Quick learner Duncan
19 Jan 2009
While politicians are now crawling over any UK manufacturing operation willing to open the door to them and their retinue of advisors and TV crews, our leaders and wannabe leaders still have much catching to do when it comes to understanding what industry is all about.
Indeed, the Tory Party has recently launched a plan to send all incoming Conservative MPs on science awareness classes for as part of their induction. The novel scheme is intended to raise the profile of science, technology and engineering in Parliament and government.
While they won¹t be asked to re-sit their physics O Levels or fiddle with test tubes, the lessons will, it is stated, help MPs to gain “a better understanding of the scientific approach to policy-making, the appropriate use of statistics and evidence, and the principles behind emerging scientific issues.”
The idea is clearly commendable, but should be extended to include all MPs. A test run could start, perhaps, with new shadow leader of the House and former shadow business secretary Alan Duncan, who in a keynote speech to the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) annual dinner managed to avoid any reference to emissions trading, REACH or another other issue facing chemicals companies.
Duncan, however, is a quick learner - as evidenced by the speed at which he scrapped his intended speech on Tory plans to abolish the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) at last November’s CIA dinner and instead muddled through with some vague ideas about the current economic downturn.
The last minute change was apparently made when he saw that the audience included top brass from groups such as the North East Process Industries Cluster (NEPIC) and representatives of many other companies and organisations with close links to the RDAs.
Please send your views to patrick.raleigh@centaur.co.uk
Comment
The best way for any politician of any party to really help industry is the make everyone pay their bills in 7 working days from receipt of invoice. This would have the effect of getting money moving around the economy again and stop the big boys living off the small companies. This may give the small companies a chance to survive.
Terry Bregazzi
M.D. G.T. Controls & Services Ltd.
