Is the Coalition up to the task of helping businesses? Secondly, the political risks around infrastructure investment and the culture of NIMBYism must be swept away so that private finance can step in and shoulder much of the cost of our long overdue national infrastructure upgrade. At the same time, the Chancellor's recent move to re-prioritise resources from current spending toward jumpstarting key infrastructure projects must be intensified, even if this means diverting funds away from the "sacred cows" of overseas aid and universal welfare benefits. Infrastructure generates confidence in the short term, jobs in the medium term, and competitiveness for the long term. We need a focus on enterprise in our schools, with lessons in basic economics and financial skills so we can give our young people the confidence to become the entrepreneurs of the future. We need a skills system that values and funds all types of abilities, be they academic, technical or manual, as they are all critical for the success of the economy. We need to see still more efforts to stem the flow of regulation that is hampering so many of our firms. Although we commend the Government for the progress it has made in this area, there is still a long way to go, particularly in reducing legislation from Brussels, which so many businesses say is weighing them down and preventing them from creating jobs and wealth. In Whitehall, no department should think itself above the deregulation push in 2013 - in contrast to some of the behaviour seen in 2012. And finally, increased support for companies looking to trade overseas will be crucial to long-term growth in 2013. We would like to see a targeted Export Voucher scheme, which would help businesses on the cusp of exporting, or looking to expand into new markets, to seek out and access the support they need, not just from public sector bodies, but from private sector providers, too. Businesses know what they have to do in 2013. They just want ministers and the political elite to give them the support and confidence they need to drive growth, not just this coming year, but in the decades that follow. But is our political class up to it? Will Whitehall allow big, risky ideas? I am confident Britain can succeed, but I am not so confident that the government machine will allow the necessary changes to happen. Time is running out. The time for action is now. John Longworth is the Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce