1. inspiration for independent
professionals and the self-employed
Issue 49 – £4.95
THE X FACTORThe leaders audition – which party best represents independent professionals? You decide

2. The run up to the 2015 general election is well
under way.
We now sit just a few weeks away from the UK’s
mostcriticalpoliticalperiodforthepastfiveyears,
yetnoneofuscanbeentirelysurewhichparty–or
should I say, parties – might form a government
come 8th May.
So tighten your seatbelts, clue yourself up and
prepare for a period of political slanging matches,
personalityandpopularitycontests,mediafrenzy
and downright scandal, because this general
election in particular looks set to be a belter.
And for the 4.5 million or so people working for
themselves in the UK, this election promises to be
an important one. Heads removed resolutely from
thesand,thepartyleadersnowrealisehowimpor-
tanttheseyoungandexperiencedmenandwomen
are to economic prosperity and long-term growth.
Inside this issue – which, dare I say it, is proba-
bly the most prestigious IPSE Magazine yet – we
gave each political leader the opportunity to
present themselves to you as the best party for
the self-employed.
I’m sure you’ll find what they had to say just as
interesting as I did.
Enjoy the magazine.
Benedict Smith
ISSUE
49
CONTENTS
A WORD FROM
THE EDITOR
BENEDICT SMITH
3CONTENTS
General Election
Spotlight: X Factor
General Election
Spotlight: Analysis
General Election:
The IPSE Policy Pillar
Tech City Oxford –
Benedict Smith
What the election
means for contractors
Computer Club –
Caroline Baldwin
Reputation and Brand –
Daniel Farey-Jones
The Freelancers
Guide to Paris
Stu Heritage –
Plainly Speaking
Hub Spy –
Uber Office
The Network Effect Members’ Diary BEN.SMITH@IPSE.CO.UK
@BENSMITHIPSE
Simon McVicker on
the IPSE Members Poll
SNP success could be
Labour’s Groundhog Day
Ben Wright looks at
the EC’s latest plan
A Message from the CEO
Chris Bryce
IPSE Futures –
What you need to know
A Message fromMercer –
Kim Honess
06 13 14
22 25 26
29 30 33
34 36 38
16 18 21
04 05 05

3. 4A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
A MESSAGE FROM
THE CEO
CHRIS BRYCE
inspiration for independent
professionals and the self-employed
Issue 49 – £4.95
the X faCtorThe leaders audition – which party best represents independent professionals? You decide
IPSEdoesnotnecessarilyagreewith,
nor guarantee the accuracy of,
statements made by contributors or
accept any responsibility for any
statements which are expressed in
the publication. All rights reserved.
Thispublication(andanypartthereof)
may not be reproduced, transmitted
or stored in print or electronic form,
or in any other format, without the
prior written permission of IPSE.
IPSE, its directors and employees
have no contractual liability to any
readerinrespectofgoodsorservices
provided by a third party supplier.
EDITOR
Benedict Smith
ben.smith@ipse.co.uk
@BenSmithIPSE
MEDIA CONSULTANT
Jim Cassidy
CONTRIBUTORS
Jim Cassidy
Stu Heritage
Caroline Baldwin
Ben Wright
FRONT COVER DESIGN
Owen Thomas – IPSE
ADVERTISING
marketing@ipse.co.uk
PUBLISHED BY
IPSE, Heron House,
10 Dean Farrar Street,
London SW1H 0DX
IPSE MEMBERSHIP
ENQUIRIES
020 8897 9970
ipse.co.uk/join
TWITTER
@IPSEmag
Issue 49 – £4.95
IPSEmembersnowhavetheopportunitytotake
advantageofgroupratesforavarietyofbenefits.
We’ll be adding to these throughout the year,
but you are now able to join pension, life assur-
ance and private medical insurance schemes at
group rates, usually at a fraction of the cost you
would pay as an individual.
IPSE PENSIONS
Weknowjusthowimportantitistosaveforyour
future. That’s why we’ve chosen to work with
Aegon Retirement Choices to give members
the opportunity to join a pension plan with a
negotiated charge of just 0.42%.
Offering greater flexibility and giving members
morecontrolovertheirsavingsthanmanyother
products on the market, IPSE Futures’ pension
schemehasbeendesignedwiththeself-employed
in mind.
Bringing savings together online and in one
place, those who use the plan can keep a closer
eye on their savings, while making more
informed decisions on how much they’d like to
put away each month.
Withawiderangeofotherproductwrapperssuch
as an ISA and a general-purpose investment
account, IPSE members who sign up for the
schemewillhaveaccesstoavarietyofinvestments
fromoneoftheworld’smostrespectedproviders.
IPSE LIFE ASSURANCE
Wearealsodelightedtonowofferourmembers
voluntary life assurance, again at much lower
rates compared with the retail market, through
Legal & General, starting at just £2.80 a month
for £50,000 of cover.
You can choose how much cover you’d like in
£50,000increments,uptothemaximumbenefit
of £250,000. Voluntary life assurance cover will
pay a lump sum if the person taking the cover
were to die, and it’s a valuable benefit that can
help families and dependants financially.
All IPSE Plus members will automatically
receive £5,000 life assurance cover included as
part of their Plus membership.
IPSE FLEXIBLE BENEFITS
Our private medical insurance with Mercer
gives IPSE members prompt, efficient access
to healthcare with no NHS waiting lists, at a
substantially lower cost than other products
out there.
Registration and all payment collection are
handled directly by independent consultants
Mercer, who will advise those who sign up to
the scheme on the best healthcare cover, and
provide them with:
• Access to discounted rates
• Specialist help and advice
• Access to coverage that may not
exclude previous medical conditions
• Support available as and when it’s needed
We’re looking forward to informing you about
a range of further flexible benefits in the
coming months, and helping you to prepare
for tomorrow.
IPSE strongly recommends that appropriate
expert independent advice should be obtained
before making any investments or other invest-
ment decisions.
IPSE FUTURES 5
Despite the size and, who could forget,
the undeniable importance of the UK’s
contracting and freelancing community,
it’s surprising that nobody has been able
to offer a range of flexible benefits to a
group of solo workers before – flexible
benefits and ‘group rates’ are usually the
reserve of large companies and even the
smallest customers usually have at least
50 employees.
In all my years in the industry it had never
been viable to put together an offer like
IPSE Futures. Then, over a glass of wine,
Chrissuggestedthatweshouldstoplooking
at IPSE Members as 21,000 individual
businesses and start thinking about them
in a different way – as 21,000 members all
underIPSE’svirtualroof.I’mparaphrasing,
but this was the point which turned out to
be the eureka moment. Thinking that way
might allow us to build a workable propo-
sitionforIPSEandthat’swhenI‘gotit’–we
could maybe, just maybe, work with IPSE
tobuildsomethingworthwhileandexciting
foritsmembers.Weopenedanotherbottle
ofwineandbeganchattingabouthowMer-
cer could work with IPSE to bring a range
of flexible benefits to IPSE members at
prices which weren’t going to break the
bank.Fromthatglassofwine,rightthrough
to the launch day, it’s taken over a year to
get IPSE Futures up and running. But you
knowwhattheysay–nothingworthhaving
ever came easy!
For Mercer, the introduction of IPSE
Futures marks the start of a really exciting
journey. When I say IPSE Futures is a
groundbreaking development, I’m not
overstating it. Nobody has crossed this
bridge before. It speaks volumes about
IPSE’s commitment to making the UK a
better place for those working for them-
selves. We’re thrilled to be working with
IPSE and looking forward to providing an
increasing range of flexible benefits for
IPSE members.
So, here’s to that glass of wine, Chris!
KIM HONESS
Head of Flexible Benefits, Mercer
Mercer is a global consulting leader in
talent, health, retirement, and investments
IPSE FUTURES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
A MESSAGE
FROM MERCER
With IPSE Futures now available to all
members, Chris Bryce explains how one
of IPSE’s biggest benefits came about.
Like many traditional contractors out there, I’ve sat in
client offices alongside permanent employees and
watchedthemselecttheirbenefitseachyear,oftenwon-
deringwhatthese‘benefits’wereactuallymadeupof.
And during this yearly occurrence I’d sit back in my
chair and ask myself why, as a one-person limited
company, I wasn’t able to access pension plans, life
assurance and many other flexible benefits at similar
ratestothoseofpermanentemployees.InthepastI’d
punched my details into various online marketplaces
for life assurance and other such things and had been
taken aback at how expensive it was.
Luckily, I have a friend who is quite senior in what’s
known as the ‘flexible benefits’ industry so, naturally,
I began badgering her about it. She argued that one-
personlimitedcompaniesweretoosmalltodealwith,
the processes weren’t in place and that it would cost a
fortune for all parties involved.
Not one to take no for an answer, I went shopping. I
began researching companies IPSE could work with
tooffermembersthesameflexiblebenefitsthatalarge
employer was able to extend to its employees. Two or
three companies were keen to work with us but, to be
honest,theywerefartooexpensive.Severalothersjust
weren’t interested in dealing with what they saw as
21,000 individual people.
Butwedidn’tgiveup.Icontinuedtospeaktomycontact
at Mercer (global consultants in talent, health, retire-
ment and investments.) We eventually partnered with
themandwiththeirhelpputtogetherapackagewhich
includes a pension scheme, life assurance and private
medical insurance, available to all IPSE members.
It must have taken around a year from the first pen to
paper to make IPSE Futures happen. But we have now
reachedapointwhereeverythingisinplacetogiveour
membersaccesstoheavilydiscountedratesforarange
of flexible benefits, which we will be adding to in the
coming months.
We’reprettysurethatIPSEisthefirstorganisationto
dosomethinglikethisfornano-businesses,andbecause
of that it has been a difficult journey. But it’s one that
I strongly believe has been very worthwhile. As con-
tractors we’re often left on our own when it comes to
lookingafterourselvesandIwasdeterminedthatIPSE
should make that a little easier for us.
Working for yourself doesn’t guarantee a fixed income
each month from which you can make a pension con-
tribution or pay a life assurance premium. But with
hugely discounted rates and offering reasonable
flexibility to dip in and out of paying for these things,
I think IPSE Futures is one of the most important
benefits that we have put in place since we arrived on
the scene in 1999.
It’ssimpletojoin,whichwillnodoubtbemusictoyour
ears. All we need from you is a few details, which will
be passed on to the providers securely before your
account is set up automatically.
IPSE collects the premiums and the pension contri-
butions before we send them across in their entirety
to the respective providers once a month. If you need
further help, the IPSE Membership Team is fully
briefed, on hand and happy to help.
I should stress, however, that this scheme and the var-
iousbenefitsweoffermightnotsuiteverybodyandthat
you should always take independent financial advice
before making any investment or insurance decisions.
VisittheIPSEwebsiteforanyfurtherinformationand
to join – ipse.co.uk/futures.
IPSEISTHEFIRSTORGANISATIONTODO
SOMETHINGLIKETHISFORNANO-BUSINESSES
IT’SSIMPLETOJOIN,WHICHWILLNO
DOUBTBEMUSICTOYOUREARS

