Sleuth is a sideways glance at the city every week. It's the truth, but Sleuth's truth. He's several people all at once. Sometimes Sleuth even gets serious @mcrsleuth
SLEUTH, BBC WALES & GIGGSY
Sleuth was in The Lowry hotel this week with the editor David Blake, toasting the arrival of their new restaurant manager, Giuseppe Napoli (ironically from Palermo). “Had a call from BBC Radio Wales today,” said Blake, “wanting to discuss the plans for Neville & Giggs’ St Michael’s towers, supposedly Historic England has issued an objection to the council.” “But why are BBC Radio Wales interested?” asked Sleuth. “Well, I did think that...” said Blake, “so asked why the demolition of a few buildings in Manchester mattered so much to them. You know what they said? ‘Because it’s a Welshman, Ryan Giggs, who’s demolishing them’. “Well that should come as no great surprise,” said Sleuth, “he’s done plenty of damage around Manchester in the past.”
SLEUTH’S MR QUOTABLE OF THE WEEK: ADAM PRINCE
Sleuth was listening to the interview the editor-at-large Schofield conducted with Adam Prince (click here) and had to admit that it was the not usual interview with someone involved in property and development. No grey suit, no guarded words, just complete openness as with the question about what drives Mr Prince in his campaigns. "Well, it's not money. The more money I have the bigger drug problem I'd have," he said. No, definitely not the usual property interview.
SLEUTH’S SOLUTION TO ADAM PRINCE’S CAMPAIGNS WITH MANCHESTER SHIELD
Many property developers and councillors get very irritated by the words and satire used in Adam Prince’s campaigns against demolitions, new buildings and big developments. Given the quote in the previous Sleuth, they should pay him handsomely. Within a week or two there’d be no more campaigns, Prince would be holed up in his apartment laughing like a hyena making papier mache models of supercities.
SLEUTH’S WHICH IS WHICH QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Sleuth was walking the city streets with a friend when the friend stopped. “Oh dear, not sure this promotion was thought through,” she said. Sleuth turned to look. “Which is which, do you think?” she added.
SLEUTH DOESN’T GET THE HORN
Sleuth learns that the car park in the city centre next to Afflecks Palace is to be built upon and thus, the bit of hat factory left in one corner will go. This means the Tib Street Horn (pictured) will go too. Everybody’s seen this twisted metal dragon with instruments sticking out of it by David Kemp from 1999. Sleuth feels a campaign, possibly from Manchester Shield, might be about to launch given people have great affection for the rusty old piece. Sleuth hopes not. It’s an ugly thing of its time, too complex to work well, too battered to be preserved. Sentimentality can cloud people’s vision thinks Sleuth, the Brian Sewell of Manchester, the arbiter of Mancunian taste, the king of our collective conscience.
SLEUTH & THE GENIUS FACADIERS
Sleuth loved this photo taken by Howard Ratcliffe outside TM Lewin in Spinningfields this week, which brought to mind French economist Frederic Bastiat’s parable of the broken window, which asks ‘what would become of the glaziers if panes of glass were never broken?’ In this case, what would become of the facadiers if shop fronts were never smashed to pieces... by their own drivers. Genius.
