The General Election - 6 May
So, the worst kept secret in politics has finally been revealed
- the General Election will be 
held on the 6th May.
From a political perspective, this election
promises to be one of the most unpredictable in living memory and
the potential for a hung-parliament is very real. While current
opinion polls point toward a narrow Conservative majority, the gap
continues to narrow and public opinion, at least for the moment,
appears far from decided.
The messages from politicians, however, remain
wholly predictable. As is well known, it wasn’t small and medium
sized enterprises that began this recession but they’ve still had
to bear the brunt of its effects – now all the parties are falling
over themselves to show their support.
The BMF will endeavor to make sure that any
new Government follows up its lofty manifesto promises with
tangible policies. The BMF has built up many MP contacts over the
years, from all parties who take close interest in our industry.
Many of the ‘friends of the industry’ will not be returning to the
Commons after the election. There will be a big job to be done
after May 7th to get new MP’s to understand our industry
and secure the support we need. We’d like you to be a part of that
process.
Being as we had a pretty good idea that the
election would be called this week, the team has been working on an
information portal for members to ask questions of their local
Prospective Parliamentary Candidates and establish what they will
do to support the marine industry.
We’ve also pulled together some letter
templates to send to your PPC if you’re interested – contact Chris
on governmentrelations@britishmarine.co.uk
to find out more.