after the uk left the eu, i went to brussels to give a speech which attracted some attention at the time, and i called it reflections on the revolutions in europe. that was a deliberate nod of course to the irish british politician edmund burke and his critique as regards the french revolution of what we would now call the hyper rashness creation of a new legal order in contrast to organic custom based change ? realness. my title today which is titled observations on the present state of the nation is a similarly deliberate echo of edmund burke s fed significant work, it was a pamphlet with that title from 1789 7 a pamphlet with that title from 1789 ? first significant work. in it he reviewed the economic condition of britain and france, the superpowers of their day, and first developed his thought that he had developed in work subsequently and i quote,