Good to hear from you as always, Bagso.
I think we agree on the obsession with HS2! A very expensive vanity project that will just increase the concentration on the South East. We should learn from France, where the vast TGV network has only reinforced the dominance of Paris.
You suggest including Bernstein in coming up with alternatives. But he's part of the HS2 mafia, I'm afraid, throwing Manchester's support behind that misguided project. Perhaps Osborne's focus on regional rail links is a better approach (pause for well-aimed kicks)!
I'm not sure I agree with you about the downplaying of the importance of Airport City and the Tour de France. Both seem to be being pushed at a National level.
Again, I think our focus needs to be on making specific and constructive proposals for our region, rather than an unproductive moan about how much money is being spent down South.