Small firms need a boost but it is selective to ignore progress to date

Public memory is subservient to current problems and what yesterday attracted all of our attention shrinks, writes Terry Prone

The Small Firms Association had a conference last week on the theme of boosting small business. Boosting the profits, the confidence and the communications of owners and managers of small companies.

Their keynote speaker, mid-morning, was Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin. This was a surprise. Brendan Howlin does the Dáil and media interviews and soundbites, but he doesn’t seem to leap on opportunities to speak at public events such as the SFA gig. He’s the exception in that regard.