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Labour ideas for Business-driven growth

April 3, 2012 10:06 am

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As Britain teeters on the brink of a double-dip recession, Business-driven economic growth is clearly the UK’s most pressing need.  Sadly, Labour is often accused of lacking the knowledge, understanding and appetite to deliver great business policy.

Today that accusation is challenged by the launch of a new online service, Labour Enterprise Summary.  It is intended to become a comprehensive online database of business ideas in the Labour movement.  It already catalogues 117 proposals from a range of sources – a healthy position to be in several years before Labour’s next manifesto is required – and it isn’t complete yet.

Hearteningly, ideas cover a wide range of areas.  In particular there are a great many about the primary concerns of business: tax and credits (21), access to finance (18), and educating workers and entrepreneurs (14).  Writings are refreshingly free of the ant-business tone of which Labour has occasionally been accused, and there are very few proposals which business might expect to resent.

Many ideas are simply no-brainers.  A number of writers talk about the importance of lowering the barriers to smaller businesses pitching for public procurement spend, which often favours larger suppliers.  Several people have pointed out that Britain is unusual in not having some form of state investment bank.

There are also differentiating perspectives too.  A number of writers argue perspectives relating to green issues (11 ideas), co-ops and social enterprise (9 ideas) and women (4 ideas) – all of which provide a progressive edge to a portfolio of concepts which might otherwise not be distinctively “Labour”.

Nevertheless, the test of great business policy is not whether it is  uniquely “Labour”.  It is whether it drives a lot of economic growth.  One thing lacking at this relatively early stage in pre-manifesto policy development is targets.  But we’ll need them, and they need to be bold.  If we don’t have a plan estimated to generate an extra (say) 2m jobs then we need to try harder.  Currently, there is little quantification of the jobs impact of Labour business ideas.  That needs to change if we want the country to take notice.

George Bevis is the founder of Labour Enterprise Summary, which launches today.

Related posts:

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  2. Launching “Labour’s Business”
  3. Ideas for electability – more ideas for party renewal
  4. Ideas, not smears: LabourList launches a summer of new ideas for a renewed movement
  5. New ideas for Labour’s fresh economy
  • Daniel Speight

    Is LES the replacement for Business Labour or Labour Business or whatever it was that Alex Smith and Luke Bozier set up a few months back? Just asking.

    • http://twitter.com/GeorgeBevis George Bevis

      No, not a replacement at all.  Labour Business remains (in my view) the best place to publish new thinking about business.  LES is really just a list of ideas which have already been published elsewhere (eg on Labour Business).  So, if you want to publish do contact Alex, but do let us know at LES so we can list it once you’ve published.

  • madasafish

    I quote two ideas under Changing Industry  and Unions:
    Compulsory reporting on achievements for employees and wage distribution.
    Union representation in boardrooms 

    “ Writings are refreshingly free of the ant-business tone of which Labour has occasionally been accused, and there are very few proposals which business might expect to resent.”

    !!!!

    • Brumanuensis

      Yes, because of course trade unions have no role in the workplace, and we can always trust companies to be completely transparent, of their own accord, in reporting figures on employee outcomes.

      • Brumanuensis

        The existence of ‘Betriebsrat’ in German workplaces, for instance, explains the notably poor performance of the German economy since the end of the Second World War.

        • http://twitter.com/gonzozzz dave stone

          ‘Betriebsrat’ - a very appropriate mention, Brumanuensis.
          Unsurprisingly, the trolls on here, while posturing as ‘pro-business’, regard any business related discussion as an opportunity to rehearse eccentric ideological opinion – this might explain why they have so much time on their hands they are able to visit this blog 24/7/365.

          • madasafish

            I suspect the “trolls” as you so politely put it have more years of real business experience than you and all other Labour supporters here put together.

            Anyone who posts a lists of “business friendly ” activities and includes a section on compulsory reporting  - such as the author – has as much experience of running a business as Gordon Brown had I suspect.

            The whole discussion is laughable: there is not a suggestion here that is business friendly and most of the comments are written by people who are clearly anti business.

            As for eccentric opinions, anyone who believes a Government can plan and target businesses to produce 2 million new jobs is frankly .. well “eccentric” is kind..

          • http://twitter.com/gonzozzz dave stone

            “anyone who believes a Government can plan and target businesses to produce 2 million new jobs is frankly .. well “eccentric” is kind..”

            Perhaps you should explain this to the CBI – Britain’s top business lobbying organisation – they may as well disband, if you’re right…

      • GuyM

        I’ve asked before with no answer, so maybe you can explain.

        When I pitch a business case to my board for some large programme expenditure, what exactly will a “worker representative bring to the table”? Can a voted in cleaner, receptionist or the like really be expected to be involved in top line strategic decisions?

        It took me a long time in career development to reach Director level…. should I simply have supported this idea and try and get a leg up by getting voted onto the board as a “worker representative”?

        I’m sorry but I can not see for the life of me how this in any way adds to anything or helps anything. It is merely a sop to the left.

        When I sit with fellow Directors I’m not going to feel particuarly disposed towards some likely poorly educated and experienced ”worker representative” sitting next to me who expects to be involved in corporate decision making.

        Have worker representatives on remuneration committees to keep people honest I’d agree with, but general board level positions? No and how do you get them there, free votes? or maybe union lackeys?

        Bonkers idea.

      • madasafish

        Well if the Unions are like Unite or Unison, they HAVE no place at all anywhere.

        Gladytou recognise it, please persuade Labour to do something about it.

  • mikestallard

    “  One thing lacking at this relatively early stage in pre-manifesto policy development is targets.  But we’ll need them, and they need to be bold.  If we don’t have a plan estimated to generate an extra (say) 2m jobs then we need to try harder.”

    No.

    To make jobs you need people called “entrepreneurs”. These people are usually mavericks who need a lot of space to create. They are quite often very unpleasant to work with (I am one myself) and they – we – don’t like to be told what to do. Above all, if we are working to someone else’s ideas, we give up and get very angry. What we need is space – but you call that “Laissez Faire Capitalism”.

    What I suspect you are after is a government run hand out with targets to make sure that you are in firm control. That way you produce nothing because people aren’t motivated any more and, let’s face it, you (the target setters) haven’t got a clue what you are doing under all the mangled Greek words and mad ideas.

    • Brumanuensis

      Are you uncollegial and unpleasant to your business colleagues? When you go to the bank to ask for a loan?

      By the way, ever heard of ‘indicative planning’? Gosplan isn’t the only way for the government to intervene in the economy just so you know…

      • mikestallard

        I think your last couple of lines rather prove my point.

        • Brumanuensis

          Your post was assuming that the only proposals being mooted were ‘mandatory planning’ initiatives. That’s a very different kettle of fish from what was actually being proposed. Setting a target does not require identical means of achieving the target. I was objecting to your charicature.

          • mikestallard

            And who exactly sets the target?

          • Brumanuensis

            Generally either a government department, a QUANGO or the central bank. All governments, whatever their political stripe, set targets. So do all businesses.

  • jaime taurosangastre candelas

    This one is worth supporting:

    “Commit to clear fiscal targets”, with the given rationale of “the vagueness of Labour’s position over its short to medium term plans for the deficit that confirms the voters’ worst suspicions about the Party’s lack of commitment to addressing the fiscal crisis”.

    Submitted by Graeme Cook, Adam Lent, Anthony Painter, and Hopis Sen of “In the Black Labour”

    I’m not sure how it made it past the editing process, but I’m glad that it has.  I’d prefer a clearer commitment to fiscal plans that do not involve deficit spending and thus further debt, but it is a start.

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