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A Personal Explanation
Old friends say that The Felixstowe Series has not been received with universal approval around Felixstowe's port, and that the writer's sudden reawakening after some years of silence is judged somewhat disconcerting. This comes as no surprise.
The consensus seems to be that he is suffering from a bad case of "chip on the shoulder" and that with any luck will resume a Trappist retirement before too long.
Well, the writer may well have a few scores to settle or improvements to human behaviour to suggest, but he has no quarrel with the shipping community either at Felixstowe or anywhere else, come to that.
His former colleagues, competitors, and employees can rest fairly assured that he still holds them and their kindred in the highest esteem and counts himself lucky to have enjoyed their company for so long.
This sense of bonhomie will not, of course, inhibit him from pointing out when he thinks they are in error - but then it never did - did it?
Gagged!
He was restrained from speaking his mind during his last few years at work, but not by the generous lively shipping community, who always give as good as they get with enthusiasm.
Not always
In his time, he has suffered, enjoyed and returned in full measure the standard forms of character assassination that pass for the day-to-day pleasantries in any seaport.
But...
Eleven years ago, he was forced out of the successful, soundly financed and profitable group of companies that he had founded 15 years earlier, even though he owned, unencumbered, 60 percent of the shares.
That was bad enough, but to earn a living he then had to compete with the companies he had founded, but no longer owned, for two years. To do this while watching his life's work, still carrying his personal name, being destroyed under his eyes was upsetting to put it mildly.
The necessity of trying to keep his own counsel was a tremendous strain.
Silently to Work
Despite all this he got back on his feet with the new business, before selling peacefully a few years later for quite different reasons.
The writer has slowly come to terms with the events of a decade ago.
At the time, justifiably furious, he refused to sign a confidentiality agreement. Despite this, he still chooses not to make a full explanation public, at least for the moment.
Threats were made, at the time, to intimidate or frighten him into silence. This was not what produced relative silence then, and anyway now he no longer feels any pressure to keep quiet. Having a bad heart does have its compensations - threats don't have the same impact.
There is little point in making a series of disclosures about events so long ago, but which would still be capable of doing great harm to innocent parties.
Sensitivity to Wrongdoing
What has left him with some sense of grievance was the behaviour of some of the professionals involved. Protected and insulated by self-regulation they ruthlessly used the screen of client confidentiality to further their own interests. They could not have done this had they been subject to the much more open way of doing business common to the shipping community.
Many innocent people suffered, and still suffer, from their greed. It was only when one was so arrogant and short-sighted as to swindle his own partners that this particular individual, at least, was finally brought to book with a criminal conviction.
Professions in the Dock
The finance, legal and accountancy professions have a good deal to answer for in the way the respectable members protect, excuse and ignore the unscrupulous and incompetent behaviour of some of their colleagues. Medicine shares similar tendencies, but has at least been "outed" by the appalling events at Bristol. Secrecy is the friend of the wrongdoer.
Hitting Back
Since retiring the writer has again and again seen the same pattern emerge and now hits back with vigour, whenever he catches this self-seeking crew at work. They seem to think that they are safely protected by Professional Liability Insurance - a curse if ever there was one.
A file on one group of "professionals" has already winged its way to the Chief Constable this year with a request for an investigation. The self-regulatory bodies are a waste of time.
Good 'ole Shipping
Shipping can hold its head high whenever it is in the company of such scoundrels and carpetbaggers. It has the ethics and freedoms of the future rather than the past - and the goodwill of the author.
These writings on Felixstowe are the first faint signs of a revolution gathering force off-stage. The vanguard are consolidating and arming closer than you would think.
An "Army" is Mustering
The foot troops are your sons and daughters, your next door neighbour's kid and the shelf-stacker at Tescos. Their parade grounds are a million back bedrooms; their weapon, freedom of speech, and their delivery system, the Internet. Their motivation and political creed is freedom, but a very different freedom than that envisaged and sometimes fought for by their elders.
They have no intention of conforming to the traditional codes of unnecessary secrecy and silence, of unearned respect and deference, of unrequited loyalty and duty, beyond those of decency to their fellow man. They have issued their manifesto, but few listen.
A Time of Change
The changes that they will force on Western society, not least in Britain, will be dramatic with many casualties. Our legal and finance sectors, with others, will be reformed.
Change probably won't come from within, and a new generation with informed public opinion at their back will tear the old institutions apart. There will be no future in any kind of profession for those who drag their feet.
Listen!
Shipping, because of its traditional and open tolerance of conflicting ideas and philosophies, may well survive the onslaught much better, but to do so it is going to have to pay attention.
"Chip on the shoulder" - indeed! Felixstowe is going to have to get used to external scrutiny and comment - at least these writings are coming from a friendly and reasonably knowledgeable quarter.
Patience
The climax of the series will emerge in due time when at least one organisation, shuffling uncomfortably at the moment, may be quite pleased with the conclusions.
©Pat Gardiner August 1999
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