Ed Cox: Devolution '“ North needs to set out its own bold vision

THE Brexit vote marked a turning point for the nation, but all the more so for the North. Following the Scottish referendum, it was only a matter of time before those south of the border took their opportunity to send a clear message of discontent.
IPPR North director Ed Cox.IPPR North director Ed Cox.
IPPR North director Ed Cox.

If as a nation the people spoke, in the North they shouted. Although in cities like Leeds people voted to Remain, in Yorkshire and the Humber the Leave vote stood at 58 per cent and, more locally, in places like the East Riding, Barnsley and Burnley this reached nearly 70 per cent.

On the face of it, the vote to Leave was a demand to repatriate powers from the machinery of the European Union and restore a greater sense of national sovereignty, but there were clearly more pervasive factors at play.

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People in the North feel that government in all its forms is too detached from the lives of ordinary people and they are seeking change. The EU referendum tapped into a concern that ordinary people needed to take back control – nowhere more so than in the North.

But the geographical dimensions of the Brexit vote aren’t the only indications of a resurgent North. Throughout 2016, Northern economic indicators have looked unexpectedly rosy. Jobs growth has consistently outpaced the national average, but even the detractors who dismiss such statistics as low wage, low quality jobs would do well to explain why the latest productivity stats show Northern regions growing faster than even London.

It is, of course, impossible to prove, but let’s not under-estimate the effect of the Northern Powerhouse on these trends. Rhetoric it may well be, but if it translates into business confidence, then that brings tangible effects. In the same way that an overvalued pound has privileged the City at the expense of UK manufacturing for so long, so a competitive pound might just sustain this Northern boost – not to mention the much-heralded place-based industrial strategy.

Few can predict the effects of Brexit and the threat of disrupted trade arrangements looms large over regions disproportionately dependent on EU trade, but at the start of 2017 we should seize the moment created by a strong and confident North.

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Galvanised by 2016, the North now needs to set out its own bold, brazen, even romantic, vision for the future. Here are my four ideas designed to raise our sights and blow away any lingering Brexit blues.

First, why don’t we commit to supplying the whole of England with entirely renewable energy? Ensuring the nation’s energy security forever and championing the decarbonisation decade. The North of England was always the nation’s literal powerhouse but as coal and gas become yesterday’s fuels, we are once more uniquely positioned to exploit the huge opportunities that lie in offshore wind and tidal power, as well as hydrogen heating systems linked to cutting edge carbon-capture and storage schemes.

Second, look beyond all the politics of trans-Pennine rail electrification, let’s build the world’s first hyperloop system. A vacuum-powered, superfast, underground transport system connecting Liverpool to Hull and Newcastle in less than an hour, Manchester to Leeds in around 15 minutes. The technology is all there and is being piloted in California – why can’t we make the North of England the first place on earth to have a fully commercialised and operational system?

Thirdly, let’s have more vision for our social infrastructure. With the very youngest children in the North of England, irrespective of their social class, starting school so far behind their contemporaries anywhere in Europe, we need an Early Years Revolution across the North. And forget a national children’s tsar – we need children’s tsars in every village, town and city across the North – because it’s in everybody’s interest that our children get the very best start in life.

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And finally, if we really want to take back control, let’s establish a People’s Assembly for the North. Every year, 200 people, chosen by lot from existing lists for jury service, could come together for a week-long deliberation about policies and priorities for our common life in the North. They could bring ideas, set agendas and pass judgement on national, regional and local government agendas.

But these are just some of my own. Today we are calling on everybody who wants to seize the moment. If 2016 was the year we found our voice, let’s make 2017 the year we had something to shout about.

Ed Cox is director of IPPR North.