When I was five years old, I wanted to be in The Beatles, but all the jobs were taken … By the age of 12, I wanted to be a scientist and I became one. At the age of 18 I took a job with a philanthropic pharmaceutical company, working around the world and developing the first human insulin, novel medicines for herpes and to bring the first HIV / AIDS treatment to the world in record time. This means that I bring a scientific mind, curiosity and rigour to your enterprise.
By the age of 30 I had developed an interest in business leadership and began teaching MBA programmes, having completed 3.5 degrees myself. At 34, I took myself out of a paid job and, for the last 28 years, I have worked independently as a consultant, author and speaker with people at all levels all over the world, helping them to transform their enterprises. My clients seek to balance their passions, purposes and profit for a more responsible and sustainable form of capitalism in the 4th industrial age. I also help leaders digest what we call "wicked problems and opportunities", in other words, the issues that keep them awake at night, using a unique mixture of divergent and convergent thinking skills. My 28 years of consultancy experience bring a wealth of expertise and wisdom to you, in enterprises as diverse as Unilever to the United Nations.
Along the way, I have written 12 books on leadership, innovation and creativity, gaining a prize for my work from Sir Richard Branson and various accolades from Professors Charles Handy, Adrian Furnham, Tom Peters et al. Over some 50 years, I have gradually combined my three passions of science, business and music into a potent mixture which reaches the head, heart and soul of your enterprise.
In combination, your enterprise benefits from rigour, analytics and curiosity due to my science and business background, plus the emotional intelligence, creativity and improvisation skills that come from my life as a music composer and producer. As a musician I have been privileged to interview world class musicians such as Roberta Flack, John Mayall, AC / DC, members of Prince’s ensembles, Queen's production team and Meatloaf's singing partners for their insights into leadership, innovation and success.
I am a passionate advocate for better politics and better business for a better world, fighting populist politicians and short-termism in our global affairs. I am an "HR" person, i.e. a "Hippy Realist": green by ideals, but pragmatic by actions to change the world towards more sustainable behaviour.
Rachel Reeves’ financial statement aka emergency budget landed yesterday. Labour have abandoned their principles of support for those in most need in society. And yet, a simple remedy to our woes is at hand … to end Brexit and apply to Rejoin the EU immediately. Brexit is costing us £140 Million every year. Much more than the floor sweepings she is trying to hoover up from the poor, needy and vulnerable.
Trumpaction costs
Worst of all, buggered by Brexit, Labour are forced to go with a begging bowl to TrumPutin. What transaction costs will Trump require to cut Labour a bit of slack? The price will be high for sure as transactional (trumpactional) negotiation is all that Trump understands.
Will Britain allow US crap food to be dumped on our kids?
Will Britain be expected to place further distance from Europe?
Will Britain have to withdraw support partially or wholly from Ukraine?
Reeves should know that by dealing with Trump, she is dealing with Putin.
Reeves and Moartar
There are better answers than kowtowing to psychopaths … Rejoin the EU, starting NOW.
Britain cannot indulge in full-on direct trade wars as we are now weakened by Brexit as we are now about as important as Panama. We can however be more creative than that, by indulging in what are known in the trade as “assymetric actions”. The most obvious one is applying to Rejoin the EU. We must also postpone the state visit. There are many other things that Trump wants to run his MAGA America First industry. We could simply redirect these resources to other countries. We are not stronger than Trump, but we can be cleverer. At this point in time Reeves and Starmer are in the “Chamberlain position”.
Unite and Survive Trump
This is what lies ahead if Britain doesn’t stand up to Trumputin:
Labour’s Brexit Jurassic Theme Park.
Brexit Hannibal Lecter Starmer 2024.
Your poor huddled masses, let’s club ’em to death. And get it over with and just dump ’em on the boulevard. Lou Reed.
Buy us a coffee (or more) via WISE, BACS, Go Fund Me etc. if you wish to help us do more.
I called BBC Any Answers yesterday to talk about Trump, Temper Tantrums, Tariffs, but NOT Tortellini !! We did also discuss, Leadership, Starmer, child psychology, Harry Potter, Brexit, and Europe in 75 seconds !! Anita Anand took a sharp intake of breath when I mentioned the B word, so I put her in the “recovery position” with Albus Dumbledore !! You can just about hear her exhaling with relief !! 🙂
Listen to the call at BBC Any Answers. No pasta was tortured during the call.
