Watched John Prescott on TV last night with his wife on the subject of north v south. Quite like John Prescott he’s a down to earth type who can stand his corner, although him and his wife especially like their fancy trimmings.
The programme touched on a few things that I’ve often thought such as the north grew out of industry and now the industry is gone what is the future. Does it have a meaning? A study was discussed that said some towns – I noticed Blackpool, Wigan and Blackburn on the list – should be left to rot as their purpose was gone. To which John said if those people that could moved out you’d be left with the old and the unwanted which would lead to major social problems. So jobs must be moved to people. Although maybe his social problems could also include a fear of extreme political parties getting seats in parliament.
Yet these jobs need to have some meaning and ambition. The region needs to have a meaning and some symbolic industries yet it seems hard to imagine what that is at present except for a mixed portfolio of foreign owned industries. The few major industries remaining include defence and chemicals. Some headquarters need to be located in the region. The only ones I can think of are the Co-op which isn’t industrial and Pilkingtons which somehow managed to be taken by over a smaller Japanese company. After 12 years of a government that you might think would try to spread wealth around the country it seems the north has a fairly transitory base and the only businesses based here were devastated by the credit crunch and allowed to collapse – Bradford & Bingley, Northern Rock to name two. A bit depressing if you let it be. In someways a case for a breakaway country from the south could be made but I’d have no confidence of its success and I’d imagine it would be an unhappy socialist enclave. Although some Welsh and Scots think they can do it and I’d think the Welsh are further downhill than the north. So like the recession maybe this is a low point and the future is up but some higher than others.