

What the [UK] budget means for start-ups - arien
http://www.kernelmag.com/comment/opinion/1674/what-the-budget-means-for-start-ups/

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stygianguest
So government is speding on high-tech start-ups, to (hopefully) create jobs
presumably for foreign educated workers, since school budgets are cut
savagely. Don't get me wrong, I am all for small government, I just believe
they are forgetting their primary objectives in particular the educaton of
children.

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ed209
Don't forget that part of the solution to education is role-models. You can
teach all you want, but if kids ain't interested - they ain't interested.

High tech startups (and when they are seen by the public to be successful) are
good role models covering entrepreneurship, engineering, design etc.

So I'd argue that putting money into science, tech, entrepreneurship _is_
doing good for the education of our children. (I'd rather my daughter looked
up to the likes of notch than some x-factor winner).

Listen to Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson on NASA whose budget could equally be spent
on education, welfare etc full episode at 34m 30s
[http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/28/2909148/on-the-verge-
episo...](http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/28/2909148/on-the-verge-
episode-004-dr-neil-degrasse-tyson)

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stygianguest
Not to disagree with you, more thinking out loud. Shouldn't teachers provide
the primary role model? In stead, teaching has become a profession for losers.
The status and quality of teaches have all gone down consistently during the
last 20-30 years. Children's first role-models should be the best of the best.

And, to disagree with you a bit anyway. I have the feeling that the example
set by start-up role-models is more of the make-lotsa-money-fast kind, than
the technical kind. Maybe that's not mutually exclusive, but I remain
sceptical.

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pja
The tax relief on Angel investment could make a huge difference.

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tomgallard
Yes, this is really excellent news. Good to see the government making some
positive, useful changes, rather than just talking the talk, or setting up
another 'body' to encourage entrepreneurship

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ashleytowers
Great article. I actually sat and listened to the budget and there was a lot
of really positive stuff in there for businesses, it's just a shame so much it
was overlooked because of the dust storm kicked up by the cut in the 50p top
tax rate band

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toyg
I wish the dust storm was about the top rate of income tax! At least we could
have enjoyed a few minutes of "sane" class hatred.

No, the real topic for media reporters was _a tax on pasties_ (which is not
even a real tax, but rather a realignment of some food categories in the tax
system).

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tomgallard
I know- it was absolutely ridiculous. Made me really depressed about the state
of the media, and the level of political discussion in this country.

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dasmoth
Am I the only one who's a little worried about the focus on patents?

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tomgallard
I think we need to remember that this isn't just focussed on tech startups.

The UK has a good number of pharmaceutical, engineering, bio-sciences. In
these industries patents are probably a pretty good proxy for innovation.

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ntmartin
Perhaps for those industries patents are a better fit and more standard
practice. My personal opinion based on observations of patents in software is
that they inhibit innovation.

Invariably in a race to the bottom everyone loses.

~~~
toyg
> Perhaps for those industries patents are a better fit and more standard
> practice.

Pharma industries live and die on patents, today, and in the UK they are over-
represented in any lobbying effort on the subject. Most politicians don't
know/care about software patents, but they _will_ have been lobbied by the
likes of AstraZeneca and they will write legislation with _that_ sector in
mind, mostly.