We are now a little behind on funding and need income to buy books for the events on March 23 / 24. With 1/3 of Labour MPs and 1/5 of Tory MPs mailed, we’d certainly like to increase this number to 50% and 33%. If you can support us I’d be grateful.
We are also thinking of standing as a candidate in the local elections as Reform UK threaten to take more seats. Having stood in the General Election, we believe that we have a good chance of diverting Reform voters away from Deform UK. This needs a few hundred quid to cover costs over a couple of months.
Hoping to meet some of you at the events organised by Peter French and his team on March 23/24. Or join us on ZOOM Monday 17 March at 8pm via ZOOM.
Give us Our Star back !!
Don’t be tortured by Trump, Tariffs or Tortellini. Revolt and survive !!!
We recently gained this endorsement for the book Reboot Britain from Lord Heseltine:
“Thank you for your letter of 19th February. I am glad you are undertaking this work which is both needed and timely”.
The Rt Hon the Lord Heseltine CH
Please send the book to MPs and influencers in advance of the Rejoin EU debate on March 24. Get copies at Amazon. Or get 60% author discount copies direct via reboot@brexitrage.com If you want us to send the books, please support us via PayPal, Go Fund Me or BACS via e-mail.
We are also planning some events to mark the debate. These need support as well. Give us our star back …
I was astonished to learn that Reform UK supporters are actively backing killing immigrants who they believe to be paedophiles. Rupert Lowe, Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth constantly posts disinformation about immigration and a host of other subjects on LinkedIn to trigger people who are easily swayed into believing him. This set of responses are possibly the worst I’ve seen, although they are not the only ones by far. Eugene seems quite happy to shoot paedophiles. He has fallen prey to the idea that there is a “paedophilia gene” and it resides exclusively within foreigners, when the vast majority of rapists in Britain are the “old English variety”. Eugene works as a business development manager at Future Optics in Lancashire. I’d be quite concerned if he is willing to kill people indiscriminately based on Rupert’s dogwhistle calls.
At various points, Rupert stokes the idea that not only are the rapists ‘foreigners’, but they are also ‘islamic’. This dangerous disinformation is poisoning our society and Eugene is an easy target for people looking for easy answers to complex problems.
In terms of incitement, here are some example of the kind of post that Rupert puts up. He posts this kind of thing several times daily, but never answers any comments. It is a persistent campaign of disinformation.
Please report disinformation and / or hate crimes. It helps keep the internet safe. False information and outright lies do not help to “Make Britain Great Again” as Nigel Farage would have you believe. They simply poison the culture and breed hatred, which is the basis of dogwhistle politics. And, in case you are wondering, better answers to immigration are available. See below. In case you also think we are “lefty losers”, think again. Yet it is always a mistake to pray at Donald Trump, Putin and Farage’s altar. Take courage Sir Keir Starmer.
The people have spoken – 100 000 people want a debate on Rejoining the EU. But the Government have already responded, stating that Brexit is done. It’s not f…king good enough. Only 11% of British people now want to carry on with Brexit. When the facts change, we must change! Please send this press release to journalists and anyone that will listen. Text version and image below for use in e-mails and on social media. Or just share this article.
Sir Keir Starmer has not yet granted a meaningful debate about Rejoining the EU, following a democratic mandate by 100 000 citizens of Britain, via an OFFICIAL Government petition.
The system requires 100 000 signatures to trigger a mass debate. We have faithfully followed the rules, but no debate has been offered thus far. Instead Starmer has hardened Brexit by demonising ALL migrants, whether legally here or not, and opted out of global standards on AI. These are the actions of a Cabinet consumed by “Farageosis Nervosa” and “Trumpius Maximus”, virulent neurological conditions which can only be cured by “mass Brexorcism”.
“It’s yet another Brexit Betrayal. Even people who voted for Brexit in my area are disgusted at Starmer’s denial of democracy. It’s bad karma for Starmer if we can’t support the rule of law.”
Peter Cook, Brexorcist in Chief, Reboot Britain.
