We need to do more to help ourselves

Aug 5 2003 By Bill Midgley, The Journal

During the course of the past week a group of tourists to the region made a short visit to one of our outstanding small coastal towns in Northumberland.

This in the middle of the holiday season, but on a Wednesday lunch-time half the restaurants in that town were closed and some of the pubs were not serving food!

It may be, of course, that some advances in civilisation take a little longer to reach parts of the region than others, but half-day closing in high summer in 2003, when we are doing all that we can to attract tourism, is hardly encouraging.

Likewise those institutions who claim to serve food, but are selective on the days that they choose to do it are hardly likely to be successful.

A motto from my youth was recalled by that particular incidence. The slogan of my home town of Huddersfield which, if I can remember correctly, is Juvat deus impigros. I think the translation was "God helps the industrious", but the more cynical translation used by those of Yorkshire stock was to the effect that God helps those who help themselves.

Perhaps there is a double meaning in that but the more acceptable meaning was one which the inhabitants of that town followed, much as it might well have been designed by those Mill owners who wanted to see their employees work ever harder for less pay.

However, there is no doubt that during the present day the industrious are likely to prosper against those who make a little less effort, lottery winnings and the like apart.

We ask for a great deal in the North-East of England. Certainly business asks for a great deal from Government in terms of the assistance that it needs to invest and expand.

There is a balance, however, in what we do and what we expect others to do, and we have to make sure that we are not seen (as is sometimes the case) as creating a hand-out economy.

We have to work at our image as there are far too many preconceived notions about us in the rest of the country, mainly based on history, and many of those are incorrect.

Tourism is one way to combat that but tourism without providing basic services will do little to promote us as a 21st Century region prepared to solve its own problems. Closing on Wednesdays and disaffecting those who bring money to our region is not the way.

We also need to encourage and embrace success. We seem more intent upon decrying and destroying those successful institutions that we have and envy often takes over.

Those businesses and individuals in business who are successful should be seen as role models and used as an example to others as to what can be achieved. And I have little doubt that while there is much original and dynamic thinking, this again goes side by side with an industrious attitude to ensure that theory is turned into reality.

Perhaps 80 years of decline have conditioned us to accept failure far too easily and we have to learn not to destroy but to build on the many successful operations that have been produced within the region. Envy has no place in building a strong economy.

There must be something about the heat that makes me think of too many quotations but there was a line in my old school song to the effect that "lives of honest service will win the richest crown". I still have some doubts on this, even after 40 years, although that may be my cynicism.

But nevertheless, a more industrious approach to our business lives at all levels, and that includes the boardroom where such an image is often sadly lacking, right through to the shop floor may be a start which will benefit all of us.