2009-11-10
It is no secret that Britain perhaps is one of the countries that is most affected by the financial crisis. Gloomy reports and intimidation elements has characterized the British media for over a year and Prime Minister Gordon Brown faces a hard situation.
The media and public turn their backs on Brown and the conservative´s leader David Cameron gains record figures in opinion polls. Even within the Labor Party, voices and demands are raised of Brown's resignation. Legislative elections are to be expected.
The credit bubble appeared perhaps most evident when the Northern Rock (housing mortgage loan) was close to bankruptcy in 2007.
The small savers queued for hours to withdraw their money in panic - something that has not been seen in Britain since the mid 19th century. In June of 2008, the Chamber of Commerce members had the opportunity to listen to the man who had to take on the bank when it was most vulnerable, the former chairman Bryan Sanderson. Sanderson spoke among others about the need for new control from the authorities.
In these times, during a generally gloomy economy, we at the Chamber of Commerce in London embrace the future with good confidence. We are celebrating 103 years this year. Three years ago we had centennial celebration, and last year we worked to develop a profile and a program that will work towards the next hundred years.
London has always been a hub for networking, here are hundreds of think tanks, lobbying organizations and various kinds of chambers of commerce. In a comparison done in 2009, it was shown that the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain is the third largest foreign Chamber of Commerce and we arrange more events than anyone else.
We are active and in times like these we embrace cooperation, networking and support. Over fifty new member companies have already emerged in 2009 - that is a strong foundation for the future.
A part of the future work will also focus on the Olympics in London in 2012. Britain is a relatively safe investment country, especially in the light of what is happening in other parts of the world at the moment. With the sight set on 2012, more opportunities will be presented. We will uncover some of these for the member base in the near future.
We are constantly courted by the UK regions outside London which are looking for Swedish investors and welcomes Swedish companies.
Today, the Chamber of Commerce has offices in Birmingham, Manchester and in Immingham where we can help with networking and contacts. There are endless of opportunities in Britain today.
Whether it is Brown, Clegg or Cameron that will sit next to queen Elizabeth II on the gallery during the opening ceremony in 2012 remains to be seen.