Cook edited a book Rejoin EU: Reboot Britain, together with 60 people across UK and Europe, including former Labour MEPs, a KC and subject experts across many fields. Reboot Britain offers a clear guide to opportunities afforded and threats avoided by embalming Brexit in formaldehyde before burial at sea. No one should assume that breaking Brexit before Brexit breaks Britain is the single magic bullet solution to all Britain’s problems. But the positive impact of returning the UK to the heart of Europe will be wide ranging and felt right across the socio-economic, political, technological, environmental and ethical landscape. Without our European allies, Britain risks being isolated in an increasingly dangerous world. The threat posed by the four horsemen of the “populypse” (populist apocalypse): Trump, Musk, Farage, Putin brings Brexit Britain’s unsplendid isolation into sharp relief.
“Only 11% of those who voted for Brexit now want to ‘Carry on Brexit’. What a carry on!”
Peter Bone, Pensioner, Chelmsford.
We demand a full public debate on Rejoining the EU, not a late-night sub-committee hearing or 15 minutes before afternoon tea in the House of Lords.
“Britain deserves better than Brexit now that we know what Brexit really means.”
Last week was a bit of a bumper ride. I attended the UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) event in London on Tuesday, then Stella Creasy’s Labour For Europe event on Thursday. I also spoke with James O’Brien on Brexit Day 31 January !! We have also started some musical and activist projects. Settle in for a long read ….
Before we begin, We are supporting Robert McMaster’s petition to force a debate about Rejoining in Parliament. The petition had stalled at 69 000 signatures with virtually no activity. In just three days we restarted the flywheel, adding 13 000 to the total and more since. Please sign and share, then send copies of our book to MPs and influencers. 60% author discount copies for those who don’t wish to use Amazon via e-mail reboot@brexitrage.com
Watch our latest videos on the project:
UKICE event highlights
UK in a Changing Europe hosted an event with Sir John Curtice, Prof Anand Menon, Prof Catherine Barnard and Sarah Hall, hosted by the BBC’s Jo Coburn. Labour stayed away from the event which surprised me. Catherine Barnard began by confirming our own view that the problem with Brexit is political paralysis and suggested that lawyers would be happy to sort the ‘wiring’ out if the politicians ever developed backbones (my words, not hers). John Curtice explained why Labour are reluctant to move the Overton window to bring Brexit back into view, stating that a referendum would consume a lot of political energy. Our settled view is that if Labour don’t confront the Brexit elephant in the room, there will be no substantial growth and therefore no second term. Anand Menon suggested that there would not be sufficient time for any Rejoin benefits to flow through. I believe that this is based on the liberal elitist assumption that a referendum is needed and therefore a lot of time would be needed to orchestrate such a decision. Also, the strategic intent to rejoin would be sufficient to boost confidence in business and markets, so I beg to differ with courtesy Anand. Views like this from academics, prominent Remain figures such as Jon Danzig and ‘peaceful warriors’ play straight into Labour’s hands when they say that that nobody wants to go back through the arguments over rejoining. Yet we all know the polling data. Yes, people don’t want to go back through a lengthy national soul searching process again, but this assumes that one is needed. From my own research, I find that the vast majority of people would not be that troubled if Brexit were made to go away quickly and without fuss. We say, let Parliament do the job they are paid to do. A referendum may only be needed as a confirmatory step, and then a simple, short process with fully fact checked information. See Reboot Britain for the reasons we say this.
On the other side of the debate, I find that some Remainers unwittingly reinforce and mirror the views of Remoaners, some of whom have pathologised victimhood, as articulated by this view from one of our co-authors Paul Cawthorne:
Curtice importantly confirmed our view that the time is now to campaign for rejoin. The entire session is below on video. Although I took comfort from Catherine Barnard and John Curtice’s remarks, overall the tone of the debate was one of ‘learned helplessness’, perhaps informed by fears and fantasies about what the far right might do if Labour were to take decisive action to stem the flow of blood from Brexit rather than apply more bandages. Leadership is needed from Labour rather than followership aka management by driving through the rear view mirror. My question to the panel can be found at 1.05.47 ish onwards. I gave books to Jo Coburn and John Curtice and our 1:1 conversations were candid about the need for leadership rather than handing the country to Farage and his wolves.
