4 years on: No EU extension needed
25/06/2020
Four years on from the EU Referendum Jim welcomes the government’s tough line on not extending the transition talks…but there is a twist in his argument.
Big Changes for Lancashire?
18/06/2020
Could Lancashire be about to make its voice heard alongside Manchester and Liverpool? An elected mayor for the county has come a step closer but it would mean big changes in the complex council structure. Jim examines these issues and speculates on who might get the job.
Challenges for business and Black Lives Matter
11/06/2020
Instead of blanking out history, we need to be tackling the hard tasks of improving BAME representation in our boardrooms. That’s the theme of Jim’s blog this wek where he also says there are challenges for the black community and protestors.
The looting….The shooting…The reckoning
04/06/2020
Can President Trump’s law and order stand win him a second term? Jim asks the question and back at home examines a plan to save well run businesses from going under.
The Dependent Prime Minsiter
28/05/2020
Will the Cummings row just pass into history or inflict permanent damage on the government. That’s the question Jim wrestles with this week, along with a rare criticism of the BBC.
No dark sarcasm in the classrom
21/05/2020
Jim calls for squabbling in the classroom to cease as the debate hots up over the return to lessons. He also focuses on the effects on the Merseyside economy of the virus crisis.
Does Debt Matter?
14/05/2020
In his 400th blog for Downtown, Jim asks how the huge bill for Covid-19 is going to be paid for. Some experts say let the deficit take care of itself, but Jim thinks some tax rises are inevitable.
Forensic Keir versus Blusterer Boris
07/05/2020
This week Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer came face to face at PMQs for the first time. The dual between the two men will define politics for the next four years. Jim gives his first assessment. He also reviews the appearance in the Downtown Den of the North West’s elected mayors.
Grimmer and grimmer
30/04/2020
Could we be facing a year of Corvid crisis with all its implications for social and business disruption? That’s the fear that Jim expresses this week as he sees few lights at the end of the tunnel. He also speculates what might have happened if David Miliband had become Prime Minister 10 years ago.
Level with us… Don’t Lie
23/04/2020
This week Jim calls for more plain speaking from the government and looks at the grim prospects facing our pubs and restaurants.
A Long Way Back
16/04/2020
The government is unable to give business a clear back to work strategy because of the lack of testing, Jim claims in his latest blog. He also takes a close look at the North West Labour MPs in Keir Starmer’s new team.
Need for clarity
09/04/2020
This week Jim fears the lock down is here to stay,and calls for proper rules to be in place when the Prime Minister is ill. He also looks at Labour’s new team.