When you think about the UK and take time to analyse all the news published about its business and economy, you could easily become depressed by the state of things. Government barely scraping by, businesses struggling to survive, consumers losing wealth — it’s often hard to find news that lifts you up. Well, that was the case until what I’m about to share.

As October was drawing to a close, I began reflecting on what I believed was the most important piece of business or economic news to come out of the UK. In case you missed it, I shared something similar in September — see the comment for the link.

For October, it was difficult to find one, but I kept hopeful. Then, while scrolling through Twitter, I came across a post gaining traction among people I follow. It was a speech delivered by Matt Clifford: a 14-minute talk that has since gained even more attention, now surpassing 500,000 views since it was first posted.

It’s a simple message built on the premise that the UK in October, through deliberate effort, was once a great nation — breaking new scientific ground, constructing century-defining monuments, and fostering a population growing in wealth. The premise continues with the idea that the UK can be that again. I agree. The details of the talk are even more compelling, with vivid examples that truly fire the imagination.

For me, this speech is the most important piece of news to have come out of the UK. It’s a rallying cry and a message of optimism. Yet I sense that what Matt is doing has not yet gained national attention. I say this because I had expected the major media outlets to plaster their front pages with this message — but I could hardly find any that referenced the speech.

Ilan Gur, CEO of ARIA, who is also involved in this groundwork, captures my sense of the situation well in his recent interview with The Times: “The entrepreneurial drive, the ‘critical mass’ that is essential to scientific success, is a relatively recent development in Britain.”

My proposal for the UK government to “make the UK rich again” is this:

The UK has paid an enormous price for its anti-growth policies; now it should be prepared to pay at least twice that for pro-growth ones. In reality, the cost would likely be lower — but it helps to think of it that way. It would mean losing some control, making some mistakes, and facing public backlash, but that pales in comparison to the price being paid now. Look at what’s been done with the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) – we can do more.

Note: I have a longer reflection on this topic. If you know a reputable media outlet where I could publish it, please DM me. I’d appreciate it!