All posts tagged: gamechangers

The Guardian view on northern metro mayors: potential gamechangers | Editorial

The Guardian view on northern metro mayors: potential gamechangers | Editorial

Published by skeptic

A slow-burn political revolution is taking place in the north of England. At the fifth Convention of the North last week in Leeds, metro mayors once again joined forces to bang the drum for a better deal from central government and greater powers. After May’s council elections, their ranks will be swelled by the first leader of the new York and North Yorkshire combined authority. By 2025, a mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire is expected to be in place. At that point, the vast majority of northern England will be covered by mayoral combined authorities. A decade-old model successfully pioneered by Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester (and Andy Street in the West Midlands) has gradually become the new normal, as regions seek similar “trailblazer” freedoms in areas such as transport, housing and skills. So far, so wonky, perhaps. Outside the council chamber and the specialist thinktank, the mechanics of local government reform tend not to capture the imagination. But the rise of the metro mayors carries potentially gamechanging political implications. It is a cross-party commonplace, post-Brexit, …

beware all the talk of ‘breakthroughs’ or ‘gamechangers’ – it’s going to be a long, bloody and costly struggle

beware all the talk of ‘breakthroughs’ or ‘gamechangers’ – it’s going to be a long, bloody and costly struggle

Published by skeptic

From some of the headlines of late, you might be forgiven for assuming that the worst was past for Ukraine’s assault troops. That recent advances by Ukrainian forces constitute “breakthroughs” or “breaches” and that it’s all downhill from here. Ukraine has recently claimed to have taken a couple of small villages, Andriivka and Klishchiivka, near the totemic remnants of Bakhmut the city in eastern Ukraine where, since August 2022. So many on both sides have given their lives for so little ground. This latest success, apprently, is another “important breakthrough”. But aren’t they all? Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, declares that the capture of ravaged, wrecked villages with pre-war populations of a few hundred are “significant” or “strategically important”. Ukrainian troops raise the flag over the village of Andriivka, near Bakhmut. In fact, there is nothing particularly strategic about either village. Their capture will not significantly affect the outcome of the war. But what choice does Zelensky have but to proclaim these small gains as a triumph? And what choice does Ukraine have but to continue …