Levelling Up - more than a slogan or another Con con?

[MillionMilesAway]

A noble idea but one that has taken Germany more than a generation and that in itself remains work in progress. The European Union is similarly seeking to level up by investing more in the East than in the West, but again that will take generations. The UK deadline of 2030 is thus overly ambitious, particularly as it’s starting when the world itself is levelling up and more money is heading from the West to the Sub Continent and Pacific Rim.

Either way, it requires enormous state intervention and an acceptance from the richer area that the sacrifice will be beneficial in the long run. Quite how long this balance of left-wing economic policies and right-wing social policies can be kept is moot.

It doesn't seem sustainable, does it, so I'll go for "until the next election".

Not one of them will address that elephant in the room.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

An interesting comparison with the 'leveling up' can be found in the area of schooling. Labour argues that private schools' charity status should be abolished, yet the Conservatives contest that it should remain and that instead, the 'poorer' schools should be leveled up. However, that presupposes that the private schools will somehow stand still and allow this to happen, which would show an ironic lack of intelligence. If the government cannot level up in one small area, how will it achieve the same across England writ large?

Sounds like lightweight thinking and lightweight funding; probably find more money written off to fraud and PPE than will be invested.

Isn't that just the impression they want to present though, even if they know it's easily challenged?
A reliance on some just being pleased to get an improvement to what they have now, and not the comparison with private school.

 

[Gabriel]

It doesn't seem sustainable, does it, so I'll go for "until the next election".

Not one of them will address that elephant in the room.

Yes, it will be a movable feast.

There need to be more realizable targets and enormous funding, but that simply doesn't exist. Taxes are already high, by English standards, so are English people willing to stump up even more for this? I suspect not.

 

[Gabriel]

Isn't that just the impression they want to present though, even if they know it's easily challenged?
A reliance on some just being pleased to get an improvement to what they have now, and not the comparison with private school.

I was just using schooling as an example of the inconsistencies in the logic. The Home Counties are not going to stand still, so unless there is enormous reinvestment, people in the north will not see much improvement. They might be happy with improved bus services, but I'm not even sure that will be of much benefit as the world of work and life moves online.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

 

[MillionMilesAway]

I was just using schooling as an example of the inconsistencies in the logic. The Home Counties are not going to stand still, so unless there is enormous reinvestment, people in the north will not see much improvement. They might be happy with improved bus services, but I'm not even sure that will be of much benefit as the world of work and life moves online.

Oh, I agree.
What is clear is that encouragement for people to not be in the southeast is important, and of longterm benefit. One issue is that houses are built but there is no infrastructure - buses/trains, shops, amenities.
It doesn't seem difficult on the face of it: want less houses built in your area? Then have an investment freeze while we improve other areas.

 

[blueinsa]

Biggest load of pish since the last biggest load of pish is what it is.

The nation will never be equal and it literally fucking stops just north of Watford.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

It hasn't been published yet so idiotic to comment?

The detail is out. There is no new money. There isn't even as much money as was available via the EU regional development funds. That money, allocated to the north west, used to get controlled by an office in Warrington without government interference. And we have all seen how they like to interfere to fund the projects of their friends, donors and loyal MPs.

So this is all BS. Regionally we are worse of than we were.

 

[blueinsa]

Honestly whilst Billions is pumped into London and the South East for projects and transport they think chucking a few quid up north so we can have yet another pound shop, vape shop and fucking pawnbrokers is then levelling up lol.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

this thread sums it all up.