Johnson’s ‘Northern Powerhouse’

I think the only thing I can say about Johnson's promises is I will believe it when I see it.

We live in a large NE town which has been impoverished for centuries. The local council is - up to now - solidly Labour and during the last 30 years or so millions have been spent to improve the area. eg housing, health, social and shopping facilities. Maybe education too - I haven't got info on that.
But for some reason many Labour voters voted 'Leave'.
I hope and pray this won't lead to Tory or Brexit party infiltration.

We’ve got the most expensive and overcrowded trains in Europe. Most of them owned by European companies as well.

I agree with you about HS2, GrandmaKT. Hugely expensive and disruptive, for minimal benefits. We all have so many more urgent priorities that the cash could be used for.

EllanVannin: Where has all this money been going over the years?

I am sure we would all like to know the answer to that question. What makes some of us now think that all of a sudden our 'Golden Age' has arrived and we will become the best place on earth? (To quote Boris Johnson.)

I’m not sure what you mean by why bother, EV? It currently takes around 50 minutes for that very popular train journey, and it’s claimed the investment will cut that to 30. If you’re one of those commuters, 40 minutes per day will make a big difference.

Plus, in my limited experience of the route, even at off peak times you’re travelling on scruffy old unreliable trains and there’s never enough seats. The last time I got on one at Leeds it was so packed a poor girl standing with her suitcase couldn’t get off when she realised she was on the wrong train.

For the sake of 50 miles or so why bother ??
Manchester to Leeds or vice versa.

Other countries are streets ahead of us with their transport systems, we're still in the dark ages one step up from coaches and horses. Where has all this money been going over the years ?

Granny your first post didn’t seem to demonstrate that you knew the EU had a very good reason for funding projects in the North. And I said the position was complex not delicate.

suziewoozie yes I know the situation in Cyprus is "delicate" our son was stationed there for 3 years with NATO.

We spend a week on the Greek side every year, and whilst it is not as volatile as the Ireland/N.Ireland situation the locals are not in favour of unification.

RosieLeah, I have no idea how balancing the green belt/countryside and development can ever be easy.

We have been fighting a huge development here (approx 500 homes) which the County Council want to go ahead. It is on a floodplain on the Thames Estuary.

Whilst the locals are desperate for affordable housing for their families this has a large proportion of 4 bed detached which will be unaffordable to the majority.

An East - West fast rail link is a much more sensible idea than the HS2, which nobody I know here in the North West can see the point of. There is already a fast and reliable service from Glasgow to London with stops in Preston and Warrington. I used to use the rail network every week until I retired last year. Getting North-South was no problem. but getting West to East in the North of England takes forever and involves at least one change.

I wonder exactly what they are intending. I can understand the benefits of a faster rail link, but I hope they don't mean more building. One of the main reasons I like living in Lancashire is the wonderful countryside we have here. I should hate to see it all covered in concrete in the name of 'progress'.

Granny the Cyprus situation is very complex re the EU and as the quote below shows, the EU’s approach to Northern Cyprus is part of an overall aim for reunification.

“Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 as a de-facto divided island. On 26 April 2004 the Council of the European Union stated its determination to "put an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community and to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus by encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community".

As a Lancashire lass, I resent that London (in particular) receives more government grants than us in the North West.

George Osbourne talked about a Northern powerhouse or great investment, but the infrastructure has rapidly declined. All through winter, outside Preston railway station, many buses have been parked, used by frustrated rail passengers as trains have either been delayed or cancelled. Would this have happened in London?

Also, London bus passengers pay an average £1.50 to travel, compared to Lancastrians who pay £4.50.

Many discrepancies, but at least, Boris has put the North West on the map.

I think that when people who live in areas of deprivation, Northerners in particular, start competing about who is the most neglected, complaining about any cash awarded to an area other than their own, it makes it easy for Westminster to renege on most of the promises they make. I think it's called divide and rule, isn't it? Made so much easier if we do the job for them.

Anyone who thinks the area around Leeds and Manchester is "reasonably prosperous", doesn't know it. It's not all about the two shiny city centres. Three towns feature in the latest Office of National Statistics list of the 10 most deprived areas in England. Bradford's number 11.

