Dear Reader,

Here in the UK we are known for having a stiff upper lip, putting on a brave face, and convincing ourselves that it’ll be alright in the end, etc… Sayings? Love them or hate them they are part of our culture and something we British should celebrate and certainly not brush aside.

One such saying, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’, really does sum up being British. In our PostIT series of ‘Being human is to be creative’ we suggested that ‘when the going gets tough the tough go online’! We think nothing of Googling for information, Zooming to meet up with friends, buying and even selling online, etc. When news of Coronavirus broke it seems that ‘the tough did get going’! Okay some would argue that difficult decisions were not taken fast enough, others felt the wrong action was implemented; many were bewildered with just what was unfolding in the UK and across the world. Covid-19 was then characterised as a pandemic and lockdown introduced. Social distancing, self isolation, wearing of face masks, use of hand sanitsers, travel restrictions, were all put in place and soon to become known as a normal part of current life. The race was on for drug companies to develop a vaccine which would activate a person’s natural immune system to develop anti-bodies in order to fight corona virus and it ’s variants.The latest being the Brazilian variant P1 we hear today.

My question: Why is it that we allow ourselves as a society to arrive at such a position where serious action has to be taken because the going has become extremely tough, in fact life threatening? Surely it ’s better to be in total control of any situation? Better to be pro-active and not just re-active? Of course nobody could have foreseen Coronavirus coming, or could they?

I can ’t help but think that as a nation we Brits are now being forced to ‘toughen up’. Covid-19 has brought the country almost too its knees. It ’s great that we can celebrate the success of drug companies having developed appropriate vaccines. Well over 20 million first dose vaccinations having been carried out to date and over well over 122,000 deaths recorded. ‘When the going gets tough the tough get going’!

Of course we are not alone. Coronavirus has brought Europe and the rest of the world to their knees also.
Whilst everyone focuses on Coronavirus the UK ’s business community is facing tough challenges not just to remain in business but also the challenges that Brexit has created.

Whether one embraces change or not it has been forced upon UK and European businesses. Brexit, it seems, has created a completely unfair playing field that one is led to believe is a ‘Free Trade Agreement’ with Europe.

Like the need to create a vaccine to fight Coronavirus politicians in the UK and Europe’s member states need to get to grips with a situation they have created!

Globalisation appears to have created a totally unbalanced and unfair world, in my opinion and the current ‘Free Trade Agreement’ with Europe needs to be addressed. When UK politicians suggest that British companies should relocate to Europe to continue doing business; when they suggest that companies should be looking to develop new markets outside the Euro Zone; one has to ask questions. Coronavirus and Brexit present the biggest challenges to the UK and its people.

PCDS Review have focused on promoting live trade fair events predominantly in Germany and Italy. Todays events are being cancelled, postponed and new dates re-scheduled due to Coronavirus. Digital show rooms, online conferences are now being brought into play and their inevitable development has been accelerated, as show organisers respond to the new market conditions. The internet has become the life-line for future business success, that is until Coronavirus has been eradicated. Businesses are facing the reality that it maybe some time before traditional trade events will return. Over the past year companies have been and are continuing to face serious challenges with many fighting for the survival of fair grounds and trade show events. 

Brexit – The BIG Challenge!

Brexit was presented to the British people as regaining sovereignty and free trade with the EU, but for many it has become a nightmare. Instead of free trade it is anything but! Both EU and UK businesses and consumers are losing out. Has bureaucracy gone mad? Aimed at protecting industries, people’s livelihoods and safety, it seems to be completely the opposite.

According to: ‘Independent ’ 11.02.2021

Half of British exporters to the EU are reporting difficulties with Brexit red tape and border disruption one month on from the end of the transition period, a survey has found.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said companies cited concerns about increased administration, costs, delays, and confusion about which rules to follow when asked how they were coping with the new system.

BCC director-general Adam Marshall warned that the UK’s hopes of a strong economic recovery from the corona-virus pandemic had been “hit hard by changes at the border”.

It’s OK to say ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’, let ’s hope that both Corona-Virus and Brexit will be brought under control, sooner than later!

Kindest regards,