyway .. there’s something inside so strong”
June 4, 2022
But the headline is false.
The UK did not “give away” an empire. It lost control because its oppressed peoples gained access to firearms and started shooting back, quite simply.
June 4, 2022
India was given away because we couldn’t afford it any more, lad. We were spending more on administering it than we were taking out. The resistance was in any case unarmed, as advocated by Gandhi (I thought everyone knew that).
June 4, 2022
How about Kenya then?
June 4, 2022
+1
We must needs hone our sword of truth against their nay saying ( and no doubt self-interested ) gloom!
June 4, 2022
Agreed. Sir J. The government and Parliament itself has no faith in our country. Why else would they try to destroy democracy and keep us subservient to the EU? We freed our colonies willingly, whereas the EU has the opposite approach and we must ‘pay’ for our freedom and be punished endlessly.
This government does not act in the interests of the UK, unless pushed very VERY hard. Boris is a glory seeker, and has no problem using the hard earned cash from taxpayers to ‘impress the world’ and spend on useless virtue signalling projects. Any global ‘competition/comparison’ such as covid, or support for Ukraine, will see Boris throw every resource at it, to be the ‘best’ and is treating climate change likewise.
Until Boris and the government sees the impossibility of the net zero religion we are stuffed, good and proper as Boris will waste huge sums of cash trying to be the leading country in reducing CO2. The only way is down!
June 4, 2022
My dear Mum always used to say..âItâs all about the money,Honey!â
June 4, 2022
Shirley, I fear it is worse than that. This socialist govt. through the public sector is imposing its culturally Marxist agenda. For example, the amount of money spent on diversity and inclusion officers to change âour way of thinking and attitudesâ towards our bias thinking in LGBT and racial issues. Now sending messages and letters with preferred male or female pronouns! This is the work of the govt to change our society culturally.
I want public services (including propaganda BBC) to provide the services intended and all the focus should be on service delivery not woke, culturally Marxist ideology promoted by this thoroughly rotten govt.
June 4, 2022
Hope, +1, Good comments on todayâs topic, and you give me hope.
June 4, 2022
My wife has just filled in a government form it only had two definitions Male/ Female. No confusion there then.
June 4, 2022
Certainly seems so. Why too are they pushing net zero when it clearly makes no sense at all. Also if you really care about CO2 why push EVs when a new EV causes more CO2 then keeping you old car not less. Why still allow private jets, first class and business flight and nearly empty planes to fly as these all increase CO2 hugely too per passenger mile. When the government take action on these perhaps people will start to believe them on CO2 (not that they should do even then) as it is clearly a massive exaggeration at best and a huge fraud (rather more likely). Perhaps ban gyms too. All that inefficient human food energy being use getting no where on bikes and running tracks not doing any useful work!
June 4, 2022
Perhaps they are getting mixed up with carbon monoxide ??!! There will always be Co2 but who ‘says’ how much is acceptable?
June 4, 2022
The defeatist culture that saw the British establishment sell us out to the EU was still on display in our EU Brexit negotiations , they had no belief in us or the leverage we had, so approached the Brexit negotiations as supplicants, with the result we got a rotten deal . But it is not just with the EU where this British establishment defeatism is so evident, you also see it in what they think of us as a people and the regard they have for our culture. The think of us as good for nothing lazy people, while pushing out propaganda in favour of immigrants who are these wonderful supermen. Same with our culture, that they think it’s only made tolerable with a large dose of ‘enrichment’, they push multiculturalism as a religion, and look at how they allowed the BLM rubbish sweep the country, they couldn’t have been happier getting on their knees. Bliss for the British establishment is apologising for our existence.
June 4, 2022
+1
June 4, 2022
If only we had this kind of sensible positivity, rather than hot-air bravado, from the top of Government, Sir John!
June 4, 2022
[…] Read more about The UK gave away an empire but does not lack a role […]
June 4, 2022
We are in the middle of the most serious conflict on the world stage that has been seen for many decades, and what is Britain’s role in it? The anti-Russian sanctions war was begun by Obama in March 2014 following Russia’s refusal to accept the Maidan coup. For years, as EU members we adopted its sanctions programme against Russia as a matter of course. In 2021, free of the EU at last, what did we do? When America started calling for heightened anti-Russia sanctions in January and February of that year, we went along with that too. I’m afraid, Sir John, the record shows that on this absolutely existential issue we have always gone along with what the US/EU wanted. That seems to me to be more like the actual reality than a ‘dangerous notion’.
