The waiting game is over and the first peacetime coalition since 1912 is in place, so we asked business owners if they are pleased with the outcome.
Cameron and Clegg will hope the Con-Lib alliance will signal the beginning of the ‘new politics’ the electorate has yearned for following the expenses scandal. They’re projecting an image of former foes working together in the national interest – a phrase out of fashion until recently – and hoping the unhappy elements in their party don’t unsettle the partnership.
BusinessWings posed the following question to the UK’s leading small business owners:
To what extent was a Con-Lib coalition the best outcome for the economy and business community, and why?
As ever in politics, there are a wide range of views, but a substantial number of respondents were broadly supportive, believing a coalition of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats was the least worst option; many even thought it a very positive development.
A Conservative/Liberal Democrat administration is more akin to business thinking, the supporting of business growth and the financial strategies of the business community
Colin Tankard, MD of Digital Pathways
“Quite simply, the last administration failed miserably to do anything to help the business community throughout its 13 years in power. Businesses that thrived did so entirely through their own enterprise and hard work.
“A Lib-Lab pact was never on the cards: the Lib’s were too full of themselves and their grand ideas, while New Labour remained arrogant and totally oblivious to the fact that they’d been unceremoniously dumped by the electorate.
“If the Conservatives had tried to form a minority Government it would always only ever succeed at the whim of the Lib’s or Welsh and Scottish MPs and the City would have hammered Britain into nothing more than Greece.
“Therefore, the Con-Lib pact is the only logical conclusion if we want some kind of stability, albeit some of it somewhat unpalatable courtesy of the Liberals.”
John Fisher, public relations consultant and film-maker
“Whilst UK businesses will welcome the formulation of a government, concerns continue that some of the robust Conservative strategies may well be diluted by Liberal Democrat requirements.
“However, a Conservative/Liberal Democrat administration is more akin to business thinking, the supporting of business growth and the financial strategies of the business community and this will provide a much needed level of confidence.
“With the raft of public data lost over recent months and the drive to increase access to data by the public and private sectors, it’s our hope that this government will take the matter of data security more seriously than it has previously, as has been done in the USA.”
Colin Tankard, managing director of Digital Pathways
“Reducing the deficit is undoubtedly priority number one for the new Government. There are already positive signals on their resolve to reduce spending without unfairly targeting businesses as the Governor of the Bank of England has welcomed the joint Con-Lib deficit measures.
“I believe that a Labour Government would have continued with a ‘hear no evil, see no evil’ response to the deficit mountain before hitting businesses with tax hikes.”
Paul McGarrity, owner of Octave Online Communications
“The country is in a mess, more indebted even than Greece, but as we have our own currency we have much more room for manoeuvre. We weren't properly prepared by any party for the inevitable pain which will result from cutbacks in the stratospheric level of public spending to which we’ve become accustomed.
“The Conservatives didn't win an overall majority and so forming a coalition Government was the best way to get the country back on track. The alternatives of a minority Conservative Government or rainbow coalition of the losing parties just wouldn’t work and we would soon find ourselves having another General Election.
“This way we will hopefully get a stable, five-year government committed to cutting the budget deficit and getting the economy back on track, which is absolutely vital to all small-business owners such as myself.”
Gina Krupski, founder of Pink Camellia
“Britain desperately needs a stable government that addresses the issues at hand clearly without the spin and doublespeak synonymous with New Labour. The new Con-Lib coalition will combine Tory realism with Liberal policies. Political stability and sound financial management are the foundations that businesses need to prosper.”
Roger Allen, managing director of Zeta
“I think this has to be good for business. Although the long-term economic outlook is still uncertain and there will be pain ahead, this would be true whatever government was in power. What we really need is stability and this seems the best option to offer this, as it is a five-year commitment to work together. The economic views of each party will have to be moderated, which should stop any wild excesses of ideology swamping policy.”
Liz Copeland, founder of True Courage Coach
“Like the Liberal Democrats, I believe in a fair society and a fair tax system is fundamental to that, so let’s make sure that genuine hard work and wealth creation is rewarded and not penalised. I am very interested to see how the coalition will work. In business it is regularly in your interests to form mutually beneficial alliances with other organisations so I hope all parties involved are mature enough to make this work.”
Marcus Simmons, founder of iKnow-UK
“Well, what an interesting scenario we got last night from the Con-Lib Coalition! Good for business? Well, let’s face it, probably not! I suspect that we’ll see a few spending cuts and tax and VAT increases over the next few months to help us sort out the mess the country is in.
“Of course, the Government will tell us that these changes are necessary to sort out the country and prepare us for the better times in the future. I guess time will tell as to whether they’ll keep these promises and remove any harsh changes at a later date.
“As a business owner, am I pleased with this coalition? Well, I don’t think its all bad news. I personally wanted to see Lib Dem get a chance in Government and that’s exactly what we’ve got.
“Having Lib Dem on board in key positions will undoubtedly mean the cuts will be less severe than a Conservative Government acting alone would have implemented. I think it will be very interesting to watch over the next few months. Let’s hope some good comes out of it and leaves the country in a better state.”
Helen Dowling, founder of Exceptional Thinking
“Time will tell whether or not the Con-Lib coalition is the ‘best’ outcome for the economy. However, the fact that we have an outcome at all, and that greater deregulation, investment in skills and a fairer tax regime sit near the top of the agreed business agenda, bode well for the future.
“The result now will all depend on execution! Despite my initial misgivings that a hung parliament would be the worst of all worlds for my business, the fact that a solution has apparently been found whose initial aims include decisive, firm action to reduce the deficit is a good start!”
Clive Bawden, business development director of Catalyst Corporate Finance
