Many might argue that Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), every Wednesday during the times when the House of Commons is sitting, is simply a theatrical point-scoring display of adversarial politics that epitomises conflict rather than achieving truly concrete benefits.
Back in November 2016, the Who Runs Britain blog observed: “Criticisms of PMQs tend to focus on the Punch and Judy nature of the occasion, in which government and opposition seek to score points by outdoing each other through jeers and rehearsed one-liners. Another common source of complaint is the governing party’s use of planted questions which are merely designed to offer the Prime Minister an opportunity to reiterate a few stock phrases about the government’s achievements. If PMQs is to provide a genuine opportunity to scrutinise the government then such practices are, at best, a waste of time.”
But it goes further than this, because if one political party is condemned by another to be continually in the wrong, then how can UK voters have real confidence in the democratic process of the multi-party system? At a time when public respect for politicians is at a low ebb, it could be an opportunity to take stock of how responsible businesses approach their competitors while upholding the reputation of the quality of their industrial or professional sector.
In fact, this type of business like collaboration can be seen in cross-party approaches to solving problems in House of Commons Select Committees on a variety of topics. These proceedings get very little coverage in the media, but viewing this kind of collaboration in action might help to rebuild public confidence in the political process.
Businesses working together
An informative post by Forbes gives some useful insights into how competing businesses can collaborate to mutual advantage and create widespread benefits. The author states: “Working with other businesses promotes collaborating with industry counterparts, allowing for an exponential expansion of networks, both professional and personal. Partnering with competitors opens the door to their established connections as well, presenting opportunities and access to clients that one might not have accessed individually.
“Not only does this let businesses share invaluable insights, strategies and market trends, but it also harnesses the power of collective intelligence. Companies can capitalize on complementary skills, tapping into areas of expertise they might lack, and as a result, offering an enriched and more comprehensive value proposition to their clientele. In my experience, this collaboration often results in better-informed decisions that can provide a competitive edge.”
Relay is proud to be a proactive member of Logistics UK, which is an exemplary business association that facilitates collaboration throughout its competitive membership to achieve goals that benefit both the transport and logistics industry and its customers.
At times there may be disagreement over issues, but when discussing the complex challenges of national and international transport and trade, the approach aims to be constructive and not based on point-scoring debate. This might be an approach that politicians could consider in a bid to restore public confidence going forward.