@danielwood5Take the football and politics out of it for a moment and I'd expect the mayor of Greater Manchester to do everything he possibly could to attract any kind of investment into the area they are paid to look after.
If there was any kind of chance of money coming from central government to be spent in Greater Manchester they 100% should be doing everything they can to make sure we can get it.
Irregardless of the ethics of billionaires getting taxpayer money if it is offered to the region by the government for a specific project it should be accepted, transforming any part of the region through investment will bring jobs and more money into the local economy.
The difficult but will be making sure people like Seb Coe don't skim that money off the top and give it their mates or making sure Scruffy Jim doesn't whisk it away offshore.
People should be directing their ire towards the government if they are, possibly, going to be giving money to billionaires and huge companies (which is what United are) like this when it should be used for much better public initiatives. If the money is offered though it should be accepted because if it gets turned down because some people support a different football team then that money will just follow the rest of taxpayer funds and be spent in Surrey and The Cotswolds which won't do anything for the people of Greater Manchester at all.
I can understand the criticism if this was the only money Burnham had tried to get spent in the region but it just isn't, this is just another way that, may possibly, have opened up of getting some investment into one of the many ignored regions in the country.
You've taken your Blue specs off and said that it's right that Burnham should, as the GM Mayor be pushing for Government money. Please can you point to where he has asked Central government for money in and around Eastlands ? Manchester City Council and MCFC have had to do it all.
Aside from the swamp, that area is already a great place to live. Terraced houses go for 250k, apartments go for 160k.
It is just a money making exercise for already rich people, some of whom are corrupt, some disingenuous.
I suggest you take your political glasses off its clouding your judgement.