Reply We are now free to decide whether to impose sanctions or not, and determined our own range of sanctions.
June 4, 2022
I don’t suppose it has occurred to you that sometimes the US and even the EU occasionally get something right? Should we then disagree just to be disagreeable?
JF
June 4, 2022
Certainly not, JF. But when the facts change, we should change our mind. Haven’t you noticed that influential voices in the US (not yet the EU, of course) are starting to question the wisdom of the sanctions war on Russia? Kissinger, the New York Times, the Washington Post and others have come out with statements that it’s not working. Here are a couple of pieces of evidence that suggest they’re right. First, Russia’s oil production is now rising again, and it’s obviously not going to produce oil that it can’t sell. Also, African leaders are now working with Moscow to ensure their continued supply of grain and fertiliser regardless of sanctions – their people won’t starve, just to ‘stick it to Putin’. I hope you wouldn’t want them to.
June 4, 2022
JR, no we are not. If so we could do what we want with NI protocol without US interference.
June 4, 2022
‘existential issue we have always gone along with what the US/EU wanted’
– Hi. That’s a fallacious argument. Unless you can prove that the US/EU forced the UK to do this, then we can only assume that it was a decision that seemed the best choice whether we were in the EU or not, whether we were great friends with the US or not.
So agreeing with similar countries as us isn’t the same as other countries forcing us to agree with them and act accordingly.
June 4, 2022
Our so-called âsoftâ power may be the mightiest strength of all. Having the largest and most advanced arsenal in the world may achieve nothing if essential people needed to activate it donât follow bad orders.
Every system depends on many complex stages to perform its intended purpose. A mere piece of paper punch in the distributor of a mighty engine had power to stop it starting. Key people exist throughout every major operation. Influence needs only to persuade those few whose actions or inactions combine to achieve the most desirable and effective outcome for all.
Individuals are motivated to act, sometimes risking their own lives, from even a mere whisper of the âmagicâ words. Sometimes one right ear is the efficient entry point for advance.
Protective helmets are old hat. Nowadays, technology may be used to force the issue gently on key brains in distant places. One signal with a softer sound than a butterfly wing might create a continental landslide into goodness.
June 4, 2022
Cenotaph desecrated by racist thugs,statues torn down, literature purged, museums and street names changed and all to reflect our most wonderful and diverse nation by a class who not only despise the UK and its majority population but despise it and them PUBLICLY
My nose is now eroded into dust. Having our collective noses rubbed in a politics and by a politics whose primary purpose is the completely realignment of a nation using human identity as a weapon of war….and all effected by all parties of all persuasions driven their various inclinations and ambitions
John’s living a dream world if he thinks this nation will even exist in 50 tears time and he knows full well that his grubby party has embraced Marxist inspired social engineering to flip this nation on its demographic head
June 4, 2022
Indeed DOM.
June 4, 2022
â One of the worst features of the governing elite in my lifetime has been the pessimism and lack of belief in our abilities as a country to influence the world for good and to prosper without being controlled by a larger power from outside. â
Perhaps weâve got the wrong âelitesâ in charge of our country. We do seem to grown a large number of timid leaders in recent years⊠who almost want to destroy who we are in exchange for being run by others. Perhaps influenced by outsiders who knowing our strengths, are jealous?
June 4, 2022
Talking about elites. Public sector pensions soar while private pensions crash. Sunakâs policies directly trash the latter and the increased tax he is âstealingâ funds the former.
Another reason why anyone who looks into these things views politicians doing nothing about an obvious scandal with âcontemptâ
1984 alive and kicking in 2022
June 4, 2022
Observation of peoples I find is a good pointer at how attitudes are changing . Qualitative observations or ethnography is preferred method of research for gaining insight into a situation . The mesero being trained and using the language of Aleman rather than English or Spanish , the need to use Urdu to communicate basic health needs in England , the tensions between academics , past academics and those who many years ago though a degree would set them up for a life times work.
