Nigel Osborne -
You have been a very naughty boy! The figure you quote as the population of the West Midlands is the number for the region as a whole, not that of the West Midlands Conurbation. It is estimated that only 43% of the West Midlands total population are domiciled within the conurbation.
The 2001 census puts the West Midlands Conurbation population at 2,284,093. I would prefer to produce the 2011 numbers but I am unable to find them at this point ... have the census results been published yet? In any case, in spite of the 2001 figure being somewhat outdated, I'm pretty confident that the number has not increased by around 60%! Indeed, indications point to a modest reduction.
Therefore, the figure you have quoted as West Midlands population should rightfully be compared with the region known as the North West. For a meaningful comparison with the Greater Manchester Conurbation you must use the West Midlands Conurbation total.
As for your other data, you are again economical with the truth. We all know that Manchester is a geographically small city due to its late development with the cotton industry wildly overspilling its historic boundaries. Most people economically dependent on Manchester occupy addresses in the nine surrounding boroughs which make up the conurbation, which is the true single entity. Only conurbation-level comparisons offer us meaningful insights into economic comparisons between Birmingham and Manchester. Using the data as you do may raise a belly laugh (the effect you were hoping for?), but it will not paint a relevant picture and all readers here know that. We're more intelligent than you give us credit for! Wouldn't it just be better to compare the conurbations like-for-like, or would you rather score cheap points? The real figures are not embarrassing for WM Birmingham, you know. But they are pretty neck-and-neck with Greater Manchester. That is the true picture ... this evergreen debate exists because we all know this to be so.
Having said all that, the spectacle of your 'willy-waving' posting with all those childish clapping smilies comes across as pretty unedifying anyway. Please try harder!
Regards. SHED.
Last edited by Shed-on-a-Pole; 9th Jan 2012 at 01:42.