4. GENERAL ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY
IttakessomepeoplealifetimetoclimbtheGrand
Staircase in Downing Street. From the custard
yellow walls, history looks down on you with
every step you take, as Prime Ministers from
1735 onwards glower at you as though asking
whyyou’rethereandwhat’syourbusiness.Pause
and you can almost hear them whisper: “Who
goesthere?Friendorfoe?”Othersboundupthe
stairs with speed and authority. David William
Donald Cameron is one such speed merchant.
He has an election to fight; a hundred constitu-
encies to visit; thousands of potential voters to
meet; over a million hands to shake. When he
first entered 10 Downing Street as PM on 11th
May2010,therewerethosereadytodismisshim
andhisinnercircleasthe21st-centuryreincar-
nationofLordSnootyandhispals.Outoftouch,
out of their depth and out for themselves. That
was the disparaging cry from some quarters.
Five years on, many realise how wrong they
were. When he first raced up these stairs as PM
he was just 43, the youngest Prime Minister in
nearly 200 years. Perhaps it was that heady
cocktail of youthful exuberance, conviction and
a determination to turn the country’s economy
around that has made him so driven. But five
years on, this tall, confident communicator
believes much has been achieved, but knows
the job is only half done.
Throughout his term, his main focus has been
theeconomy,theeconomy,theeconomyandthe
one sector that he has never stopped talking-up
isthegrowingarmyofindependentprofessionals
and the self-employed. So what better place to
start with questions for the PM than to ask him
whyhehaschampionedandputhisfullpolitical
weight behind supporting this sector.
“Ihavehugerespectforthosewholeavethecom-
fort of a salary, strike out on their own and try to
build something from scratch. And there has
never been a better time to do that. Technology
is allowing more people to set up fast-growing
businesses from their homes and new business
models are allowing large firms to emerge with-
out having to employ people directly.
“These positive factors have driven a large rise
in self-employment – part of the 1.85 million
extrajobscreatedsince2010–andareakeypart
ofourlong-termeconomicplanforthecountry.
That’s why we have changed the tax system to
support the self-employed, clamped down on
latepayment,setupschemeslikeStart-upLoans
and liberated sole traders from needless regu-
lations like health and safety, which had been
designed for larger businesses.”
Some experts expect the number of those self-
employedtoovertakethenumberofthosework-
ing in the public sector in the next few years.
What’s your message to the self-starters and
go-getters thinking of starting this journey?
“Go for it. There is an army of self-starters on
the move across Britain’s economy, working in
almost every sector, every region and all age
groups. There has never been a better time to
start a business, and I want that to remain the
case after the election with a business-friendly
government, led by me, that does everything it
can to back enterprise.”
Moreandmorewomenarechoosingtostarttheir
own micro businesses, sometimes for economic
reasonsandoftenforabetterwork/lifebalance;
an extra 77,000 from the end of 2013 to the end
of 2014. IPSE has called for maternity benefits
to be introduced for women in this sector; while
thishasreceivedadegreeofencouragementfrom
your party, is this something your government
would pursue if they are returned to power?
“We have taken steps to help the self-employed
enjoythebenefitsthatwouldnormallyonlyhave
accrued to the permanently employed. For ex-
ample, our plan for tax-free childcare will be
accessible for the self-employed, which isn’t
currentlythecase.Iamverykeentolookatoth-
erwaysthatwecanoffersupportandIknowthat
maternity benefits is one area of concern.”
ManywithinthissectorbelievethatIR35,intro-
duced by Labour in 1999, was not only cumber-
some, but ill-thought-out and unworkable. If
returned to power, would your government re-
visit this legislation and ensure that fairer, more
transparenttaxguidelinesareintroducedforthe
self-employed?
“I appreciate the concern over IR35 and that is
whyIaskedHMRCtoimprovethewayinwhich
itisadministered.Theyhavenowpublishednew
guidancetohelpprovidecontractorswithgreat-
er certainty about the likelihood of an HMRC
investigation for IR35 reasons and we have set
up the IR35 Forum to include HMRC, taxpayer
representativesandprofessionaladvisers,includ-
ingIPSE,withexpertknowledgeandexperience
of how the legislation operates in practice.”
Among85%ofsmallbusinesses,oneofthemain
gripes is the issue of late payments, from both
the public and private sectors. Late payments
cause cash flow problems that put an added
burden on this sector. Your government has
made strides in this area, but would you like to
see the Prompt Payment Code get more teeth?
IPSEhassuggestedasmallbusinessconciliation
service,againsomethingConservativeMinisters
seem to be attracted to.
“Tacklinglatepaymenthasbeenattheforefront
ofourworkandwearetakinganumberofsteps
to help small firms and the self-employed. We
arerewritingthePromptPaymentCodesothat
30-day payment terms are to be the norm of
acceptable behaviour in the UK, with 60 days
as the maximum in all but exceptional circum-
stances. This revised Code will have teeth, with
anewenforcementbodythatwillbeabletoeject
companies that fail to live up to the new stand-
ards,andpotentiallywiththepowertolevyfines.
“From the beginning, I have insisted that the
Government pays promptly. I’m pleased to say
that all Government Departments meet the tar-
getofpaying80%ofundisputedinvoiceswithin
five days and all others within 30. Finally, I have
made a commitment that if I win the election I
willsetupaversionofAustralia’sSmallBusiness
Conciliation Service, as suggested by IPSE.”
IPSE members come from the four corners of
the UK, but members in the Isle of Dogs might
have10timesfasterbroadbandthanacontractor
ontheIsleofWightor100timesfasterbroadband
speed than a freelancer on the Isle of Skye.
Is the superfast broadband programme being
rolled out quickly enough to ensure that the
self-employed are competing in the UK, EU
and international marketplaces?
“Getting fast broadband is crucial for a modern
economy such as ours, which is why we have
invested over £1 billion in better broadband
and mobile infrastructure. We are now the top
of the five largest European economies for
broadband and mobile coverage, take-up, use,
choice and price.
“Superfastbroadband,24Mbpsandhigher,isnow
available to 75% of UK premises and the pro-
grammeisontracktoprovide95%ofthepopula-
tion by 2017. Best of all, over 10,000 SMEs have
takenadvantageofbroadbandvouchers,worthup
to £3,000 each, to get connected and the scheme
willextendtoprovideupto25,000vouchers.
“What’s the outcome of all this? Dramatically
higher speeds – with people able to use the in-
ternetmorethanthreetimesfasterthanin2010.”
Attheendoflastyearyouinvitedthewinnersof
oursearchtodiscoverBritain’stalentedgo-getters
into No. 10. I know you were impressed by their
energy, talent and determination to go out on
their own. Do you think the winners of this con-
test reflect the growing change in how we as a
society and a nation view the self-employed?
“Rebecca was a very worthy winner – her exhi-
bition design business shows that you can be a
successful freelancer in every field and in every
part of the country. In fact, that is true of Sarah
and Andrew too – a nurse and a cameraman.
Manyyearsagopeoplewouldhavethoughtthese
were jobs only available in large corporations
like hospitals and the BBC. But that’s no longer
the case – and shows how freelancing has
changed for the better.”
When the country goes to vote on 7th May
David William Donald Cameron will have been
PM for 1,823 days. He has indicated that, if
re-elected,hewillstanddownatthenextelection.
Now that really is 20/20 vision for you!
The British public will determine whether it is
a matter of a few weeks or a matter of five years
before a new space will have to be found for a
portraitofDavidCamerononthecustardyellow
walls of No. 10.
You get the impression there will be no glower-
ing from this Prime Minister, but perhaps the
hint of a smile from a man who, even if he sees
through another term, will only be 54.
Plenty of time to join the self-employed army!
PM’S VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
IN SELF-EMPLOYED REVOLUTION
Prime Minister David Cameron tells IPSE’s media adviser Jim Cassidy about his respect
for the growing army of go-getters.
IWILLSETUPAVERSIONOFAUSTRALIA’S
SMALLBUSINESSCONCILIATION
SERVICE,ASSUGGESTEDBYIPSE
WHICH WAY WILL YOU BE VOTING
ON 7TH MAY? LET US KNOW
@IPSEMAG
WILL DAVID CAMERON STILL
BE AT NO 10. ON 8TH MAY?
KEYFACT
OVER 10,000
SMEs HAVE TAKEN
ADVANTAGE OF
BROADBAND VOUCHERS
THESELF-EMPLOYEDAREAKEY
PARTOFOURLONG-TERMECONOMIC
PLANFORTHECOUNTRY
7

5. GENERAL ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
THE LABOUR PARTY
Despite repeated requests, Labour Leader Ed Miliband
decided not to take up IPSE’s offer to outline his views
on the UK’s 4.5 million self-employed. In the Labour Party’s
recent document A Better Plan for Britain’s Prosperity,
Ed Miliband restricted his party’s thoughts on this
growing and influential community to 17 words:
“The rise of self-employment could
in part be evidence of growing
insecurity in the labour market”
A Better Plan for Britain’s Prosperity
As an apolitical organisation, IPSE was keen to offer
a platform to all the main political party leaders.
GENERAL ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
thatisflexible,family-friendlyandinclusive.We
need to harness the talent and ingenuity of all
our people, not just a few at the top.
If you want a glimpse of the sort of worker that
will thrive in the new economy, you need look
nofurtherthanthegrowingnumberofself-em-
ployedprofessionals–thefreelancers,contrac-
tors and consultants that IPSE represents.
Highly educated, innovative and flexible, and
drawn from across society – almost as many
women as men, highly motivated recent grad-
uatesaswellasexperiencedolderprofessionals,
independent yet highly networked, operating
fromruralhamletstothebusiesturbancentres.
Ifmorepeoplearetoenjoytherewardsofwork-
ing as an independent professional – and more
businesses and public sector organisations are
to benefit from their input – the first and most
important task for government is to ensure a
constant flow of highly skilled workers. That’s
why the Liberal Democrats have made educa-
tion–andprotectingtheeducationbudget–our
firstpriority,investinginpre-schooleducation,
drivingupschoolstandards,closingtheattain-
ment gap between advantaged and disadvan-
taged children, creating almost 2 million new
apprenticeships for school leavers and getting
more young people (and more disadvantaged
youngpeople)intouniversitythaneverbefore.
The second task is to ensure that the labour
market reflects the realities of modern Brit-
HARNESS TALENT
AND INGENUITY
Anewtaxsystemtoboostthetalentedpeoplethatmake-upIPSE.
EverythinginthegardenwasrosywhentheAnt
and Dec of politics stepped on stage for their
‘live at Downing Street’ gig.
Theybroughtthehousedownthatsunnyafter-
noonfiveyearsagowhenPrimeMinisterDavid
Cameron and Nick Clegg, now Deputy Prime
Minister, outlined their vision for the first co-
alition government for 65 years.
But how had the Liberal Democrats with only
8%oftheWestminsterMPsreachedsuchpow-
er around the Cabinet table; five Secretaries of
State and their party represented at every
level of government? In a word: necessity.
In reality, this marriage of convenience was a
success,butwilltherebeafive-yearhitchwhen
the UK votes on 7th May? Or will we witness a
Nick and Dave Westminster encore? Only the
voters can decide that one…
BY THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER NICK CLEGG.
WhenIledmypartyintogovernmentfiveyears
ago, I did so for one reason above all others: to
helprescue,repairandreformtheBritishecon-
omy, and to put it on the path to balanced and
sustainable growth.
Fiveyearson,thatjourneyisnowwelladvanced,
though not yet complete.
The deficit has been halved, almost 2 million
jobshavebeencreatedandlivingstandardsare
once again on the way up – all testament to the
factthatBritainisnowthefastestgrowingma-
jor economy in the world.
If Britain is to earn its way in the world in the
coming decades, we need to work differently –
inventing, creating, innovating and producing.
And to support these aims, we will need a
world-beating education system, a tax system
thatpromoteswork,aregulatoryframeworkthat
supportsentrepreneurship,andalabourmarket
WEMUSTCONTINUETOINVESTINOUR
VITALINFRASTRUCTURE–THEPHYSICAL
ANDDIGITALCONNECTIONSTHATARETHE
ARTERIESOFOURECONOMICSYSTEM
ain in which more and more people work
flexibly or remotely, while balancing their
professional and family responsibilities. That
is why we have invested heavily in childcare
provision – with 2 million families eligible
for our new Tax Free Childcare scheme and
1.6 million 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds now receiv-
ing 15 hours of free childcare each week. And
it’s why my party is committed to extending
this free entitlement to all 2-year-olds and
1-year-olds too, so we have a seamless system
that starts at the end of our new year of
‘Shared Parental Leave’.
The third task is to ensure that the regulatory
and tax environment is as pro-business as pos-
sible. That is why we cut vast swathes of red
tape, delivered a £900 income tax cut to 26
million people, brought corporation tax down
to the lowest level of all our main competitors,
andprovidedbillionsofpoundsofBusinessRate
Relief for small businesses.
And it is why, finally, we must continue to
invest in our vital infrastructure – the phys-
ical and digital connections that are the ar-
teries of our economic system. My party will
complete the roll out of high speed broad-
band to 99% of the UK, connecting people
to the world wherever and however they
choose to work.
Liberal Democrats are forward looking and
passionate about harnessing the talents of all.
For many, work in the future won’t be about
sitting at the same desk in the same company
from 9 until 5. A stronger economy and a fair-
er society demand modern workplaces and a
culture that supports people in the choices
they make. Self-employed and independent
professionals must be at the heart of the next
government’s agenda.
©James Gourley
98

