Interesting (but despairing) news reaches me about the economic summit that is taking place tomorrow.
You would expect, given the importance of this discussion between Government and Business, that there would at least be a whole day devoted to this critical issue of how the Assembly Government will support Welsh businesses so that the views of industry can be heard loud and clear and, more importantly, acted upon.
However, it would seem that an item entitled "The Credit Crunch in Wales" is merely being added to the agenda of the Business Partnership Council and that it will be shoved in at the end of two presentations by Atradius and the Principality which were arranged months ago.
Having called for a summit months ago, I finally thought that the Assembly Government was finally taking its role in supporting the Welsh economy seriously. How wrong I was to expect anything less than what will be a general waste of time.
Dr Samuel Johnson once said that, “The pleasure of expecting enjoyment is often greater than that of obtaining it, and the completion of almost every wish is found a disappointment”. How true.
You would expect, given the importance of this discussion between Government and Business, that there would at least be a whole day devoted to this critical issue of how the Assembly Government will support Welsh businesses so that the views of industry can be heard loud and clear and, more importantly, acted upon.
However, it would seem that an item entitled "The Credit Crunch in Wales" is merely being added to the agenda of the Business Partnership Council and that it will be shoved in at the end of two presentations by Atradius and the Principality which were arranged months ago.
Having called for a summit months ago, I finally thought that the Assembly Government was finally taking its role in supporting the Welsh economy seriously. How wrong I was to expect anything less than what will be a general waste of time.
Dr Samuel Johnson once said that, “The pleasure of expecting enjoyment is often greater than that of obtaining it, and the completion of almost every wish is found a disappointment”. How true.
Comments
AGENDA
9.00 am -10.45 am
Economic Summit:
1. Presentation by Principality Building Society
2. Presentation by Atradius
3. Credit Crunch: Impact in Wales
10.45 am - 11.00 am Coffee
11.00 am - 12.00 am
4. Planning in Wales BPC 24.01.1
(Business Wales paper)
5. Vulnerable Workers BPC 24.02.1
(Wales TUC paper)
6. VAT on housing refurbishments BPC 24.03.1
(Business Wales paper)
7. Minutes of meeting held on 7 May 2008 BPC 24.04.1
8. Matters arising and updates from previous meetings BPC 24.05.1
9. AOB
Papers to note - Wales Employment and Skills Board BPC 24.06.1
Flexible Support for Business BPC 24.07.1