ABSTRACT
In the early 1970s, the UK Conservative government attempted to reduce regional spending and subsidies, pursuing a small government agenda. However, the first half of the 1970s was a time of high unemployment, economic crises and recession. These crises prompted the government to move away from its focus on unemployment and away from Keynesianism, it also provoked debates about the place and contribution of small businesses and entrepreneurship in the economy. It is in this context that the Bolton Report was received and the Small Firms Division established. The crises accompanied a growth in small firm numbers and a nuanced change in their collective voice and platforms for political influence. While this was formally recognised with the creation of the Small Firms Division, it also began to grow outside the mechanisms of government-industry relations. This chapter will outline the enterprise policies of the early 1970s in relation to small business voice, culminating in angry debates about taxation and the emergence of new organisations seeking to challenge the political establishment and change the way governments engaged with small businesses.
