Archive - Monday, 9 February 2004


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The future will blend in with the past

Dennis Grant, chief executive of Swindon Chamber of Commerce:

AS a young man, Thomas Merton's book No Man Is An Island left me with a profound understanding that nothing can live in isolation from fundamental change.

Swindon needs to understand that its past is just that, the past, and that it must wholeheartedly embrace the future if it is to secure the prosperity of its citizens.

And as such, there are two fundamental changes the Swindon business community must accept.

Just as the Industrial Revolution brought about momentous changes in society's business values, a similar revolution has been taking place during the last half of the 20th century that will continue to gain momentum over the next 50 years.

Effectively we are making the shift from an industrial society into what has been called the information age' or the 'post industrial era'.

Swindon has made the shift from industrial to an information society; knowledge has replaced mass production as the basis for wealth, power and social intercourse.

In its economy, services have increasingly displaced manufacturing as a source of wealth.

In particular, with production being consistently globalised, we have witnessed mental labour replace physical labour.

Especially evident when you look where the majority of the Swindon workforce is employed today in comparison to 50 years ago.

The second is the Euro.

And the Euro is more than just a currency.

It's a symbol of European integration in every sense of the word; of a unity that many hope will promote the stability and growth of the euro zone economy.

Swindon business cannot remain aloof from the Euro.

So where will Swindon business be in 50 years' time?

Knowing the ability of Swindon people to adapt to change, I see a new Swindon town, possibly a city, emerging. One where, as the proposed plans for the Mechanics Institute so graphically illustrate, the past heritage of the town will blend with the demands of the future.