I have only been the President of the Aberdeen University Conservative and Unionist Association for around five months now, yet I am proud of what we have managed to achieve so far. We have hosted guests with various areas of interest, over Zoom; Eamonn Butler (Co-founder of the Adam Smith Institute), Lord Norton of Louth, Tom Mason MSP, Lord Duncan of Springbank, and David Duguid MP. We have also held many “Pint and Policy” events, which are casual discussions around pre-determined topics. Although Covid-19 has presented a challenge to all of us, I am confident that AUCUA will be able to host entertaining and educational events, whether that is in person or over Zoom.
Young people are full of ideas, some extraordinary and others not so much. As a society, we should encourage creativity, and this must start at the top - with government policy. The sweet shop of left-wing political parties, whether that’s red, green, or yellow socialism, have nothing to offer those business-minded young people, who may not realise that they have the potential to create something special. Even for those who have no interest in founding a business, more businesses mean more jobs, tax revenue, and choices for customers in the marketplace.
The Conservative and Unionist Party have demonstrated a fundamentally pro-business agenda, through the reduction of taxation on business and a fairer regulation regime. Many young people will read this as a negative: why should I vote for a party which places so much focus on the interests of fat-cat CEO’s who are painted as individuals who sit in a fancy leather seat on the top floor of a corporation's skyscraper and smoke cigars? The fact is: out of the 5.9 million private sector businesses in the United Kingdom, 5.82 million have less than 50 employees. This shows that small businesses are the backbone of Britain, not large corporations.
Why don’t more young people start a business? I believe this may be due to a lack of confidence, a lack of capital, and a lack of business-education. I know I learned about just-in-time delivery methods employed by businesses, as a means of reducing storage costs, when I studied Higher Business Management last year. However, at no point did I learn how to actually start a business, including the various processes and regulations which must precede the opening of a door. These are complex matters, granted, and I do not pretend that there’s enough time in a school day to learn the ins-and-outs of these issues. However, our education system should provide for a robust approach where our young people are taught the business basics of for example, how to access capital, so that they have the confidence to start a business of their own.
I would argue, only the Scottish and UK Conservatives have the fundamental belief in the importance of business, which is so important in guiding policy positions. Let us reframe the agenda and speak more about the importance of business. Let us promote business education in our curriculum, so that we can convince young people that we are the party which best represents their interests.