Doug Richards has fired me up with his post on the requirements for massive societal change to create a culture of entrepreneurialism in the UK. It comes on the day that the UK will be told when it is to go to the polls for the most important election in 30 years. And it is time for me to get off the fence. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown paid clever lip services to the entrepreneur. They launched a cloud of buzzing, brightly coloured initiatives to support small businesses. From the Technology Standards Board, to NESTA, to Gordon’s own ‘Regional Development Funds’, they made a lot of fuss and noise. Sadly, it was all rather badly co-ordinated, with no follow through and even less real economic value. Funds were diverted to pork barrel projects (as any political finance always is) and thousands of mid-rank civil servants were able to re-launch their careers and improve their fully funded final salary pension schemes. None of that really matters, and pretty well none of it will prove to have had any lasting impact, in say, 10 years. What does matter is the underlying major forces that the Labour government set in motion. ..... The sad thing is that I have no idea how to change that without massive social upheaval. Do you? If you do, I for one, will vote for you.   more »