Angels Den Blog

Last month, at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, David Cameron set out his perspective on the British entrepreneur. He said that they were the party to, “release Britain’s potential”. A little pretentious perhaps, but could he be right? Anyone looking into ways of funding a start up will certainly be more than a little intrigued to see what the Tories have to offer compared to the other parties..

Funding a start up yourself is out of the question for most people these days. Gone are the times when you could leverage the ever-increasing value of your home to find the money, or to sell that investment property in Dubai. And rather than getting record payouts from the shares you own in the company you work for, you’re far more likely these days to find yourself sitting on worthless stock or indeed be out of a job.

David Cameron suggested that the way the Labour Government has treated the entrepreneur is fundamentally flawed. The collapse of the banking sector, leading to difficulties funding a start up were just the beginning of the problems argued the Tory leader. Unfavourable taxation, complex legal procedures and little help from Brown’s Government have only exacerbated the difficulties. But is this administration solely to blame for the current economic climate or simply easy prey for an opposition who’s own promises have yet to be tested?

Well, my attempts to get a comment from Lord Mandelson on the Conservative leader’s speech have been unsuccessful (shame, I wanted to ask him why funding a start up was still so tough after all the billions they’ve wasted in on the banking sector recently). So instead I logged onto the Labour Party website to gain a sense on what he might have said. This should be THE place for our Government to be setting out its stand, but I was disappointed to find no evidence that new business assistance was close to the top of Number 10’s agenda. Yes, they do focus on the essentials of keeping people in their homes, reducing fuel bills for the elderly and helping struggling businesses. But it’s bland stuff, as though they are resigned to fire fighting rather than taking the bull by its horns and pushing for a way forward.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not showing political leaning in any way, but from a technical perfective the Conservative Party website in contrast is a homage to modern web design (in my humble opinion), clean, clear and with lots of information on how they would help new businesses once in power. If I was going to be funding a start up personally in the near future I’d certainly be more than a little intrigued by this difference between the parties.

However, how much of what is said here is new, how much is actually different from what the Labour Party promise and how much is financially feasible in the current economic climate? It’s easy to promise tax cuts when you’re in opposition, but when the wider ramifications of this short-term point winning practice are discovered, such policies tend to be swept under the proverbial carpet. I look at most political promises with a certain amount of scepticism, ¬hell I look at anything a politician says with a hefty dollop of disbelief, but it is for you to decide whether what David Cameron offers is in fact better for small businesses. Maybe it is, or maybe it’s just good marketing with little real substance.

If I were funding a start up personally I’d want to see a little more than just words and a lot more action from whichever party is in power. After all, supporting our new businesses is the only real solution to ending the recession blues.

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