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What do you make of Andy Burnham's
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interventions? Cuz he really does look
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set to be the next Prime Minister.
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>> Look, the first thing I would say is
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that business-friendly socialism is
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quite obviously a contradiction in
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terms. There is no such thing. Any every
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socialist country has impoverished its
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people. But it is worth analyzing Andy
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Burnham's record because Manchester is
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growing at double the rate of anywhere
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else. And leadership is definitely one
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aspect of that. I think it would be
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really churlish to say that he hasn't
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been a very successful mayor of
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Manchester, kind of embodying the spirit
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of that city. And especially I was
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impressed how he stood up for Manchester
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during COVID when Westminster was trying
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to lock it down, impoverish it even
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more, and he was like, "Look, if you're
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going to do this, I need more money from
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central government." So, I thought that
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was impressive. But if you kind of dig
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into it, I mean, no one would say that
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Manchester's success is nothing at all
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to do with Andy Burnham. But also nobody
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would say it is all down to him. What
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really happens, as in any successful
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city, is what is called agglomeration
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effects. This is human capital, capital
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capital, and intangible assets all
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coming together to make this city grow.