Tesco - a little bit of sense

Dear Mr Tarry (CEO Tesco UK)

Your organisation will have no doubt had a large number of ‘claimhor' rattling e.mails on the rather ignorant comments on Scotland’s status as a “region” of Britain.  Unlike others, I beleive the comments were made within the Tesco view of the UK rather than some deliberate political slight on Scotland.

With Scottish sensitivities shifting towards ending the UK Parliamentary Union, on Brexit, maybe you could help your future sales in Scotland by ensuring senior management understand the constitutional and legal reality of the UK as opposed to the London centric view they are routinely exposed to.

The UK is a parliamentary union; of two nation states, Scotland and England, by treaty (1707) and law by seperate Acts of Union. Both nation states as part of the 1707 Treaty of Union retain their own head of state (there never has been any “Union of the Crowns”), legal and constitutional system, educational system, health system, public owned water supply (for example) and in Scotland the national church is dis-established. Scotland is not legally or constitutionally a region of the UK, it is a nation state which is central to the existence of the UK Parliamentary Union. The UK in its current form does not exist without Scotland.

Wales and Northern Ireland are regions of England, governed by English law and constitutional practice and can be considered regions of England.

The UK Parliamentary Union, unless the current government does a massive U-turn on the custom’s union, is in its death throws. 

I am certain you have plans for this eventuality as it, along with Brexit, will cause massive stress on your just in time delivery system - without continuing membership of at least the custom’s union with the EU. WTO tariffs will hit your organisation hard, as will the problems with supply, via air, of perishables; given the short to long term disruption caused by pulling out of EU agreed flight transfer arrangements. Throw in Scotland ending the UK Parliamentary Union, remaining in the EU Custom’s Union, a hard border between Berwick and Carlisle and you will have serious problems for supply in England and Wales.

I understand with the day to day operations you are involved with, this may seem "small beer” - versus the multi-million pound operation you front - but having worked as a quality consultant and certification auditor with DNV, for two decades, across Europe; it would be remiss of me not to bring the potential commercial and political impact of one ignorant and ill judged pronouncement, to your attention.


(As of 13:44 Facebook has prevented me from promotoing this post, whether it is simply a Facebok F'up or something more sinister I do not know but please share the heck out of it)