Head south

[Tabou]

YOURRRR MY MONKEY WIFE NOWWWWW DAVVVEEE (Nadler)

[Trav Le Bleu]

If you've read the report you'll know that's not what the report said, it was just tabloid spin. The author of the report was on the radio today. The gist of the report was that despite all government regeneration projects the large cities of the north were still falling behind the south in terms of living standards, life expectancy etc. Undisputable I would have thought.

The report said that the majority of new homes should be built around London and the south east because that's were the jobs are being created. A little harsh maybe but not half as sinister as you are portraying.

The author was also on Radio 5 around 11 pm and I personally found them to be a ridiculous snob. Ridiculous because when asked, "well it's just statistics, no one is actually going to make it policy", he argued VERY strongly that it SHOULD be policy. Muppet! This was after the presenter pointed out that it would cause over-crowding, inflate the already over-priced property market in the south east, and that there are plenty of deprived areas in the south east... Croydon, Slough, JTB's gaff, you name it!

[The People's Hero]

Poor old Nadler.

[Trav Le Bleu]

Cedric enjoys travelling, meeting new people, sex with other monkeys reading crime-fiction and throwing poo at Icelandic people.

Whilst they are reading crime-fiction?

[Thracian]

This way for said report

It's 63 pages, should keep you busy for a while!

Thanks. I don't know about Ultra finding it negative. It's quite provacative and radical in some ways, some of the ideas being well worth exploring.

But a problem with such extensive studies is that it only takes one statement or one criteria to be wrong or misleading and the conclusions emanating from that comment immediately become suspect or even mistaken.

For instance the statement: " Just as we can't buck the market we can't buck economic geography either." Truth is you can buck the market. People forever buck the market. Even when share prices are falling for instance, people back them to do just that - and make money. In my trade the furniture sector might have faltered or even collapsed in some specialities so you adapt to deal in areas that are on the up.

On the question of criteria, they use gross domestic incomes as one means of measuring affluence but it's a misleading one. I might earn 50% more in London but by the time I've taken into account the increased cost of housing, increased rents, higher fuel costs, higher beer and food costs etc my actual standard of living might be lower and certainly the quality of life might.

My uncle always took 2.25 hours to get from Eltham to and from the Port of London where he worked - every working day. That compares with my 15-20 minutes to Leicester Market. What price 4/4.5 extra hours on every day? Even when simply measured by hourly income?

At first glance I immediately wonder where the "independent" report authors are resident and wouldn't be surprised to find it was in and around London - areas where they want to see dramatic development and, of course, increased prosperity. Wasn't the decision to site the New Wembley in London taken by people who lived and worked in and around the capital?

I shall read some more but my first impressions are of misleading criteria and a whole host of questionable statements and assumptions. And of conclusions that are likely to impact badly, certainly in the short term, on existing residents in both the boon and bust areas they see in the future. We live in a country not a comparatively small annexe that has the River Thames at its centre. I think it would be prudent to think ourselves forward as a country.

[The People's Hero]

Errr... we were talking about Lincoln/Grantham/Monkeys.

[Jay]

Platforms 1 & 2 are in Grantham.

And an excellent platform 1 and 2 they are at what was the 2003 east midlands regional station of the year runner up!!

and you can't even get a direct train to Lincoln from Grantham but that's what privatisation does for you!!

[The People's Hero]

and you can't even get a direct train to Lincoln from Grantham

But quite frankly, with the 2003 east midlands regional station of the year runner up being Grantham, why would you want to?

Unless of course, Lincoln was the winner?

[Jay]

But quite frankly, with the 2003 east midlands regional station of the year runner up being Grantham, why would you want to?

Unless of course, Lincoln was the winner?

I have to say Lincoln station would not even feature in the top 10 of the east midlands regional station of the year contest while Grantham PROUDLY displays their Brass runners up plaque to the nation Lincoln has nothing to show for their rather poor effort

[The People's Hero]

I have to say Lincoln station would not even feature in the top 10 of the east midlands regional station of the year contest while Grantham PROUDLY displays their Brass runners up plaque to the nation Lincoln has nothing to show for their rather poor effort

Rightly so.

They might have a great Cathedral and a pretty castle.

But you can't buy an overpriced bag of crisps, a stale sandwich and a newspaper there from a spotty network rail worker whilst being beaten up by a bunch of teenage cockwands awaiting your train to some other midland hellhole, can you?

[Alexikokopops]

I have to say Lincoln station would not even feature in the top 10 of the east midlands regional station of the year contest while Grantham PROUDLY displays their Brass runners up plaque to the nation Lincoln has nothing to show for their rather poor effort

You have to question the integrity of such awards when they are willing to award one to a Project in Boston.

