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It may have been touch and go there for a while, but we managed to elect a new government, even if there has been a lot of initial fuss about the process and the result.

Now we can finally start talking about their intentions with initial news about policy and where their focus will lie, and it's all starting to look suspiciously positive for the contracting world. I hate to say it but I'm starting to feel optimistic, this can't end well surely?

We've had it rough for a long time, with new pieces of legislation chipping away little bits of the freedom that temporary work relies on to function and thrive. There was IR35, the Tackling Managed Service Companies legislation, the Agency Workers Directive, and the looming False Self-Employment in Construction: Taxation of Workers consultation, all of which whatever their intentions pushed people from the contracting market into a full time employment situation that they didn't necessarily want to be in.

Things look to be changing though with the new government's focus fixed on deregulation, repealling restrictive laws and helping small businesses grow, all very good news. There is even talk of amending IR35 (a full repeal seems increasingly unlikely, despite pre-election indications), which depending on the scale of change could be a very popular move indeed in contractor circles. This will probably be included in the impressive sounding "Great Repeal Bill" perhaps the first piece of British law asking for audience participation. Is this a chance for people to have more of a say in things or is that dangerous optimism creeping in again?

I'd love to stay skeptical and suspicious, but I think the prospect of a sunny weekend has put me in too good a mood, for now lets cross our fingers and hope for the best, in contracting terms it can only really get better.

Hugo
@GabemUmbrella
21/01/2010