Are parties pursuing power over the country’s needs and leadership quality?

[WizdomE]

Andy Burnham is not qualified nor prepared for PM role. It’s been an opportunistic power grab. The political parties of this country are more interested in gaining power than serving the needs of the country & are willing to sacrifice the needs of the country as long as they are in power. The country is screwed.
get ready for more tax, more debt, companies and hence jobs leaving the country.

@Visiblyabove25 I didn’t say he was. I said it’s a PR stunt. What most people want is a competent PM and most think efficiency matters. The king of the north does want to continue lording it in the north though or why not live in N10 full time like everyone else? Boris’s makeover will look like a bargain in comparison to this stupid idea.

No PM, unless they have a London constituency, lives in No 10 full time. Major spent at least half his time here in his constituency.

There is a big difference between a P.R stunt and a strategic and symbolic move that says something about your vision and mission for the country, while at the same time attempting to address an issue that has for a long time been identified by politicians across the spectrum as holding the country back.

Obviously, it's going to cost a lot more than Boris' wallpaper. That's a completely fatuous comparison - Boris' make-over of No10 was a frivolous and shameless waste of public money, and there was never any pretence it was anything else. I guess a more fitting comparison might be Brexit: I am not a leave voter, but I do have some sympathy with the argument that some political projects are expensive, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be done if there's a genuine case that they will benefit the long term identity and growth of the nation (not that No10 North will ever in a mission years come anything close to as costly as Brexit!).

Yes, and they have for years. All parties.

This might make a difference to Manchester @Visiblyabove25 but what about anywhere else? Manchester is not the only northern city. We simply need a sensible pm and do the best for ALL of us and not his favoured Manchester. It stinks really. Yes, the Boris makeover was not needed and neither is this. Of course he’ll spend shed loads of money and it’s wrong.