Has Andy Burnham ended up as PM somewhat under false pretences?

[Imdunfer]

Please note that this is from a left wing Labour supporting paper.

It turns out that the marvellous redevelopment of Manchester that was the central plank of his credibility to become PM was triggered by the fall of Mubarak in Egypt in 2011 and what were effectively, or previously close to, bribes set up by the then Tory government to retain our massive defence contracts with the Middle East.

The owners of Man City, recently found guilty of breaking well over 100 financial football rules, are heavily involved. UK developers were excluded from access to large development contracts. Man City was sold a deal including the naming rights to the stadium, owned by the council, for £750k a year when professional rights brokers estimate the market value to be between £10m and £15m a year for the name alone.

The question is, did a local Mayor with no experience outside politics and only a tiny amount of experience of cabinet roles, (3 jobs in 3 years), get to be Prime Minister without a challenge on the strength of the development of the centre of his city that he actually only had a small part in creating?

https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/oct/25/thats-the-way-the-city-works-how-the-uae-changed-the-face-of-andy-burnhams-manchester

It is increased competition for jobs. In any case there is unrest in a few major EU countries, particularly for young people. It’s hard to deal with as France in particular is out of room with the debt levels already.

That ignores the location of the jobs. Youngsters without jobs living in a run down area with few even Barista jobs would have to move to a much more expensive city where there are lots of such jobs. People from Europe will be moving straight to such UK cities because that's where the jobs are, that may be where their friends are, or where they came to Uni - they're not going to the run down regions where there are no jobs.

Might I suggest that you start a thread about the unrest in European countries and impart us with your perceived wisdom on the matter. It would be most helpful.

Anyone who wants a new thread on whatever is free to start their own.

I’m fine with this one, @Imdunferhas created a good discussion.

To add re European unrest.

Violent protests in Germany are the work of leftists and migrants, the country’s interior minister has said.

Demonstrations began peacefully on Saturday afternoon but turned violent in the evening as rioters smashed windows and looted shops in Frankfurt, where the police responded with water cannons.

Violence also erupted in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg, where demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails, bottles and fireworks at police officers. Large-scale arrests were made in more than eight cities.

Alexander Dobrindt, the interior minister and a member of the ruling conservative Christian Social Union, accused “troublemakers from the immigrant community” of acting alongside Left-wing extremists and other far-Left groups.

Of course he did. It would have been astonishing if he hadn’t.

Did he really say that though or was it lost in translation.

Great let's deflect from the topic of the thread which is Burnham. Carry on.

Or maybe we can all move on the Burnham thread?

If pointysticks will have us, but at least we’ll be on topic?

Some of you already do.

A young person who is perfectly capable of being a barista but not capable of being bilingual (because they aren't watching nearly all their TV in English) should not have to compete against the brightest and most motivated of 27 other countries for that entry level job.

The fact that you think these young people "aren't trying" tells me that you don't understand their situation at all.

Do they?

Well ahead, as always!

It has been reported in the MSM - take your pick.

You clearly don’t read it. Burnham is rarely the topic of conversation. Those threads have been Johnson, Truss, Sunak and Starmer. Maybe you can work out why.

Because we love them?

Please elaborate.

I can't find it in German for you but this is from the BBC

• "Roman Poseck, interior minister of Hesse state, of which Frankfurt is the biggest city, said that "around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists" had infiltrated the protest in the city. He added that it was "shameful" how the protests had ended."

From CNN

• "Speaking to German tabloid Bild, Germany’s interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt said that “violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from migrant communities” hijacked the peaceful protests, without elaborating further"

From the Sunday times (rest of article behind a paywall)
" Leftists and ‘migrant troublemakers’ blamed for violence in Germany
Interior minister promises to punish those responsible for rioting and looting as protests spread to cities including Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg"

Yeh it’s a bit low on understanding given the recent discussions on young people out of work.

You didn't understand the question though.

Was it reported in Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung, France's Le Monde, Italy's Corriere della Sera, or Spain's El País?

I appreciate that some posters are fond of UK polls.

Here’s the latest German October average across 21 polls: Union 19.4%, AfD 28.5%, SPD 13.6%, Greens 14.9%, Linke 10.7%, FDP 4.1%

If it’s easier for you than using words, then yes.

What's that got to do with the title of the thread? Can you explain @Imdunfer

No, you asked did he really say that, or was it lost in translation.

My reply was crystal.