John uses historical research based on document analyses. Historical research is a conglomerate of information from many sources for example diaries , newspaper cuttings , treaties , quantitative research, statistics, yet it is all based on what people say ,do and document, or are able to document if allowed to do so.Today there is a little more freedom due to social media but whether it is because social media is a new outlet and pent up feelings and situations are now able, in the main ,to be expressed; anger proliferates. Anger which is controlled can be used for bettering society , yet we seem to be out of balance .. too much anger.. Russia , Islamic countries not willing to go socially forward , etcetera.. lets look at people and how it affects us all.
June 4, 2022
You mention the jet engine. Iâve just finished a book about one of my heroes, Frank Whittle, our very own English pioneer inventor of the jet engine and a true engineering genius and innovator. Margaret Thatcher once said his career had been âan object lesson on the creativity and inspiration of British engineering at its bestâ. Today he would (and perhaps soon will be) vilified for his beliefs. I wonder what he would think now of the current prime ministerâs slavish environmentalism and commitment to old fashioned wind power technology that originated in medieval times, and old tech electric cars that people donât want. Itâs the Conservative Party in government that has chosen abandon innovation
and prosperity, and which is responsible for our current woes – not a general âgoverning eliteâ.
June 4, 2022
SJR, you say ‘In the twentieth century twice we had to fight against German aggression and German attempts to create a united Europe’. Of course Germany was attempting to do that under Nazi domination from 1940 onwards, but I wasn’t aware that Germany was trying to create a united Europe in World War 1. According to the history books, it was brought into the war by its alliance with Austria-Hungary, then found itself facing attack on two fronts by Russia and France, so it invaded Belgium as a route to knocking out France first. Failing to do that, the Germans dug in, and eventually lost.
From my reading of history, early attempts to create a federal Europe came more from people associated with the allied side in that war, such as Jean Monnet, Emil Borel and Aristide Briand.
June 4, 2022
Richard 11. You are right about WW1. Germany had no wish for war and nothing to gain from it.
One can understand the Serbs wanting independence from Austrian rule. And actually the Austrian Empire’s reaction to the killing of their heir was over the top to say the least.
I would suggest that attempts to create a federal Europe have come mainly from France. Perhaps they never recovered their lost pride after Napoleon’s failed attempt!
June 4, 2022
Pauline
What a load of absolute rubbish and no documentation for the argument
June 4, 2022
Yet again, no contrary proof put forward by you bill.
No facts
No data
No statistics.
No contrary arguments.
Yet you come on here regularly criticising others for doing exactly what you always do.
June 4, 2022
Europe works great when there is cross-pollination of culture (and security and military) but outside legal coercion.
So for example, the cross-pollination of culture within Europe during the Renaissance was extraordinary and before and after. I’d love to see similar things happen in culture today. But outside the EU / Single Market.
And also some sharing of security info and resources. But all outside the EU / Single Market.
As well as ways to ease trade within Europe (remember the successful Hanseatic League). But all outside the EU / Single Market.
Also, to see, say, French and British and German troops training together (remember how Europe came together to defeat Napoleon). But separate armies. And outside the EU / Single Market etc …
And where we can share the costs / resources / innovation of the building of military jet fighters. And big, costly, high-tech costs like that. In particular laser equipment to shoot down deadly WMD from outside Western / Central Europe. But, again, outside the EU / Single Market.
We’re stronger when we work together when needed but not tied down by the EU / Single Market.
June 4, 2022
âWe have always looked outwards, favouring free trade with as many parts of the world as will reciprocate. â
Free trade was great when you are the first industrialised nation with little competition.
Reciprocation is essential now. Protectionism when it suits too. Foolish to rely entirely on other nations for essentials.
June 4, 2022
âOne of the worst features of the governing elite in my lifetime has been the pessimism and lack of belief in our abilities as a country to influence the world for good and to prosper without being controlled by a larger power from outside.â
A positive outlook is important. However, successive governments have flogged off âthe family silverâ and much of it is in the hands of foreigners who do not have this nationâs interest as their number one priority. We should think about regaining control first.
