Bloomberg Businessweek USA 09.30.2019

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millioneuros,a majoroutlaywhensalesarefalling.
McDonaldclosesthelaptopandglancesbackat
themonitor.He’salreadyhadtocutworkinghours
from 48 hoursa weekto40,hittinghisemployees’
take-homepay.HewantstokeepjobsintheU.K.if
atallpossible,butif thecallsstartcomingfromhis
bigclientsdemandingaction,he’llhavenochoice.

● 10:30A.M.,LONDON
Chi-chiNwanokuwakesuplate.Inthelastfewdays,
she’splayedconcertsinLeicesterandOxford,each
aboutanhouraway,andlastnightshearrivedhome
wellpastmidnight.Shepicksupherinstrument,a
doublebassmadein 1631 byItalianmasterluthier
NicolaAmati,andstartsplayingpartofSamuel
Coleridge-Taylor’sviolinconcertoinG minor.Next
week,herChineke!Orchestra,anensembleofblack
andotherethnic-minoritymusicians,is scheduled
toperformthepiece,alongwithworksbyWeber
andBrahms,attheConcertgebouwinBruges,the
firstContinentalstoponitsinauguralEuropeantour.
Thenit’sontoAmsterdam,Cologne,andAntwerp.
Orsoshehopes.Thetourhasbecomea logistical
nightmare.Everyoneoftheorchestra’s 60 members
needsa carnet—atemporaryinternationalcustoms
documentthatcostsabout£500—toallowtheir
instrumentstoentertheEU.Theymayalsoneed
separateworkpermitsforeverycountry,eachof
whichhasdifferentstipulations.Theprocesscould
takeweeks.ForEUcitizenscomingtheotherway,
therearealsoheadaches.Theyneedtoapplyfor
“temporaryleavetoremain”permits.Andtheper-
ceptionthattheU.K.is nowa hostiledestinationwill
makeit harderforsectorsthatrelyonlower-skilled
EUworkers—includingtheNationalHealthService,
pluslargepartsofthehospitalityandconstruction
industries—torecruitfromtheContinent.
Nwanokuputsdownherdoublebassandopens
here-mails,scanningfornewsonthepermits.

●12:30P.M.,CALAIS,NORTHERNFRANCE
Mooredrivesuptothefirstcustomscheckpoint.A
ladywithlong,curlybrownhairwearingsunglasses
approaches his window. She asks to see his paper-
work and studies it closely.
“C’est quoi?” she asks. What is it?
“One box. Aircraft parts,” Moore says, putting
on a slight French accent.
“Cigarettes, alcohol, tobacco?” the woman asks.
“Nothing. Zero.” Moore says.
With that, Moore rolls forward and his vehi-
cle is weighed.
Across the channel in Dover, Bannister is
in his office at Harbour House, with views of
the white cliffs. It’s been a busy morning. He’s

updatedCobra,andhe’sspokenbyphonewith

counterpartsinCalaisandDunkirk,withKent

Police,HighwaysEngland,theharbormasterand

HerMajesty’sRevenueandCustoms.Oppositehis

deskisa framedletterfrom 1941 inwhichwar-

timePrimeMinisterWinstonChurchillcommends

“thecourageandresourcefulness”ofthepeople

ofDover.It’sa reminderthetownhasweathered

farworsetimes.

● 3:30P.M.,ISLEOFMULL,SCOTLAND

Thefinalbatchofthe100,000lemonmeltshort-

breadsJoeReade’sbiscuitfactoryproduceseach

dayareturninggoldinhisindustrialoven.A dozen

white-coated,hair-nettedworkers,includingPoles

andRomanians,mixIrishbutter,Sicilianlemonoil,

Braziliansugar,andBritishflour.Theybakethe

resultingdoughat200Cbeforedippingthebis-

cuitsinBelgianwhitechocolate.Thentheywrap

thetreatsincream-coloredpacketsbearingthe

IslandBakerynameindark-bluelettering.

Come4 p.m.,theproductionlinestops.Boxesof

shortbreadsareloadedontotrucks,tobetakenby

ferrytotheScottishmainland,thenontoGermany

andtheNetherlands.BritishAirwaysisoneof

Reade’sbiggestcustomers,butinall,25%ofhis

salescomefromexportstotheEU.

There’llbenoexportingtoEuropetoday.The

licensecertifyinghisbiscuitsasanorganicfood—

healsoheatshisovenwithrenewablewoodand

generateshisownelectricityfroma windturbine—

is nolongervalid.He’llneeda newonefromthe

EUtosellhisproductthere,anditsrulespre-

ventedhimfromapplyingforit untiltheU.K.had

actuallyleft.It couldbemonthsbeforetheper-

mitis approved.

“Thisis totalmadness,”Reademuttersunderhis

breath.Hetookprecautionarymeasures,encour-

aginghisEuropeancustomerstobringforward

orderstobeattheBrexitdeadline.Hedoesn’tneed

toshiptotheContinentfora fewweeks,butthen

▼Workingonmoulds

atGoodfish

By now, traffic

going the

other direction

is backed up

into Kent—

headlights

stretch

for miles

◼ POLITICS Bloomberg Businessweek September 30, 2019