Tristram Hunt: How Second City rivalry can be exploited for our benefit

“A councillor of Pakistani origins asks what makes Birmingham brummie, well he`ll never know it already resemble Mumbai or Calcutta as it should be, the brummies have gone away, and here we have Tristram asking what makes Stoke, well Triss thankfully you`ll never know, stop being so daft and join van der Laughing Stock back in the deep South from whence you came, go fight for a political seatand stop being the organ grinders monkey, you remind me of one of those tin monkeys the rich kids got at christmas, stick a penny in its gob and away it went banging symbols like a Presbyterian minister on LSD.”

“@Mole 10
I concur with your views.

I expect our forefathers are turning in their graves.

The leaders of this great city have no understanding, no interest with the real needs of its people, otherwise things would be done totally different.

The past councillors of this great city of ours were once astute businessmen, the owners of pottery and pits who had a love and vision for the city. They did not do it for a wage, reward or self-importance, they did it because they were local people and they cared. They knew what was needed and how a business/council should be run.

Sadly this lot we have now haven't got a clue. How many of them are local entrepreneurs and want to serve our City for free – none of them.

People who are not of local blood do not understand what makes Stoke on Trent a special place like no other city in the UK, our cultural, differences, wants and needs.

For once let's have a politician who is local, has understanding, passion and determined to do the right thing making a difference for us all.”

“Tristram doesn't actually quite get it you see, but for that matter, neither do the usurpers whom have been implanted into this Labour Council from afar.

My point below wrote of yet another implant put in to steer Meredith through his early years and with an agenda.

I'm not wrong and I'm very accurate and very factual.

Proper Labour Councils from before fought long and hard for a unitary status to cede from Staffs County council.

What we have seen since very soon after that point is every opportunity to frustrate that goal and extreme incompetence by this or that new grouping to promote it.

Every current strategy is to hope that something beyond works to our benefit and is based on the false no hoper of 'mutual benefeit'.

They don't have our blood but they spoonfeed us deafeat after defeat and blame all critics around them as being negative.

The truth is that you are implants, you have no real understanding of our history and you honestly believe that your good itentions (failure in everything but taking our cash) will somehow come through in the end.

Unitary authority, first, second and last for a City full of people who want success regardless of what Manchester or others achieve for themselves.

How many of our MPs and Councillors are potters?
Yes it does matter and it matters because what we have is the alternative and the alternative is the laughing stock of Great Britain that fails day in, day out.”

“I always come away from one of Tristram Hunt MP's articles feeling a mixture of bafflement and annoyance, We pay you to meaningfully represent the people of this city not to write inane articles in the paper alongside a photo of yourself looking pensive, and pay us lip service. In case you or one of your acquaintances do read this please note that you need to start doing something that's helpful to the people of this city otherwise you're going to become a laughing stock (the kernel is there already). A prosperous Birmingham and Manchester will help Stoke-on-Trent you say. How? You don't explain the argument behind your theory. You could argue the alternative argument that a less prosperous Birmingham or Manchester could be good for Stoke-on-Trent. Regardless of your view you should explain it for the benefit of the people you represent. And if you don't you should be kicked off the paper because they have an obligation to provide a correct service to the community they serve too. No imagination looking forward, no solutions for our city, And beginning to sound like he'd like to be somewhere else.”

“Who let this moron out again to witter on about two cities with the afterthought (Stoke) stuck in the middle.
He is typical shunted in Labour.
Know's nowt about the folk or our traditions but what he was programmed with in Birmingham.
Hunt nobody I know is interested in the slightest about Manchester, or Birmingham, (and after 13 years of your bloody lot) not much in your lot.
The three stooges did nothing.”

“So what gave us Royal and Ecclesiastical recognition and therefore, worthy of "City Status"?

Not going to hold my breathe for an answer from our so called historical know it all. Because I don't think he's got the gumption to give it to us straight.

And we voted this bloke in to hopefully give this city some identity? What a waste of a vote.”

“More garbage from Mr Hunt (I've given up on what his first name actually is).

He seems far more comfortable wittering on about Birmingham and Manchester, with Stoke tacked on to the end - almost as if in panic because we'd completely slipped his mind.

Brilliant observation that we're bang in the middle of the two... I'm sure you could find another safe Labour seat in either!”

“The question is real enough but becomes flawed when we find the Stoke Labour Party being administered from a West Midlands office near Birmingham.

Does this matter?
Yep.
Meredith had a lackey implanted into his office with a clear set of instructions on how to proceed.

Manchester comes nowhere into the equation but my guess is that most local political thinkers will sway towards the North and not the South with most others thinking similar.

Put this question onto the streets to find a bigger opinion.
My view is 90% North with very little connections to Birmingham with the cut off point being somwhere below Stafford Town.”

“To quote The Hon. Tristram:

"...with some serious implications for us in Stoke."

or

"I don't think we need a grand inquiry into the nature of our Potteries identity."

er, I don't think you are generally regarded around here as being as being one of "us" or that you are qualified to use the inclusive phrase "...our Potteries identity".

You were parachuted into a safe seat as a Labour Party minor royal. Let's hope you are soon airlifted out as a political casualty.”

“"Let's hope the people of Birmingham find their answer, but we should be clear about what we're about: ensuring two prosperous Second Cities boost the prospects of Stoke-on-Trent"

we are certainly very well placed, geographically......so what's the plan?”