Too many politicians- Blair being a prime example- have looked to court favour with people overseas. Admittedly Blair has been handsomely rewarded for doing so, though that in itself is a dangerous example for current and future politicians.
June 4, 2022
Please, not so much about the UK having the worldâs fifth largest economy, as politicians so often boast about. Looking at GDP per capita, the UK sinks to somewhere between fifteenth and twentieth, thanks to the policies of successive governments. That makes a big difference.
June 4, 2022
Richard, arenât we taking in millions of people who are not allowed to work or contribute to gdp, arrive with nothing and need total support, thus becoming a drain and reducing our productivity.
June 4, 2022
Correction a-tracy: PVLâs EU is still interested in the UK, just not in brexit.
E.g. there is still a healthy export from the Netherlands to the UK, less transit export via Rotterdam but more (more profitable) direct export to the UK, according to our statistics office (cbs.nl/en)
Also weâre enjoying a fabulous platinum concert this evening.
June 5, 2022
PVL you said âThe EU isnât at all interested in controlling the UK. It also has moved on for years now. Brexit is not on the agenda of any EU summit.â And Len said more directly â The EU isnât interested in the UK, the UK chose to leave.â.
The UK and indeed I am interested in the EU, I speak two foreign languages, I used to enjoy my holidays in the EU and have many European friends but this unhelpful nastiness from the EU grates, Ireland left the UK yet they get fawned over and given concessions rather than the punishment the EU desire. We are still paying some rather large bills to the EU right now, however, our exports are up to many countries too. Our pay has gone up and it would reflect well in our net pay if our government hadnât punished us with extra National insurance, extra pension on top of national insurance in the form of nest, extra large green taxes on energy and fuel, they didnât take the VAT off domestic energy as they promised. This is all in the hands of Borisâ UK government.
If Ireland and the EU wants to be silly over a minute proportion of trade that could go over the Irish inland border that has always existed then it is for our government in my opinion to get the paperwork completed and authorised for free for our exporters to not only expand our Irish export market but also the EU market and if they canât when they have lined up alternative sources for the products we need give the EU the exact same terms on your exports that your EU have put on us. I want no more than what we give but no less also.
If youâd like me to go into more detail on British export wins I can oblige.
June 4, 2022
And if one looks at GDP PPP per capita, from World Bank, IMF and CIA 35th or 36th. And that is what the average consumers in their day-to-day life actually experience. But maybe not MPs or âcaptains of industryâ.
IMF.org, 19/04/2022.
data.worldbank.org (figures for 2020).
The World Factbook, Real GDP per capita, May 2021.
I know that some here will tell that I am pessimistic, that I put down the country. That would not happen if politicians were telling the truth, but obviously they canât, itâs their party first, and thatâs the shiny picture they have to sell their potential electors.
June 4, 2022
a voice in the wilderness
June 4, 2022
Post WW2 there has been a pervasive sense of declinism. This led us to membership of the EU and deindustrialising ( rather than tackling inherent problems) and at every level our govts have undermined our security in food, energy, manufactured goods and defence. In parallel with all that they have fostered the growth of an unaffordable and unsustainable welfare state.
From the lowliest ordinary citizen up to the Governor of the Bank of England and Treasury mandarins the idea has taken root that money grows on trees. Individually and collectively we are a country living on the never never.
June 4, 2022
I presume Sir John, by your final sentence you mean if your government, party, and its elite controllers should allow us to act with freedom.
Your party and government, and the Civil Service and many other parts of society needs an urgent removal of its top layers who have no interest in a free country and freedom of people.
How do we do it? Our voting democracy doesn’t work any more because it is controlled by those very elites..
June 4, 2022
Sir John, In your list of achievements you forgot to mention the wings that have made Airbus the biggest aviation company in the world. Born from the Low Speed Wing Project (LSWP) at RAE Bedford in the ’70s, this basic engineering research enabled Airbus wings to be incredibly efficient while cruising at height, but still by an impressive display of aluminium origami, convert into something suitable for landing speeds. For decades we watched Boeing wings, stone age by comparison, as they dropped flaps and opened a slot while the Hawker Siddeley competition grew in all directions as we came in to land.
Boeing eventually have caught up, but that single research project changed the face of aviation.
