The first 100 days

摘要

So now we know. Against all the predictions it is to be five years of a Conservative government, elected with a mandate to rule, without needing the help or co-operation of others having gained a decisive majority. Upon the announcement of the victory sterling jumped upwards, bank shares rose and all non-doms breathed a sigh of relief, not that I suspect many were that concerned in the first place. For construction, I fear, things may not be so simple. It is good to have a clear outright winner that cannot be disputed - months of wrangling would have been disruptive. However, one of the strong aspects of the coalition was the fact that for each proposition put forward by one side there was often an equal and opposite view articulated by the other. In other words a kind of fail-safe brake. This, it is argued, was instrumental in the introduction of government stimulus to the housing market, enhanced spending promised for infrastructure and money for apprentice schemes. Also possibly an acceptance, perhaps for the first time, by a secretary of state for business, that the built environment plays a vital part in the economy. Will our industry have the same seat at the table of the new possibly more self-assured government going forward? This remains to be seen.