Here we are again, with the body politic latching on to another -ism that lacks definition yet carries allure for those of us desperate to see devolution and real localism really spring into life. I say this as a Mancunian now resident in the Scottish Borders, so perhaps you can forgive my instinctive pleasure at the notion of Manchesterism.
When, as Andy Burnham pointed out in his gently jocular manner, even the Mayor of Liverpool was applauding when he said “This is Manchesterism” when setting out his first policy platform, you know that something is happening.
Pleasure at the notion of Manchesterism is one thing, but what does it mean in reality? At the very least, Andy Burnham has managed to kickstart a fresh debate on devolution, and it gives Liberal Democrats the chance to sharpen our ideas and contribute to the debate.
Here in Scotland, the reaction of the SNP was predictable in its puerility. Publishing a badly drawn map pointing out where Burnham’s No10 North will be located and reminding us how much British land mass lies even further to the North isn’t particularly helpful or mature, but it’s nothing more than we expected from the performative and superficial Scottish Nationalists.
There are, however, fundamental questions to consider about the nature of devolution and local control alongside the geography and demography of the United Kingdom.
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