6. GENERAL ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
THE SNP
GENERAL ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
UKIP
The thought of Alex Salmond and a band of
Scottish political warriors storming down the
A1likeascenefromBraveheartmighthaveDave
spluttering into his muesli and Ed waking up in
thedarkofnightinacoldsweat.Butkeepcalm,
relax boys; their leader is staying in Edinburgh.
Nicola Sturgeon is now the political Queen of
Scots and it will be she who moves the pawns,
the rookies and the king after the general elec-
tioninwhatwillbethemostintriguingpolitical
chess game ever seen in the UK.
Underestimatethishighlyintelligentandarticu-
late44-year-oldformerlawyeratyourperil.Gone
is the natural shyness, to be replaced by poise;
gonearethecommonplaceclothes,tobereplaced
bystunningpoweroutfits;goneistheconfronta-
tional style, to be replaced by a warmer, more
engagingpersonality;goneisthehabitoflooking
over her shoulder for party consensus, to be re-
placedbyacomposurethatsays:“I’mincharge.”
Her relationship with former leader and pro-
spective MP for Gordon, Alex Salmond, is like
afather–daughterbondbornoutofrespectand
affection. Cynics may question if it will survive
the next five years; those who know them are
convinced it will.
There was a time when an argument with Nico-
la might have ended with the equivalent of a
‘Glasgow kiss’ and a withering look that would
have made grown men go weak at the knees. As
many IPSE members found when she spoke at
one of our meetings, it is now a warm smile and
an even warmer goodbye.
BY NICOLA STURGEON, FIRST MINISTER
OF SCOTLAND.
When I met with IPSE members late last year,
I was struck by their enthusiasm and their
appetite for success.
I recognise entrepreneurs, freelancers and the
self-employed are key drivers of sustainable
growth in Scotland, with freelancers working
across a range of industries, including oil and
gas, finance and IT.
The success of Scotland’s business sector
underpinstheprosperityandwellbeingofevery
communityinScotland.Itisvitalformeandthe
Scottish Government to work closely with you
tohelpyousucceed–andIintendthatwedoso.
Mygovernmentwillbeenthusiasticinoursup-
port for jobs and business, and my door will
always be open.
Since 2007 we have used the powers that we
havetosupportbusinessesinScotlandandhave
established the most competitive business tax-
ation system in the UK. Our package of rates
reliefwillbeworthmorethan£600millionnext
year to companies across Scotland. The small
business bonus will help almost 100,000 of our
smallestenterprises–andwearecommittedto
maintaining this relief throughout the next
Scottish Parliament.
SELF-EMPLOYED KEY TO
SCOTTISH PROSPERITY
SNP pledge their support to independent professionals.
Theevidenceshowsthatwehavemadeprogress,
despite the exceptionally tough economic
climate of recent years. Scotland’s economic re-
coveryisnowwellestablished:oureconomyhas
growncontinuouslyfortwoyears,GDPisabove
pre-recessionlevelsandtheeconomicoutlookis
thestrongestithasbeenformanyyears.Scotland
is also continuing to outperform the rest of the
UK on employment and inactivity rates, with
femaleemploymentshowingparticularprogress.
I recently launched the Scottish Government’s
refreshed Economic Strategy which sets out
how we can create a stable and balanced econ-
omy that is outward-looking, confident, inno-
vative, based on the core strengths of our
people and supported by investment. We have
significantly reduced the gap in productivity
between Scotland and the rest of the UK; I now
want to see Scotland match the productivity
levels of the strongest economies in Europe. I
also want to see more women getting into lead-
ership roles in business and break through that
glass ceiling – our refreshed Economic Strat-
egy will support this ambition. If as many
businesses in Scotland were owned by women
as are currently owned by men, it could boost
our GDP by as much as 5%.
I also believe that in each of the key areas of
innovation,investment,growthandinternation-
alisation there are functions that remain at
Westminster which could help us to achieve
moreandbetterjobsinScotlandifweexercised
these powers here – and would boost competi-
tiveness and tackle inequality.
But where the Westminster Government still
holds key economic powers, it must take the
right decisions to support Scotland’s economy.
In particular, while we welcome the tax U-turn
by George Osborne on the North Sea industry,
where many freelancers and contractors work,
itisessentialthatworkisnowfocusedonboost-
ing investment and growth.
Scotland’s growing self-employed community
now stands at 273,000 and the Scottish Gov-
ernment will encourage their ability, determi-
nation, vitality and passion to succeed. My
pledge is that the Scottish Government will
always support Scottish businesses, and take
actions to boost jobs and competitiveness and
to tackle inequality.
WHENIMETWITHIPSEMEMBERSLATELAST
YEAR,IWASSTRUCKBYTHEIRENTHUSIASM
ANDTHEIRAPPETITEFORSUCCESS
1110
There were few newspaper headlines when
Nigel Farage walked out of the Conservative
Party in 1992 when John Major’s government
signed the Maastricht Treaty, but since then
Nigelhasbeenmakingheadlinesdailyandthere
are many who believe he might still be making
them on and after 8th May.
Nigel Farage was one of the founders of the UK
Independence Party, UKIP to you and me, in
1993, becoming a Member of the European
Parliamentin1999andleaderofthepartyfrom
2006to2009andagainsince2010.The51-year-
old, who famously enjoys a fag and a pint, is
standingatthegeneralelectioninSouthThanet
and has gone on the record as saying that he
would have to stand down as UKIP leader if he
were to lose.
His final school report said: “Dulwich College
would be a poorer place without this boy’s
personality. If elected, we’ll see what Westmin-
ster thinks.
BY NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER OF UKIP:
UKIP has been looking at the problems faced
by the self-employed and at those things that
hold you back.
I agree with IPSE that the scourge of late pay-
ment is one of the greatest problems facing in-
dependentprofessionalsandtheself-employed
upanddownthecountry.Itoftenfeelsthatlate
payment and delays in payment are not merely
a question of laziness, but are acts of deliberate
malice. Late payment, more than anything,
shows that the banks are wary of financing
independent enterprises.
UKIP believes that some obvious steps can be
taken to correct the £20 billion that is locked
upatanyonetimebylargecompanies.First,we
wouldintroduceanevidenceschemeforrepeat-
ed late payment offenders, as well as proof that
timely requests for payment have been made.
This information could then be passed on to
HMRC if a large company is found to system-
aticallyexceeditscontractualtermsofpayment
withsmallbusinesses,wherebyasignificantfine
can be levied by HMRC. This would be propor-
tionate to the extent of the abuse of terms.
Further, UKIP believes that another way to
free up the self-employed and small business-
es is by ending the exploitative lending prac-
tices of the largest firms. This would include
an end to the practice of large companies
extending their payment terms to small firms,
by arranging for their supplier to take out a
bank loan to meet their demands. It is fair and
right to introduce these changes and shows
that UKIP will always be on the side of entre-
preneurs and the self-employed.
ThecurrentsystemforbusinessratesintheUK
is wholly inadequate. It’s unfair to the self-
employed, confusing for policy makers and
unjustfortaxpayers.Businessratescanbepro-
hibitively high, which is further worsened by
arbitrary changes that come out of Brussels.
LikeIPSE,Ibelievethattheself-employedwho
want to expand and collaborate – in shared
workspaces, for instance – deserve far less in-
terference from government than is currently
the case. Support for these aims can be intro-
duced in the following ways.
UKIP would change the Small Business Rate
Reliefschemetomakeitfarmoreequitable.Rath-
erthanthecurrentlowcut-offpointsforrelief,we
wouldintroduce20%reliefforonepropertythat
hasarateablevalueoflessthan£50,000.
THEUK’S4.5MILLIONSELF-EMPLOYED
AREOURGREATESTINNOVATORS
WE WOULD
BOOST
THE SELF –
EMPLOYED
European exit and late payment
legislation would help freelancers.
THECURRENTSYSTEM
FORBUSINESSRATESINTHE
UKISWHOLLYINADEQUATE
Many of IPSE’s members have suffered from
obvious barriers when seeking to access finance
and enter into protracted procurements pro-
cesses. Unlike the UK’s largest firms, which
often have international footprints, the small-
est firms and the self-employed do not benefit
from the economies delivered from in-house
legal, compliance and regulatory teams. In
UKIP, we believe that the UK’s 4.5million
self-employed are our greatest innovators who
deserve the support of, not interference from,
the state.
Changing access to government procurement
projects is one place to start. With the growing
trend to tender government services, there
have been too many examples of over-generous
PFI projects going to incompetent multina-
tionals and conglomerates unable to tailor
their service to taxpayers. UKIP would address
the unfair advantage the largest firms have by
removing the necessity for Britain’s smallest
firms and independent professionals to
demonstrate compliance in areas irrelevant
to the job that is being tendered for. This would
benefit the smallest companies and cut costs
for the taxpayer.
In order to free up the tendering process for
self-employed business people, we will intro-
duce a scheme that builds on the Funding for
Lending Scheme and the Finance Guarantee.
This new trade credit insurance scheme would
mean that the government backs a portion of
the risk to enable cover to be provided more
widely. This would have the effect of giving
Britain’s smallest businesses the confidence to
expand trade as well as to focus their energy on
private and public procurement contracts.
Most significantly, the burden of employment
regulation is the most punishing on those who
generate wealth. A recent report said that 61%
of small companies cite the regulatory burden
as a significant factor when closing or down-
sizing. Regulations must be clarified, aligned
or removed. By extricating ourselves from the
EU, UKIP believes that the 90% of British
businesses which do not trade with it will ben-
efit hugely from the removal of onerous and
unnecessary limits on ambition.

