This letter from an old friend of mine who has lived and worked extensively in business in the Far East and Middle East says it all:
Subject: A new Britannia
I have been following the discussion in the media about the possibility of commissioning a new RY Britannia. Can I add my voice to calls for making this important gesture in reaffirming our national identity abroad post Brexit?
You might remember that I was privileged to host a party on Britannia in Tokyo in 1997. The yacht was about to embark on its final duty in supporting Prince Charles at the handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese.
No member of the Royal Family was present for the reception for Japanese insurance industry leaders but the allure of the yacht alone meant that the turnout from our invitation list was practically 100%- something that would have been impossible if we had simply had a party in a hotel in the middle of Tokyo. Literally billions of yens worth of business with the UK was represented at that function in a way that no other country could possibly compete with. The band of the Royal Marines playing first the wonderful Sunset and then, even more movingly, our own God Save the Queen which at its climax seamlessly became the Japanese National Anthem was one of the most moving events I, or many of the other guests, could remember. There was literally not a dry eye in the house.
However, a Japanese (extremely anglophile) friend of mine said to me later - in words I shall never forget – “you British are the only people clever enough to build a boat like that…… and stupid enough to scrap it”.
Anybody who has been involved in promoting the UK abroad knows that our unique heritage – albeit always depicted in modern and relevant way – is exactly the brand that foreign customers expect to see and want to see from us . We have a huge advantage over other countries in that that heritage requires absolutely no introduction…. but too often in the recent past we seem to have been apologising for things that require no apology and pretending we are the same as everyone else.
As one of the world’s leading maritime nations it always was entirely appropriate that our soft power should be manifested in a national flagship associated with our beloved Queen – probably our most popular global brand of all. The scrapping of Britannia was a national disgrace that should never have happened and at the time was much remarked on by our competitors and many business and social commentators. It was just one more symbol, in my view, of the stranglehold that the Europhiles had and how they wished to completely submerge our national identity in the europudding.
A new modern Britannia showcasing our amazing , political, military, commercial, artistic and cultural strengths would send a deafening message across the globe after the great victory of Brexit. Frankly, there has never been a better time to show the world –our customers- that Britain is back, confident in ourselves, proud of our unique heritage and forging ahead again.
Advance Britannia!
Couldn't have said it better myself!
You can watch the full debate here: http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/cd6fa682-aca7-479b-9cb4-3eefcc36b766?in=14:29:59