Posted February 5, 201213 yr North-south divide grows as jobs are lost at four times the rate elsewhere http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/fe...P=FBCNETTXT9038 Jobs in the north of England are being lost at four times the rate in the rest of the country, deepening the economic divide and prompting new calls for devolution of powers to an elected assembly for the north. About 98,000 jobs were lost in the north-east, north-west, Yorkshire and Humberside in 2011, according to an analysis by the centre-left thinktank IPPR North. This was an 18% increase on the previous year, dwarfing the 4.5% rise in the rest of England. In the most extreme case, in the north-east, 12% of the working-age population are unemployed compared with 6.5% in the south-west, 6.4% in the south-east and 9.9% in London. The figures will bolster the growing movement calling for a "voice for the north" through an elected assembly. In the Observer, a letter from six Labour MPs from across the north, supported by parliamentary colleagues from other regions, says that the debate over Scotland's potential move to further devolution or independence should not "ignore the growing political marginalisation of the north of England, with a cabinet dominated by southern politicians who seem to know little, and care even less, of the economic and social problems of the north". It demands that the north is given a "stronger say in its own destiny" and calls for a debate on the benefits of directly elected regional government. The MPs, who are patrons of a new thinktank, the Hannah Mitchell Foundation, established to campaign for an elected assembly, said: "We need to move on from the pessimism that descended on politicians after the defeat of the referendum for north-east devolution in 2004, and recognise that the UK has changed." Barry Sheerman, the MP for Huddersfield and a signatory of the letter, said the movement aspired to create an assembly, but in the short term he believed that each region should have a commission made up of business and academic leaders to protect its particular interests. "I am very passionate about this. The north has a much larger population than Scotland, and look at London, which has an assembly and a powerful mayor to protect its interests. With the scrapping of the regional development agencies, we don't have a body to deal with strategic problems and issues for the north. "As I keep telling the prime minister and chancellor, the northern regions have been in recession for years." Linda Riordan, MP for Halifax, said: "The disparities between the north and south are widening and demand action and it is extraordinary that the government is getting rid of the regional development agencies that provided us with some support." The government is funding 164 projects through a regional growth fund, "creating and safeguarding" more than 330,000 jobs, supported by more than £6bn of private investment. In November, the chancellor announced an additional £1bn for the fund, bringing the total to £2.4bn. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm inclined to agree that the North of England should have its own assembly.. I mean, why not..? We have a Govt in Westminster who clearly dont care about the damage that their policies and "cuts programme" is going to cause to the people of the North, in fact, I think that we're going back to the bad old days of Thatcherism and the North/South divide. Scotland has its own Parliament now, so the canny Scots can be shielded from a lot of the excesses of Tory Westminster, but the people of the North have no such assembly to fall back on. How can they protect their services? Considering that the North of England has many more people than Scotland or Wales, it would seem a good idea for them to have their own voice in the UK... After all, Cameron is not able to dictate to Holyrood on a whole range of issues, surely Yorkshire, Tyneside, Teeside and Humberside should have their own protection...
February 5, 201213 yr It would, but the north-east at least pretty soundly rejected northern devolution in a referendum in 2004...
February 5, 201213 yr Author It would, but the north-east at least pretty soundly rejected northern devolution in a referendum in 2004... Well, there wasn't a Tory Govt in 2004... I imagine doing the referendum now would yield very different results...
February 5, 201213 yr I think it's a good idea, the North/South divide in this country is so pronounced and Westminster only seems to care about two things. The 1% and the South-East, which tend to be the exact same thing.
February 5, 201213 yr Author I think it's a good idea, the North/South divide in this country is so pronounced and Westminster only seems to care about two things. The 1% and the South-East, which tend to be the exact same thing. Spot on... The "Square Mile" and the South seems to be all the Tories have ever cared about...
February 5, 201213 yr It would, but the north-east at least pretty soundly rejected northern devolution in a referendum in 2004... With many people voting No because they didn't want more elected representatives. In fact, the proposals would have led to there being fewer elected representatives. This piece highlights why I am opposed to the idea of an English parliament. It would be even more London-centric than the current UK parliament. Bear in mind that some of the poorest areas in the country are in the south west.
February 5, 201213 yr Author With many people voting No because they didn't want more elected representatives. In fact, the proposals would have led to there being fewer elected representatives. This piece highlights why I am opposed to the idea of an English parliament. It would be even more London-centric than the current UK parliament. Bear in mind that some of the poorest areas in the country are in the south west. I can honestly see a break-up of the United Kingdom happening under this "coalition" Govt if "call me" Dave isnt careful. We're not even two years into this Govt and already people in Scotland and Wales are increasingly getting fed up, now people in the North of England are registering discontent. The London-centric Parliament in Westminster is marginalising more and more of the regions. I wonder if Cornwall might even start to think about an assembly...
February 5, 201213 yr Scotland will be independent by the next UK election. The Tories aren't popular up here at all and these policies are making them more so. It's also meant that the LibDems have lost a HUGE share of their votes. There may be a lot of people talking about how low the support of independence currently is, but the campaign is in the hands of a guy who went from behind in the polls a few weeks before the election to wiping the floor with everyone and taking a majority in an electoral system designed specifically to prevent it.
February 5, 201213 yr Maybe we should take the North of England with us when we leave the UK? Oh and Cornwall can come too. :P
February 5, 201213 yr Maybe we should take the North of England with us when we leave the UK? Oh and Cornwall can come too. :P I'd be all for that. People in Wigan have more in common with Scots than we do in the south. Kath
February 6, 201213 yr Author Maybe we should take the North of England with us when we leave the UK? Oh and Cornwall can come too. :P Funny you should mention that. Someone on one of these panel discussion shows brought that very point up.... I thought to myself "hey, yeah, good idea..."
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