Stella Creasy’s Labour In Europe Event
Undoubtedly Labour have not stooped to the depths of depravity that 14 years of Tory rule have delivered in terms of divide and conquer politics, austerity on steroids and victimisation of vulnerable people via Brexit on crack cocaine. So the Tories should have been an easy ‘support act’ for Labour to follow. Labour’s first moves in power have however been somewhat awkward, as brilliantly parodied by Larry and Paul. That said, we must not underestimate the difficult of turning a super tanker round mid ocean after 14 years of degradation with some people still on deck trying to lock the ship onto icebergs.
In Labour’s search for “growth by 1000 ameliorations” whilst ignoring the Brexit elephant in the room, they will find it difficult, dare we say impossible to deliver the levels of growth required to win a 2nd term in office. By the end of the evening, Stella Creasy seemed a little rattled by an audience of remainers for ‘going on about Brexit’. Possibly in a moment of sheer frustration, she brought up the bogey man of rule by Elon Musk if we did not ‘get over it’. She seemed somewhat irritated by the encounter and took me to task over my suggestion that Keir Starmer needed more confidence to take tough decisions. This was the essence of my question to Stella:
I stood for Parliament in 2024 against Labour. I say against but my candidacy was solely to split the Tory vote in a safe seat. I recommended that people vote for Labour at all Hustings events, something that political candidates don’t do. Having spoken with Labour MPs and MEPs I am told that Labour’s strategy will be to consider rejoining in 2032. When I explain to them that (a) all the Brexit damage will be complete by then (b) much of it will be irreversible like some chemical reactions and (c) since there is no appetite to discuss Brexit in 2024, no one will be able to connect their lived experience with Brexit as a contributory cause in 2032, Labour MPs agree with me that the idea of rejoining later is disingenuous at best. At the hustings Naushabah Khan (Labour) stated that Brexit did not come up on the doorstep in defence of Labour’s position. I agreed, stating that all the front of mind issues that did come up on the doorstep (Cost of Living, NHS, social care etc.) had at least one foot in Brexit as a contributory factor. I used the Brexit iceberg to illustrate my point. Nashabah did not challenge my analysis. The Conservatives and Labour passively colluded to move Brexit out of the Overton window in favour of its offspring.
Brexit is the turd that won’t flush whether we pretend we can’t smell it or not.
Brexit Iceberg
Our internal sources tell us that Keir Starmer is naturally cautious and need a lot of support to make bold decisions. By fearing Farage, Starmer is “managing by driving through the rear view mirror” rather than leading. And when he says we won’t rejoin in his lifetime, he means his political lifetime. It may come soon without a little more risk taking. Perhaps this week’s incremental moves in Brussels are a kind of “national focus group” to test reactions. If nobody blinks, he moves another inch and so on. The right wing media and the Farage extremists have all cried “surrender” just because he went to Brussels at all … if that’s the reaction to an entirely trivial set of proposals, he may as well be hung for a sheep than a lamb. See sunk costs in the book.
I came away a little disheartened by the tone of the event which appeared to be telling us that ‘mum and dad knows best’. Although I would rather have open heart surgery without an anaesthetic than vote Reform UK, I came away with a strong understanding as to why others would. The more that people in Labour tried to defend the indefensible, the more toxic the comments became via the online chat. In hindsight, I think this dialogue may have been better handled in a real life event than on ZOOM, where feedback can go unheard and views build up like a pressure cooker. I was pleased however to see that my MP was brave enough to share my reactions to the event on social media and Nigel Farage is incandescent that Starmer signed a paper in the same building that Edward Heath used many years ago. Nigel really cares about the people of Britain of course but seems trapped by the iconography …
My MP Naushabah Khan
Rejoin EU
Brexorcists in Chief
On Friday I had a dialogue with James O’Brien about the last Remaining Brexiteers. There are not many people flying the flag for Brexit now, some 11% in fact. They mostly now fall into two categories: The people who still believe that the EU is an unelected superstate and who vote for Nigel Farage (himself elected to the EU as an MEP!!) and the racists / xenophobes. Gone are the people who voted for Brexit to stick it to Cameron, the ones who believed in the £350 million on the bus, Mogg’s lies about cheap food and shoes and so on. Are we to die on a hill for these people with Keir Starmer? Here’s the interview with James:
Click to listen to LBC
We also wrote a new song in partnership with Paul Cawthorne in Italy. Brexit’s in the air is a rewrite of the Wet Wet Wet song – the band title is “Slightly Red” to reflect Labour’s current positioning. Don’t just graze on the website, download the track and support our work.
