Christine Emmett: Why small businesses need the Conservatives - and what we must be offering them

Christine Emmett has a degree in Economics, is a member of William Hague’s Northern Transport Commission, Vice Chairman of the Biz Club and runs her own company advising on major infrastructure projects. She is on the approved list of Conservative parliamentary candidates. 

The owner of a coffee bar in my local town donated £4,000 to the high school so that they could buy Astroturf for the football field.

The Conservatives would be well advised to look after businesses such as this. They are the backbone of local towns and villages. Their owners do not need the title ‘social entrepreneur’ to understand their responsibilities, support communities, provide employment and yes, even set standards of probity and integrity. Small communities have a way of monitoring performance more effectively than any quality system. No-one re- visits the hairdresser who has a reputation for dying your hair purple (unless, of course, that’s your wish!)

According to the Federation of Small Businesses, there are 6,000 such businesses in each constituency. Over half of all Britain’s employees work for the 4 million small- and medium-sized businesses. To win their trust, we must convince them that we understand them and will support the survival and development of their business.

Small businesses are bearing the brunt of recent problems in the economy. At a small business awards ceremony last week the talk was of worse to come:

• The owner of an antiques shop built his business up over the past 10 years and has been burgled 8 times recently. The police have still not found the culprits.
• Last year a firm of solicitors gave its staff a stark choice – take 30% cut in salary or redundancy. Most chose to stay.

So, what can we offer?

Christine Emmett: From Crewe to Kenya – democracy in action

Christine Emmett, a member of the candidates list, describes how Kenya is trying to get back onto its feet through trade and investment.

There are two monkeys sitting on the roof outside my window. OK so I can’t be in Crewe anymore this must be Kenya. Pounding the streets of Crewe a few weeks back was tiring, taking part in such a win exhilarating. Satisfied with the news and the fact that for all its problems democracy generally works in Britain I was now in quite a different place.

I had been invited to speak at the Sacoma World Entrepreneurial Summit in Nairobi. As I left Britain on Crewe polling day I had not been told my topic, but they knew my business background, passion for networking and Conservative convictions on free trade – this enough to qualify me, and surely all that CCHQ training (thank you Peter Botting!) would kick in?

The Kenyan post-election violence has affected the economy, so holding the summit here is part of the healing and re-building process. They want to send the message – Kenya is open for business.

Christine Emmett: A rather British revolution

Christine Emmett meets the respectable people who turned up in Westminster to protest about the lack of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

If Gordon Brown wins the vote and agrees to enact the Lisbon treaty on Wednesday without a referendum the British people will never forgive him. If he doesn’t, Tony Blair will never forgive him. It is what my 12 year old daughter would call a “no brainier” but will the Ditherer with too much brain and very little heart be able to make the distinction? The result of the local campaign in marginal seats is that 89% of voters want a referendum on the EU treaty, (now called Lisbon Treaty).

Last Wednesday a very British tradition took place outside the Houses of Parliament. Thousands of people queued – for hours and hours to register their concern with their MPs that British sovereignty was being given away without their permission. Thousands more will write to the Queen this week pleading with her to intercede on their behalf.

The Conservative Party, ever wary of producing splits on Europe has been cautious. David Cameron’s focus groups tell him that people are more worried about the things which directly affect them – crime, schools, and clean hospitals. What the Westminster elite are missing is the link between the Lisbon Treaty and all these services. If more power moves to Brussels and unelected bureaucrats administer our public services and affect our cost of living, how do they suppose will we influence what is done to our police force, our health care, our education system?