How can government at all levels work together to tackle worklessness and promote enterprise in the most deprived areas?
I was lucky enough to travel around the world, visiting Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Poland and many european coutries west of that poverty clad country – of yes, and the good old U.S.of.A. What would our grandparents, that had to save a few coppers in a jar each week towards the family summer trip, this of our world today. Mobile phones, shopping malls, pizzas on request, plasma screen TVs, computers and cheap supermarkets.
It is no wonder overseas students want come to Britain to learn and take in experiences of living in our country – and then they return home telling their families how we perform. This begins to paint the picture that there are so many examples of how enterprise has lifted us, and of course we begin to take them for granted. We live in a Britain of plenty and yet we still have not learnt to invest the correct balance of GDP into our deprived areas.
Countries abroad know the best inventions came out of Britain, yet we still let children live in poverty, cannot stamp our people trafficking or the drugs problem, and we have got distracted by the global credit gloom.
Adding all these factors together what is missing is to rejoice in what we have, be more thankfull that we were not born in some lonely village in Africa, treasure our right to a free vote of choice as we watch confict zone citizens massacered by dictators or be thankfull that we do not feel mass hatred between faiths and cultures.
What we need to do is focus on the positive news our country has, giving the rich people across the world every reason to invest in our country. We need to direct that investment into our deprived areas to create jobs.
I only have praise for the many migrants wanting to come to Britain and when we realise the awful lives some have left behind in their damage ridden country we should extend out arm and protect them. The refugees I know are wonderful people, they work hard and love their new home, let us not be afraid of helping others.
I want to see our Prime Minister, who was the best Chancellor ever known, become the President of Europe, because if you ask people in communities about unlocking talent they will agree he has the ability to solve the global economy. Let us be thankfull he and his government have fiscal experiences taking us through the sea of monetary storm. We are strong, compared with other countries, because our government is determination to build a highly skilled and creative workforce, absolutely as sound as a pound. But it will take more courage .
Your question needs to be answered by projecting a future vision of golbal opportunities, as we seek to attract others to invest in our communities, making us more competitive in the world. It takes time to learn new skills and this is where govermnment needs to promote and encourage citizens to become active and to grow more confident and to take more control of their health and wellbeing. We also need more social enterprises to be able to get involved in delivering public services.
My top hot tip to help solve this problem of worklessness if for Government to lead by example. I would like each MP to use 10% of their constituency office budget to set up new learning and skills projects for in their community, Year on Year these taking part projects in their own constituencies – with the Chancellor allowing pound for pound match funding to double up on new opportunities to empower local people. This way would enable the MPs to be part of leadership training and would encourage more people to think about taking up a Governance responsibility - while learning about their neighbours and about the diversity in the community.
I would like to see central Governement at all levels, beginning with Cabinet Ministers, to be given the task of coming up with one new inventive idea each on how they will tackle worklessness. I expect each has one pet idea and now is the time to try their innovative projects – I challenge those at the top, who must each have lots of good connections, to come us with their list of actions to inspire us and give us the renewed confidence that our economy will be able to be stimulated by and which can build a strong culture for new enterprises.
Next let us see each onstituency run news stories on how they are getting on. A bit like Challenge Anika, with do-good news as the Community Leaders get involved to call on favours from businesses to see new results.
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There must be a knees up, community celebration, that tells the world how much Britain knows what is good for us all. It would be great if the art galleries, museums and cinemas can be themed during a Britishness Week to put on Proud of our Community events, working with government, businesses, communities, health and public services and for the deprived areas to have exchange visits with the more afluent. During these celebrations the government should hand out community and voluntary group bursaries based on a challenge ideas contest, to be used in building a community spirited legacy - year on year inspiring more people to come up with new ideas.
Invest in people and the jobs come to life, by citizens wanting more services, happy days and new wealth.
Go for it - Goverment is the reflection of public opinion and what I hear in my town is we want opportunities.