I read today that Kraft Food Inc. has agreed the price for the purchase of Cadbury Schweppes. The amount of money due to be exchanged as part of this deal is mind boggling.

11,500,000,000.00GBP

I’m not going to tell you how long it would take me at my current rate of earnings to make that much money. Someone out there would probably work out how much I earn. Let’s just say that I could win the national lottery here in the UK, weekly, for forty-four years before I had that much cash. That’s assuming I get five million each time I buy a ticket. Of course once I had one two or three consecutive draws I would be arrested and the jackpot would evaporate as people stopped buying tickets. But this is all hypothetical eh? No need for common sense to interrupt our fun.

I’m proud of Cadbury. I’m British. It used to be British. I feel a sort of mutual success. The brand is well known and produces good products. Compared to the chocolate I have tried in the US Dairy Milk is a sort of Ambrosia. I’m not going to say too much about European chocolate. It is perhaps superior. But then that’s the appeal of Dairy Milk. It’s not fine chocolate. Quite carefully so I imagine. Dairy Milk is everyman chocolate. I think there have been years of my life where I have consumed some literally every day. Imagine that.

Aside from those interested in the stock implications of the deal there has be considerable discussion about whether or not the government should involve itself. Cadbury Schweppes is one of our larger and better employers. Thousands of people have jobs tied to the company in the UK. With sale to a company based abroad the moral obligation to employ workers in Britain fades. Cadbury will be more inclined to move production and other enterprise to more economically convenient locations and some thousands of jobs may be lost.

This has tested my opinions. Generally I believe that business should be left to itself. Progress and economic growth depend on flexibility and dynamism in business and employment. People who lose their jobs with Cadbury may move into or create new sectors and companies as the stress of redundancy inspires creativity and passion in people. Conversely it is easier for people who have perfectly good jobs at present to keep those jobs. I know that were I employed by Cadbury right now, I would not be hoping that my job would cease to exist.

In the end I think the government was right to stay outside of the deal. Whether I will agree with myself on that point in six months or six years time will require some review.