Did the MicroBiz vote lose it for Labour?
Our election panel on Business Zone, yesterday, did forewarn the danger to Labour of failing to engage with the 'new normal' of working people - 5 million self employed and micro (0-9 employees) businesses.
In Labour's 10 years of Government and 5 years of opposition they have only developed policies to support the 195,000 'SMEs' and ignored the largest and fastest growing occupational group in the economy. The Enterprise Rockers, a free to join in, global, indie group of micro business owners, which I co-founded and co-fund, with Tina Boden, has tried to engage with all political parties to make them aware of the micro enterprise revolution which will continue throughout the world.
Politics today makes it a difficult task to get to political leaders through the Establishment's web of corporate and 'think tank' lobbyists and special advisers. Yet, we have certainly made a lot of noise including our annual #MicroBizMattersDay. They haven't listened to us.
As I have blogged and given speeches on throughout the last 5 years political parties have chosen to ignore the major characteristics of these 5 million independent business owners. Namely; that 75% of these businesses have only one person running them; 50% of them are working from home (60% in Scotland) and they are earning 20% less than they were in 2008 - most earning less than the living wage if taken on an hourly basis. They are however, generally happy, positive and creating most of the new jobs in our economy.
Utilities, telecoms, postage and transport costs; universal credit, exemption from costly new regulations and taxes, faster broadband speed, substantial incentives and training support to take on their first employee; test trading support for start ups, #PayInThirtyDays - are all vital issues that the Labour Party could have engaged with these 5 million on.
Although I voted Labour - for change, I wouldn't be at all surprised if many of my self employed and business owner colleagues got into the polling booth and in the absence of an alternative, credible offer, voted for the traditional party for small business - Conservative.