AIBU to wonder how a government can be based in Manchester?

[dottiedodah]

Andy Burnham is proposing to govern from Manchester when he starts on July 20th.How can this be so ? Surely all previous governments have been based in London?

Id just like the know the cost

I'm not saying its a good or bad idea but two senior defense ministers have resigned because the budget for our protection is no way near robust enough and we already have a run down army ?
So how can we afford this extra cost ?

Boris Johnson suggested moving the administrative capital to York while the House of Commons went under major refurbishment.

Forget Manchester, come to Sheffield. Not NE, not NW, barely even north just in't middle. Maybe then someone will electrify the railway bw us and London.

Ai, eh-up. They’ll have a Chief Whippet and Opposition Whippet as well and call each other love or me duck. “C’mon nah Rachel love, give us t’figures, by ‘eck we’ve spent a lot”

Those softy, southern MPs will show they’re just like us by shoving ferrets down their trousers, shouting Magna est Ferretas… *
instead of the infamous political phrase - Magna est veritas ("Truth is great”)

*The Ferret is great

Sounds like a good idea.

Yes - I think that’s her point. They are usually in captials

This is a great idea - it’s cheaper, there’s an excellent talent pool, and hopefully it makes government less Londoncentric and helps to reduce the north-south divide. It’s a no brainer really.

This. How ridiculous to say that northern youngsters are “given” cheap houses.

There’s nothing preventing southern youngsters buying those cheap houses if they move to Blackpool or Burnley. We haven’t banned southerners from moving up here!

You have carrier pigeons? I’ve heard of them, supposed to be pretty reliable. I have to go out back and send smoke signals via Mam Tor and down t’ Pennines. Think they get lost in translation when they get to the Downs, blinkin’ southerners can’t do owt reet. Sorry if everything I say is garbled irrelevant nonsense by the time it finds you all.

Poor Manchester, we might let you join Team Midlands if you learn to say ‘duck’ instead of weirdly calling complete strangers luv.

Yet. Just watch it, that’s all I’m saying.

Yes, sorry Monty, I was agreeing with you.

Maybe the north can have some of our house building targets too, instead of concreting over every square inch in the south (unless it's a national park).

Do you think Southerners should have to move from their roots and family. Why would they move to Blackpool when they can't get a job in London.

I think you might be wrong in this instance.

It's amazing isn't it. With all the issues the UK faces in his first major speech he talks about moving No 10 and the media lap it up.

Talk about distraction techniques! Like a shop with a great window display and bare shelves inside.

Great so now we'll have to cough up for trains and hotels every time they vote or have speeches.

I have lived in London and the South East, and in the North. I don't 'hate' anyone based on generalised regional stereotypes.

Things I am concerned about, in no particular order, are:

• anyone living in the South who believes London and the South East have a monopoly on culture, taste, and intelligence (and curiously, taxis) ;
• anyone who believes levelling up and equality of opportunity are an unfair threat to existing geographical privilege;

Conversely

• anyone living elsewhere who dismisses all Southerners as rich, Tory and unfriendly.

Oh those who seem to assume the average house price anywhere in the North is £10 and anywhere in the South £1bn.

The North/South divide worries me so long as it creates division and mistrust. This and similar recent threads suggest a zero sum game where either Northerners or Southerners prevail. I really wish we could move past this.

I'm from London and now live in the North West, have done for 7 years. I have no illusions that AB will create some amazing utopia, I'm a realist; but equally I agree with the majority of what he proposes. I also absolutely hate the view taken of a lot of northern areas and people.

Because we're not already paying through the nose for second home subsidies, hugely subsidised bars and restaurants at Westminster, etc? First best move would be to close every HoC bar down IMO, they might then all at least be more sober when they DO vote.

What do you think non-London based MPs do now?

Exactly. So now all the ones claiming second home expenses for London will be coming up to Manchester so will claim that as well.

Westminster is and has for a long time been one big subsidised social club for many. The waste and subsidisation there is incredible. Streamline that, along with stopping ridiculous nonsense like claims for second home fuel bills for MPs and cheap booze and you're well on your way there.

We already do. Most MPs live in their constituencies so they have travel to London and have accommodation costs in London. The cost of accommodation will be less outside of London.

I'm in Cornwall and I can only post on Mumsnet via pigeon as, as we all know, the internet is restricted to the South East.

https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/54791-what-is-britains-second-city

Odd historical factoid: do you know the Romans were probably going to set Chester up as our capital city? I only heard of that one recently.
#great historical mighthavebeens