Nine years ago I criticised the then Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt in this column for talking up manufacturing, days after the closure of the county's biggest textile factory was announced, writes Ian Griffin.

Ms Hewitt failed to mention the demise of Richard Roberts' manufacturing operation in Leicester, with the loss of 300 jobs, during her keynote speech to the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce Annual Luncheon that year. This was despite the announcement being made three days before.

Ms Hewitt, then the Labour MP for Leicester West, was being attacked at the time by union leaders and many bosses for her persistent positive outlook on manufacturing, which came as the sector's contribution to both the economy and job creation was shrinking.

Last week's speeches at the Chamber Annual Luncheon were similar to Ms Hewitt's, save for one big difference.

Both Chamber president Rick Moore and chairman John Day sought to talk up the county business scene while acknowledging the gloom surrounding the British and European economy.

Yes, the eurozone crisis has the potential to be far more catastrophic to the UK economy than the slow demise of the manufacturing sector was a decade ago.

But Mr Moore highlighted the results of a Chamber survey which showed many firms among its 1,500-strong membership were looking to recruit and grow next year, while Mr Day pointed to the recent upbeat stories about Desford construction equipment maker Caterpillar and Triumph Motorcycles, of Hinckley.

Dwelling on the negative helps no one, but appearing not to acknowledge a major issue does little to your credibility.

Perhaps the main difference between then and now is the speeches were given by businessmen and not a politician.