Boston? For shame!

[Jay]

Rightly so.

They might have a great Cathedral and a pretty castle.

But you can't buy an overpriced bag of crisps, a stale sandwich and a newspaper there from a spotty network rail worker whilst being beaten up by a bunch of teenage cockwands awaiting your train to some other midland hellhole, can you?

Although it's not all good because we have the graffiti covered tunnel of doom only seconds away from the station!!

here large gatherings of teenage cockwands are known to gather to drink cider, abuse passers by and take their first steps with heroin!!

BUT the good news is that it's been painted white by Network Rail so all these problems go away!!

To be quite honest I would rather get on the train for an hour and get mugged in London by a far classier type of mugger

[Master Fox]

I’ve always thought that people from Leicester were the worst type of Northerner.

[Guest]

To be quite honest I would rather get on the train for an hour and get mugged in London by a far classier type of mugger

They're not all glamourous muggers down here you know

[The People's Hero]

Although it's not all good because we have the graffiti covered tunnel of doom only seconds away from the station!!

here large gatherings of teenage cockwands are known to gather to drink cider, abuse passers by and take their first steps with heroin!!

BUT the good news is that it's been painted white by Network Rail so all these problems go away!!

To be quite honest I would rather get on the train for an hour and get mugged in London by a far classier type of mugger

That's the Tunnel of Love that Mark Knopfler crooned about all those moons ago.

Girl you look so pretty to me.

Like you always did.

Like a spanish city to me

When we were kids.

Presumably Spanish cities were real pretty back then (or he had awful taste in she-folk).

[davieG]

I think they must have written this report whilst staying in Stockport town centre.

If the UK has just had 10 years of prosperity it certainly passed Stockport by.

[Ultra]

I think they must have written this report whilst staying in Stockport town centre.

If the UK has just had 10 years of prosperity it certainly passed Stockport by.

What IS the point of Stockport, when Manchester is just ten miles away?

No wonder it's run-down..

[poynton blue]

The people are the problem, not the areas. We're all a bit more refined down here. I'd rather those Northern folk stay where they are, thank you very much.

Ever been to this area of Cheshire??? Alderley Edge Wilmslow Poynton etc.....

You Cockney peasants could not afford it

South London refined in the art of ???????? Crime??

[poynton blue]

What IS the point of Stockport, when Manchester is just ten miles away?

No wonder it's run-down..

Very true Stockport town centre is a toilet,saying that Bredbury Hall is a cracking tight out just up the road

[dandannieldanok]

Ever been to this area of Cheshire??? Alderley Edge Wilmslow Poynton etc.....

Yes I have, when we played Stockport last week we made a stop in Poynton to meet with some friends that are Stockport fans before and after the game and it is pretty nice.

[James.]

Ever been to this area of Cheshire??? Alderley Edge Wilmslow Poynton etc.....

You Cockney peasants could not afford it

South London refined in the art of ???????? Crime??

Refined in the art of sarcasm you plum.

[poynton blue]

Refined in the art of sarcasm you plum.

Touchy

Yes I have, when we played Stockport last week we made a stop in Poynton to meet with some friends that are Stockport fans before and after the game and it is pretty nice.

Which Poynton pub??

[dandannieldanok]

Which Poynton pub??

I think it was the Vernon or something Unfortunately, because the road to Macclesfield was closed, we had to take a diversion meaning we didn't have much time in Poynton, still a very nice place.

[poynton blue]

I think it was the Vernon or something Unfortunately, because the road to Macclesfield was closed, we had to take a diversion meaning we didn't have much time in Poynton, still a very nice place.

Ah the food pub,just round the corner from where I live

[TrickyTrev]

It staggers me that suposedly intelligent people - all of them presumably graduates of our universities - can come up with such poppycock.

Policy exchange will be full of privately educated, oxford grads from West London, Surrey and the areas of Kent that don't contain TPH. Many won't be that smart, it aint hard to get 3 A-Levels if you are heavily coached and have had your education attended to since an early ags and almost all of them will have a narrow minded world view. Having schooled, studied at university and then worked with the same tiny social group. Alas when any of them make proposals that effect normal peoples lives it is probably for all concerned if we just ignore it.

I don't come from the North, but I do come from a post-industrial town with large amounts of investment and "regeneration projects" going on. It makes a difference, anyone that has lived somewhere that has been ignored is or at least should be greatful for the improvements of the last 10 years and horrorfied when people close to political power mask what is tantamount to saying "fook it if some of our towns are shit, people should be prepared to move, who the fook cares if whole towns and cities are left to ruin" as serious research.