Inside this issue of IBI

EDITOR’S COMMENT

>> Uncertainty was creating the biggest drag… we need stability to prosper

So it appears the UK’s political deadlock, that had led to a severe case of Brexit fatigue, sapping consumer confidence, has now been broken. On the day IBI went to press, the UK went to the polls and confirmed a landslide victory for Boris Johnson and the Conservative party. Johnson and his party’s cut through message of ‘getting Brexit done’ appears to have resonated with a voting public weary of all the political wrangling.

The question is, what impact could it have on the UK leisure marine sector? Leave or remain, left or right of the political spectrum – what is born out from our annual UK market report is that it was the uncertainty that was creating the biggest drag, encouraging consumers to ‘wait and see’ and businesses to hold off on investment until they had a clearer view of the road ahead. Our cyclical business needs stability in the markets to prosper.

”The industry has plenty of other issues much closer to home that need urgent attention… we need politics to take a back seat.”

Of course, Brexit while now a certainty at the end of January, is still a long way off from being fully implemented, but one would hope in a less politically divisive and charged atmosphere, a more constructive dialogue can be had to ensure trading relationships with the United Kingdom are not just maintained, but who knows, perhaps enhanced?

What is for certain, the global marine industry has plenty of other issues much closer to home that need urgent attention, perhaps the most fundamental of all, just how do we attract the next generation of boaters and how can we reduce our ecological footprint? With questions like those, we need politics to take a back seat please.                                                  

Wishing you a prosperous 2020 from the IBI team.

Ed Slack | IBI Editor