7. GENERAL ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
THE GREEN PARTY
GENERAL ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
ANALYSIS
*Information about the Green Party of Scotland
and Northern Ireland can be found at:
www.scottishgreens.org.uk
www.greenpartyni.org
GIVING SELF-EMPLOYMENT
THE GREEN LIGHT
Maternity payments, better internet and the right work/life balance.
ing to apply equal pay and anti-discrimination
legislation to contracts between businesses; en-
sure contracts provide compensation to be paid
forbytheorganisationemployinganother,should
contracts be revoked prior to work taking place;
and make unemployment pay available to the
self-employed on equal terms to employees.
Maternityandpaternityleavearefurthermatters
onwhichwebelieveemployeesintheUKreceive
arawdeal.Butitiscompletelyunacceptablethat
evenwithinthatdeficientprovision,self-employed
parentsshouldbetreatedevenlessreasonably.
We will ensure self-employed people can claim
absolutelyequalrightswithemployeesinother
sectors,basedontheiraverageincomeandhours
ofwork.Forthosewithyoungchildren,wewant
to offer flexibility and freedom from crippling
childcare costs, with free care covering school
hours for children aged one to five.
We are committed to empowering local author-
itiestosetlocalbusinessrates,andgivethemthe
powertosetrentcontrolforthepremisesofsmall
enterprises. We will also be working with local
authorities to encourage innovative measures
such as cutting business rates for premises used
by two or more organisations or enterprises.
Despite the promises of successive UK govern-
ments, too many regions of the country suffer
frominsufficientinternetaccess.We’remaking
a manifesto promise to oblige BT to provide
affordable, high-speed broadband-capable in-
frastructure for every small business, and to
make it available to all rural areas at the same
cost as in urban areas.
We are committed to innovation, as well as to
anendtothepoliticsof‘businessasusual’.This
is most often applied to our commitment to
changethewaypoliticsworks,whoitworksfor,
and the outcomes of that work.
It is also excellent to be able to write this piece
for IPSE members. The Green Party, like you,
is committed to new ways of doing business.
Withyoursupporton7thMay,wecanhelpmake
it easier for you to do so.
WEWILLENSURESELF-EMPLOYED
PEOPLECANCLAIMABSOLUTELY
EQUALRIGHTSWITHEMPLOYEES
England’sgreenandpleasantlandcouldtakeon
a whole new meaning if the dreams of Natalie
Louise Bennett become reality on May 7th.
TheAustralianbornleaderoftheGreenPartyof
EnglandandWalesbelievesthisistheirtime.The
feisty 49-year-old became leader of the party in
2012 after the party’s only MP, the high-profile
Caroline Lucas, stood down voluntarily.
With around 60,000 members, the party hope
thatthosedisillusionedwithmainstreamparties
will turn away from the economy, economy,
economy mantra and instead shift their focus
onto the environment.
Natalie survived a ‘car-crash’ of an interview
with Nick Ferrari when she froze over the issue
of housing costs, but as of yet no one has evalu-
ated the damage done to her party.
NATALIE BENNETT, LEADER OF THE GREEN
PARTY OF ENGLAND AND WALES*
Withmorethan4.5mpeople,self-employment
isvitaltotheUKeconomy.Whetherinnovators
working to provide new services or products,
freelancers combining work for many people
with looking after children, or people taking
advantageoftechnologytoworkinthewaythat
suits them best, one thing all workers in this
growing sector face is the fact that the law has
been too slow to catch up with their needs.
This sector is an excellent fit for the Green
Party: we stand for the rights of small busi-
nesses ahead of larger corporations, for strong
local economies within which money can
productively circulate, for those who want to
work in innovative ways on new ideas, and of
course for people utilising technology to avoid
unnecessary travel.
Green MEP Molly Scott Cato has been at the
forefront of the campaign to change new Euro-
pean VAT rules on the sale of digital products,
makingthetaxchargeableintheplaceofpurchase
ratherthansupply,forcingallbusinessestocollect
VAT from up to 28 different states at different
rates.Mollyhascalledforanexemptionforbusi-
nesseswithaturnoveroflessthan100,000euros.
Latepaymentisalsoahugeissueforsmallbusi-
nesses and the prompt payment code is failing
too many people in the UK: late payments are
theleadingcauseofbusinessfailure.Attheend
of2014,SMEsintheUKwereowedacombined
£39.4bn. It is a key issue of ours to legislate to
ensure the self-employed are paid on time.
Wearealsofocusedonsecuringaffordablebusi-
ness and work spaces for small businesses. I’ve
seen many such exciting spaces around Britain
and we are committed to supporting them all.
WearetheUK’sonlymajorpoliticalpartypledg-
THEPROMPTPAYMENTCODEISFAILING
TOOMANYPEOPLEINTHEUK
WHO WILL TRIUMPH IN
WESTMINSTER’S GAME OF THRONES?
Game of Thrones is a dark, brutal tale of tribes fighting for supremacy in a
medieval and far-away fantasy land, writes Editor, Benedict Smith.
With plotlines filled with lies, deceit, lust and
violence, it is an epic with more twists and
turns than your average corkscrew, as each
episode enthrals millions of TV viewers
around the world.
Andweshouldprepareourselvesformoreofthe
samebackintherealworldaswedraweverclos-
er to the 2015 general election – Westminster’s
veryownGameofThrones.Come8thMay,who
will have won the war and inherited the most
powerfulroleintheland?CameronorMiliband?
And as the UK’s two great political armies don
their armour before charging into battle, could
the Queen of the North, Nicola Sturgeon, and
her loyal foot soldiers cause a diversion?
OrcoulditbethattheupstartfromtheEast,the
undisputed King of Controversy, Nigel Farage,
might have a say in the final outcome?
For those who like tales of fantasy, this is the
election to end all elections. Until the next one,
that is…
But what about the facts, and more to the point
what does all the political posturing mean for
IPSE members?
Well, as we go to press, facts are thin on the
ground with most party manifestos scheduled
for mid to late April. Without the manifesto
pledges, we can’t be certain what each party
plans to do if in a position of power, but we
certainly get a good flavour from the myriad
speeches, dozens of policy papers and the con-
ferences in recent months.
IPSE’s policy team has been on a mission to
make the case to all policymakers about the
vital role that independent professionals play
in Britain. These are the people who are vital
to the economy, holding the key to future
growth, and there has been no let-up from IPSE
in emphasising this.
The result of this hard work saw the Conserv-
atives take up IPSE’s proposal late last year
to back a conciliation service to resolve pay-
ment disputes. This has not gone unnoticed
by other parties either. As you will see in the
magazine, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the
Green Party and UKIP have pledged to tack-
le late payment too.
Thehotlydebatedissueofzerohourscontracts
is also high on the political agenda, with most
partieslookingtoclampdowntovariousdegrees.
And as we turn our gaze to taxation, the dif-
ferences between the parties become clearer,
although disappointingly no party has made
a strong commitment on IR35. The Tories
plan to keep corporation tax at 20%, while it’s
widely expected that a Labour government
would raise the level to 21%. Ed Miliband has
also pledged to reintroduce the 50% rate of
income tax should he win the keys to Number
10 next month.
Should the UK public vote Cameron in for his
secondtermasPrimeMinister,theConservatives
havemadeapromisetoscrapClass2NICs,while
alsoincreasingthethresholdatwhichpointtax-
payers fall into the 40% income tax bracket.
We are very proud of our apolitical status at
IPSE,andourmembersarespreadfarandwide
acrosstheUK,expertsinwhattheydoandcru-
cialtoBritain’slong-termsuccess.Whetherthey
havedeeplyheldpoliticalviewsorarepolitical-
ly agnostic matters not.
We are delighted that the Prime Minister, the
DeputyPrimeMinister,Scotland’sFirstMinis-
terandtheleadersoftheGreensandUKIPhave
taken the time to reach out directly to the UK’s
independentprofessionals.Itreflectsthegrow-
ing importance of the self-employed and also
the growing influence of IPSE. That the leader
of the Labour Party has not done so is a disap-
pointment, but we leave you, our readers, to
make your own judgement.
If the volatility of the polls is anything to go by,
everythinghangstentativelyinthebalanceaswe
nearthedayonwhichtheUKpublicwillchoose
itsnextPrimeMinister.And,muchlikeGameof
Thrones,audiencesareguaranteedashowpacked
withdrama,suspenseandcliff-hangersasoneof
themostcloselyfoughtgeneralelectionsinmem-
ory reaches its eagerly awaited finale.
FORTHOSEWHOLIKETALESOF
FANTASY,THISISTHEELECTION
TOENDALLELECTIONS
EVERYTHINGHANGS
TENTATIVELYINTHEBALANCE
ARTICLE BY IPSE MAGAZINE
EDITOR BENEDICT SMITH
@BENSMITHIPSE
1312

8. GENERAL ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
THE IPSE POLICY PILLAR
IPSE’s Policy team has been working hard behind the scenes to show you where each
of the parties sits on our key manifesto points at the time of going to print (14th April).
The text in italic indicates where IPSE has played a part in any of these pledges.Where the Parties stand…
• No commitment on IR35 (unlikely to abolish as opted
against it in 2011).
• Committed to not raising VAT rate.
• Tough sanctions for tax evasion.
• Scrap Class 2 NICs (Budget 2015).
• Scrap annual returns (Budget 2015).
• Increase personal allowance to £11,000 by 2018
(Budget 2015) with eventual rise to £12,500.
• Consult on restrictions to travel and subsistence
allowances for limited company contractors
(Budget 2015).
• Raise the 40p threshold to £42,700 by 2017 and £43,000
by 2018.
• Have lowered corporation tax to 20% and committed to
keeping it there.
• Possible commitment to introduce nil-rate band of
£175,000 on inheritance tax.
• No commitment on IR35.
• NICs will not be raised. 50p rate of income tax reintroduced.
• VAT will not be raised.
• Will consult on the design of a simplified tax system for
small businesses, including a fixed monthly tax payment.
• Labour’s Finance and Industry Group has backed the creation
of a ‘Freelance Limited Company’ although this is not official
party policy.
• Business rates cut and frozen for properties with
a rateable value of less than £50,000.
• Possible rise in the higher rate of corporation tax to 21p.
• Continue supporting the Employment Allowance.
• Consider introducing a ‘corporate equity allowance’
for SMEs.
• New 10p rate of tax.
• Set up the National Infrastructure Commission.
• Get at least 200,000 homes built every year by 2020.
• Spend £75 million on increasing access to rural broadband.
• Review the costs of HS2 and potentially slow or delay
implementation of the route north of Manchester.
• Rail fares increases will be more heavily regulated.
• Will launch a review of how to improve support for
new entrepreneurs and SMEs.
• Create a Small Business Administration.
• Commitments on enterprise policy in schools,
including enterprise governors.
• Improve collection of ‘earnings data’ for the
self-employed in the Labour Force Survey to improve
their visibility in statistics.
• Has published a national infrastructure plan every year
since 2010.
• Review of business rates will include work-hubs.
• Increase access to broadband, introduce free Wi-Fi on
trains, and improve mobile coverage via mast sharing.
• Support HS2, Thameslink, Crossrail and the Northern Hub.
• Commitment to build 200,000 new starter homes.
• Considering extension of maternity pay to the self-employed.
• Considering new pension scheme for the self-employed.
• Support young enterprise schemes.
• David Cameron has said: “[The self-employed] are a key
part of our long-term economic plan […] we have changed
the tax system to support the self-employed, clamped
down on late payment, set up schemes like Start-up Loans
and liberated sole traders from needless regulations.”
• Conservatives appointed David Morris MP as
‘Self-employed ambassador.’
• Stronger penalties on late payment and naming
and shaming of late payers.
• The Small Business Administration would be tasked with
reducing regulation.
• ‘Abolish loophole that allows firms to pay agency workers
less than permanent staff’.
• Those on zero hours contracts will have a right to an
employment contract after 12 weeks.
• A quarter of contracts will be reserved for small businesses.
• Considering a policy that any firm hiring an ICT worker
on a government contract also engages an apprentice.
• Action on ‘blacklisting’ in the construction industry.
• Bear down on disguised employment.
• Set up business conciliation service.
• Name and shame late payers and strengthen Prompt
Payment Code.
• Support for 25% of all government spend to flow to SMEs.
• Banned exclusivity clauses in zero hour contracts.
• Government welcomed OTS employment status report in
Budget 2015.
• To tackle late payment,
tougher reporting requirements
and strengthening the Prompt
Payment Code.
• Push for third of government
contracts to go to SMEs.
• Clamp down on abusive practices
in relation to zero hours contracts.
• Establish new Regulation Advisory
Board to reduce regulatory
uncertainty.
• No commitment on IR35.
• Review business rates in England
– will cover option of moving to site
value rating within five years and, in
the longer term, land value taxation.
• No increase in income tax, VAT, NICs
and corporation tax.
• Would raise income tax personal
allowance threshold to £11,000 by
2016, £12,500 by 2020.
• Law around tax evasion tightened
to ‘strict liability’.
• Lorely Burt MP appointed
government’s ‘women in
enterprise’ champion.
• Launching Entrepreneurs Network.
• Establish review to consider case
for introducing single rate of tax
relief for pensions.
• SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has
pledged to support the ‘ability,
determination, vitality and
passion to succeed’ of the
self-employed.
• Leader Natalie Bennett has said
half of new jobs created since 2010
are self-employed, but claims 80%
living in poverty.
• Expand apprenticeship places
in Scotland.
• Introduce apprenticeship option
(instead of non-core GCSEs).
• Conduct skills review to inform
education system.
• Introduce ‘Citizens’ Pensions’ – set
no lower than official poverty line.
• Will apply equal pay and
anti-discrimination legislation to
contracts between businesses.
• Expand high speed broadband
across Scotland.
• Electrify rail network in
Central Scotland.
• Simplify planning regulations for
empty commercial properties.
• Scrap HS2 rail project.
• Tax foreign vehicles on entry to the UK.
• Scrap toll roads.
• Protect green belt and encourage
building on brownfield sites.
• Build 500,000 social rented homes
by 2020.
• Scrap HS2 rail project.
• Protect the Small Business Bonus. • Repeal Agency Workers Directive.
• HMRC fines for late payers.
• Simplifying procurement
requirements.
• Registers of ‘genuinely self-employed
workers’ to be set up in some
industries (e.g. construction).
• Establish new Labour Courts
responsible for interpreting
legal definition of ‘employee’.
• Favour local procurement in their
purchasing decisions.
• Plan to legislate to ensure that
small businesses and self-employed
people are paid on time.
• Continued commitment to low and
competitive taxes for Scottish
business community.
• Supports reintroduction of 50p top
rate of tax.
• Has dropped commitment to
introduce lower corporation and
income taxes in Scotland.
• Support for the merging of income tax
and national insurance.
• Scrap inheritance tax.
• Increase personal allowance to the
level of full-time minimum wage
earnings (£13,500).
• Increase minimum wage to £10/
hour by 2020.
• Replace council tax and business
rates with ‘progressive land tax’.
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY THE LABOUR PARTY LIBERAL DEMOCRATS SNP UKIP THE GREEN PARTY
RECOGNITION
SUPPORT AND
STARTING OUT
INFRASTRUCTURE
REGULATION
AND BARRIERS
TO BUSINESS
TAXATION
15
• Complete roll-out of high speed
broadband to over 99% of the UK.
• Invest in infrastructure to create
‘Northern Economic Corridor’.
• Support HS2 rail project.
• Opposed to Heathrow airport expansion.
• Increase rate of house building to
300,000 a year.

