By Lucy Proudlock for Northern Ireland Foundation

The Federation of Small Businesses hosted a panel-led audience discussion at the Alliance Party Conference last month. Speaking, were Angela McGowan, Chief Economist for Northern Bank; Siobhan McAleer, founder of the Mortgage Shop; Seamus McAleavey, Chief Executive for NICVA; and John Woods, Former Director of Friends of the Earth.

With fifty per cent of the private sector in NI as small business, it was raised that bank lending is still an issue, especially with our bank dependence on the Republic of Ireland. Small businesses therefore need to be protected following the positive message set by David Cameron.

The debate then began on how the budget and cuts affect businesses and the overall economy. McGowan started, by claiming it "not right" to hand over the infrastructure to our children. Woods agreed that if the Assembly want decent public services, they should ditch populism and tax the middle classes more because they can afford it; we're not comparable to England.

McAleer added that we must also be careful not to turn people away from homeownership, because that's what builds community and sustained futures. McAleavey then said the Assembly's spending plans should look at impact on the people of NI, particularly the vulnerable.

As to the question of NI becoming independent, Woods thought making the economy work for good facilities and wellbeing to be more important. He also questioned the morality of attracting big business away from their home countries.

McAleavy thought it would take at least 25 years to become independent, with large improvement needed in education for an "information society". The others agreed economic growth is entwined with education and schools, but McGowan added we are a regional economy and also that "divisions cost".

McAleer suggested that peoples' backgrounds have everything to do with where they end up, due to experience and expectation. Woods then added that although his own family background helped him, his children are facing the same secular education he had during the Troubles. The bonus of cuts, he said, is that the building of more segregated schools will not happen, and so the delay could mean integration.

The debate, which contained few actual disagreements, was ended with McAleavy explaining that as Government is a political project, which NI itself does not have, Alliance need to know what their collective aim and vision is, to hold up for the public to support.

The lack of discussion was disappointing, and much of what was said about cuts and progression had already been talked about at other events during the Conference. As both an economist and bank executive, McGowan was very protective and almost defensive over causes of the economic climate; although the Northern Bank itself has had no state intervention. Other panellists also responded in accordance with their respective positions. However, audience participation was impressively high and active, demonstrating the extent of urgency and concern over small business economy in Northern Ireland.