Soft power, the government is often keen on telling us, will be how Britain survives in the post-Brexit world. Never mind the departure of the banks, our cultural and sporting heritage will see us safely through. This was made clear in a reception at the Japanese embassy this week, where Paul Drechsler, president of the CBI, presented the ambassador with a pile of Eric Clapton records. “Eric is one of our greatest exports,” Drechsler replied. Invest in Britain, was the inference, and we’ll send Old Slowhand over to play in Tokyo.

Source: The Times November 02, 2016 00:04 UTC