Whitehall goodwill is running dry in the City It's a year since the first board meetings took place. In a spirit of cooperation, it was not hard to see why people running the country's biggest companies were willing to help a new Government run the country. If business helped Government then, presumably, Government would help business. They've been disappointed, to say the least. While George Osborne made a spirited defence of the Coalition as "pro-business" on Tuesday, accusing the BBC of fuelling an anti-business culture, he might want to consider the track record of his own leader and certain Cabinet colleagues, such as Vince Cable, the anti-Business Secretary. The mumblings and grumblings have only been encouraged over the past year by the return of windfall taxes, the hounding of Stephen Hester and a growth plan which tinkers not transforms. All the non-executives are grown ups and understand the expediency of politics - although such short termism would get them fired from their day jobs. But the Government needs to be careful. Having sought the help of business to give Whitehall greater credibility, it risks undermining laudable objectives by continuing to criticise the source of that aid. Goodwill is running dry. Indeed, the non-executives may want to point out the contradictory nature between the Government's behaviour and its stated aim of generating growth when carrying out their role to advise and challenge on performance, operational issues and "implications of policy proposals."