9. IPSE MEMBERS DISILLUSIONED
WITH LEADING POLITICAL PARTIES
Simon McVicker, Director of Policy and External Affairs at IPSE, compares
the IPSE membership’s 2015 political preferences with those of five years ago.
2009 32%
2009 6%
2009 53%
7%
36% 17%2015
CONSERVATIVES
2009 8%
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
2%6%2015
OTHERS
2015
DON’T KNOW
2009 1%
6%2015
LABOUR
7%
13%
6%2015 38%
ARTICLE BY IPSE’S DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SIMON MCVICKER
@SIMONMCVICKER
Asweheadtowardsthe2015generalelectionit
seemsthatIPSEmembers’supportfortheCon-
servativeshasdroppedquitesignificantlysince
we last polled our members in 2009. However,
thishasnotbeenmatchedbyasurgeofsupport
for Labour or the Liberal Democrats.
Support for other parties has nearly doubled
while the Don’t Knows or Won’t Says are now
nearly two in every five of our members.
The caveat for these figures is that when we
polled our members in June 2009 there was a
lotofnoiseatthattimeabouttheConservatives
abolishing IR35 if they won power at the 2010
general election. The fact that they did not and
are subsequently down 17% since then may not
really be a surprise.
Their lead of 29% over Labour suggests that, of
the major parties, they are still seen as the par-
ty for freelancers and the self-employed. How-
ever, for a party that would be expecting to be
doing extremely well among this group to be
only gaining just over a third of them must be
concerning.Conservativehopesmightbedown
to pulling in some of the 38% Don’t Knows.
An interesting footnote to the 2015 poll is that
in the Others category the Greens get just
under half with 6% while UKIP only gets a
disappointing 4%. The SNP is polling 1.7%. It
should be taken into account that this is a UK
membership vote.
Insummary,theConservativesdoseemtohave
disappointed many members, but despite all of
thattheyarestillseenashavingthebestpolicies
for those working for themselves.
The Labour Party has not made the impact that
it would have hoped for, not even breaking into
doublefigures.Therearemanymemberswhoare
disillusioned,unsureofwhotovotefor,orplainly
andsimply,justnotplanningtovoteatall!
ASWEHEADTOWARDSTHE2015GENERAL
ELECTION,ITSEEMSTHATIPSEMEMBERS’
SUPPORTFORTHECONSERVATIVESHAS
DROPPEDQUITESIGNIFICANTLY
GENERAL ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
THE IPSE MEMBERS POLL
16

10. SNP SUCCESS
COULD BE LABOUR’S
GROUNDHOG DAY
Political commentator Hamish Macdonell weighs up the Scottish National
Party’s general election chances as they prepare for battle on 7th May.
GENERAL ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
HAMISH MACDONELL
RememberthatrecurringscenefromGroundhog
Day? The clock clicks over to 6am, Sonny and
Cher’s ‘I’ve Got You Babe’ rattles out from the
radioandBillMurrayisstuckonceagaininaday
from which he can never escape.
Well, if Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond get
their way, that will be Ed Miliband in No. 10,
trapped in a recurring political nightmare – put
thereandkepttherebyMrSalmondandtheSNP.
This used to be the stuff of wild SNP dreams.
Indeed, it was a subject that was generally only
everdiscussedbynationalists,lateintothenight
after several good malts, and only among very
goodfriends.Butsomethingcrucialhashappened
because the prospect not just of helping keep
Labour in power, but of the SNP pulling the
strings, is now a core part of nationalist policy.
Indeed,iftheSNPhadonlyoneambitionfornext
month’s election it would be this – hold the bal-
anceofpower.Partly,thisisbecauseofwhatseems
to be the incontrovertible evidence from poll
after poll after poll but partly it is because of a
little known part of a recent piece of legislation.
The polling is crucial but it is worth pausing
just to consider the Fixed Term Parliaments
Act 2011 because this is the piece of legislation
that The SNP believe will be their secret weap-
on. The key part of this Act is the bit that says
that an election can only be called if it has the
support of two-thirds of the Commons. Now,
imagine, as the polls suggest, that neither the
Conservative Party nor the Labour Party has a
majority and the SNP allies itself with Mr Mili-
band, at least to get him into No. 10 and keep
David Cameron out.
Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP would then harry
andchivvy,demandingchangestoeverypieceof
legislationputforwardbyLabour,andwhatcould
MrMilibanddoaboutit?Hecouldn’tcallanoth-
erelection–asthePrimeMinisterusedtobeable
to do – because he will not be able to command
a two-thirds majority in the Commons.
So he will be stuck, trapped and forced to dance
to the nationalists’ tune, until or unless Nicola
SturgeonortheConservativesdecidetoputhim
out of his misery and allow him to call another
election. This is the Groundhog Day scenario so
belovedofSNPactivistsandtheyreallydobelieve
it is within their grasp.
If the polls are to be believed, the SNP is poised
to increase its representation in the Commons
from the six MPs elected in 2010 to anything up
to50ofScotland’s59seats,destroyingtheScot-
tish Labour Party in the process. Is this going to
happen?OneseniorSNPmemberoftheScottish
Parliament recently suggested to me privately
that he “would bite the hand off” anybody who
couldguaranteetheSNP30seatsormoresothere
isclearlycautionandmorethanalittlescepticism
in senior SNP ranks about the poll findings.
Then there are also local factors to consider,
factors which the polls don’t take into account.
For instance, there are incumbents – Labour,
Liberal Democrat and even Tory – who enjoy
personal support in their areas and this is not
reflected in the polls. And there is the issue of
tacticalvoting.Therewillundoubtedlybeunion-
istvoterswhowilldroptheirtraditionalloyalties
to back the candidate most likely to beat the
nationalists. However, even taking those issues
into account, it is difficult to see how the SNP is
goingtofailtogetatleast30seats–amajorityof
the constituencies in Scotland.
Professor John Curtice, an elections expert at
Strathclyde University, explained how getting
45% of the vote could prove to be so influential
this year. He said: “The SNP got 45% of the vote
in the Scottish elections in May 2011 and, under
IFTHESNPONLYHADONEAMBITIONFOR
NEXTMONTH’SELECTIONITWOULDBE
THIS–HOLDTHEBALANCEOFPOWER
theproportionalsystemusedthere,thiswasjust
enough for a majority. The SNP got 45% of the
vote in the referendum, and it lost but if you get
45%ofthevoteinageneralelectionthenyoucan
really go places.”
Bygoingplaces,ProfessorCurticemeantavast
majority of the seats, possibly as many as 50.
ProfessorCurticealsopointedoutthatthepolls
haven’treallyshiftedinthelastfewmonths:they
all show the SNP on about the same level of
supportitreceivedinthe2011Scottishelections
and the same level of support the Yes camp got
in last year’s referendum.
Sothemessageisthis:thereisnoreasontodoubt
the veracity of the polls. The SNP appears to be
holdingsteadyon45%–asithasdoneforthelast
fouryears–and,ifitsecuresthisshareofthevote
in May, it will win a lot of seats. Why has this
happened? Because a section of the population
which used to vote Labour in general elections
andSNPinScottishelectionshasjuststayedwith
theSNP.TheLabourPartyusedtobeabletorely
on this group to get dozens of MPs elected at
general elections. Well, not any more.
TheConservativevoteinScotlandhasremained
fairly static but the Liberal Democrat vote has
collapsed and much of this, too, has gone to the
SNP. As a result, the general election campaign
inScotlandisverydifferenttotheoneinEngland.
Indeed, it is almost as if we are fighting the ref-
erendum campaign all over again with the SNP
ononesideandtheunionistpartiesontheother.
But,ofmorepressingconcernforLabourandthe
Toriesisthissimple,unavoidablereality–which-
ever way the election goes, the SNP will win. If
Mr Cameron secures a majority, the SNP will
claimthattheScots’wishesarebeingignoredby
a government they didn’t vote for, prompting
demandsforafreshreferendumonindependence.
IftheToriesemergeasthelargestpartybutwith-
outamajority,theSNPwilluseitsnumbers–with
Labour – to force Mr Cameron out of office,
demonstrating its power and influence to the
whole of Scotland. And, if Mr Miliband is forced
toembracetheSNPinaloosevote-by-votedeal,
thenationalistswillkeephiminplacewhetherhe
likesitornot,changingandamendingeverypiece
of legislation they can get their hands on. No
wonder Alex has been seen drinking pink cham-
pagne and living it up in London recently. He
knows he really can’t lose in May. Perhaps it is
time his opponents started to realise this too.
ARTICLE BY HAMISH MACDONELL
@HAMISHMACDONELL
KEYFACT
45%
THE PERCENTAGE OF
THE VOTE THE SNP GOT
IN THE REFERENDUM
19

