by Ed Jones on
February 2 2012
As the party leaders continue to scramble for ownership of the “responsible capitalism” agenda, right of centre commentators and business groups are nervously asking “where does this all end?”.
Despite what some are now suggesting, there is no reason for mass panic across the corporate world. Britain is not “anti-business”, politicians don’t want to run our companies (even those owned in large part by the taxpayer) and government will continue straining to support enterprise and growth. It has to, as come election time jobs and economic confidence will be all-important. But the pressing political reality (a product of both the unique balance of this parliament and public sentiment) means this theme will continue to dominate the political agenda. The corporate world needs to do better at anticipating threats, identifying opportunities and explaining its social and economic contribution.
Due to the number of independent economic and political variables, predicting with certainty is problematic. But thoughtful analysis of trends and attentive planning can prove vital. High-points in the debate can be anticipated and employers who value their reputations should be doing just this. The debate over Stephen Hester’s bonus shows the cost of failing to do so. Pay and results announcements are planned well in advance, public polling on attitudes to the City is widely reported and we have known for months that in this most rebellious of parliaments, Opposition debates provide a powerful means of forcing the government’s hand.
More flak is to come, for the City and beyond. Smart communicators will be plotting key dates in the economic and political calendars, preparing key messages and briefing key commentators to try and insulate themselves against this.