Second City

Before I begin and for the record please note the following:
Herbert Austin born Buckinghamshire
William Morris born in Worcester
John Boyd Dunlop born in Ayshire
Edward Vickers born in Sheffield
Sir Alec Issigonis born in Smyrna ( Izmir ) in Turkey
Of the aforementioned luminaries, (forgive the pun), only Joseph Lucas of car headlamp fame, was born in Birmingham.
It's also interesting to note that one of the founding fathers of the 'Lunar Society', held up as an example of Birmingham's contribution to the world, was hounded out of the city after rioters burned his house down. Joseph Prietley, had to flee to America afer a mob of Brummies decided his radical thinking and teachings were not in line with thier regional aspirations, i.e to remain an isolated backwater as referred to in the Domesday Book. Poor old Joe didn't even have the luxury of returning to his beloved hometown of Batley in Yorkshire, such was the resolve of the baying Brummie mob who put paid to any of that intellectual forward thinking nonsense in Brum.
Let's also examine in a little more depth the 'Lunar Society' who formed it's base in Birmingham's Soho district. It was indeed a society of intellectual thinkers and was worthy of comparison to Manchester's Literary and Philosophical Society, whose members included John Dalton, James Joule and boasted a greater number celebrated members than it's Birmingham counterparts.
Josiah Wedgewood, whose undoubted skills and crafsmanship still render his work of the highest value was a member of both Societies yet first entered the world in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire a town almost equidistant between Birmingham and Manchester. Also let's note that Benjamin Franklin, James Watt, Erasmus Darwin and poor old Joseph Priestley were also members of a Society unashamed to include in it's title the city of it's origin.
Members of the Lunar Society included James Watt, a Scotsman born in Greenock, Erasmus Darwin a Lichfieldian, William Small another Scot, Thomas Day born in Middlesex, the poet Anna Seward yes - another non-Brummie born in Eyam, Derbyshire. The only participating Lunar Brummie worthy of note in this gathering of intellectuals was a Matthew Boulton, who, concerned about the level of crime in his native city, complained, "The streets are infested from Noon Day to midnight with prostitutes." In an era prior to the establishment of the police, Boulton served on a committee to organise volunteers to patrol the streets at night and reduce crime and chose Staffordshire, his county of residence. If my Brummie friend didn't digest that last sentence I suggest he read it again and note that Matt Boulton felt a little safer 33 miles closer to Manchester.

Now then let's draw further comparison with actual sons and daughters of Manchester whose number include, James Joule so celebrated they named a unit of energy after him, William Crabtree, the father of astronomy and John Dalton who although born in Cumbria, lived and worked in the city he called his home, Manchester evidently provided a place of safety in which he was able to further his ambitions.

Substance of the creative and intellectual repute of an area lies in those who were born, raised and worked there and this is an associated fact far more evident with Manchester than Birmingham. One only has to be aware of modern Mancunian contributions to sport, two clubs whose achievements render Birmingham and Aston Villa mere minnows in comparison. Literature and the arts, The world reknowned artist LS Lowry, the film director Mike Leigh, the next Poet Laureate perhaps? John Coopper Clarke, the current Poet Laureate Carole Ann Duffy, Elizabeth Gaskell writer of masterpieces 'Mary Barton' and 'North and South', Walter Greenwood author of the classic 'Love on the Dole' Shelagh Delaney's 'Taste of Honey' The list goes on my friend and our city is, I would argue, without artistic compare outside of London.


Turning again to your blog - 'World Changing Birmingham', one can forgive the aged musings of a great former Prime Minister way past his prime and a man who had long lost the ears of a nation but can we really forget that a serving prime minister may well have had us all kissin Jerry's ass to this day? I don't think so and to draw comparison with Lloyd George's gaffe is, I suggest, monumental naivete on the part of my Brummie Colleague however, like him I agree that to continue down this avenue would serve only to sidetrack the real debate.
As it appears that car manufacture forms the backbone of my friends current argument in defence of the third city, we can all agree that without an engine a car is no longer a car yet to compare early engines to their modern counterparts pretty much sums up the case I make for Manchester.
We have here a thriving modern city, the fastest growing economic engine in the UK whose drive forward renders it too busy to sit and gloat about our glorious history whereas in Birmingham you have a city wholly reliant on using past citeria of little worth to put forward their case - an early engine that ran out of petrol or should I say steam.
Our status it seems, was recognised at an early stage when Manchester was granted city status in 1853, thirty six years ahead of Birmingham.
I can only concede on one point when comparing the two cities, yet greater size never proved an effective weapon in historical terms nor should it enter this equation and it's time that the Goliath of Birmingham conceded to the David 70 miles north.
Friends, Scousers, Cockneys and countrymen I urge you - vote Manc.