We need new politicians to create new wealth

THE greatest long-term opportunity for the UK is to get its innovation policy right. In order to get a successful future economy, the crux of the matter is firstly allowing innovation to drive forward the UK.

Innovative thought and its application is the fundamental building blocks of future dynamic economies. Unfortunately our politicians do not understand the power of innovation and what it can bring.

Unlike China and most of the emerging nations who have at their helm scientists or engineers of great note who know full well the power of innovation, we have control politicians who are still managing the old wealth. What we need are politicians who look to manage new wealth and its creation.

Until then, the words from our Prime Minister, Ministers and Whitehall senior civil servants concerning the need for a dynamic system of innovation, will be that, just mere words.

One has to place innovation and its highly needed infrastructure at the top of the political agenda, just as China’s President Hu and others have done.

In Hu’s case, in 2006, when he addressed the whole nation, he said that China would be the first totally applied and inclusive innovation nation where all their people would be involved, not just their academics or professional scientists.

This is why China will become unassailable in the 21st century as they have an inclusive vision of innovation unlike the UK where they believe that elitism will win through.

Nothing could be further off the mark as we have been trying elitism for many decades now and all that it has done is to inextricably lead to our economic demise year-on-year. Hu and the Chinese leadership have it right with their thinking, as it is best to use their 1.3bn minds than a small percentage that we actually use in the UK.