A few month ago, I spoke at a North West RDA's launch of its Manufacturing Strategy. My talk was on innovation in manufacturing, but during the panel debate afterwards, I got a fairly pointed question:
"Do the politicians get it?"
The answer I gave was a resounding 'No'. Beyond Lord Mandelson, there's little understanding of what makes modern manufacturing successful.
The audience grumbled, so I pressed them: Why, did they think, did finanical services get a light-touch regulation over the past 20-plus years? Because they stood up and asked for one. They argued fairly persuasively that the UK needed to move to a 'post-industrial' economy, and the politicians gave them what they wanted.
While the devastating depth of the recession has proved the City wrong and got people talking about manufacturing again, where are the manufacturers standing up, demanding to be at the heart of a healthy economy?
At EEF, we're doing our bit - our Manufacturing. Our Future. report was the first step in a campaign to shout about what manufacturers need to be successful.
But as an election draws closer, it's time for manufacturers themselves to stand up and get engaged.
That's why we've started our 'We ♥ Manufacturing' campaign. It's not really driven by EEF, but by manufacturers talking about why manufacturing matters. The audiance is prospective MPs and the public. If you support manufacturing, then tell us why.
How else are the politicians going to 'get it'?