THEWELD OF PARLIAMENT


Political and business observations from Stephen McPartland, UK Member of Parliament for Stevenage and advisor to the AWD Board


THEREWAS NO DOUBLE DIP RECESSION, there was no triple dip recession and unemployment is falling with over a million new jobs created in the private sector. The highest number of people ever recorded is currently in work and economists will tell us that the UK economy is set to be the fastest growing economy this year in the developed world. How can the economy have gone from life support, after the previous government left office, to now surging ahead with confidence returning? Yes, the Coalition Government is tackling the deficit but the simple answer is that businesses are leading the way and they are trading the UK economy to recovery. It is a fragile recovery and there is a lot of work to do, as another shock from the eurozone could knock it all sideways, but the UK economy is on the road to good health which means business is getting better. I have seen a marked increase in confidence over the last few months in


particular and businesses in my area are investing heavily in employees and equipment as they begin to see the markets for their products improve. However, many of these companies have changed how they interact with their markets and there has been a real step-change in the number of companies looking to export their products. Building exportability into local products has often been too daunting for


many small companies, but as more and more enter the export market I am seeing a slow but steady build-up of other companies in their supply chain and competitors taking a keener interest in the opportunities abroad. We have some of the most highly skilled welders in the world and


welding products that are the envy of international welders so if your company is not exporting, you really should be. It is easier than it was and there are a range of government programmes that can help, but the easiest way of getting into foreign markets is to ask a company you know that has done it. If you are already in one foreign market, why not try another? I always remember being asked why the British Government helped


bail out the Republic of Ireland and the answer was simple – as a nation, we export more to Ireland than we do to Brazil, Russia, India and China combined. Is your company exporting there? Export opportunities are going to be the area for real growth over the next five years and the welding industry is well suited to take a leading role and benefit from this growth.


We have some of themost highly


skilled welders in the world and


welding products that are the envy of international welders


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