[Abernathy]

Am I wrong in thinking that the "levelling up" con trick was, at least in part, a sort of pathetic fig-leaf attempt to cover for the disappearance, thanks to Brexit, of the fantastic work that was being enabled in many of the UK's most deprived regions by the European Regional Development Fund?

[mattomac]

Yup it was my feeling exactly.

[Abernathy]

Of course, they couldn't admit such a thing, so they (well, Johnson) made up the ridiculous, American-ish, term "levelling up".

[Tubby Isaacs]

Am I wrong in thinking that the "levelling up" con trick was, at least in part, a sort of pathetic fig-leaf attempt to cover for the disappearance, thanks to Brexit, of the fantastic work that was being enabled in many of the UK's most deprived regions by the European Regional Development Fund?

The EU development money was easily neutralised as "giving some of our own money back". Where levelling up came in was the next stage- so you've taken control, what are you going to do with it? The deregulatory stuff is unpopular, so you need something else to look positive and dynamic. Hence freeports and levelling up. Freeports are at least a thing. Levelling up Grimsby without putting up taxes in Surrey isn't a thing. As it happens taxes have had to go up everywhere, with no obvious benefit to Grimsby.

It's what he always does- promise stuff to people who don't know what he's like. Easy to mock the "Red Wall", but they've seen through him quicker than London did.

[Bones McCoy]

Easy to mock the "Red Wall", but they've seen through him quicker than London did.

We'll know the truth of that when the next election rolls around.

[Tubby Isaacs]

No great surprise here- inflation has ravaged budgets for levelling up stuff. How could it not?

If the upshot is that stuff gets cancelled because there's not enough money for it, then the song and dance we saw the other day about levelling up might have been a very bad idea, even in areas that "won".

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... eed-grants

[Tubby Isaacs]

Genius Gove has been evoking the spirit of Thatcher for levelling up the North.

Do they think that the people who voted for them because of Brexit and Jez are paid up Thatcherites? Or is this a return to rallying the base because everyone else has gone?

If you genuinely can't think of something you've done in the last 30 years, at least invoke the spirit of Hestletine, who managed to keep some cred even in Liverpool. Then again, Hestletine has since jumped from the Kipper Tory ship, so I guess he's unmentionable. Just like John "Maastricht Traitor" Major is.

[Youngian]

Am I wrong in thinking that the "levelling up" con trick was, at least in part, a sort of pathetic fig-leaf attempt to cover for the disappearance, thanks to Brexit, of the fantastic work that was being enabled in many of the UK's most deprived regions by the European Regional Development Fund?

The ERDF was needs based and left to civil servants to carry out, levelling up is a Tammany Hall slush fund. Tory voters in their loyal crap town seats like Boston, Great Yarmouth or Clacton might well ask where their money’s gone but they won’t.

[Yug]

Confirming what we already know

The government’s levelling up plans for England are being hampered by a funding system that is “not fit for purpose” and deprives the poorest areas of the financial support to match their needs, a leading thinktank has said.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies said that the method for allocating money to pay for public services is out of date, based on inadequate data and skewed in favour of the better-off south-east.

Calling for urgent reform, the thinktank said the funding system was doing a “poor job” in ensuring money was being spent in the parts of England where it was most needed...

https://amp.theguardian.com/society/202 ... velling-up

The IFS said the most deprived 20% of areas were getting a smaller share of local government and police funding than they were estimated to need, while the least deprived 20% were receiving a bigger portion than their needs required.

Truthfully, is anyone really surprised by this?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

It's been their method since 2010.

[Bones McCoy]

It's been their method since 2010.

Tories gonna tory.

The concept of levelling up sounds great, but it depends on who is in charge of the purse strings.

[Andy McDandy]

Was always going to be thus. The amounts awarded were always too small for any meaningful investment or work -just enough though to tart up the local shopping precinct and provide the MP with a nice photo opportunity.

Serious "levelling up" would mean really significant investment in the regions, relocation of entire government departments out of London, massive infrastructure projects, and an entire overhaul of the relationship between public and private sectors. Not just the greenlight for a shopping centre on brownfields just outside Daventry.