ock up or conspiracy?
I've always tended towards the cock-up theory of history. Much as a good conspiracy yarn excites us hacks there is always something so much more believable in the course of human events taking a comical and unexpected turn, than the more sinister alternative.
Now I'm not so sure. After preaching the mantra of regeneration and so-called joined-up government, the decision to axe funding for the Manchester Metrolink, the Liverpool tram and Blackpool's tram makes neither political nor practical sense. Calling in a scheme for cost reasons and urging a fresh approach is one thing, axing it completely smacks of cynicism and of a wilful contempt towards the very people who voted for this increasingly shambolic and disgraceful government.
If the decision to cut Manchester's dreams off at the knees wasn't bad enough, the floating of ludicrous ideas for road charging and for the woeful London Crossrail scheme to support the doomed Olympic bid smacked of the very crass.
So yes, it feels like a betrayal; but is it? There is surely more to this than meets the eye. Within weeks, if not months, expect the caring, sharing, listening government to reconsider and redeploy resources towards an expanded Metrolink in Manchester. There will be a sting in the tail and there will be a selling out of Rochdale or Stockport. Blackpool may get some crumbs from the table for its transport system, but either way a back tracking sell-out will be dressed up as a triumph for democracy and good sense.
But there really is only one simple explanation for the postponement of the referenda on regional government: Labour knew they couldn't win. That's not to say a Yes vote wasn't possible; but at a time when Tony Blair appears more out of touch than ever with the average voter, then the only possible rallying cry towards the flag of regional democracy would be to put the regional agenda forward as a direct opposition to the outrageous buffoonery from the likes of John Prescott and Alistair Darling.
This magazine has said all along that the regional settlement currently offered is weak. But it's a start. And it may still be offered to us. And there is nothing sensible in a city region strategy that would cast adrift many of the communities of Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria.
But we now have, in effect, two governments and no realistic alternative.
Blair deserves our respect, support and thanks for having the courage to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States against the evil threat posed to our way of life from the scourge of militant Islam. But he has lost the plot at home.
The problem all of us in the private sector now face is that we have a government with neither care or understanding for our aspirations. It has morphed into an administration without conviction or an apparent reason to exist, save for the prime minister's own eagerness to be regarded as a Churchillian hero, or for the other ministers and MPs jostling for position in a more overtly socialist government led by Gordon Brown.
A plague on both their houses.
Michael Taylor, editor
From phishing expeditions to siphoning off cash, computer crime is estimated in the billions. But once it's on a computer, says Gareth Chadwick, it's almost impossible to get off.
The battle lines for the future of resort casinos in the UK cut right across the North West. Neil Tague asks if the opportunity for Manchester and St Helens could prove to be a major threat for Blackpool
Professor David Auckland is a bundle of energy and enterprise with a mission to make Manchester an economic hothouse of the knowledge economy, especially in his new role running One Central Park in East Manchester. But what does all that mean?
The calibre of advertisers in Midlands Business Insider speaks for itself. Whether promoting deal activity or selling internet services, the advertiser list reads like a who's who of the business community.
Unrivalled information. The quality of the editorial, original research and statistical data has helped position the Insider magazines as an unrivalled source of regional business information.
Unrivalled information. The quality of the editorial, original research and statistical data has helped position the Insider magazines as an unrivalled source of regional business information.
Unrivalled information. The quality of the editorial, original research and statistical data has helped position the Insider magazines as an unrivalled source of regional business information.
Unrivalled information. The quality of the editorial, original research and statistical data has helped position the Insider magazines as an unrivalled source of regional business information.
Production details for our Insider magazines, including advertisement sizes, file formats and mechanical and copy details.
The ABC audit verifies paid-for subscriptions, controlled free, combined paid-for and controlled, newstand and bulk circulation.