11. While the EU has been largely successful in cre-
atingasinglemarketforgoods,thesamedoesnot
apply so much to capital. But in an attempt to
remedythis,theEuropeanCommissionislooking
intointegratingcapitalmarketsacrossEurope.
Theplan,announcedlastNovemberbyCommis-
sionPresidentJean-ClaudeJuncker,istocreate
a Capital Market Union (CMU) in Europe. Put
simply, a CMU would involve a European single
marketforcapital,enhancingandintegratingthe
roleoffinancialmarketsinEurope,easingaccess
to funding for SMEs and allowing new forms of
capitalandfinancetoflowfreelyacrossborders.
It’sstillinitsinfancy,buteffortstowardsbuild-
ingthisCMUhavemadesignificantprogressin
recent weeks with the publication of a green
paper in February, which set out its three main
aims: to unlock more investment for SMEs and
infrastructure projects, to attract more invest-
ment into the EU from around the world, and
to make the financial system more stable by
opening up a wider range of funding sources.
WHY DO SMEs NEED
A CAPITAL MARKETS UNION?
Building a CMU has been a central aspect of
President Juncker’s so-called ‘investment plan’
for jobs and growth in Europe. The CMU also
represents the desire of the Commission to
move Europe away from a heavy focus on a
bank-dominated financial system.
Currently,EuropeanSMEsoftenfacedifficulty
in accessing finance, relying on banks for 80%
of external financing.
Now,that’snottosaythereisn’tashortageofcap-
italexistinginsideEurope.Theproblemisoneof
access, whereby currently SMEs in Europe are
unabletoaccesscapitalmarketsdirectly.TheCMU
hopestounlockthis‘frozen’money,givingSMEs
greaterandfairerinvestmentchoices,withcapital
travellingfreelyacrossborders.
TheCommissioncalculatedthatdeepercapital
markets – similar to those in America – would
haveprovidedEuropeanSMEswithanaddition-
al €90 billion of funds between 2008 and 2013.
Givingbusinessmoreoptionsforfundingwould
help achieve the second goal of the CMU – to
lessenthedependenceontheEuropeanbanking
system. This is part of an emerging trend of
alternative methods to bank financing, as
‘challenger banks’ begin to become more pop-
ular–especiallywithindependentprofessionals
and SMEs.
Jonathan Hill, European Commissioner for
Financial Stability, Financial Services and
Capital Markets Union, has stated that an
enhanced role for financial markets in Europe
is not intended to displace the role of banks,
but to complement them. If the two systems
can complement each other, then SMEs stand
to benefit two-fold, as alternative funding
channels increase while competition might
encourage banks to lend more.
WHY DON’T SMEs NEED
A CAPITAL MARKETS UNION?
With banks apparently unable to adequately
finance Europe’s SMEs – which make up 99%
ofbusinessesonthecontinent–aCMUappears
attractive. That said, restructuring Europe’s
financial system does contain risks.
While it’s clear that the current system is not en-
tirely suited to financing small businesses, banks
have knowledge and experience in lending to
SMEs, which provides a level of stability and
accurateriskassessmentintheirlendingdecisions.
It remains unclear to what extent the union
wouldbenefitSMEsandtheiraccesstofinance.
Particularly among smaller businesses, access
tonewsourcesoffundingcouldremainlimited.
Medium-sizedfirmscouldalsostrugglewithout
deregulationofnationalrulesthatcouldother-
wise prevent efficient cross-border funding.
Promoting alternative forms of financing also
comeswithnewissuesandresponsibilities.Take
theincreasinglypopularpracticeofcrowd-fund-
ing as an example – analysts have expressed
concernthatcheaplendingandbadpracticefrom
inexperienced lenders could result in issues
furtherdowntheline.Crowd-fundingmustthere-
foreberegulated;looseenoughforcapitaltoflow
as intended but tight enough to minimise risk.
A smooth-functioning CMU must provide both
secure investment for investors and protect
against an administrative burden for SMEs.
This will also require a review of the Prospec-
tus Directive (which is currently undergoing
consultation), which in its current state could
present red tape for small businesses trying to
raise capital across the EU.
WHAT NEXT?
The establishment of the CMU is of course a
longwayoffandtheEuropeanCommissionmust
learn to walk before it runs.
Whilethegreenpaperoutlinesanumberofsteps
tobetakenandtouchesonbiggerissuesthatwill
need to be addressed in the future, it offers little
inthewayofconcretemeasurestoaddressthem.
AconsultationfortheCMUrunsuntil13thMay.
As is typical with European law, much of the
difficulty will lie in harmonising the variation
across Member States’ tax rules and business
lawandhowtheirownfinancialmarketsarerun.
However some analysts view full harmonisa-
tion of these issues negatively, arguing they
are key tools for competition in Europe, which
suggests the key building blocks of the CMU
should be deregulation of existing barriers
rather than the introduction of a host of
burdensome new regulation.
BEN WRIGHT 21
@BENIPSE
ACMUWOULDINVOLVEAEUROPEAN
SINGLEMARKETFORCAPITAL,ENHANCING
ANDINTEGRATINGTHEROLEOFFINANCIAL
MARKETSINEUROPE
BUILDING A CAPITAL MARKETS UNION
Ben Wright looks at the European Commission’s latest plan and what it means for Europe’s smallest businesses.
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12. 23TECH CITY OXFORD
Butmorerecently,Oxfordfindsitselfbeingrevered
for reasons other than its long list of successful
alumni.Thecity’sdigitalindustryisflying,andthe
organisation propelling it, Digital Oxford, has a
plantomakeitBritain’stopdigitalhub.
“We want Oxford, and Oxfordshire as a county,
toberecognisedbyTechCityUKasthenumber
one tech hub in the country on its own merits,”
Karen David of Digital Oxford told me.
And you certainly can’t knock their ambition.
This independent organisation is little over a
year old, but already has grand plans to make
Oxford a world-class digital destination to
attract jobs, funding, talent and investment to
the digital industry in Oxfordshire.
But given its mere 150,000 population, around
40,000 of whom are full-time university stu-
dents, can Oxford really compete with some of
the world’s digital elite?
“In short, yes it’s possible. Our location on the
map, the skills we have at our disposal and our
established digital infrastructure make us very
appealing to digital businesses.
“Oxford as a place and Digital Oxford as an
organisation offer a close-knit and supportive
communitytohelpcompaniesflourish.Wehave
close links to Oxford’s world-class universities
and the dozens of science and tech hubs all over
the county,” Karen explained.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t taken aback by
thesizeandimportanceofOxfordshire’sdigital
industry.Atthelastcounttherewereover21,000
digital minds in Oxfordshire, powering an
industryworthanestimated£500milliontothe
county. Oxfordshire also boasts the second
highestconcentrationofcreativeandtechnical
jobs in the UK – again, not bad for a place typi-
cally associated with professors and punting.
Considering the word ‘digital’ itself is such a
commonlyused–borderingonoverused–term,
andonethatencompassesabroadrangeofskills,
I wanted to find out what these digital minds
actually get up to.
“Digitalreallydoesstretchacrossavarietyofroles,
industriesandprofessions,whichiswhatmakes
it so exciting. We get involved with agencies
developing digital products or offering creative
services,individualsrunningtheirownbusiness-
es,technologystart-upsandevenanengineering
company which deploys digital technology.”
Andasonewouldexpectofadigitalorganisation,
thewebsiteistheplaceforthegrowingnumber
offreelancersandsmallbusinessownerstomeet,
regardless of whether their interest in Oxford-
shire’s digital industry is firm or fleeting.
“We provide support and promotion for any
digital or relevant event in Oxfordshire, cover
regionalsuccessstoriesandspecialiseinmaking
introductions.Wehaveastrongonlinepresence,
and on DigitalOxford.com, company members
and upcoming events are listed, projects are
postedandOxford’sdigitalcommunitycanmeet
each other,” Karen explained.
Withthelion’sshareofthecounty’sdigitalcom-
munityagedbetween20and40,itisayoung-ish,
energetic and ambitious project to be a part of.
Thatsaid,DigitalOxfordiskeentotapevenfur-
therintothedeeppoolofdigitaltalentatlargein
the city’s universities and schools.
“The universities – both of which are world-
class – along with the great research institu-
tions make Oxford one of the best places to
grow a digital business. We’ve got big plans to
extend our reach to benefit school leavers,
even more university students and career
starters seeking apprenticeships.”
Governedandrunentirelybyanelectedcommit-
tee of volunteers, the team are clearly passionate
about what they do, and it’s refreshing to see an
organisation–albeityoungandrelativelysmallin
size–harbouringtheambitiontotakeonsomeof
theUK’stopdigitalcities.
“With30monthlymeet-ups,ninemajorbusiness
parks, an international gaming hub and regular
internationaltechconferences,Oxfordisrapidly
developing into one of the UK’s most attractive
digital destinations,” Karen emphasised.
While it’s still very much early days for Digital
Oxford – and indeed the county’s digital indus-
try – exciting times lie ahead for both. And as
Karen so aptly put it to me: “We’re just starting
out here and we have shed-loads of ambition.
So make sure you watch this space…”
OXFORD – THE HISTORICAL CITY
ENTERING THE DIGITAL AGE
ATTHELASTCOUNTTHEREWEREOVER
21,000DIGITALMINDSINOXFORDSHIRE,
POWERINGANINDUSTRYWORTHAN
ESTIMATED£500MILLIONTOTHECOUNTY
GOVERNEDANDRUNENTIRELYBYAN
ELECTEDCOMMITTEEOFVOLUNTEERS,
THETEAMARECLEARLYPASSIONATE
ABOUTWHATTHEYDO
ARTICLE BY IPSE MAGAZINE
EDITOR BENEDICT SMITH
@BENSMITHIPSE
INFOTIP
DIGITAL OXFORD WEEK RUNS
FROM THE 9 TO 17TH MAY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
VISIT DIGITALOXFORD.COM
OR FOLLOW
@DIGITALOXFORD
Having nurtured some of the greatest political, scientific and literary minds in times gone by, it’s no wonder the city of
dreaming spires has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading academic centres, writes Editor Benedict Smith.