JF
BTW, why was Qinetiq sold off so cheaply? It was a valuable UK resource that did exactly the same thing as the LSWP, seeding research that led to a better future.
June 4, 2022
JR, what do you make of this?
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0604/1302945-ni-protocol-brexit/
“The date for the UK to introduce a bill to dismantle the Northern Ireland Protocol keeps shifting, and it may be contingent on when Boris Johnson faces a vote of no confidence.
The anticipated date was Monday. That slipped to Tuesday, then Wednesday. In the meantime, the number of Tory MPs who have sent letters to Sir Graham Brady is getting closer to the 54 threshold (if it has not already reached it).
That suggests that Sir Graham could hold the confidence vote as early as Tuesday. Alternatively, if rebels feel they have a better chance of actually winning the vote, they will wait until after the two by-elections on 23 June, which the Conservatives are expected to lose.
It is possible, therefore, that the legislation could be placed on hold until the confidence vote.”
“London has privately told Dublin that two options are being considered. In one version, the bill will simply give ministers enabling powers to disapply elements of the Protocol at some point in the future.
In the second, the bill will in itself, once enacted, immediately disapply key parts of the Protocol.”
“It boils down to a choice between a blatant breach of international law or a theoretical, potential breach at some point in the future.”
Not really, because until the Bill had actually been passed it would all be only “theoretical”, “potential”.
June 4, 2022
The Falklands War, the second to last military engagement by the UK I agree with (the last being Kuwait), was 40 years ago.
The leadership of the UK today encourages British people to be ashamed of their past, and solely take the blame for imperial actions that were in fact shared all over the world.
They also see the future of the UK as depending on foreign initiative and investment, whilst the British must be taxed to death.
June 4, 2022
Here’s another adverse consequence of Brexit – labour shortages:
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/editorials/2022/06/03/the-irish-times-view-on-the-labour-market-a-shortage-of-workers/
“Employers face big challenges keeping and holding on to staff”
Oh no, hang on, my mistake, of course Ireland hasn’t also left the EU, there must be some other causes.
“There are a number of reasons for this. Many people have chosen to move jobs and in some cases move sectors after the pandemic shutdowns. Others have chosen to retire early, or to work for fewer hours. Layered on top of demands from reopening sectors and skills shortages in many professions, this has led to significant shortages.”
Not Brexit, then. Or maybe they haven’t mentioned Brexit because that can be taken for granted?
June 4, 2022
This is the day when JR’s Diary has finally “Jumped the Shark”. (Defined by Fonzie in the TV series Happy Days. The programme had totally lost its way; had reached its peak and begun a downhill slide to mediocrity and oblivion.) Pretty much the story of the post Brexit UK.
California overtook the UK for fifth place in 2017. At that time, California’s population of 40 million, had a GDP per capita of $69,000. The UK’s population of 66 million, had a GDP per capita of $40,000.
The bit that JR is ignoring, is the failure to get a British Judge reelected to the UN International Court of Justice, for the first time since 1946. India out-smarted Boris at the Foreign Office. This has been a major diplomatic knockback for “Global Britain” world status. The G77 UN General Assembly nations, see the UK turning in on itself to sort out the Brexit mess and retreating from the international arena.
Now India is calling in G77 support again, to replace the UK in the Security Council. The G77 also wants to get rid of the “P5” permanent member status. France, as one of the P5, has the fire power of the EU behind it; the UK no-longer has.
June 4, 2022
UK heading for oblivion says acorn
Hyperbole of the highest order.
Do try and keep calm.
June 4, 2022
Abandon hope all who read here. I’m off.
June 4, 2022
If you think the UK is really heading for oblivion you need to find a site that suits you better acorn.
June 5, 2022
Acorn
Many hundreds of thousands now leaving California to find other US states to live in, as laws, regulation, and taxation increases.
June 4, 2022
Whatever the UK becomes, its should be due to the development of and by its people and business and not social engineered by government âŠ.forever trying to punch above its weight
June 4, 2022
The Eu thinks its on the way back to take over the UK John before the money runs out, the signs are all there, Tugenhat doing a con trick at the moment, let Tobias ask for too much then say donât be a silly Billy Tobias we donât need to go that far, I have another solution.
