BANGOR BUSINESS SCHOOL

It is undeniable that there are some truly excellent centres of learning in Wales, and Bangor Business School is certainly one of them. The banking area of operation is probably the best in Europe.

What, alas, is also undeniable is that our higher education sector is not getting the funds it needs. There is a marked absence of company headquarters in Wales which means that private sponsorship is difficult to come by, even compared to England. What is therefore very disturbing is that there is a considerable funding gap with England in terms of public expenditure on the higher education sector. The division is even greater when one makes the comparison with Scotland. This must be addressed.

I had a first class evening with the Advisory Council of the Bangor Business School, chaired by Dafydd Wigley, last week. Convivial company, useful discussions, and a reassurance that we have such a strong academic presence in this vital area of activity.

I am unashamedly pro-business. I have never understood the attitude of some that if you are pro-business you must be anti-workers. This is crazy. Without being pro-business and ensuring a strong economy we can’t hope to deal with some of the problems in Wales and develop the resources we need to tackle some of the deep seated problems in our nation.