Definitely, don't tell Mrs BWFC but I actually quite like the place. This certainly isn't about London or its residents. It's a gripe about central government. I'm also realising that I'm starting to sound more and more like a bar-stool expert.

What I think I find most annoying is the fact that the money that is made in London, could actually be made anywhere in the country. The manufacturing industries that drove the regional economies in the past were sited where they were for logistical reasons. They needed to be close to the resources they required. With service and financial industries that are making all the money in London all you essentially need is good comms. They could be done anywhere in the country and there's no real reason why a trader based in Manchester couldn't make as much money as one in London. I know that is a simplification but I think the point is there. With the investment the playing field could be a bit more level.

It's not just industry either. The arts in the regions get a fraction of the funding received by London. As an example, a museum close to me had it's local government funding cut. An appeal was launched to find £100k or so to keep it open for a year. However they can find £60 million for another bridge across the Thames. That got a few backs up in my neck of the woods.

As it is, we're in a vicious or virtuous, depending on your postcode, spiral. The jobs and opportunities are in London so the best and brightest go there, creating more jobs and opportunities.