âTobias is wrong. The Single Market puts the EU in charge:
– EU rules
– open borders
– no new trade deals
We need a deal British people control not foreign laws with no say.
Letâs plan for the future and stop looking back. This decision is made.â
PVL, acorn, NLH, Hefner and Bill all getting excited on your blog. The overtime for some of them must be getting high.
The VAT money 80% of which was paid to the EU by the UK is reducing and reducing again next year, the lack of vat from world imports into the UK will be biting.
Boris is letting us down on his promise and that is why he is being booed not a piece of cake. Other than the lefties organised to make a scene and this will step up now, weâve seen what happens to the likes of Trump when someone needs to be moved out of the way.
June 4, 2022
Here is the paper that says contributions drop from 2022 https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8039/CBP08039online.xlsx
2020 9.05bn, 2021 7.67bn, 2022 5.42bn, 2023 2.45 bn, 2024 1.21bn.
June 5, 2022
The thing about the so called ‘Deal’ that angered me the most, despite me saying over and over again that we should, as an honourable country settle our affairs and pay what we reasonably said to owe, was the fact that, despite Leaving the Stupid Club we went on paying their bar bills.
It said in Article 51 that when a member left everything ceased. Clearly it has not and, until we no longer pay these people, we haven’t.
June 5, 2022
Mark, as well as the massive payments even though we are told they put the UK into a straight jacket what concessions did we get for it seems very few, the EU are enjoying export routes into the UK with far fewer checks and costs that we endure in the opposite direction, again this is something that Borisâ government could sort out and needs to once we have alternative supplies from elsewhere as a backup sorted out.
We could increase vehicle quotas from the Far East and engage with them to open car part manufacturing here and stop the awful service we currently get. Exports are up to South Korea from ÂŁ6.8bn in 2019 to ÂŁ8.5bn in 2021 we could go much further. We could as John tries to encourage all the time sort out manufacturing here again, it is what I was told the Northern brexiteers that all lost their jobs to Eastern Europe wanted, as for no-one wanting to pick soft fruit in the UK, it should be a condition of benefits, single none working parents should have to work minimum wage jobs when their children are at school or lose their benefits, they also need to tot up all the benefits they do receive and gross them up as though a wage to see that many are far over the NLW. I also read this weekend break about new machines that have been created to pick soft fruit, hopefully someone like Dyson is on to this. If the Netherlands can make good money from Market gardening then why canât we, we are a national of massive consumers?
June 4, 2022
I don’t think it’s coincidence that the ‘dreadful run of boom/bust and austerity advice since the early 1970s’ followed on from the Nixon Shock of ’71 where the President of the United States closed the gold window, defaulting on the promise to other nations that they could exchange their US dollars for gold. That broken deal was the Bretton Woods agreement, struck in ’44 when it was seen Allies would win the war and the USA was the only one not left skint from the effort. With its demise, the last tie between the pound in our pocket and something of scarcity was broken allowing more rapid debasement of currencies at the whim of politicians outbidding each other in election promises. The lack of sound money, once you understand how it has come about this time, can be seen at the root of many of today’s problems.
June 4, 2022
We have for a long time had a ruling elite and a communist fifth column in the civil service and educational establishment who are continually running down the country and making us ashamed of our nation.
They tell us we started the slave trade when it is millennia old and give us no credit for the men and treasure we employed to stop the trans-atlantic slave trade.
They tell we should be ashamed of colonising large parts of the world, just as did many other past empires, but give us no credit for freely giving back these colonies their freedom and leaving them with all the necessary institutions to be successful nations. We didnât demand money from them, as did the French from Haiti, 150m francs, which was only finally paid off in 1947.
Now theyâre telling us we need to pay reparations.
They tell us we should be ashamed of continually trying to prevent the unification of mainland Europe â Spain, Napoleon, WW2 and now the EU â and need to pay compensation.
And now we have a PM who blamed us at the UN last year for the coming extinction of all life on the planet when he said :
âWe started this Industrial Revolution in Britain: we were the first to send the great puffs of acrid smoke to the heavens on a scale to derange the natural order.â
No doubt there will be calls for reparations for this evil too.
