Jonathan Schofield takes a wry look at some stories around the region
That bloody Manchester
Listening to BBC Radio’s flagship current affairs programme, Today, the other day, I lost count. I lost count after twenty of hearing the word ‘Manchester’. Or Manchesterism as prospective Andy Burnham calls his philosophy. After the programme an extremely high-up officer in another of Britain’s big cities sarcastically contacted me saying: “So Manchester’s taking over the country is it? Let’s hope its devolution ideas spread to us all so we get a mention. Bloody hell but your city can’t half talk itself up.” “It must be very irritating,” I agreed.
What is Manchesterism?
The most succinct answer to what is Manchesterism came from Polly Toynbee in The Guardian. ‘Devolution of power and money to mayors genuinely takes back control. Rent controls for private-sector tenants, lower energy bills with green levies paid by general taxes, capping bus fares at £2 everywhere, cutting business rates for pubs and small shops will be noticed. Nationalising water, starting with Thames Water, and his long-term intent to take back the National Grid to stop profits leaking from vital services. Expect a closer and braver embrace of the EU, chasing that missing 6% to 8% of GDP. Expect a colder, more principled, riposte to Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.’ Of course she’s left of centre so this is only one view. The right wing Sun summed the political maneuvering as ‘The same old s**t, only this time with a Stone Roses soundtrack,’ referring to the Madchester band Andy Burnham plays when DJing with his mate the Mayor of Liverpool, Steve Rotheram.
Here’s a video of DJ Burnham. It's a sweet charitable thing from 2022.
No 10 North: where will it be?
Andy Burnham's appearance this week at the People's History Museum this week has been mostly received with enthusiasm. Mostly. His speech was largely about devolving more powers away from London so that people on the ground who know the issues locally can make decisions. The vision would involve mayors being given greater control over social housing, welfare and education and with power over budgets currently spent by Whitehall.
This devolution would be directed from Manchester in a new Number 10 North. More jobs for us up here then. But where will this No 10 be located? Possibly Churchgate House which presently is where the Greater Manchester Mayoral office is based. There will be vast areas of Manchester Town Hall available by 13 September 2027 and since the building has often been the movie body double for the Houses of Parliament it might be familiar to many from Whitehall.
(By the way I'm giving that date of 13/09/2027 because that will be the 150th anniversary of the original opening of the building and surely the renovation must be finished by then?)
Another candidate could be the shamefully derelict old Theatre Royal on Peter Street next to and owned by the Edwardian Hotel. I bet music-loving Andy B danced away a few nights there when it was Discoteque Royale, not that they played much of Burnham's beloved Smiths. He may even have attended the filming of the odd Hitman and Her hosted by Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan. The building with its grand proscenium arch might add some drama and glamour to the humdrum bureaucratic goings-on of government.
Of course, we've already had a Number 10 Downing Street in Manchester. Or at least the door and a bit of the building. Granada TV used it for filming and adaptation of Jeffrey 'fibber' Archer's First Among Equals novel back in 1986. It then became part of the Granada Studios Tour experience.
There was also a whole recreation of the House of Commons' chamber. It's shame this and the fake 10 Downing Street were destroyed when ITV moved to Media City. If they hadn't then alongside No 10 North we could have moved all the MPs to Manchester as well.
Chris Mason of the BBC floored
The Political Editor of the BBC Chris Mason always comes across as a little eccentric. Here he is at Andy Burnham's People's History Museum event.
Andy Burnham and freedom to stroll
When Andy Burnham arrived in London on Monday 22 June there were hundreds of journalists waiting. There had been a helicopter following his train down from Manchester. He arrived in Parliament and 200 Labour MPs were waiting for him: courtiers waiting for their putative political monarch. If he ultimately reigns then it’s a different ball game from simply being the Mayor of Greater Manchester.
I remember taking a tour operator on a tour recently who recalled a time in 2021 before the full Ukrainian invasion. He was with Russian conference delegates and journalists. They were walking past the Midland Hotel in Manchester, and out came Andy Burnham with his main advisor Kevin Lee. Our man said: “Hello, Mr Burnham. These are some guests to Manchester...” Before he could finish Burnham was smiling and saying: “Great to see you, welcome to Manchester…”
As the group walked on the tour operator explained. “That was the Mayor of Greater Manchester, he’s just been re-elected,” he said. “It was so kind of him to stop and welcome you. But that’s his reputation.”
The Russians were amazed. They were saying: “Where’s his protection? Where’s the car with the blacked out windows? There was only one man with him and he didn’t look like security. This would never happen in Russia. A mayor would have lots of security around them at all times.”
If Burnham becomes Prime Minister that’ll be the end of security free strolls.
Bev Craig goes for mayor
To the absolute surprise of no-one current Manchester City Council Leader, Bev Craig, has put herself forward to be Greater Manchester Mayor on July 30, the post Burnham has vacated. Craig, like her predecessor, Sir Richard Leese (SRL) has a seriously analytical mind and great attention to detail. If she wins as the Labour candidate and that is by no means certain, she would be an asset to county governance. The good news for her is that the mayoral elections operate with a transferable vote so all those voting Green, for example, as a first choice will surely put Craig as second choice which should be enough to stymie the Reform candidate.
