Brexit and "Brand Britain"
The photograph of Westminster which accompanies this blog was taken on a drab March evening almost four years ago today. The UK was about to head into a General Election campaign followed by the Brexit referendum and then exit negotiation. These have been four long years and, on days like today, there seems to be no end in sight - it feels very drab indeed.
As a remain voter (I’ll get that out of the way early) the acceptance of the result and a pragmatic effort to see that, if you looked hard, there would be benefits somewhere down the line got me quite far. However these last 6 months have degenerated into a farce created equally by a remain faction that wants a referendum re-run and a leave faction that wants ‘perfection to be the enemy of good’.
An every increasing majority of us just want the process to end - or at least see an end to the beginning part.
Those of us with an international dimension to what we do are now weary of the baffled questioning from clients, friends and even cab drivers the world over. Polite and detailed explanations have now given way to gritted teeth utterances and moving onto ANY other topic.
It may be fun and games within the ‘Westminster bubble’ but I don’t think I’m alone in feeling a whole lot tainted by this never ending imbroglio.
One of my favourite quotes from Mark Twain is “The secret of getting ahead is getting started” but UK plc feels like its jacked up on some bricks, spinning its wheels in thin air no matter how hard the engine is revved.
More delay, and more confusion is deeply damaging, ironically probably more so than the impact of leaving the EU - it’s time to crack on, get out and show the world that “Brand Britain” is as strong and relevant as ever.
We just need the politicians to do their job, quickly.
About the Author
The author is a brand consultant and founder of Mission Critical, a high focused and curated weekly briefing for time poor and information hungry decision makers.
A former Parliamentary Researcher, Special Advisor and candidate in the 1997 UK Parliamentary elections, his political days are well behind him.
