pour encourager les autres
Byng is best known for failing to relieve a besieged British garrison during the Battle of Minorca at the beginning of the Seven Years' War. Byng had sailed for Minorca at the head of a fleet which, according to his wife were chosen by their poor condition. Despite losing the wind and being underpowered (lacking enough guns) managed to forge an inconclusive engagement with a French fleet off the Minorca coast (which considering the haste his force was assembled was pretty good military management) he returned to Gibraltar to repair his ships. A very, very sensible management decision.
Byng was subsequently courts-martialled and found guilty of failing to "do his utmost" to prevent Minorca falling to the French. He was sentenced to death and shot by firing squad on 14 March 1757.
Since the Wilson Government I.e from Edward Heath's time we have suffered a crisis of management each one convened by the loser in charge of the governments and the treasury with the demise of Empire came the rise in the Asian super economies where Japan could produce a reliable car complete with seat-belts and radio which ammenities were still charged as extras even on a British car that was costing the manufacturers £5 each to sell.
Since the 1960's lack of investment meant British factories were using machinery that had been kept operational since their construction in the early 1940's. The first thing to go was the motorcycle industry next it was the Range Rover both suffered the illogical fate of enormous popularity in the hands of has-been counters. Hasty production on unsuitable machinery meant supply problems resolved by British management and consequently faulty parts waiting shipments to their agents.
The result being that the Italians could find customers here for cars that were made of metal that turned to soup, overnight. Car sales went like this:
British car > Italian or second hand anything car > Japanese car. British management responded by taking a world class leader like Triumph and turning out Morris Marinas, through a subtle government's encourageous action of amalgamation. Then Rolls Royce went bump after its engines were fed too many frozen dinners. It responded to Thatcherist refusal to support lame ducks by selling the car plant to Germany and the RB211 Jet Engine licenses to Prat and Witlessbutlesstoooopidthanus.
Since then the only piracy that goes on these days is ostensibly against British and American ships (which are not actually British or American) and the majority of British investments are offshore. When calculating the annual budget it doesn't matter why all you are left with in the case of for example the largest pottery maker in Europe at the time is one or two hand crafted artist's collector's piecemakers.
All you are left with in the once mighty Birmingham engineering factories are one or two plants not exactly in Birmingham making cars for India, China and Japan with one (at one time) making cars for France.
Let us by all means have a discussion on the merits of leaving or staying but let us start the discussion by killing all the bean counters. If we could start by removing every merchant Banker to some offshore dungeon modelled on Gunsandammo Bay we might have a sensible one.
Personally I can see the point of lining them up (ALL of the bastards) on the foredeck of a brig and increasing their lead content substantially. But.... who you gonna call?
Guy Fawkes?
On 31 January, Fawkes fell from the scaffold where he was to be hanged and broke his neck, thus avoiding the agony of the mutilation that followed for the next 10 months giving vent to the essay produced by King James on the evils of smoking.
Hence the term "death masque".
(Subtle use of "no icon" indicative of the disgrace of not having THE APPROPRIATE ONE for Britain's most famous terrrst! COME ON EL REG pull your finger out!)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