Click to download on Bandcamp
Farage: Make Shit Happen
Finally, we rewrote a Sham 69 song around the story of Nigel Farage’s nephew, convicted for upskirting in the Co-Op in Orpington. How bizarre.
Keep on keeping on
Keep sending hard copies of the Rejoin EU book to MPs, influencers etc. …
Nigel Farage likes to suggest that there might be a “terrorist gene”. Of course, this is utter rubbish. He also implies that no terrorists are English in spite of compelling evidence to the contrary. This is how the far right take people for a ride …. But, if that’s true, then surely there must be an “upskirting gene”, since Nigel’s cousin was convicted of the sleazy crime of photographing women’s panties in a clandestine manner at the Co-Op in Orpington, just near to Nigel’s house in Downe.
This remake of a Sham 69 song tells the story of Nigel Farridge’s nephew who got a £572 fine for upskirting, when he should have had a two year jail sentence. There’s privilege in action for you!
I decided to write a song about it, choosing the Sham 69 Punk Rock song “Hurry up Harry” as the vehicle. Download “Hurry up Farridge” at Bandcamp to support our work. Here’s the video. I rated it 18 since it deals with the unsavoury subject of upskirting.
The decision by Keir Starmer to charge inheritance tax will affect a number of farmers who are, in the vernacular, asset rich, but cash poor. For example, a farm with an asset value of £8 million but average profits of £19 000 pa will face a tax bill of £1.2 million on the death of its owner. This is yet another example of a Government looking round desperately for cash to drive recovery, although the actual amounts gained are relatively small.
Many farmers were duped by the Brexit sales pitch in 2016. It is at the root of the problem. The Conservative Government’s promised replacement for the Common Agricultural Policy was very poor in comparison with what we had in the EU. Today, the far right and Deform UK are to hijack the farmer’s protests, instead of admitting that it is THEY who the root cause of farmers’ problems, having sold them the lies of “BSE” (Brexit Surrealistic Exaggerations).
Dr Charlie Clutterbuck writes on the Brexit mistake for food, farming, land and labour. Here’s an extract from our White Paper on the topic.
If we were to admit that the Brexit elephant is at the heart of our problems and apply to Rejoin EU, we would not need to be doing this, nor punish other groups through measures which don’t help Britain grow.
Sorry (not sorry) but those pushing the farming hysteria need an absolute fcking reality check. The very same group who ignored strong warnings about the devastating impact brexit would have on farming, and who voted time and again for the actual political party that signed international deals that undercut UK farmers, undermined our food and environmental safety standards, are now reaping what they sowed.
And aided by the right wing media pumping out misinformation/disinformation fed by the tories and the millionaire agricultural land investing tax dodgers, they’re gaslighting everyone into blaming Labour for their current difficulties. I simply refuse to wring hands for people who are blaming others for a crisis of their own making (in that voting has consequences). Labour’s October inheritance tax measures are not responsible for the last eight years’ worth of farming difficulties.
Yes, things are very, very hard for farmers- as Remainers told them it would be if they voted for Brexit (and the tories), and urgent measures have to be done to help them. But get a fucking grip. Don’t let those who made policy these last 14 years play you into blaming a party which only took power before Summer Recess.
I’m fully aware commercial farmers work extremely hard to produce their harvests for domestic and overseas consumption. And every nation needs to be able to feed itself as much as possible. I am very supportive of farmers who farm ethically and sustainably. I’m very supportive of vocational, family business, small farmers. But I’m not prepared to swallow this narrative that this is all Labour’s fault and farmers are Labour’s victims. No, many farmers played a hand in this situation, and need to acknowledge it.
Analysis from Farmers’ Weekly: 7 years after Brexit, farmers count the cost: Increased red tape, a worsening economic situation, damaging free-trade deals, a trail of broken promises – it seems that farmers and those working in the ancillary industries are far from satisfied with Brexit.
That is the inevitable conclusion from a new survey by Farmers Weekly into how the agricultural sector now perceives Brexit, seven years on from the historic referendum of 23 June, 2016.
