UK
Britain is going through a difficult time, when its sustained ability to punch above its weight, economically and diplomatically, is ebbing. The end of irrational exuberance found the country ill at ease with itself, with rising inequalities and unhealthy nationalism, just when it needs to be fleet-footed in recognising that many of the traditional pillars of its strengths have changed. The need is to recognise other supports and partners and find a new common purpose after the pandemic. I live in hope.
think global
Internationalisation is an area where Manchester really needs to improve, particularly with the rising economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China. By 2030, 92 per cent of the world's middle classes will be in the developing world. How we encourage and incentivise businesses to look abroad is the big question...
Attached File: think global.doc
greater manchester strategy
I can't claim all the credit for this, as it was very much a team effort, but if there's one pen that conceptualised and followed it through - led in a word - that was mine. I think GMS an excellent single coherent framework on which to hang so much of what this forward-thinking place is going to do in the years to come.
Attached File: GMS.pdf
one step beyond
Several times a slightly mystified Manchester audience has heard me talk about a "pan-European, sorry pan-Manchester, market...". As in the EU, deep issues of equality and representation lie not very far under the surface of our work, and success lies in simultaneously putting in place a robust system that can take real decisions over real resources, and within which everyone feels their influence, if not equal, represents the weight of their population, economic influence, historical role and future prospects.
Attached File: Connected (UK).pdf
manchester independent economic review published
[As reported by the Financial Times] "Greater Manchester has the potential to become the "key economic engine of the north" and a second centre of growth to complement London if handed greater self-government, according to an independent report published yesterday..."
WATCH THE VIDEO - scroll down with the yellow bar to "audience reaction" for 3-minute highlights
Attached File: Mcr Independent Econ Review published (April 2009).doc
building the manchester of the future
[With Mike Emmerich] Manchester is beginning to work in a much more coordinated way towards a common goal of long-term sustainable economic growth. Don't Stop Reading, but "governance" is part of the story. Our radical new governance structure is innovation in practice...
Attached File: Building the Manchester of the Future.pdf
baron appointed non-executive director of trafford healthcare trust
The Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust runs Trafford General, Altrincham General and Stretford Memorial Hospitals and is rated "good". Broadening his horizons with this weighty responsibility, Baron has been appointed as part of a largely new team to make it better.
Attached File: appointment to Trafford HCT (January 2009).doc
uk can't succeed without supercharging places like manchester
[Sir Tom McKillop] Expectations remain that this will be the Chinese century, yet Manchester's GDP today is still 25% higher than Beijing's. At the very least there's all to play for. Invention and innovation and not just the past but also the present and the future of "Emerging Manchester"...
Attached File: Manchester needs to adopt a global outlook (June 2008).docx
baron appointed director of economic strategy
The Economic Commission, the first of its kind in the UK, seeks to seriously raise the rate of long-term sustainable economic growth in Manchester. Baron has signed up for understanding and explaining how to do that, getting everyone else to sign up for the new way of working required to achieve it and piloting the city region through some very difficult choices of short-term pain for long-term gain to get to those sunny uplands. We wish him luck...
Attached File: appointment to ME (February 2008).doc