It’S Reshuffle Week!

[Gromit]

Who should stay, and who should go ?

[New Judge]

Indeed. The problem is that large businesses (and their representatives) seem to shout the loudest when it comes to matters such as this. In the UK less than one in ten companies sells its goods or services to other EU countries. But the other nine and a bit are all hidebound by EU rules and legislation. They are mainly small and medium sized businesses (whose value to the economy exceeds that of large business by quite a margin) for whom Brexit will be a welcome relief from the stifling regulation and protectionism they suffer. The CBI and kindred organisations do not speak for them and it is about time that people realised this. The wealth of most of this country's economy does not originate in the boardrooms of multi-national FTSE 100 outfits.

[jourdain2]

Even in my time on this earth I've worked out that to do the opposite of what the CBI says is by far the most sensible response. They most certainly do not represent the many business-people (including family members) that I know.

[jourdain2]

We seem to have got off-topic! I'd firmly lose Rudd and Hammond if I could do so safely - that's difficult. So - make them ministers i/c paperclips and tealadies or something and JRM should be brought in as a junior minister.

[Kromovaracun]

Federation of Small Businesses also signed the letter, but I'm sure they're actually nothing to do with "real" business that all agrees with New Judge ;P.

Also it's a bit misleading to state that "one in ten companies sells its goods or services to other EU countries" without also considering how big that 10%-ish of companies collectively is within the economy and how much of our GDP they account for. I don't know what that information is offhand, but it's rather a glaring omission

[New Judge]

Also it's a bit misleading to state that "one in ten companies sells its goods or services to other EU countries" without also considering how big that 10%-ish of companies collectively is within the economy and how much of our GDP they account for.

It isn't misleading at all. It means that nine out of ten companies (regardless of their size) have to comply with EU law when they have no dealings with the EU. Their relative contribution to the economy is irrelevant. Only companies that trade within the EU should have to comply with EU law.