June 4, 2022
+1
June 4, 2022
”Now theyâre telling us we need to pay reparations”
Why doesn’t anybody as Spain…they start the trans-atlantic slave trade
June 4, 2022
‘ask Spain’
June 4, 2022
+1
June 4, 2022
Great summary Sir John as I have never heard for a long time, showing the kind of leadership we have been missing for decades.
Britain is not perfect but it should be proud of its giving record. Other countries have benefited from our previous world power status turned to soft power via openness, innovation, competitive sports, culture and music.
Today the English language is the lingua franca No 1 most sought after aided by the Commonwealth, the USA and then surprisingly by the pop singers like the Beatles heard on tinny radios from California to Vladivostok (as Russian ‘s once explained to me where they learned English).
June 4, 2022
Sadly past excellencies cannot help now.
Policies practised by governments have led us to bankruptcy. Instead of practising self reliance and making and producing things here, they have encouraged the sale of almost all our country. All the big brands we once owned were allowed to be sold, to pay our debts caused by buying foreign goods because it was easier than making them here.
Those in charge were close to City spivs and part of a detached elite. Other countries were much wiser.
June 4, 2022
We couldn’t/cannot make things here as they would be more expensive than imports so no one would buy them so no one would make them. Restrict all imports?
June 4, 2022
When you next hear the term “cultural appropriation”, just think what has been appropriated from Britain with no return.
The steam engine, nuclear power, jet engine, antibiotics, computers, internet and any sport that people will actually pay to watch.
June 4, 2022
I like the Brexit of The Conservative Party. Which to me is more about PATRIOTISM than NATIONALISM. Patriotism is good. Nationalism is bad. Other right-wing parties in this country veer too much away from Patriotism into Nationalism.
What’s the difference? Patriotism is simply a healthy LOVE OF COUNTRY (as one has a healthy respect for oneself and a love for family and friends). As opposed to thinking one is superior to other countries (it would be absurd to think that I am superior to Mozart who was Austrian or Raphael who was Italian or Nadal who is Spanish or the man who created TinTin who was Belgium or Bach who was German and so on).
Patriotism is rooted in modesty of spirit, generosity of spirit, spirit of adventure, imagination, work ethic, sense of public duty, sense of personality responsibility, and so on. Where as nationalism is rooted in arrogance and typically manipulated by ‘charismatic’ leaders for their own selfish ends.
I think this differentiation should be made loud and clear. As I believe many people confuse patriotism with nationalism.
June 4, 2022
Happy Jubilee.
June 4, 2022
The UK gave away its empire? Wasn’t it forced to by many considerations?
June 4, 2022
We lost the empireâŠ. but kept its bureaucracy and civil service
June 4, 2022
We have an important role in the world and that is the US’ poodle in foreign affairs. We continue to interfere in foreign countries where there is precisely no national interest, in support of the US which is determined, following the collapse of the Bolshevik empire, to become the world’s hegemon and therefore seeks to confront any country which does not offer obeisance with hostility. This policy promoted by such people as Victoria (“**** the EU”) Nuland is leading us to the precipice of confrontation with a Russia which is determined to protect its vital national interests, involving not allowing a country whose very existence apart from Russia was precipitated by a desire to evade the murderous thuggery of the Bolshevik usurpers of Russia (aliens with Russified names) but which continues to share a culture originating from Kiev, to be amputated from its historical sphere.
We desperately need a new politics in this country. That means political parties which do nor want to replace the English with foreigners, sell off all our industries or recreate a pre-neolithic landscape interspersed with windmills and new boxes for the accommodation of those who share none of those qualities that once made us a great people. That means the urgent replacement of FPTP with an electoral system that will detach us from the continuing decline which the know-nothing Arts graduates of the liblabcon will condemn us. A genuinely independent foreign policy would be a bonus.
June 4, 2022
A good entry in today’s diary, Sir John.
But you forgot to mention that we were the only country that had the sense to fashion a Commonwealth from our Empire.
June 4, 2022
Dear Sir John, It is a great pity your views and opinions on many topics are not reflect by the Conservative Party, the Government and Boris Johnson in particular, and not to mention the Civil Service.
The UK has experience which if put to stopping the war in Ukraine instead of keeping it going, with every chance of WWIII breaking out at any moment, would be a contribution to world peace and justify what you have said.
