We are going to hear a lot about trade tariffs. For now, I just have this contribution to the debate.
When there was no single market this is what I paid to import an elderly Morris Minor into the UK. We have come a long way since 1975 but now we are on the verge of taking a step backwards. On one hand I respect democracy, on the other I despair.
If you are so young that you can’t remember what a MM looked like here is a clue. My grandmother’s, which I inherited, wasn’t such a dashing colour. It was called Battleship Grey – great name to attract the more aggressive driver.
I remember that Morris Minor. It was surprisingly agile for a car of its age and shape, with a particular aptitude for descending steps. It took us beagling in North Yorkshire on several occasions. I seem to recall a minor altercation with a hunt supporter following a verge-side shunt shortly after lunch which left hardly a dent on the MM.
More serious damage was incurred on another beagling trip, this time before arriving at the Meet and following an expansive lunch at Richmond. Rounding a sharp bend and sensibly wanting to avoid a head-on collision Christopher veered off the road and down a sharp slope. The MM rolled well (an advantage of its shape) and settled upside down in the lower branches of a tree. I forget what happened next.
The BG MM served with distinction in Durham, and towards the end playing a leading role in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations in Central London. But that story is for another to tell.
Happy days. Thank you for cheering up an otherwise rather gloomy week.
The events on the Queen’s Silver Jubillee are akin to the tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra. Tomorrow I will try and keep you cheered up with something vaguely about hunting.
What a treasure trove you have tucked away! I recall, from an earlier post, your second TV licence. Have you considered yet which University Department of Social Studies will benefit? How are you copying with eBills. Have you an iCloud repository. Your Brooks’s accounts alone would occupy a PHD for years.
All very WG Sebald.
The archive is in disarray. I was searching unsuccessfully for a Farrow and Ball colour chart when instead I found the Morris Minor import document and the epaulettes for a Captain in the Irish Guards.
William was given a Morris Minor in 1974 by a doughty matron in his village . He offered to pay for the remaining road fund licence but was told it wasn’t necessary – ” I never tax my car when there is a labour government “.