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Entrepreneurs play no valid role in Merseyside society – just look at the Honours List
If you wanted the government’s view of entrepreneurs, then a look at the new year’s honours list is a good place to start.
As Merseyside risk-takers busy themselves creating tens of thousands of jobs and delivering a sustained investment boom, the people considered to have made the biggest contribution to the region’s quality of life are – of course – tax inspectors, NHS paper chasers and health and safety officers.
Yes, that’s right: of the 22 people honoured locally, 16 were employed in public sector roles. Just one worked in the private sector.
Wealth creators take note: your risk, energy, courage and ability to create the billions in taxes that fund all and every facet of our welfare state is as nothing compared to someone’s willingness to work 9 to 5 administering your taxes. The fact that they enjoy generous publicly-funded pensions that most in private employment could never afford is just an added insult.
If it proves anything, it’s that the difference between an entrepreneur and a politician is that an entrepreneur talks a good game with his own money. If you enjoy legal Droit de seigneur over a chunk of the nation’s wealth then it’s hardly surprising if (a) you treat it cavalierly; and (b) you look after your mates.
And that, of course, is exactly what the honours list shows: a politically-motivated need to keep fractious public servants happy rather than honour the real folk who make a difference through risk (entrepreneurs) or the commitment of skill and energy for the greater good (the voluntary sector, who were given just 5 gongs locally in spite of outstanding contributions to civic society across Merseyside).
But now we know: on Merseyside, entrepreneurs are held in contempt. There can be no other explanation.
Ends.