Craig is naturally Labour but I’m sure she’d operate under the principles which have been put in place over many years through Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The principle is do what is best for Greater Manchester without party bias (well, almost) on her stated ambition of ‘putting inclusive growth at the heart of the UK’s fastest growing city.’
There is a problem though. Who will take over as Council Leader of Manchester City Council? Many of the best councillors lost their ward seats in the local elections. Four separate contacts told me perhaps Garry Bridges, current Deputy Leader and lead on Major Projects (Including Town Hall), Civil Contingencies and Emergency Planning, Crime and Safety (policing, community safety partnership, tackling youth violence), Good Employment, Work and Skills, Performance and Delivery, Public Sector Reform.
Not on message
Bev Craig launched her bid to become GM mayor last week with Andy Burnham, MP Angela Rayner and Deputy Leader of The Labour Party, Lucy Powell. Here Bev Craig was hissing out of the corner of her mouth: “Lucy, we said wear WHITE.”
Consistency and confidence
This from property company Savills recently.
‘The longstanding debate around the country’s “second city” has largely fallen away; delivery rates, investment volumes and the scale of ambition now place Manchester in a category of its own. A strong and distinctive city brand – shaped by culture, sport, innovation and the ubiquitous worker bee – has been matched by consistent strategic leadership from both Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester mayoral office. Together, these factors have underpinned sustained international investor confidence.’
Ex-Council Sir Richard Leese interviewed this week said this about a future Burnham premiership.
‘He’s learnt in Greater Manchester to work as part of a consensus, to work long-term, to create partnerships and develop partnerships. Very new way of working. And I think he’s also very much rooted in the Manchester way of working and that if you say you’re going to do something, then you do it.’
Sir Richard Leese continued with: ‘Andy will want to build a team that complement his strengths and occasionally, as he did with me, people who might challenge his empathetic ways as well. He’s done that before. That’s the way he’s worked in Greater Manchester. He’s worked as part of a team. He’s built consensus. I think that would be really positive if Westminster could move to that Manchester sort of way of working.’
This sounds dreadfully like Manchester going on with itself again. Still there is lots of truth in the way the Greater Manchester Combined Authority has worked efficiently and effectively.
If Andy Burnham becomes PM and Bev Craig becomes GM Mayor then that record of working together will inevitably, even subconsciously, add muscle to this region as will the creation of No 10 North.
Not that Bernstein
AI generated nonsense can trip people up. This image popped up on LinkedIn in a piece having a dig at Andy Burnham. I don’t know Calum Melville, CEO of Edison Capital, but his jolly little cartoon illustrating his words has the wrong Bernstein and thus totally destroys the credibility of his thoughts. Sir Howard was the Chief Executive of Manchester and David Bernstein was the Chairman of Manchester City Football Club and a successful businessman. Oops.
Drones lead to strange ways at Strangeways
Anyway from Burnham business I took a walk around Victoria North redevelopment scheme recently including a refreshing stop at Britain’s best sake bar, Suzume. This is one of the most beautifully designed bars anywhere. Traders around the area have been asked by the police to keep an eye on the surface car park adjacent to the old viaduct on the western side of the Victoria North scheme. Or rather an ear. If they hear a buzz in the heavens could they contact GMP. The car park is the drone pilot's place of choice when dropping illicit merchandise into Strangeways Prison, aka HMP Manchester, just over the hill.
Here, for your delight and delectation, is a little Instagram video about Strangeways, taken from a bicycle not a drone.
Salford Lads Club booster
The fabulous Salford Lads Club has been elevated. It’s been placed on stilts, well, no not that way, it’s listing for architectural merit has been increased. It is now a grade two star listed building registered by national agency Heritage England. This means it is ‘a particularly important property of more than special architectural or historic interest’. Fewer than 6% of the 400,000 listed buildings, gardens and monuments in the country are Grade II*. If you've not been to this absolute treasure from 1903 which crucially for Ordsall still does what it was designed to do for the youth of the area, then get along there. I’ve got a tour coming up later this year, I’ll keep you posted. Otherwise any one can visit on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 11am and 2pm.
It is forty years in 2026 since The Queen is Dead album was released by The Smiths. The album featured an image of the band members outside the club doors beneath the Coronation Street sign (not that Coronation Street but the association was clear). Morrissey loved that northern English working class sensibility. Very Andy Burnham.
Poet Tony Walsh has written a poem, Class Photo, to mark the anniversary and he performed it at the club this week. Walsh wrote This is the place following the attack byt that religious idiot at Manchester Arena in 2017.
Here’s a link of him reciting his new piece. What's amusing is initially the club was going to sue the record company, Rough Trade, and the photographer Stephen Wright, as the title of the album didn’t fit with its charitable status. Fortunately they didn’t and more than 50% of the club’s income comes from selling band memorabilia and visits to ‘The Smiths’ Room.’ The Smiths after all are the band that bring the most music fans to Manchester and Salford.
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