baldysblog.co.uk

I saw on the BBC web site in their “Magazine Section”, an article that posed the question as to whether London ‘sucks’ the life out of Britain. The link is as follows: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/10508673.stm

In most ways, I suspect that the ‘proposition’ is an ‘Aunt Sally’ and the author is playing a “Devils Advocate” role which I was quite prepared to participate in as follows:

What ?

What a totally silly article in terms of the stance it takes. I am a Londoner but now live in Somerset. The idea that Governments moved Departments out of London just to ‘balance out’ the Metropolitan factor on some kind of ‘social mission’ is totally daft. It was done give jobs to economically depressed areas and the consequences are highly questionable.

There are parts of the UK where effectively 40 to 60% of the jobs are Government ones which effectively ensures that locally, the private and wealth creating sectors are ‘crowded out’ in those areas, it is ‘welfare dependency’ on a grand scale.

London has great diversity as all ‘International Destinations’ do and ‘centres of excellence’ in quite a number of areas but these have been built up over time. If you are starting out and want to be at the heart of the British Advertising Industry surrounded by other people interested in the same thing, you will end up going to Soho…the same thing applies to many other such ‘industries’ which have a centre of gravity based upon London.

The Real Problem

The idea that London somehow “impoverishes” other parts of the UK is total nonsense. The key to any great City or Region lies in “excellence” and consistent “success” in one then several things that are appropriate to that place. Surfing in Cornwall, Sailing, Walking, Cycling, Horse Riding, Arts and Crafts, all the things that are difficult or inappropriate in major Cities and in this regard, the Internet does help greatly . You certainly would not set up a manufacturing unit inside the M25.

To talk and write of the decline of other major UK Cities is merely to comment that following the ending of the major activities they were famous for in the 19th Century, is to say that they failed to ‘re-invent’ themselves or adapt to changing circumstances. Neither we nor ‘Cities’ are Dinosaurs, we should have the ability to survive.

It is not reducing London’s influence we should be concerned with nor ‘exporting’ jobs from there to other parts of the UK, we should be concentrating on reviving old local skills and adapting them to today’s needs. We should rebuild the spirit of enterprise so these former great Cities and areas are the centres of wealth creation and therefore influence including within London. For anywhere outside the M25, the solution does not lie in competing with London, it lies in that Place “Being Itself” and being ‘brilliant’ at what it does locally that has a broader resonance.