"Britain has a proud history as a great trading nation. We were the first industrial power - the workshop of the world. Great inventions have 'made in Britain' stamped all over them. We are a creative, innovative, adventurous people.

Today we need that spirit of adventure more than ever. We need to face up to a new challenge - the challenge of new information technologies.

To succeed we have to be quick on our feet. We have to embrace the Internet now - not in a few years time. Most of all, if we are to succeed, knowledge and how we use it need to be at the heart of all that we do.

So, to individuals I say get skilled: your future depends on it.

To British business; a blunt message: If you don't see the Internet as an opportunity, it will be a threat. In two years time the Internet could be as commonplace in the office as the telephone. If you're not exploiting the opportunities of e-commerce, you could go bankrupt.

To budding entrepreneurs in Britain and abroad I say: this is the place to make your money. Help make Britain a rival to anywhere in the world. Come and make Silicon Fen truly a rival to Silicon Valley."

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