I have the odd serious times for cogitating on the state of the world etc, and the usual time is whenever the knees will stand up to a walk through the wood at Kings Forest or Knettishall – good rolling Suffolk countryside. These walks are food for the soul when you look at the countryside from a different perspective of ‘where’s the nearest cover and best place for enemy MMG” – we really do live I a beautiful country. Most of you will know I am a remainer and voted not to leave the EU. However, on the walk the early spring sunshine today, I had a bit of an epiphany the other way, not initiated by Tony Blair’s return to British politics. I had been reading an article in some rag that a high up French politician had laid great store in the sentiment that UK must be punished for Brexit, to ensure none of the other unruly children don’t follow suit. We heard this a lot during the referendum and it just went over my head. But, and it’s a big but, if you follow the logic, UK must be punished to keep the others in line which begs the question that if that’s the way you want to play then I am glad we are leaving. If the French apparatchik thinks that the other 27 will stay in line simply because the Brits are to be punished, he should have a job in the Donald’s cabinet. The other 27 will stay as long as they get the handouts, and these are now going to shrink because the second biggest net funder is leaving the nest. So by saying that the UK needs to be punished because it’s going to leave the EU and keep its hard earned to itself suddenly sounds like the first good reason to go. If my children or I are going to subsidise a Tractor driver down the ages, I would rather it is a British one than a Thuringian one. Is it any wonder that we are leaving if that sort of highly enlightened thinking (bullying) is coming from across the Channel? It would be useful for the allies across the Channel to reflect on the number of bullies that have been successful against the UK in the last 400 years!