13. LET BATTLE COMMENCE
On 7th May, UK voters will head to the polls to
decide the political future of the second half of
the decade.
Political commentators are calling the 2015
general election one of the most unpredictable
elections in recent times, but with plans from
all the major parties for a significant boost to
new housing development, affordable housing
andgreatercompetitioninthemortgagemarket,
thisyearcouldshapeuptobeaveryinteresting
one for contractors.
HOUSING POLICY IS THE FRONT LINE
The current Coalition Government’s Help to
Buyequityloan,whichoffersbuyersaninterest-
free loan of 20% of the purchase price for new-
ly built properties, has helped kick-start a flat
housing market and has given many the oppor-
tunity to get on the property ladder far earlier
than they could have hoped for.
Housing and mortgages are high on everyone’s
agendaandoneofthemostcrucialbattlegrounds
forgainingvotesistheshortageofnewhousing,
with high demand pent up after many years of
stagnant new build. In common with the wider
community, the lack of affordable housing,
especiallyinEngland,isoneofthekeyconcerns
for contractors.
THE BATTLEGROUND: AFFORDABLE HOUSING
AND THE CRUSADE FOR FIRST-TIME BUYERS
The Conservatives have concentrated on first-
time buyers, promising 200,000 new starter
homes for people under the age of 40 by 2020,
doubling the 100,000 already proposed by the
CoalitionGovernment.Thesewould-behome-
ownerswillbeabletobuyahouseat20%below
the market rate.
By contrast, the Liberal Democrats have rec-
ognised that many people can’t afford to pur-
chase their own home at all and in response
have promised more affordable properties.
Working alongside providers to create
new-model housing to pave the way for lower
income working families to get on the proper-
ty ladder, the Lib Dems seem set on a radical
return to quasi-social housing.
Labour has also got on the housing bandwagon
andhaspledgedtobuild200,000housesayear
by2020,includingnewtownsandgardencities.
That said, it remains to be seen what new taxes
and reduced reliefs will need to be introduced
to help fund such a bold initiative.
LANDLORDS TAKE TO THE BUNKERS
Recently, Buy-to-Let has seen a boom, and my
thinking is that this will continue. With new
freedomsinpensions,Buy-to-Lethasbeenseen
by many contractors as an ideal top-up invest-
ment strategy for their retirement. However, it
has not escaped the notice of the manifesto
writers, with Labour in particular promising to
take a long hard look at the scheme if they were
to come into power.
Concentrating on the private rental sector,
potential policies include standardising three-
year tenancies, capping rent rises and banning
letting agent fees. The many thousands of
contractors with investment properties will
want to keep a close eye on developments as
we draw nearer to the polls.
CONTRACTORS CONQUER
Party manifestos are notorious for their flexi-
bility in the run up to the election. The reality
is that the outcome of the election is unlikely
to have any real effect on the mortgage market
or housing initially and the run up to voting day
is likely to be a great time for the members of
the freelancer community to secure their first
or new home.
While many are biding their time to see what
theoutcomeoftheelectionwillbe,contractors
seem to have taken advantage of low rates and
recent government initiatives and with estate
agents reporting a 30% increase in the number
of properties selling below the asking price this
year, there are plenty of bargains to be found.
For existing homeowners, if it has been a while
since you secured your last mortgage then you
mightbesurprisedbyhowfarinterestrateshave
come down – it’s worthwhile revisiting what is
many people’s largest outgoing.
Themajorityoflenderswillcoveryoursolicitor’s
feesandvaluationcostsifyouareremortgaging,
soyoucouldsavemorethanyouthinkandsecure
a good long-term rate in the run up to what is
certain to be an unsettling election year.
HOW WILL THE GENERAL ELECTION
AFFECT YOUR MORTGAGE?
Tony Harris of Contractor Financials explains how the general election might impact on the housing market.
THEREALITYISTHATTHEOUTCOME
OFTHEELECTIONISUNLIKELYTO
HAVEANYREALEFFECTONTHE
MORTGAGEMARKET
TONY HARRIS IS FROM CONTRACTOR
FINANCIALS, SPECIALIST INDEPENDENT
FINANCIAL ADVISERS TO THE UK’S
FREELANCE AND CONTRACTOR COMMUNITY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT
CONTRACTORFINANCIALS.COM
CONTRACTOR FINANCIALS 25
This morning, Tim viewed the
latest digital issue of Talk Business
Magazine, on his tablet
- Discover the best way to market my business ✓
W W W . T A L K B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K
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14. CAROLINE BALDWIN 27
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The full-HD display is backed up by a
fourth-generation Intel Core processor and
NVIDIA GeForce graphics card, while the
screen’sin-planeswitchingtechnologyprovides
a wide viewing angle for comfortable high-qual-
ity multimedia use, and the Acer ComfyView
non-glaretechnologyclaimstomakelonghours
of intense video editing that little bit kinder on
your retinas.
Thelaptopcancomewithaharddiskofupto3TB,
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tospeedupthedevice.It’salsoamere2.5cmthick,
withaslickmetalfinishclamshelldesign.
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FOR TRAVELLERS
MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 3
Notmanytabletorhybriddevicescanmatchup
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Itslatestprofessionaltablethasafourthgener-
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mainsoneofthebestcontenderswhenitcomes
to working on the go.
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FOR THE OFFICE WORKER
FUJITSU LIFEBOOK U745
Due to their slim size, ultrabooks jam-packed
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including a VGA output.
Other connections include a display port. You
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This14-inchultrabookiscompatiblewithLife-
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FOR THE POWER HUNGRY
HP ELITEBOOK FOLIO 1020
At 1.2kg and 15.7mm thick, HP’s EliteBook
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But combining 9-hour battery life with 250GB
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who crave power from their devices. Plus its
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speed in near silence.
With enterprise-grade security features,
this laptop is also designed to withstand
military-grade drops and shocks as well as
extreme temperature and humidity.
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FOR A BUDGET
TOSHIBA CHROMEBOOK 2
Ifyourlaptoprequirementsarefairlybasicand
you only use a few applications such as word
processing and email, save some pennies and
pick up a Chromebook.
Using Google’s Chrome operating system,
Chromebooksarecloud-basedlaptops,meaning
you have to have a decent internet connection
to use most of its functions.
Toshiba recently released its latest Chrome-
book, which provides extraordinary value for
money. At under £250 you can get your hands
on a full HD 13.3-inch display laptop which
weighs only 1.35kg. It comes with 100GB free
Google Drive storage for two years so your work
can be saved online, as well as two USB ports
and a memory card slot which helps juggle the
16GB of internal storage.
With up to 9 hours battery for the full HD ver-
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itsheavyweightultrabookcompetitorsarunfor
its money.
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Is it a tablet? Is it a laptop? Sometimes the two
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The Yoga 3 is available from 1.2kg and only
15.8mm thick and this multimedia device is
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and runs Windows 8.1.
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Available widely
AND NOT FORGETTING
APPLE’S NEW MACBOOK
Apple’sdeviceshardlyneedanintroduction,but
the tech giant’s latest laptop offering is simply
named the new MacBook. Revealed at the
beginningofMarch,thenewMacBookis13.1mm
thin, 0.9kg with a 12-inch retina display.
COMING SOON
Even available in gold
COMPUTER CLUB
When it comes to computers, the word on everyone’s lips
is still ‘tablet’, but gadget lovers shouldn’t be turning their
backs on the humble laptop just yet. Caroline Baldwin
is back to review the best laptops on the market.
Thanks to advances in screen quality, battery power and lightweight materials,
laptops still remain a contender to be our faithful work devices. While laptop
purchases in the past were strongly affected by software and whether the device
ran Microsoft Office, thanks to cloud tools and Office 365, a new wave of devices
has appeared, opening up the market. Here’s our round-up of some of the best
laptops on the market which tick all the boxes.

15. REPUTATION AND BRAND 29
It’sprettymuchagiventhatbigsuccessfulcom-
panies have rock-solid brands – recognisable
andperceivedpositivelybytheirkeypeople.But
how important, if at all, is this kind of thing for
the one-man-band? Let me try and tell you.
But firstly, why me? Well, I’m a journalist who
has just gone freelance after working for two
marketing industry publications
called Brand Republic and PRWeek for
the past decade. Perhaps you’ll be
disappointed to know that at no stage
in my grand plan to sell myself have I
pulled up a flipboard and plotted my
brand values, my tone of voice and my
mission statement.
Ihavethankedmyancestorsforlump-
ing me with an unusual name, but
unlike Andy Murray I haven’t felt the
need to get my own logo. Also unlike
AndyMurray,Ihavespentabitoftime
on LinkedIn, which has helped popu-
larisetheterm‘personalbrand’aspart
of its mission to make people think of
themselves as being permanently in
the careers shop window.
LinkedIn is an essential tool whether
you’reself-employedornot,andmyfew
yearsonitcombinedwiththecontacts
I’ve made in the course of my job have
given me a head start with going freelance. But
to be honest, the early work has come from the
likeliestroute–formercolleagueswhoknowyou
can do a job because they’ve worked with you.
When I commissioned freelancers, my main
concernswerehoweasytheyweretofind,wheth-
er they could do the job, whether they were
available and what they cost.
My first preference was for former colleagues I
rated and next best was to ask them or other
colleagues if they could recommend anyone.
One freelancer I used got plenty of work by
making an effort to talk to people around the
building – not to tell them about his brand but
simplytofindoutwhattheydidandiftheyused
freelancers like him.
There’snosubstituteforrelationshipsandface-
to-face conversations. I got the chance to write
this very article because I met an old contact,
whohappenedtobeacolleagueoftheeditor,at
an event. I had no control over what happened
between leaving my contact with my business
card and the editor getting in touch with me.
This is the part where if people could really be
like brands, the marketing industry would claim
that the editor’s preference for my personal
brand won me the job. (By the way, I’m afraid
that you’re going to be hearing more about
personal branding because at March’s Adver-
tising Week Europe I counted no less than four
sessions on it, including one featuring Katie
Price.) But I suspect that what really guided
the editor to me was his need and his colleague’s
judgement of me.
Your brand is what you say about yourself, but
your reputation is what other people say about
you. The corporate world is full of disconnects
between reputations and brands – think banks
and energy companies.
When I built my website it was – like it or not
– brand territory. People who have never heard
of me are going to get their first impression of
mefromit.It’ssuccinctandit’snotflashy.AsI’m
awrittenwordjournalist,peoplearegoingtobe
moreinterestedinmytrackrecordthananything
else,soitoffersaone-pagesummaryofmypre-
viousworkandexperience.Andthere’snopoint
puttingthemoffwith,say,abrightorange
background. EasyFreelance anyone?
Freelancers should be using marketing to
diversify their client base, but imagining
yourself as a brand is the other end of the
marketingwedgefrommakingandtaking
a sales opportunity. Some of you might be
thinking, why not make more of an effort
to stand out? After all, the reason compa-
niesspendmillionsonmakingconsumers
like their brand is so they can charge a
premium over competitor products. Air-
bnb used to have a fairly plain brand, then
it hired a marketer from Coca-Cola and
had a makeover that positioned it as of-
fering the feeling of belonging, wherever
you are in the world.
If you’re selling something to a mass
audience – possibly you’re an author or
musician – it might be worth getting into
that territory, but bear in mind you
have to repeatedly expose people to your
messages to lodge in their heads.
Ifyouhaveasmallpoolofcustomersandpotential
customers, your reputation is going to outrank
your brand. That’s the way it should be, however
big you are. What helped Airbnb get big? Not
branding, but word of mouth and reputation for
deliveringabetterexperiencethanhotels.
Ifyouwantmyadvice,ignorethesirencallofthe
personal brand consultants. Stick to the basics.
Testimonialsaretheidealmiddle-groundbetween
reputationandbrand–yougettopresentaselec-
tiveviewofwhatyourcustomerssayaboutyou.
REPUTATION AND BRAND
Daniel Farey-Jones asks whether building a personal brand
as a freelancer is really that important after all.
ARTICLE BY DANIEL FAREY-JONES
@DANFAREYJONES
SOMEOFYOUMIGHTBETHINKING,
WHYNOTMAKEMOREOFAN
EFFORTTOSTANDOUT?
The smart way to manage
your spending abroad.
THE FAIRFX CORPORATE PREPAID CARD
020 7778 9300
corppay@fairfx.com
www.fairfx.com/business

