Kay Neufeld of the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has been thinking of asking Mrs May to revoke Article 50 again. This is not a political decision by the managing economist. It’s about the nuts and bolts issues economists revel in.
Kay has noticed a drop-off in investment in new factories and equipment. This is more bad news for our “woeful recent record on productivity” she says. In fact, it’s a “very uncomfortable situation” overall.
One of the Primary Reasons for Hoarding is ‘Just in Case’
Compulsive hoarders use any real or imagined crisis to top up supplies of bread, sugar, jam, tea etc. just in case the shops have to close. Apparently our businesspeople have been doing something similar, and this is reaching crisis proportions.
A CEBR report dated May 7, 2019 warns, “The hoarding frenzy has already placed a strain on the supply of warehouse space and driven up the cost of storage, particularly in southeast England.
“Would-be stockpilers will face even greater competition for space towards the end of the year as retailers – many of which have already pre-booked warehouses – stock up for the Christmas shopping season.”
They can afford to, but smaller manufacturers operating on thin margins could struggle to cover the cost, frets Seamus Nevin, chief economist at the trade body Make UK. But there could be an even deeper problem looming.
Hoarding and the Effect of Cash Flow in the Market
An average hoarder of say Tetley’s teabags won’t cause a marked dip in sales when they dig into their past-sell-by-dates. However, manufacturers and wholesalers of fast moving consumer goods could be in for a shock when Marks & Spencer and Tesco’s finally start clearing their stockpiles.
Things have reached the point where Kay Neufeld of the Centre for Economics and Business Research is thinking of dropping Mrs May a line again. She worries a further six months in limbo could see small businesses start closing.
Our national dilemma and seeming inability to move forward provides an interesting insight into the minds of compulsive hoarders. They too have an unsatisfied need for a sense of security and continuity just like the large retailers.
And so they keep on acquiring, unpacking, storing and hoarding in a world that simply does not understand why we do what we do.
What You Can, and Cannot Do to Help a Hoarder Friend
Our politicians will no doubt find a way forward that satisfies the British need to be different in their own good time. The warehouses will empty, manufacturing will pick up, and we will move forward again.
Compulsive hoarders are trapped in time and cannot ‘snap out it’ that simply. That’s because to them their lifestyle is normal. The Counselling Directory believes hoarding is an outward sign of an unresolved inner tension.
If we can help our hoarder friends discover the connection between the two this could be a way into managing the situation, by asking someone to cart the collection away.
While we wait we should keep an eye on their health and safety. Caring for a hoarder is often a mission of unrequited love. But then most relationships seldom follow a level, even road.
