The General Election and Civ Tech

This morning, on 18th April 2017, Theresa May called a snap General Election. Citing a need for greater stability and certainty, May expressed concern over political “game playing.” So will this election provide certainty, stability and strong leadership for the businesses focused on improving government in the UK? It’s hard to say. An obvious concern is the imminent change of people calling the shots at all levels. Part of what makes working with government so difficult is the regular change of decision makers. Every 4 years there are new relationships to forge and rapport building sometimes has to start from scratch.

The Civ Tech companies based at The Rain Cloud Victoria agree that this announcement will affect everyone, for better or worse.

How the General Election News impacts Civ Tech Start ups

Civ Tech companies focused on making UK politics more transparent and informed are useful at a time like this. Some startups have responded already. Represent is one such organisation, using technology to, “give you a voice and help you organise to drive action where it’s needed.” This Civ Tech initiative means that you can vote today to let the MPs voting tomorrow know what you think.

Shadi A. Razak, Chief Technology Officer at CyNation, says: “you need clarity on policy for British start ups to thrive.” He’s concerned that this could all change and says, “when we are trying to export or go global this could place more sticks. There are already difficulties because of our position in the European Union. Europe and The Middle East have been on the agenda for some time. Will our licenses still cover Europe in a few years? Our partners have doubts.”

How the General Election News impacts the Civ Tech ecosystem

For some of the organisations in the Civ Tech ecosystem the suddenness of this announcement is posing problems. One group that was planning to launch next week may be pushed back months or completely stopped in their plans.

For European Movement the news could be welcome but the suddenness of the announcement allows less than adequate time to mobilise support. They remain positive nonetheless. For Alex Wilks, “this as an opportunity for remain voters to come together and form a strong opposition to what is essentially a referendum on the government’s Brexit plans.”

Are you affected by the General Election news? Get in touch to let us know how.