Former head of the CBI Digby Jones has said Manchester could well replace Birmingham as the country's second city.
One of the UK's best-known businessmen and former trade minister, Lord Jones of Birmingham claimed the “buzz” about Manchester, partly created by the soccer success of Manchester United and Manchester City, will help give it the edge over Birmingham.
While Birmingham, he said, has “almost the lowest skills base in the country”.
“I think when you see the buzz about Manchester, I think a lot of people in Britain would think of it as Manchester, not Birmingham. No matter how much that grieves me,” said Lord Jones, 55, whose parents ran a corner shop in Worcestershire.
“From Manchester United, it's Manchester City, it's Oasis, it's Coronation Street. It's all the things which give people this identity and ability to believe in themselves."
Lord Jones said Birmingham was also in “grave danger” of losing the title if universities, transport, skills bases and civic leadership were compared.
“Birmingham has almost always apologised for itself. Birmingham has never had the leg-up that northern cities have had. Government has always thought Birmingham could look after itself.”
He added: “I don't think (Birmingham) has lost the claim but I think it is in great danger of doing so in a very short order.
“You see, if you are going to win in a globalised economy ... you have got to have two or three components working for you big-time.
“You have got to have more and better skilled people. You cannot do it unless your skills base is high enough and in that Birmingham has almost the lowest skills base in the country.”
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second city? manchester has always been number one. speak to the cockney reds, they'll tell you...
It always has been.
Replace?
Culture:
How many bands/TV shows based in Manchester compared to Brum?
History:
Peterloo massacre/Woman's rights movement/refusal to unload Confederates cotton in American Civil War/discovery of the atom/first computer and Brum has erm chocolate?
Sport
This weekend shows the huge gulf which has existed for years/velodrome/Commonwealth games
Our airport is bigger better and serves more destinations.
All in all Manchester kncks spots of Brum in terms of national and international importance. I would go as far to say that even Leeds is a more dynamic and important city than Brum and that is really saying something.
It is too dirty and liter strewn
Which is England's 2nd city is an irrelevance, and not something which we Mancunians should be going on about too vociferously. Let's assume that we're both joint 2nd. The population difference between the two urban areas (not city council areas) is about 20,000 people, in Birmingham's favour but this gap is closing. I do agree with Lord Digby Jones that Birmingham has been shafted by central government, it should have been awarded the National Stadium instead of the London Borough of Brent!
I thought Manchester was the second city already, I doubt a couple of footie teams makes a city though, Manchester has a great industrial and scientific history, as does Birmingham!.
Whenever I think of Birmingham though, I usually think of gridlock on the Motorways and so look for alternative routes to avoid it. They need to remove the toll from the relief motorway to clear it up a bit round the Spagetti junction and M5.
Manchester wins hands down...Culture wise we have wiped the floor with them, from football to music to fashion....
How about putting up a league table for comparison MEN?!!
Second to no-one, in music, red brick unis, humour and obviously football. Even our neighbours in Stretford have done OK this season!!
Manchester, the place where a kipper tie is just that.
What do you mean? Could replace?
Erm Manchester has had a leg up from government that Birmingham never had????? What's that then?
Manchester accents might not be the prettiest in the UK but I'd rather I had a Manchester accent than a Brummie one!!
The Brummir accent (especially Dudloi) just makes speakers sound thick, and following on from the low skills base it's perhaps appropriate!
I have always wondered exactly where is birmingham ahead of Manchester in any of the criteria that are indicative of a second/succesful City?
Seriously, does anybody know? All i can think of is its a bit closer to london, if thats an advantage at all?
Surely London is the second city?
i'm big city fan from pisa i love england specially manchester,second city will be london manchester is the best city in uk and one of the biggest and beautifull city of the world absolutely.for the young people is perfect for work,for nightlife for sports for universities,for music for pubs for other many things so i love too manchester and i hope to buy an house very soon.london is too worst than manchester and to be capital of a country doesn't mean to be best city,london is the best financial city in the world,london is the capital of the world but for live manchester is too better.london is the best capital of the world for holiday absolutely but for all the other things manchester is the best city in the europe without problems and i tell these things because i have travelled almost half world i miss japan china and australia.so for me uk is the best country in the world and manchester best city and man city best team in the world,about money we already are the richest team of the world about results we are coming very fast,meanwhile we have won the fa cup winning in the semifinal vs man utd and then the others trophies will come very soon.mad fer it.cheers by man city fan ricky
I seem to remember seeing a letter to the Manchester Evening News some years ago on the lines
'' I see Birmingham has now been declared England's second city.I always thought that honour belonged to London.
signed ... a Mancunian ''
Manchester is the best city in England
If Manchester included Trafford, Tameside and Salford, then there cannot be any argument!!
While Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds & Sheffield beg for scraps and bicker amongst themselves (about such nothingness) - an evermore centralising London forges ahead & smugly sneers at us all. Divide and rule, eh??
Who says Brum is the second city? Not the public, according to a 2007 BBC poll. And when Manchester has two of the world's most successful football clubs, a list of internationally-famed musicians, significant historical accolades, the largest single-site university in the country (and that's just one of them), and this last weekend's sporting events including the nation's biggest 10km run, added to more specific things like the presence of MediaCity UK, award-winning national museums and pioneering architecture - the Beetham Tower being the tallest mixed-use building in Europe when it was constructed and still containing the highest residential space in the country - there's no way having the NEC, a few thousand extra residents, one of the most annoying English accents in existence and a series of annoying major roads is any basis for the title of "second city". The only thing I will give them, is Birmingham's continued role in British manufacturing. Not a patch on Manchester I'm afraid.
Manchester is the centre of the universe and beats London hands down, never mind Birmingham
"Birmingham", second! Brum is three and a half million poeple with a speech impediment
dont think we should go too over the top. brum and manc should be joining forces to get more money spent in our two cities instead of claiming who gets the biggest crumbs. but, agree. manc is above brum ;-)
Manchester is much better. I wont iist the many reasons why I think this because there many and there is not even one reason where Birmingham could outpass Manchester. Saturday's football and Sunday's 10,000 k run, salford swim and the city games, just advertised it to the world.
Brummies don't talk,they sing and if you don't know the tune,you're knackered!
Birmingham and Manchester are second cities for different reasons. Birmingham has got stuff that Manchester hasn't and vice-versa. Personally,I would put them both above the overrated dump called London. Apart from the historical touristy things,it is the pits!
I thought we already were the second city? The Urban Area is 2.2million to Birmingham's 1.0milion.
If you want to use the City's population, that would mean Manchester was a hamlet in the early 80's. There were only about 12 people actually classed as living in Manchester city centre!