Business before Politics

Politics and business came together at City College, Brighton, on Wednesday evening as four parliamentary candidates for Brighton constituencies took to the platform at the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce ‘Chamber Hustings’.

Under the scrupulously balanced gaze of moderator Anthony Zacharzewski, of the Democratic Society, the four electoral hopefuls spent the evening laying out their policies and plans for business – national and local – in response to questions from an audience of about 60 local business leaders. Simon Burgess (Labour), Ben Duncan (Green), Charlotte Vere (Conservative) and Juliet Williams (LibDems) were quizzed on issues that ranged from the city’s never-ending roadworks and the policing of late night drinking in Kemptown to national policies on resolving the budget deficit, cutting red tape for business, improving employment and freeing up bank lending. Sometimes the candidates had specific policies for tackling concerns, sometimes they were little more than nodding in agreement with the audience, even if they took several minutes and a few hundred words each time to do so.

On occasions it felt as if it might be impossible to insert the proverbial cigarette paper between the candidates in their attitudes (or should that sometimes have been platitudes?) to business. Banker bashing was commonplace and all agreed on the need to slash bureaucracy, generate private sector employment, maintain government support for “small and medium enterprises” and generally be pro-business.  

But some devilment did lie in the details, not least because – faced with a local business audience – candidates came dangerously close sometimes to disagreeing with their own parties’ policies for business as they sought consensus with their audience and each other. Conservative Charlotte Vere carefully avoided talk of closing down Business Link, instead trumpeting the idea of making its services more relevant, while Labour’s Simon Burgess seemed to disagree with the content and timing of the government’s Digital Economy bill which the other candidates lambasted. Ben Duncan, for the Greens, sounded less radical and more business-pragmatic than perhaps parts of the audience expected, though it was clear that some of his solutions for business problems lay in general societal reform rather than administrative tinkering. Liberal Democrat Juliet Williams seemed the least willing to peg specific policies to specific problems, instead simply offering general aspirations in several answers.

In true old England style the candidates were unswervingly polite to each other and such disagreement as existed was understated, though Charlotte Vere had the best line in silent objection as she screwed up her face, mouthed dissent and even put her head in her hands during others’ answers. Simon Burgess allowed himself the occasional shake of the head whilst the other two heard their fellow candidates out quite placidly.

Business leaders were able take heart from the fact that all four candidates recognised that government must support small business, help to free up credit and make employment less onerous for employers, particularly as the economy struggles to recover.

And for all the crafted consensus, the evening was lively and interesting, positions were argued eloquently and the four candidates put themselves across as well informed, committed and fit for purpose.

The Chamber Hustings was one of four Business Issues Debates arranged each year by Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce. The next is the Chamber’s State of the City debate, to be held on 22nd June.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk