PRIME Minister Boris Johnson gave an interesting speech to the Confederation of Business Industry (CBI) in a flustered manner in which he asked the audience to forgive him three times and then started to talk about popular children’s TV character Peppa Pig.
Really, I hear you ask and it beggars belief as to what his next trick could be, but it pays testament to the perception that many have of Johnson that he doesn’t do detail and relies on sound bites and rhetoric.
As a self-described political nerd, history shows us that ineffective prime ministers become nothing more than a minor footnote in history and Johnson will go down in history as Brexit Johnson as we move onto the next chapter of British politics.
Let’s be honest, the Conservative Party must be tearing their hair out behind the scenes and it’s just a matter of time until the 1922 committee meets to discuss a successor to Johnson: the writing is on the wall for him.
Love her or loathe her, this would never happen to Margaret Thatcher as she was on top of her brief and was detail-orientated, something that Johnson isn’t. I’m not for one second endorsing Thatcherism, merely pointing out the difference between someone who was a conviction politician versus someone who seeks popularity rather than governing effectively.
This isn’t the first time that Johnson has had a run-in with the business community. Following industry concerns over Brexit, Johnson used the F word, and I don’t mean forgive me, to convey his annoyance with the business community who had legitimate concerns over the impact that Brexit would have on supply chains and other issues. But, hey, what do they know? They are only major employers and experts in their chosen sector, but it does raise the question about who is on the side of business. Is it the Conservatives, is it Labour and who is the champion for business in Scotland?
The Conservatives have traditionally referred to themselves as the party of business but following Johnson’s recent CBI talk the optics will suggest the opposite. Only time will tell how the business community responds.
The Labour Party, especially with Rachael Reeves as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, is making significant progress in turning the party around from being perceived as a throw-back to the 1970s where business was the enemy and class struggle was a principled stance to now being seen as a credible government in waiting. The business community can trust the Labour Party but the question is who is the champion for business in Scotland? Sadly the answer to that is no one.
In Scotland, the word “private” is largely perceived as being a negative with associated connotations of profit-seeking individuals/entities only interested in money and not what’s in the best interest of Scotland. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Historically, Scotland was an outward-looking country that had a strong entrepreneurial spirit at heart. When you think of Scotland being entrepreneurial you think of iconic figures like Andrew Carnegie, Sir Graham Bell, Alexander Fleming or more recently people like Sir Tom Hunter or James Watt from Brewdog.
The Scottish Government talk about being ambitious for Scotland. They have some great slogans and soundbites but, beyond that, the reality is that the Scottish Government aren’t talking to businesses in a meaningful way. Speak to anyone in any sector and they will tell you the same thing. This can be evidenced from the many government policies affecting key sectors where industry leaders are at odds with the policy of government.
What we need is a champion for Scottish business from start ups to major corporations – embracing a culture of entrepreneurialism that can inspire people to take control of their destiny.
Engagement with the Scottish Government would be on a regular basis and policy would be shaped with industry leaders and those with the know-how that the politicians don’t have. On that basis, we might get decent policies coming through the pipeline that work for the business community.
If anyone from the Scottish Government is reading this column, I would genuinely welcome the opportunity to have such a conversation with them, after all, this is what’s in the best interests of Scotland.
Barrie Cunning is managing director of Pentland Communications and a former Scottish Labour Parliamentary candidate
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