To what extent is Richard Branson, the English Tycoon, a very influential person in the British political life?

Résumé du document

Richard Branson holds the distinction of being Britain's best-known entrepreneur. This self-made man started his first company at the age of 17 and succeeded in building an empire from it. Worth £3 billion and believed to be the ninth-richest man in the UK, the 56-year-old founder of the Virgin empire inspired a generation of entrepreneurs by not only becoming influent in business activities but also in British political life. Branson is, however, not engaged in any political party and defines himself as a libertarian. He swings between the Conservative and the Labor Parties with the sole aim of safeguarding his economic interests. In December 1999, he was awarded a knighthood in the Queen's Millennium New Year's Honors List for "services to entrepreneurship". The aim of this essay is to analyze how important the participation of Richard Branson in British political life is. It may be said that because of his huge business activities that deal with numerous and various key sectors of the country such as the transport, the energies or the media, Branson has a privileged position vis-à-vis government officials. Viewed on this perspective, he may be considered a political actor. In order to have a better understanding of this topic, we will first briefly present the biography of Richard Branson, also known as ?the British tycoon'.

Extraits

[...] Besides, the hippie tycoon delayed signing an agreement binding the two men as partners. Contrary to their original agreement of equality, Branson wanted a majority share and the control of the airline. He even asked the CAA if he could reapply for a new licence without Field, but got a negative answer. Finally the two men came to an agreement: Branson would own 75% of their company and Field 25%. Since the beginning, Virgin Atlantic had hard time with its bitter rival British Airways and especially with Lord King, BA's Chairman. [...]

[...] However, by flying into Baghdad and rescuing the hostages, Virgin had again usurped British Airways traditional role. That was for Branson the start of the fight between Virgin and BA mentioned previously. Later, Lord King, British Airways Chairman, protested about the British government's cooperation with Virgin: the hell does Richard think he is? Part of the bloody Foreign Office?'[26] However, all the involvements of Richard Branson in political missions were not as successful as the one in the Persian Gulf. [...]

[...] Going public was an attractive option: it would have enabled Virgin to raise money which they could have invested in new subsidiaries, it would have enabled them to enjoy more freedom from the banks and it would have increased Virgin profile. During the 1980's, Margaret Thatcher launched an important program to privatize the state monopolies in order to reduce the public expenditures. A campaign was organized by the government to attract small investors and to encourage the public to buy shares. [...]

[...] Branson was enthusiastic about the possibility of earning money in this new challenge. Nonetheless, air travel remained a highly regulated industry in which a newcomer had to fight with state-owned monoliths, with monopoly profits from their home markets, subsidies from their countries' taxpayers, and suspiciously friendly relations with politicians and with the regulators who set the rules of the competitive game. But, Branson was not afraid about the risks and furthermore, he did everything in order to be the most powerful person in this new company. [...]

[...] Margaret Thatcher herself was impressed by the rapidity of Richard Branson's boat and wished that Britain growth could be like it! However his atypical character can be a disadvantage. He wanted to run for Mayor Election in 2004, but finally, he thought that he was too libertarian for that responsibility and felt that his image couldn't fit the position. Concerning his ability to negotiate with other social interlocutors, and especially with his employees, Branson can still be seen as an informal boss. [...]