In Barnet, there will now be renewed optimism for the future with the hope that parking policy can be changed.

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And, rather like the FLS, it would be policy forged in the crucible of hunch and optimism, rather than scientific certainty.

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When trying to divine future employment in the small-business sector from surveys of business owners, policy makers and economic analysts need to take entrepreneurial optimism into account or their predictions will be off the mark.

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