The Falklands cannot be compared to the wars in the middle east started by the US/UK just for oil not Democracy. Lets not kid ourselves. Likewise the war in Ukraine is fueled by the US and UK without any understanding of the complex cultural relationships between Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Just like the ignorance of the culture of the Middle East. Israel invaded Palestine that was OK?
This War in Ukraine is all about the US wanting to eliminate Russian commercial influence and does not care how many Ukrainians and Russians are killed in the process. Why is America still sanctioning Cuba ?
The US/EU/UK have been provoking Russia since 2014 with the illegal overthrow of the elected government in Ukraine which was Russia leaning.
Did the EU/USA/UK help to put in place/support the Minsk agreement( for the Donbas) which would have removed any pretense for a Russian invasion?
Yes the UK has a lot of experience in such matters pity it does not make use of it to keep the peace.
The Politicians want the war and don’t consider the problems and hardship it will bring to their own People.
The UK Government has a duty to protect its own citizens first. This government protects the citizens from other country’s first at the expense of the majority of ordinary citizens a large number of whom are struggling with rising costs. If Boris want’s a war with Russia perhaps he should have checked first that we have enough energy and food of our own making and more or less self-sufficient.
June 4, 2022
agree
June 5, 2022
Agreed.
The problem as I see it with PM’s since Blair is that they tend to follow a more Presidential style (ie more emphasis on foreign rather than domestic policy) which does not suit us as we are not a Federal Republic but a Union of nations under a Sovereign ruler. But PM’s that find domestic issues both boring and a chore tend to like foreign matters and foreign governments as a easier means of buffing their flagging Premiership and government. They seek, as they wrongly presume, to benefit from a similar Falklands effect that invigorated the Premiership and government of Mrs.T.
They are all of course deluded.
June 4, 2022
It was of course quite right to liberate the Falklands from Argentina and also to free Kuwait. But hasn’t our alliance with the U.S.A. led us to be involved with several frankly immoral ventures since then?
Still, you are right, in the main. We do not HAVE to go along with all that the Yanks decide to do, anymore than we have to join in the nonsense coming from the E.U..
BUT. . . . . why oh why does our present Government persist in the ridiculous ‘Carbon Neutral’ policies.
And why can it not stop the flood of illegal immigrants which undermine our culture and our economic strength.
June 4, 2022
Majorfrustration
Yes but on the ball
June 4, 2022
Majorfrustration
Yes but on the ball
June 4, 2022
SirJR
Interesting perspective
But we can’t live on what we achieved or delivered in the past
June 4, 2022
It seems you haven’t really understood what Sir John’s article was about bill.
Where did he say he wanted the UK to “live on what we achieved or delivered in the past”
June 5, 2022
Peter 2
No I said that, read what is written
June 5, 2022
But it is a totally wrong conclusion to make based on Sir John’s article, its content and its arguments.
Read what is written indeed bill.
June 5, 2022
Peter 2
Well that’s my conclusion having read the article.
Live with it and leave me and everybody else alone
June 5, 2022
I want to be alone….a famous showbiz quote billy.
What you are actually demanding is for no one to ever challenge your blindly pro EU lefty political views.
It’s not going to happen.
June 6, 2022
Peter 2
You should look up the difference between right and left in politics
June 6, 2022
Good idea.
You too I hope.
Surely you cannot consider yourself right wing?
June 6, 2022
you are entirely correct, but unfortunately we are fighting against a powerful cabal of “global leaders” who are assembling an empire they will not give up. And their hooks into Westminster and Whitehall are all too strong! Brexit sent a lound raspberry in their direction, but unfortunately that is all it was. And as we have seen, remainers have not given up their “fight” to take us back.
June 9, 2022
I am financially dumb , but John has been telling me that we are the fifth richest nation. I actually cannot see this on the ground , things are getting harder and harder. I believe that with the introduction of PFIs much state business is now offshore, and not because it is cheaper for the UK residents, but rather for the elite , well known universities and trillionaires. Can we avoid being controlled by these self interested people , who make decisions for themselves in the guise of bettering the UK or am I just overly suspicious due to all the big booting and manoeuvring from the 80’s onwards.