‘Manchesterism’, a decidedly undefined term, can be best explained by this clip. Most things can be best explained by a clip from Yes Minister.

@Dollywaggon Wonderful! “The Universities - both of them” 😂

The three series of Yes Minister were great, but when it transitioned to Yes Prime Minister, those two series, the writers were on fire. Truly the best scripts in TV and Film history.

@DCBMEP Yes!!❤️ It never ceases to amaze me how relevant this series is even today.

The Universities Both of them 😀😀😀😀😀

Mrs. Hairy Whitemouse, approves this message.

Yes, it shows that Westminster and the blob want it all. If your intent is to criticise “Manchesterism”, all successful countries have devolved and boosted the power of the regions: USA: The States have considerable power and ability to make their own decisions. The capital Washington DC ranks 23 in US city size. Germany, especially West Germany pre-unification. The capital Bonn was smaller and limited decisions whilst Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt could do their own thing. Switzerland, 26 cantons doing their own thing, their own health and educational systems, standardised in many things but significant freedoms permitted. It’s time the old British class system with its authoritarian, centralised systems ended. Of course the right wing press won’t tell it to you this way, but if Farage was doing it they’d be in an orgasm. By the way, I’m not left wing.

My only criticism of Yes Minister is that Bernard would in reality never had been so senior as a Civil Servant with attitudes like that.

Manchesterism isn’t a new term it was defined around 1860 give or take, Burnham is counting on those of us Mancunians who have a short memory, or zero knowledge of our historical city, & has plagiarised the term,

Values have changed, mentality remains identical.

@profdwh “Most things can be best explained by a clip from Yes Minister.” I thought so for years!

Unfortunately this is satire from the 80s. It's a different world now. The bigger question is: has devolution been good for the UK? Clearly, Burnham wants more of it.

Greatest documentary on government ever.

Nothing changes!

The pause before "both of them" - classic comic timing.

Hard to believe this was written so long ago. Brilliant.

"the universities - both of them" my favourite quote of the whole series 🤣🤣🤣

@jameswoudhuysen … which makes me think that whatever Burnham dreams up, the Civil Service may well block it.

I sometimes wonder if Messrs Jay and Lynn ever realised just how prescient their scripts were and would become .....

@_paullay Good share

.. things like choosing who runs the country.

Beautifully written and acted. Appreciate it more as time passes.

It was an incredibly prophetic comedy. The script writing was brilliant..

“And what sort of lives do these people, who pose as being moral, lead themselves? My dear fellow, you forget that we are in the native land of the hypocrite.” Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890).

I really must watch this show

@Hepworthclare Glorious!! 👏👏👏

That programme is a documentary

Funnily enough we were only saying yesterday it’s going to be hilarious after AB has been PM for a few weeks for him to discover he’ll have to politically grow up & accept the embedded political mechanism at WM is not conducive with his very politically naive train of thought!

What a treasure Nigel Hawthorne was! He was perfect in this role!

@kevverage He forgot the Church of England in that last bit. Did Sir Humphrey ever want to change anything during Yes Minister?

Still as relevant and funny now as it was then.

A Lot Of Truth In Humour

"The universities,,,,,,both of them"..🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Brilliant beyond brilliant.

Burnham chatters on about Manchester, London and the south east. But no mention of the south west. Or Cornwall’s distinctiveness. And poverty.

In captured/authoritarian regimes, it is only in satire that people can say what is actually going on!