THE saying goes that “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu”. Potential Prime Minister in waiting Boris Johnston has certainly experienced that as he 'empty chaired’ Sunday’s Channel 4 debate between candidates pitching to be leader of the Conservative Party.
Boris sustained some subtle jibs and some full on assaults from the other five candidates as they questioned, in his absence, his suitability to lead their Party and the UK.
“Where’s Boris? If his team don’t trust him to debate five friendly colleagues how will he get on with 27 EU countries?” questioned Jeremy Hunt.
Being present is important. Business knows that. It is why in our factories the leadership and management are visible on the factory floor. Being seen and seeing what’s going on first hand is critical for not just morale but also for being able to directly address issues, pick up good ideas and show that every person in the business is as important as the others. Just like every component in the great machinery we make or the machines which allow us to make great product.
The Northern Ireland business community recognised we need to “be at the table” too. It is why we have taken our Brexit concerns, advice and ideas directly to decision makers in Westminster, Dublin and Brussels over the past two years and why we’ll continue to work with whoever moves their furniture in to Number 10 next month.
We have united as not before calling that should the UK leave the EU, then it must be with a deal which protects firms and farmers.
A deep level of understanding about our economy and supply chains has been developed as evidenced by the great contributions of Aodhán Connolly, Seamus Leheny and Jennifer McKeever around yet another table on BBC's The View on Thursday night. Viewers (and the unfortunate contributors sent to face them) were left in no doubt about their expertise, their precision and their ability to make the complex understandable. We’re lucky to have such great advocates willing to share their knowledge.
While the UK waits to see who the new PM will be, we have not been sitting idle. We can’t influence who Conservative Party members will coronate as PM so we’ve been taking time to greet and meet most of candidates and engaging with the groups tasked with working on ‘alternative arrangements’ to prevent the need for the Brexit backstop to be triggered should the UK and EU conclude its withdrawal agreement.
I had the chance to take one such group around Derry last week, introducing them to the work north west councils and engaging with large and small firms who trade across the border and those who interface between business and the community.
They heard from those directly engaged in building our prosperity and in building our peace about the need to consider in their work ‘community, context and consent’.
If those designing another route take account and address those building blocks, perhaps a deal can be concluded which can work. Without that, any new prime minister seem destined for failure before he has even begun and perhaps ‘on the menu’ for what would then be the inevitable general election in the months ahead.
