David Miliband backs Journal’s Go Global campaign
Sep 19 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal
“The question I have is how do we get institutions that support the private sector – the regional development agency, Newcastle Gateshead cultural partnership and other ways in which we showcase ourselves such as our football teams – to be part of this as well?”
He said: “I think that exports and manufacturing and services are a vital part of the future. We’ve got great skills and we’ve got a great attitude in this region and we need to build up our wealth-creating capacity – that’s why I welcome The Journal’s campaign.”
Mr Miliband was joined by film producer and chairman of The Sage Gateshead, Lord Puttnam, on a fact-finding tour yesterday
Lord Puttnam, whose film credits include Chariots of Fire, The Killing Fields and Local Hero, said: “It strikes me that one of the problems we have with globalisation is that it’s now seen as an extremely crude weapon. You are either a winner or a loser.
“I believe there’s a real job in getting across to people a more equitable sense of globalisation and softening the edges so people see it’s not as though there’s an alternative, it’s not as though there’s non-globalisation.”
Andrew Sugden, director of membership and policy at the NECC, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that the Foreign Secretary has backed Go Global. It’s a campaign that’s about successful exporting of North East businesses and it’s great that we see that political endorsement.
“It’s also important that we are doing it here at the Port of Tyne which is a crucial part of the international trade infrastructure.
Port of Tyne chief executive Andrew Moffat also urged the region’s army of businesses to consider exporting to new markets, citing the port’s huge capacity and first-rate facilities as an incentive.