Oldham
West Bromwich
Liverpool
Walsall
Birmingham
Nottingham
Middlesbrough
Salford
Birkenhead
Rochdale

www.openaccessgovernment.org/most-deprived-uk-areas/60694/

I agree with jusnoneed. We in the south west are very much out on a limb. We desperately need better train links etc. Our train line keeps getting washed away by the sea.

We holidayed in Northern Cyprus 15 years ago. This is part of Turkey, which is not part of the EU.

In Karenia (sp?) we noticed several plaques stating "funded by the EU" one was a pedestrianised zone, another was a road leading to the harbour.

Surely our money would have been better invested within the EU States?

Boris, why shouldn’t the EU pay for the Leeds-Manchester train link?
(Answer: Because they’re too busy spending our money on EU railways)

The €63.4bn fund which the UK pays into, but from which it receives nothing back
Yesterday Boris Johnson pledged to fast-track the proposed new trans-Pennine transport route between Manchester and Leeds to help "turbo charge" regional growth.
Meanwhile in Brussels, the EU has been busy for decades, spending billions of pounds of UK taxpayers’ money in other EU countries on projects including the development of new and upgraded rail and road infrastructure.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org would like to know
when the British public were asked the following question:-
“Do you agree to spend huge sums of British money,
which will have to be borrowed by the Government,
on building great rail and road networks in other EU countries?”
The £57 BILLION EU fund the UK pays into, but from which it receives nothing back
There are many “EU funds”, too many to count. One of these is called the “Cohesion Fund” and it comes in at a colossal £57 billion (€63.4bn) for the current EU budget period 2014-2020.
The UK contributes to this fund to the tune of around 12.5%. That’s around £7 billion of UK money.
A key aspect of this fund is that its role is purely to subsidise other EU countries. Under EU rules the UK receives absolutely nothing back.
BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG SUMMARY
This UK money is on a one-way trip
There is no return ticket
The only countries permitted to receive the €63.4 billion are Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
The contrast with the UK
In Boris’ speech yesterday he spoke of turbo-charging regional economies and “Northern Powerhouse Rail”. He announced:
“I am going to deliver on my commitment to that vision with a pledge to fund the Leeds to Manchester route.”
“It will be up to local people and us to come to an agreement on the exact proposal they want - but I have tasked officials to accelerate their work on these plans so that we are ready to do a deal in the autumn.”
It is worth noting that it will be the UK taxpayer who will fund this, with no assistance from the EU’s ‘Cohesion Fund’.
OBSERVATIONS
Remain MPs, can you please justify this?
Forget “the bank of Mum and Dad”, the EU has the Bank of England to fund its extravagances. We invite any pro-Remain MP to explain to the British people why the UK has been borrowing money for decades in order to pay for great road and rail networks in other EU countries.
Please don’t deflect by talking about “all the money we get back for blah, blah, blah”. You know that the UK pays far more into the EU than it gets back and has done for 46 years. Stick to this £57 billion EU fund please. We get nothing back. Zero. Rien. Nichts.
Oh and please don’t even think of starting to deflect again by talking about “the benefits of trade” with EU countries. Firstly we have a massive trade deficit with them (£95bn). Secondly, does the USA have to pay for Mexican and Canadian roads and railways in order to trade with their neighbours?
For once, please just tell the British people that they have been subsidising the development of road and rail networks of EU countries for years, and please tell the British people why you think this should continue.
Thank you.
Article hTtps://facts4eu.org/news/2019_jul_railways#

Best to LEAVE the EUSSR and WTO

For many people, the North does indeed beging at Watford ! still - and the SW is great for holidays and second homes.

The South West is similarly treated, nothing ever gets done down here.
Everything seems to revolve around London or Manchester these days.

I'm inclined to agree with you, gillybob. I've always felt that there is a perception that England ends at the North Yorkshire border. Beyond that there are a couple of football teams, Nissan, and not much else.

I've yet to hear from any of them about the North West---Liverpool, Birkenhead Rock Ferry, Wallasey etc etc. All places that badly need cash injections. Liverpool One the large shopping centre was funded by the EU so what happens to us " poor relations " after Brexit ?

I think the North East is a forgotten place Nandalot . We are like the poor relations that they like to pretend don’t exist. As long as the rest of “the family” are looked after and kept sweet then we can simply just get on with it.

Its such a lovely day I don't want to think about it.

We've heard it all before!!