Editorial Comment

Brexit has been like the toothache. We all know that feeling when it becomes the only thing you can think about, and if only the pain would go away your whole life would be happy and entirely problem-free. And then you have the tooth out and suddenly all the other problems reclaim their place in your life

Exactly one year ago, in the first GC issue of 2019, this column was complaining about the inability of politicians to get it done, and the serious effect this was having on UK businesses.

And then, in our last issue of 2019, the theme was the same, and we were demanding: “for heaven’s sake just give us a result – any result – so we can plan what to do next.”

Well, we have a result. As of 31 January 2020 the UK is no longer a member of the European Union, and we have, by all accounts, left with a deal. So now, with that troublesome tooth extracted and the pain dying away, all the other problems we always had, and that we should have been addressing for the last three years, are right here again, older and bigger and uglier and more acute than before because of neglect.

The first euphoria of relief now gives way to the realisation that, on top of all those neglected problems, there’s still a lot of work to do and a lot of negotiations to be concluded before our disentanglement from the EU is really accomplished.

But there really does seem to be a kind of muted optimism in the country. We know we have problems, but we also know we are able once again to give them our full attention. Having (or even believing we have) a clear idea of what’s in front of us, is a challenge we can rise to with new vigour and no distractions. When consumers have more confidence that they can see the road ahead – however hard it may be - they’re willing to invest in their own lives, and to spend money

on the goods and services that will make their lives better.

Interestingly, one of the big problems the public seems to have taken an even greater interest in at the beginning of this new decade is climate change. Whether or not you believe it’s happening, the general consensus is that it can no longer be denied, and many individuals believe they can help mitigate it by taking personal responsibility for the things they buy and the energy and resources they consume. It is going to be a major theme in domestic electrical appliances in 2020 and beyond, and where there is a general consumer appetite for reducing personal and household carbon footprints, there is an opportunity for manufacturers and retailers to work together to deliver the appliances and the information to satisfy it.

It’s a genuine win/win: Save the planet. Sell more appliances. “The first euphoria of relief now gives way to the realisation that, on top of all those neglected problems, there’s still a lot of work to do”

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Marlinda Conway Editor in Chief

Terry Heath Editorial & Publishing Director

Will Dobson Creative Director

James McIntosh Consumer Consultant

George Cole Consumer Electronics Consultant

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