A group of us from all over Europe have just written to Lord Darroch about our white paper on Rejoining the EU after he published a piece in the Observer about Trump and our place in Europe. Here is the letter on Rejoining the EU, which you may adapt for your own purposes for use with Ambassadors, Lords and influencers:
Dear Lord Darroch of Kew KCMG,
We read with great interest your piece in The Observer on Sunday, where you mention the UK’ relationship with the EU. We are Reboot Britain, a network organisation that campaigns for a Better Britain in a Better Europe for a Better World
We write to appraise you of a comprehensive cross-party white paper on the question of rejoining the EU by 60 members of our network. You are right. The government’s painfully slow and minimalist reset towards the UK EU reset is not good enough. It amounts to a slow decline of Britain by 1000 ameliorations.
Public perception is now at the point where a number of polls suggest that 2/3 of British people realise that Brexit was a mistake and that we should rejoin as a priority. Sadly political paralysis accompanies the apparent “will of the people” in this respect. It is unlikely that UK growth will be possible by “ignoring the Brexit elephant in the room”. We are sure that, particularly given the likely governance inclination of President Elect Trump, you will agree the much needed “growth” in the UK economy is impossible outside of Europe. We potentially face a further depression in the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) growth predictions for the next four years.
We would urge you to read the report and would be very happy if you were to circulate it to interested parties that you know. A two-page Executive Summary is attached also. If at all possible, we would like to meet for an open dialogue without prejudice in Westminster or at a place of your choosing. Would this be possible?
Yours sincerely.
Alan David – MBA, Member of the International Systems Dynamics Society,
Fellow of the Institute for Teaching and Learning 07729 828360
Michael Hindley – Three term MEP, Vice President of the European Parliament’s Trade Committee. Coordinator of the Former MEPs’ Guest Lecturers Programme.
Colonel Terence Knott MC – President, Amicale Europe Pays de Fayence, France
Peter Cook – MBA, MRSC C. Chem, FCIPD, Leader, Reboot Britain 07725 927585
No, not occupy Greenland !! The real Project 2025 is to Rejoin the EU. Our new book is out. Order your copies on Amazon. To get multiple discount copies at author discount of just £3.50 plus P&P, please mail me via reboot@brexitrage.com The main uses of the book are to:
Send physical copies to MPs, journalists and influencers in UK and Europe. A physical copy is a coffee table item and much more likely to be read than a digital copy of the book.
Place in cafes, libraries, universities (e.g. politics / history courses), pubs, clubs, book clubs and other social settings to change minds about Brexit and Europe.
Use it for the basis of talks to communities to Brexorcise groups.
Here is the press release. Feel free to use it on social media.
Sir Keir Starmer has stated that there is no case to Rejoin the EU. We disagree and 60 of us wrote this book to explain why the case for applying to Rejoin the EU is overwhelming and urgent. This will help as part of a strategy to Reboot Britain and begin the path towards sustainable growth.
Although ending Brexit and applying to Rejoin the EU is not a one size fits all magic bullet solution to Britain’s problems, the impacts will be wide ranging and felt right across the STEEPLE factors. (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Legal and Ethical). Contrary to what some might say, Brexit is far from done. However, we are done for if we refuse to confront the Brexit elephant in the room. It is not so much that we must Rejoin the EU, but that we cannot afford not to do it.
Please send the book to MPs, influencers, journalists, friends, family and those few who still think that Brexit was a good idea, poorly executed. It will begin the Brexorcism conversation anew, now that 2/3 of the population accept that Brexit was a mistake.
Featuring contributions from Dr Charlie Clutterbuck (Author, Bittersweet Brexit), Michael Hindley (former MEP), Ian Forrester KC, Wendy Nowak, Mark Sampson (Iron Man Records), Helga Perry, Terence Knott (President Amicale Europe Pays de Fayence), Paul Cawthorne, Julie Ward (former MEP), David Powell, Sue Bird, Adrian Ekins-Daukes (former EU Commission diplomat), Paul Weller, Irina Fridman, John Falch, Kevin McDonald, Judith Spencer and Andrew Hessleden.
You may also enjoy our other publications : “Reboot Britain” – a book on the gentle art and discipline of Brexorcism and “Private Eyelines” – a book on Brexit satire which busts the myths of Brexit using the power of humour mixed with facts.
