On listening to news headlines I was interested to hear remarks from several journalists in response to comments made by foreign secretary Boris Johnson as he caused outrage by urging French President François Hollande not to "administer punishment beatings" on Britain for choosing to escape the EU "rather in the manner of some World War Two movie".
Whilst it seems that all were quick to jump on the bandwagon in expressing outrage, comparing him to Basil Fawlty, I am afraid I disagree.
Boris does indeed say some rather daft things on a regular basis, and with monotonous frequency behaves likewise, not a good trait in his position. However, suggesting that he should not have made reference to the war is rather naïve.
Many of our European neighbours have on more than one occasion expressed a desire to ensure that we are punished for upsetting the EU apple cart in choosing, by democratic means, to sever our formal ties.
In a different context, we can all recall countless occasions when family members or friends are told ‘not to mention’ something that may well cause unpleasant memories to be brought to the surface, resulting in friction and upset.
Whilst we all want to lead peaceful lives, it is this very reluctance to face up to past events, and the ongoing impact they continue to have, that often prevents people finding acceptable solutions when presented with future challenges.
It is only by taking into account past actions that as a society we can hope not to repeat the mistakes made.
In the case of Brexit, a decision that was thrust upon many who were not in favour of it, we would all do well to remember the war; if for no other reason than to ensure that we do not ever have to go through the same experience again.
We entered the EU of our own free will and in choosing to leave we should be allowed to do so with dignity and without bitter, punitive measures put in place merely to teach us a lesson.
To willingly attempt to damage Britain economically, politically or in any other number of ways, will only come back to haunt them.
Our planned departure is akin to a divorce; the most successful ones are those where both parties can go their separate ways feeling fairly treated. Our newspapers are littered with accounts of acrimonious break-ups, where fortunes are lost and no-one is a winner, except the lawyers.
Finally, it has not escaped my attention that since the New Year there appears to have been a significant increase in TV advertisements urging us to buy German made products. I wonder why?
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