George Freeman is prospective parliamentary candidate for the new constituency of Mid Norfolk and is founder of The Norfolk Way, a campaign to promote a new vision of sustainable development in Norfolk.
We need to get the real economy moving again. We won’t do that just by pouring billions into the busted banks and public sector. We need to unlock the debt-free investment to grow our way back to sustainable prosperity. As the policy makers in London cast around for 'Big Ideas' for economic reconstruction, I'd like to suggest one with the potential to really unlock the potential of our regional economies.
It is based on the Victorian model: they invested the equivalent of billions in a rail network funded out of the development gains it helped unlock. Why don’t we do the same for modern infrastructure by creating a new type of regional infrastructure 'building society'?
The collapse of the New Labour credit boom has made it all too obvious that we need a new model of growth. Relying on servicing the City, speculating on housing and cheap credit to fuel consumer spending is not sustainable. We need a more balanced, sustainable and competitive enterprise economy, generating the long term savings and investment we need. How?
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