One element of it that sometimes gets overlooked is consistency and stability of leadership, driving a credible plan. We haven’t had that nationally for some time (and in GM anything could happen post any mayoral election: I would suggest that project may be bracing for a moment of max peril)

Capital effects. Interesting implications on the importance of a strong institutional and governmental base on economic development and the obverse effect of decades of institutional and governmental centralisation.

You aren't just weirdly obsessed with the idea that wealth grows in fens are you? You mean densifying Milton Keynes right?

Those are hedges, not fields. Both green, can be confusing.

Nothing tells you it's the day before Whit Friday like going to hang out the washing and hearing a distant brass band having their final practice outside.

Holmfirth Oxfam had the goods this morning.

Being a Jew in modern Britain latest British Museum intimidated into cancelling an event about Jews, because Jews. It's not 'regrettable'. If this happened with any other community, it would lead to outrage. But it's just the Jews www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/pre...

Great thread & linked piece on the post GFC regional divergence in risk premia demanded by investors across UK, another driver of regional inequality. Some encouraging signs of reductions in Manchester & W Mids. Drawing on brilliant work from Philip McCann & colleagues at @productivity.bsky.social

I know this isn't a funny story but the combination of headline and picture is amusing me no end. I blame the Stott Brothers. www.theguardian.com/music/2026/m...

Last night's BBC East Midlands Today featured a report on the moorland fire at Snake Summit, where Senior Research & Monitoring Officer Tom Spencer talked about the after-effects of wildfire, and the resilience of sphagnum under those conditions. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

There is much debate about how centralised our political system is compared to other countries. But is this mirrored in the financial system? Recent analysis suggests so! The map below shows the different risk premiums on investment yields by place after the 2008 crash. Short 🧵 1/5

I would simply not shunt Yorkshire Province in to "Greater This and Merseyside That"

So @thetrupgrade.bsky.social has been busy building a sizeable chunk of brand new 110mph railway between Dewsbury and Huddersfield over the last few weeks. It might be 20 years overdue but it's still genuinely spectacular.

While Tony Blair is trashing UK govt energy policy, NESTA analysis finds "early signs [it] may be working" 2022: Gas prices went up 100%, electricity 83% (roughly 1:1) 2026: Gas +28%, elec 6% (5:1 = "electricity beginning to decouple from gas") www.nesta.org.uk/blo...

(I've just assumed everyone on bluesky knows that the gdp is assigned to where the economic activity happens not where the workers live)

From @joshbailey.bsky.social on twitter... he doesn't appear to use his bluesky account x.com/i/status/205...

Back in the real world Manchester is… the poorest (or join poorest) local authority in Greater Manchester. The fact that it has been growing is a damn good thing and will benefit all of GM.

This is a great writeup of the beer scene and well played to everyone taking the time to contribute.

80% of my Bluesky timeline.

You merely adopted the stable. I was born in it, molded by it.

I'd like all mayors to do this. I want to see Tracy Brabin's unconvincing playlist consisting of 40% early Nightmares on Wax with the rest made up of The Sisters of Mercy, The Wedding Present, The Mission, Chumbawamba, Utah Saints ending with Agadoo by Black Lace.

Why didn't Blair recommend simply taking over from Major and Clarke rather than Sunak and Hunt like any smart party would have done?

I'm in Yorkshire and I like Manchester, I like that it's doing well, I like the fact it will hopefully be able to provide opportunities to my kids that wouldn't have existed 20 years ago. I like that it's half an hour on the train and in a few years it should be 25 minutes with double current tph.

One of the last of the pantheon of true giants has left us. A great originator. You do not learn jazz without learning Sonny Rollins. We’re lucky that we had him for so long, but the loss feels tremendous.

I don’t subscribe to the new world, as I can’t subscribe to everything, so can only see what I can see in the headline and subhead. But my experience of Andy Burnham is that he is *exactly* a politician who avoids risk. It’s a defining quality

Hey Chatgpt make a video of the most stereotypical west riding parenting chore.

Ranked presence of my local (40KM from home) cities. Manchester Sheffield Bradford Wakefield

Probably the clearest case for nationalisation (municipalisation) out there.

It was fairly obvious after the Supreme Court ruling that – whatever outcome you actually want to arrive at on these issues – parliament was going to have to legislate again. The gov has been ducking that and it's not gonna work. They'll still have to do it eventually.

The guidance is obviously horrendous primarily because it effectively unpersons people who have been legally recognised since 2004, but if any gay people hadn’t yet worked out that we’d be in the crosshairs of this very same hate movement sooner or later, I hope this wakes them the fuck up.

I expected better from Timmy the dog…

Important Info from the streets of Makerfield city.

On voting reform I don't really mind as long as the offer is a ranked system. I enjoy the vindictiveness of picking which arsehole is getting last place and working forward from there.

Whit Friday remains one of Britain’s most celebrated brass band traditions. See Alts for details. The Saddleworth Whit Friday Brass Band Contests take place on Friday 29 May 2026,starting at 4:00 pm across eleven traditional villages. #Music #BrassBands #Whitsuntide #Tradition

performing late into the evening. Although Saddleworth is now part of Greater Manchester, many of its villages including Delph, Dobcross, Greenfield, and Uppermill historically belonged to the old West Riding of Yorkshire, Today,

🧵The 2026 Whit Friday Brass Band contests will once again fill the villages around Saddleworth with music, marching bands, and thousands of visitors. Held on Whit Friday, the tradition dating back to the nineteenth century sees brass bands travel between village contests,

Delighted and daunted in equal measure to be joining @millmedia.bsky.social as a staff writer as they branch out to a new city. Launching in June, The Exchange will provide quality writing, features and investigations covering Leeds and West Yorkshire. Any local tips? Reach out!

Fucking clown show! huddersfieldhub.co.uk/chaos-confus...

We know it should be a tram...🚊 Great to share our West Yorkshire investment opportunities with the Chancellor at our #UKREiiF pavilion. Although they did have one significant change to make 👇

Obviously Burnham isn't going to talk about this but I expect this goes hand in hand with a rise in inequality in inner city Manchester. Real Manchesterism is accepting that the presence of increasing numbers of wealthy people will benefit a city even as it makes it more unequal.

It is a "boost for Burnham", but it's much more a boost for the principle that if you stick to a regional growth strategy for 30+ years you can see productivity and living standard improvements at the end of it. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

The detail I love about this is that I'm guessing this must have happened at Locomotion in Shildon but that doesn't sound pompous enough for the sweeping state of the nation horseshit so it becomes "local branch of the *NATIONAL* Railway Museum"

Increasingly bracketing any group originating in Oxford along with any group that meets on Quaker premises as things to avoid knowing about.

Happy sharing this because it's true, despite newspaper headlines looking for shock clicks, the vast majority of London pubs are selling pints for £4.50-6.50 if you drink cask ales, or keg stouts while even some higher quality lagers like Bohém can be well-priced.

I know Andy Burnham has populist instincts but I think anyone seriously comparing him to Boris Johnson should put their crack pipe down.