Hurrah! 26 February, 2008

 

Credit where credit is due the Prime Minister has finally found the guts to confirm that there will be no super casino in my back yard of East Manchester.

 

Regardless of his motivation as a constructive opponent I have to applaud what is a tough but undoubtedly correct decision. Casino’s of all shapes and sizes leave a mass of personal and communal destruction wherever they are to be found.

 

Sadly however his announcement leaves us with little to cheer about, as what his has not answered is, what will replace the investment that was due to come with the casino and, how will he restore peoples and the business community confidence in this area.

 

What Northern Rock showed us is Labour has still to learn that confidence especially in business is not created or generated by a cheque. The price for the Northern Rock crisis will be paid by the British economy for years to come, by the reduction of inward investment to the financial and service sector which I remind myself now accounts for some 25% of our GDP.

 

There are whole sectors that have already pulled the plug on their proposed investment. From commentarial and residential property investors to restaurant owners and such like. Not that’s its them I feel sorry for, they will find pastures new, its us the people of Manchester that will be left without the houses and jobs and will be pay the ultimate price for another new Labour disaster.

 

Manchester more than any other city learned by the successful commonwealth games of 2002 what the economic value of the copulas good will is. From the volunteering to the investment that came with it, because business likes nothing more than success, which in turn breeds further success.

 

There are brand new houses in Blackley that are already boarded up simply because economic regeneration has meant to New Labour just money. when will they learn if regeneration is to succeed it has to be organic not artificial. it’s the 1950’s repeating itself all over again.

 

So come on Hazel what is your solution for the people of your own constituency and beyond that your Labour Government has left high and dry. The conservatives have Salford Quays and the tram to show for their time in office what has Labour ever done for Salford and Manchester?