16. 31THE FREELANCERS GUIDE TO PARIS
A BIT ABOUT THE PLACE
Chic appeal, cafés on every corner, world-famous
cuisine, iconic monuments, a history back-dating
almost 2,300 years, not to mention cultural idiosyn-
crasies that we’ve come to know so well – the City of
Love truly is an enchanting city.
Parisregularlyfeaturesonthelistofplacestovisitbefore
you die, and deservedly so. But fashion and aesthetics
aside, how does it rank when it comes to running your
own business – or more specifically, freelancing?
BUSINESS FRIENDLY?
WhenyouthinkofParisinabusinesssense,‘freelance
haven’ isn’t exactly a phrase which springs to mind.
However,afterapit-stoptourofthecity,Iquicklycame
round to the idea of freelancing in the French capital.
PerhapsitjustmightbethatParisistheperfectcityin
which to live and work.
If you happen to be like me and enjoy mixing up your
workingdayswithtripstolocalcoffeeshopsandstints
inco-workingspaces,thenwhatbetterthanacitywith
over10,000cafésandaninfluxofwork-hubsthatrival
someofthebestdesignedcorporateofficesinLondon
and New York?
WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO
Youdon’thavetospendlongonGoogletofindawhole
host of coworking spaces and work-hubs, perfect for
freelancersworkingacrossarangeofindustries.From
the Remix co-working spaces located to the north of
the Seine, just a 10-minute walk from the Louvre and
open 24/7, to the Work In’ Paris Vaugirard, more to
thewestandsouthoftheriver,there’saspaceforevery
type of freelancer, entrepreneur and small team.
But if the more casual coffee-shop-meets-internet-
café-and-workspace environment is the one for you,
thenAntiCaféwillbemoreupyourstreet.What’smore,
youonlypayforthetimeyoustayandyou’reprovided
withadelightfulselectionofunlimitedcoffee,teaand
snacks. Parfait!
For a full list of co-working spaces in Paris, be sure to
visitsharedesk.netwhereyouwillfindawideselection
of work-hubs.
VERDICT
The number of freelancers around the world is grow-
ing rapidly. The need for co-working spaces is higher
than ever and the realisation that working in a shared
officespacecanbemutuallybeneficialforallinvolved
is rising – and for good reason too!
With more than 50 listed co-working spaces (and
counting) in the centre of Paris alone, it’s a city with a
growingcommunityofindependentprofessionals,all
with a hunger for sharing office space and collaborat-
ing in a creative and forward-thinking environment.
Getting through the laborious task of your morning
emailswithapainauraisinandespressoinhand,tak-
ing a late-lunch stroll across the Pont du Carrousel,
glancing towards Île de la Cité, make ‘work’ seem just
that bit more bearable.
So whether you’re thinking of relocating to Paris or
considering it for a work-week stop-off like me, there’s
a number of solutions for you to take advantage of as
a freelancer. Combine this with the history and
sightseeing delights, and you’re sure to fall for this
marvellous city.
THE FREELANCER’S GUIDE TO
PARIS
Jamie McDermott crosses the Channel and heads to Paris,
where he explores all the French capital has on offer for freelancers.
85%
Percentage growth in independent
professionals in France from 2004 to 2013
Source: Patricia Leighton, Future Working:
The Rise of Europe’s Independent Professionals
10.6%Percentage of France’s workforce
who are self-employed
Source: Izzy Hatfield, Self-Employment in Europe
2.77mThe number of self-employed
people in France in Q3 of 2014
Remix AntiCafé Work In’ Paris
THE FREELANCERS GUIDE

17. STU HERITAGE 33
TheopeningsequencetothefilmUpmakesevery-
onecry.Somepeoplecrybecauseitpaintssucha
delicatepictureoflovethroughtheages.Somecry
because of the unflinchingly brutal way we learn
thatCarlandElliewillneverhavechildren.Some
justcrybecausethemusic’ssad.Butnotme.
I cry because of the jar.
Thatbloodysavingsjar.Littlebylittlethrough-
outtheirmarriedlife,CarlandElliedropwhat-
ever spare change they have into the jar, in the
hope that one day they’ll be able to afford the
adventureofalifetime.Butstuffgetsintheway,
and they’re forced to dip into their savings. A
tyrebursts.Alegbreaks.There’sastorm.Before
they know it, they’re old and their jar is empty.
They’ll never go on that adventure.
The jar gets me every time because it perfectly
sums up how I am with money, except my jar is
a savings account and my adventure basically
involves not starving to death three days after I
retire. I do my best. I save what I can. But stuff
keepsgettingintheway,andIkeepdipping.My
computer will break. A client won’t pay. A tax
bill will get miscalculated. Currently, adjusting
for inflation, I’ve probably got enough stashed
awayforonenicedinnerandaboxofCupaSoups
after my retirement.
The sensible solution would be for me to get a
pension. But, like most of the other freelancers
Iknow,I’venevergotaroundtosortingoneout.
BecauseI’mfreelance,aren’tI?I’marisk-taker.
My entire business model is centred on the
insane assumption that I’ll never get ill or want
aholiday.Who’stosaythatIevenneedapension,
anyway? I might get lucky and keel over with a
heartattackinmymid-50s.Attheveryleast,I’d
certainly save a lot of paperwork that way.
Also, pensions are for old people. I’m not old. I
mean,sure,I’mmarried.AndI’madadnow.But
that doesn’t mean that I’m old. And, yes, I’m
going bald at an astonishing rate, and I just
boughtapairoftrouserspurelyonthebasisthat
they looked quite comfy. But… oh, look, fine, I
might be getting a little bit old. I’m old and I
don’t have a pension. And now I’m having a
panic attack.
Other people – other people with cushy staff
jobs, who don’t have to spend the first month of
every year frantically digging through boxes of
invoicesandreceiptsbecausethey’vegotnoidea
how much tax they’re supposed to owe – don’t
understand.They’vegotcorporatepensionplans
andemployercontributionsandlifeassurances,
and the day they hit retirement age they’ll be
rolling around in all the Cup a Soups they can
eat, the lucky swines.
But us? We’re out here on our own, and it’s
absolutelyterrifying.Wedon’thaveaguaranteed
income, and many of us lack the security to pay
a fixed amount of money into a pension scheme
eachmonth.Combinethatwiththedeliberately
oblique language of the financial adviser, with
theirstakeholderplansandtheircom-
pulsory purchase annuities, and
you’ve got enough to freeze
usallintototalinaction.
However, all the time we’re hiding from the
problem, we’re actively cutting off the amount
of money that Future Us has to buy food with.
It’sthemostviciousofviciouscircles,andwe’re
not going to break out of it unless we make a
concerted effort.
Sothat’swhatI’mdoing.Justwritingthispiece,
and realising how utterly out on a limb I am
financially, has spooked me into getting some-
thing done. I’m going to bite the bullet and find
afinancialadviser.I’mgoingtoexplainmysitu-
ationtothem.WheneverIgetblindedbyjargon,
whichwillbeoften,I’llstopandaskthemtouse
smaller words, as if to an idiot. And, by hook or
by crook, I’m finally going to come away from
therewithsomethingapproximatingapension.
Alternatively,I’mjustgoingtobuyaloadofCup
a Soups. They keep for 35 years, right?
PLAINLY SPEAKING
Stu Heritage faces up to the difficulties of saving for his future.
@STUHERITAGE
MYJARISASAVINGSACCOUNT
ANDMYADVENTUREBASICALLYINVOLVES
NOTSTARVINGTODEATHTHREEDAYS
AFTERIRETIRE
ALLTHETIMEWE’REHIDINGFROMTHE
PROBLEM,WE’REACTIVELYCUTTINGOFF
THEAMOUNTOFMONEYTHATFUTURE
USHASTOBUYFOODWITH
Fortunately for Stu, IPSE is now
helping members prepare for their futures.
Through IPSE Futures, our members can join pension, life
assurance and private healthcare schemes at group rates –
usually at a fraction of the cost you would pay as an individual.
IPSE.CO.UK/FUTURES

18. In my 18 months at IPSE, I’ve visited a fair few
co-working spaces around the UK. And to be
fair, the vast majority of them have been great
places to work from – I can’t complain really.
From cosy beanbag filled basements in winter,
to urban rooftops soaked in summertime sun-
shine, I’ve spent countless days sat with my
laptop putting together this very magazine in
work-hubs up and down the country. And just
like the many thousands of people choosing to
escape their soul-sucking offices and the dis-
tractionsoftheirownhomes,Itoolikepitching
upandworkingfromdifferentplaceswhenever
I get the chance. As a writer, I’m far more pro-
ductive working independently.
I suppose this makes me sound like a miserable
sod,unappreciativeofmycolleagueshereatIPSE,
longingtoworkalone–butthatcouldn’tbefurther
fromthetruth.TheguysIworkwithareaninspir-
ing bunch, but like many people, working in new
placesnexttonewandinterestingpeopledoesme
theworldofgoodfromtimetotime.
So, needless to say, when I came across Uber
OfficeinVictoria,Ididn’tneedmuchconvincing
totaketheshortstrollfromIPSETowerstowork
fromwhatisquitepossiblyoneofLondon’smost
elaborate work-hubs.
And I say elaborate in the most complimentary
of terms. In the dozens of offices I’ve had the
pleasure of visiting, more than most lack that
littlebitofflamboyance–theperfectingredient
to get you through a tough Friday morning.
Withdécorwhichincludesartificialgrasscarpets
in meeting rooms, pink neon lights, a London
phone box and armchairs that wouldn’t be out
of place in the Big Brother Diary Room, Uber
Office is a bit of fun.
Nowthat’snottosaythatfounderandproperty
mogulKieranJamesBrownandhisteamaren’t
seriousaboutwork.Theplaceiskittedouthead
totoe.Withhigh-speedinternet,privatebreak-
out rooms and a kitchen to boot, the facilities
areparticularlyaccommodatingforthe60-odd
freelance residents.
The place benefits from a great mix of people
working across a real variety of fields. With an
author,designers,freelancerecruitersandeven
a model agent in Uber Office’s ranks, it paints a
pleasant picture of self-employment in the UK
today – diverse, creative and in-demand.
Working on your own can be a lonely old
business, but with a strong bond among the
freelance residents at Uber Office, there’s a
nice atmosphere about the place – and I can’t
stress how important this is. Having a solid
network of like-minded people to share ideas
with and lean on in difficult periods can do
wonders in preventing that dreaded feeling
of isolation.
Granted,withpricesupwardsof£400permonth–
on the face of it, it seems expensive. That said,
you’ll do well to find somewhere with such a
prestigiouspostcode,networkingopportunities
and high standards for anything less.
After a coffee and a quick chat with Kieran in
the kitchen, I was pleasantly surprised to learn
thatUberOfficeisacompanywithaconscience.
As firm believers in the value of entrepreneur-
ialism, Kieran and his team offer free desks to
young self-employed people with the drive and
determination to make it on their own – some-
thing one or two of the other work-hubs I’ve
visited could learn from.
As my day came to a close, I spent a moment
reflecting on it. By a Friday’s standards it had
been a particularly productive, not to mention
enjoyable,day.It’sluxuriousandthepeopleare
friendly – instantly washing away any stereo-
types I might have previously had about the
glamour of its Belgravia postcode. Bearing in
mindit’sjustastone’sthrowfromtheIPSEoffice,
they might be seeing a lot more of me some time
soon.That’sifthey’llhavemeback…
34HUB SPY
UBER OFFICE
IS THIS LONDON’S BEST WORK-HUB?
Editor Benedict Smith spends a day at one of the capital’s up-and-coming co-working spaces.
ADDRESS
15–17 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1
NEAREST TUBE
Victoria
TWITTER
@uberoffice
QUITEPOSSIBLYONEOFLONDON’S
MOSTELABORATEWORK-HUBS
WE’RE ON A QUEST TO FIND
THE UK’S BEST WORK-HUB.
LET US KNOW YOUR
FAVOURITE @IPSEMAG
UP NEXT
ENGINE SHED, BRISTOL
@ENGINESHED_BB
Club Workspace is a fast-growing network
of creative co-working business clubs,
with exclusive locations across London for
entrepreneurs and professionals alike.
020 3176 4006
clubworkspace.co.uk
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