Spoilt or Choice

Dear <<First Name>>,

This time next week we will know the result of the election.

We're not going to tell you who to vote for. After all, you can take a look at the main party's manifesto promises for businesses and decide for yourself. And, more importantly, you will no doubt vote, spoil or abstain for reasons beyond the impact the result will have on entrepreneurship.

Of course, we think policies impacting entrepreneurs should be an important consideration. As our Policy Priorities page states: "Entrepreneurial endeavours have taken humanity from subsistence to relative affluence and it is entrepreneurs who will raise long-term living standards of future generations." But this doesn't capture everything that matters to us in politics, and I doubt it does for you.

One thing I've heard a lot from entrepreneurs over the last few years is that many feel politically homeless. I've always felt like this, so can sympathise.

For some, the solution is to disengage completely from politics. For others, now is the time to get stuck in at the party level – whether locally as a councillor or engaging in groups directly attached to political parties. I admire the grit it must take to work within the system.

But for anyone wanting to make a difference but put off by the idea of committing to a particular party, think tanks offer a neat compromise. Whatever your ideological leanings, burning passion or change you want to see in the world, there's a think tank – or a combination of think tanks – for you.

Unlike political parties, the best think tanks offer a forum to engage with ideas without the burden of worrying about getting the party reelected. And, for better or worse, think tanks wield real power in the battle of ideas so your involvement can really make a difference. The big political movements of modern politics – from the Fabian Society's socialist vision, to the IEA, CPS and ASI's Thatcherite revolution, through to the IPPR's Blairite Third Way – were started and flourished in think tanks.

Voting is one expression of your political voice, but it doesn't have to be the only one.

Can tab
Cambridge Central Library is looking for someone skilled and willing to share their pitching skills with startup founders. Email BIPC@cambridgeshire.gov.uk to find out more.

I've written for Forbes on why the new Government should listen to the 250 entrepreneurs who backed up Startup Manifesto...

... While Annabel Denham argues that the Conservatives shouldn’t take business votes for granted (while calling on them to back our Startup Manifesto)

Ed Davey and Lib Dems win out at our 2019 Small Business Debate

We backed a digital future for Europe manifesto....

... It is quite critical of the way the European Commission plans to regulate European tech

Politicians like to make big promises with big numbers, BBC 4’s More or Less show separates election fact from fiction

On the value of startup ecosystems

Competition boosts productivity mainly by driving less productive firms out of the market, according to a new study

People wrongly assume refugees will be a burden on the country they move to – but a new study finds they positively self-select based on education

Why is labour’s share of GDP falling across the developed world? A new paper argues it’s down to the rise of “superstar firms”

How startups are helping tackle employability issues (FT – Paywall)

Principles for the application of human intelligence

(If you like your ideas BIG, check out our latest Three Big Ideas newsletter on
Human Intelligence, Faked Experiments and the Right Frustrations, and make sure you don't miss another by signing up here.)

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Spoilt or Choice Friday, 6 December 2019

Spoilt or Choice
Friday, 6 December 2019