There’s nothing quite like metaphorical bridges over troubled water to soothe fractured relationships – but literal bridges between nations can be a whole lot more complex.
I was interested to see an almighty row brewing last week when Boris Johnson attended a recent UK-France Summit where he apparently floated the somewhat controversial idea of a crossing across the English Channel.
The reaction from members of the public was pretty much as expected – lots of ridicule.
Twitter comments included “What planet is he on?” and some branded it a vanity project, likening it to Donald Trump’s Mexican wall plan.
Some threw insults while others pointed out the irony of such a suggestion coming from pro-Brexit Boris.
Others admitted they thought they’d stumbled upon a spoof article rather than a real news report.
It didn’t take long for satirical news site The Poke to get in on the action. It took to social media with its take on Boris’s plan with Tweets including “employ a workforce of fairy unicorns and “award the contract to Carillion”.
I’ll be honest, I can’t say I’m convinced that a bridge slap-bang in the middle of a busy shipping lane is a great idea.
But let’s still remember that some of the biggest, best and most innovative ideas have come from suggestions that sounded, quite frankly, a bit mad.
I bet when French engineer Albert Mathieu suggested a tunnel under the Channel in 1802 he had his sceptics.
He wanted an underwater highway for horse-drawn carriages, with an island in the middle for changing horses.
Today’s Chunnel might not have horses, but that crazy-sounding plan did eventually come to fruition in one way or another. An army of 13,000 undertook the massive project and the American Society of Civil Engineers recognised it as one of the “Seven Wonders of the Modern World”.
In the wake of the Boris Bridge suggestion, there has been some interesting chat about a ‘Celtic Connection’ – an ambitious Irish-Scottish bridge.
Architect Alan Dunlop says it’s more technically achievable than Boris’s idea.
More importantly, he believes it would create a Celtic powerhouse that would revolutionise trade and tourism.
This suggestion isn’t new – he’s by no means the first to suggest such a link.
Politicians were talking about the idea back in the 1880s and a decade later an engineer called Luke Livingston Macassey proposed a link between Stranraer and Belfast by tunnel, submerged tubular bridge or causeway.
Since then, there have been various other similar suggestions and even feasibility studies carried out.
But despite more than a century of discussion on the subject, nothing has come to fruition.
There are parts of the idea that I love. If it really was going to create revolutionary benefits to trade and tourism it would be brilliant.
Would it really though? I’m cynical.
Dunlop reportedly said a bridge would be better than a tunnel because it was a “dramatic visual marker for aspirations and ambitions”.
Given he’s an architect, I’m not surprised he’s homed in on the visual impact.
But making a statement isn’t reason enough to choose a bridge over a tunnel. Not if a tunnel was deemed more economically viable or more feasible from an engineering point of view anyway.
Either way, do we really need either of the two?
Look at the transport links we have already – the offering is not too shabby. You can go by ferry or airline and you’re there in no time at all.
I’m just not convinced there’s a real need for it.
Who knows though, maybe I’m like one of those folk who scoffed at the idea of a tunnel under the Channel. Perhaps one day I’ll be sitting on the ‘Celtic Crossing’ eating my words.
Scottish products sell all over the world. From the traditional favourites like haggis and tartan tammies, to less obvious services, like finance and insurance, we’ve always done pretty well on the international export front.
And recently released Scottish Government figures show that in terms of sales, we’re now actually performing more effectively on the international stage than we are in the UK.
In 2016, Scotland’s total international exports – excluding oil and gas – increased by £460m to reach £29.8bn.
But there was a big drop in sales from Scottish onshore businesses to the rest of the UK – down by £4.4bn to reach £45.8bn.
Food and drink continues to be the largest industry for international exports for us, with sales increasing by £275m to reach £5.5bn.
And whisky is the leader, worth £4bn at the last count.
Most of our international exports – worth £4.9bn – go to the US, but we also do well in the Netherlands, France, Germany and Norway.
What does it all mean for Scottish businesses? I think it makes it glaringly obvious that as Brexit uncertainty continues, businesses of all shapes and sizes will have to consider what they can do internationally.
One small Scottish business that’s really developing its international footprint is Kirkintilloch-based telecommunications company Exchange Communications.
Operating across 105 countries, Exchange provides professional services with technical expertise and international trade now making up 60 per cent of its overall operation. This year, the Exchange team wants to increase activity in markets across Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific.
Exchange clearly has a lot of international clout. But even if you’re a small business that’s carved out a niche Scottish customer base, I reckon that if these figures are anything to go by, the time is now for taking a step onto the international stage.
It Made Me Weep
The fire at Cameron House Hotel in Loch Lomond in the week before Christmas was a terrible tragedy and affected many people – but the repercussions continue to be felt.
I was sorry then to hear that 300 out of 450 posts at the hotel are now at risk, including 150 staff on zero hours contracts.
Cameron House is a big part of the area – and something of a Scottish landmark – so it’s inevitable that a tragedy like this will have a lasting impact on families.
It’s so unfortunate that jobs have to be lost, but a restructure is often necessary to help a business rebuild and regenerate.
Hopefully the changes will have a positive impact in the long term.
It Made Me Laugh
A baseball cap in Primark with ‘Hun’ written on it attracted attention for all the wrong reasons last week.
A picture of the offending article did make me chuckle initially, but selling a product like this in Glasgow – where religious tensions can still run very high – is a bad idea.
Ofcom has since deemed the word ‘inoffensive’ but ‘less acceptable by those familiar with the history and use of the term as a sectarian insult’.
Primark has since done the sensible thing and taken the product off its Glasgow shelves. The retracted version of ‘honey’ just doesn’t work well in the city.
While obviously an innocent error from Primark, it’s an unfortunately potent demonstration of how big companies must be acutely aware of regional variations in language and culture.
