Brown says 'Britishness' key to economic success

Thursday, 28 April 2005 12:00 AM

Britain must make full use of every person's talents if it is to ward off the economic challenge posed by developing countries such as China and India, Gordon Brown said today.

Speaking in London, Labour's Chancellor said core British values of scientific innovation, individual enterprise and opportunity to all were the key to its success on the world stage.

Britain could be "one of the great global success stories of that new world economy", he claimed. However, the pace of change in the globalised economy would be "unremitting", and flexibility was needed in trade, investment and labour markets.

Moreover, Britain's long-term success would depend upon "forging together an explicit national economic destiny and purpose".

"I believe we can only confront the next wave of globalisation if we apply enduring British values to this modern era," he said.

"It is by rediscovering what has made us great that we can be a great success in the changing global economy."

Those British values included liberty - as espoused by philosophers such as John Locke; giving people who worked hard and were self-reliant a chance; and above all, the idea of opportunity for all.

"For economic as well as social reasons our country now takes the view that business takes: that to be successful we must tap and develop the talents of all people," Mr Brown said.

"This is exactly what is required in a world where the nations that will succeed are the nations which are most innovative, flexible and dynamic ... which, as the best British businesses already do, build economic strength by developing and drawing on all the talents of all their people....

"Faced with the challenge of Asia, a nation the size of ours simply cannot afford to waste the abilities any child, discard the potential of any young person, leave untapped the talents of any adult."

Key to equipping Britain for the globalised economy were a culture of entrepreneurship, educating children about business, and increased investment in R&D.

Mr Brown said Labour had set about this task by increasing spending on education, in contrast to the Conservatives, who would take £2 billion away from public education through their 'pupil passport'.

"Facing global competition, our task is surely to focus our resources on the education of the many who need resources, not subsidies for the few who do not," he said.

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