We have a small suggestion for The Guardian

Not that they're likely to take editorial advice from us, neoliberals that we are, but still, we do think that this would make an interesting series of articles:

The Guardian is trying its luck at venture capitalism in a bid to bolster its £1bn cash reserve and cover its operating losses.

The publisher said it will create a £42m fund to take minority stakes in technology start-ups in fields potentially useful to journalism, such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence. It will also compete with dozens of venture capital firms in the US and Europe seeking to back promising ideas in advertising and payment technology.

No, we're not going to make sniggers about their using the market to fund their newspaper. We think that's not just fine but admirable anyway. Rather, we think it would be interesting for them to put their crack columnists onto the job of recording this process of venture capital investment and then the work and success, or not of course, of those ventures.

We would very much look forward to Owen Jones on the hunt for viable ideas that could be tried. On how few niches the market has left uncovered and how hard is the hunt for those still available to be exploited. Felicity Lawrence on how tough it is to actually run a business in the face of attempts to regulate. Polly on the effects of workers' rights on start ups. George Monbiot on how easy the capitalists have it because the profits just roll in without great effort. Perhaps they could bring Laurie Penny back to explain how, when the work going out the door is everyones' sole useful interest, attention must be paid to diversity and economic democracy within the firm.

We think it would be most interesting. And there's even the possibility that the writers, and Guardian readers in general, might then begin to understand how damn difficult this capitalism in a free market business is. Why 9 out of 10 of such start ups fail, why 4 out of 5 new companies don't pass their fifth birthdays. You know, just how hard it is to run the production of anything at all? 

All of which is why we don't think the newspaper will pick up on our idea of course. For who wants their prejudices, writers or readers, tested by something as uncouth as reality?  

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If only Owen Jones knew something about the subject upon which he pontificates

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Whadda abaht the workers?