Is it a question of "Can" or "Why should" the Midlands' Creative community drive the UK economy?

When looking at the figurehead question of the Big Debate - "Can the Midlands' creative industries revolutionise the UK economy ?", I immediately ask myself why the question is not "Why the Midlands creative industries should drive the re-ignition of the UK economy".
As a partner in a business that works within the digital community of the Greater Birmingham Region, it is quite clear that the creative talent within the City matches, if not exceeds the aims and objectives of the City of Birmingham to become the "Digital Capital of Europe". Therefore, my thoughts on the debate are not so much "Can we do it?" than "We should be doing it already." before the opportunity to make a real impact becomes another "If only we had.........."
As many marketers will tell you, it can be wise to spend more during recessionary periods as the monies spent often garner "more bang for their buck" in the terms of reaching the right people.
Technological platforms for use in creative industries are no different. In fact, I feel that to be seen as being pro-active to utilise cutting-edge techniques during these times shows an ability to not live in fear of tough economic times and instead show that such events demand some kind of change in order for SME's to prosper.
Using the creative industries and digital technology, such as that mentioned in the Digital Britain Report, will allow the Midlands to re-ignite an area of the UK economy and become flag-bearers for the digital generation. By combining the enthusiasm of local authorities to take action instead of apathy, inspire businesses to take control of driving their industries forward and interact with the students of the Midlands, who will help to drive this technology for the next ten years and beyond, the Midlands could just be in a position to make the "Digital Britain Report" come alive.

By Mark Howells, Pebu