Indeed they are and "strategically" Man Airport should be at the centre of all transport strategies. They are inseparable.
Regards funding and "this may come as a bolt from the blue" but it is the Treasury that holds the purse strings.
Tfn simply put forward the wishlist.
We'll have to continue to disagree on the first point, I'm afraid. Manchester should be at the centre of TfN's strategies around international connectivity, and despite what you may think it has been reasonably well supported in terms of strategic transport links (I refer you to the earlier debates on public transport use). It is not the be-all-and-end-all in terms of more local transport strategies across the north though.
As for Treasury holding the purse strings, I can reassure you that I am more than well aware of that. I am also well aware that Treasury does not just dole out money to any old project just because someone lobbies for it. They apply very stringent tests and ask for robust and extensive business cases in order to satisfy the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee that money is being allocated appropriately. That in part is why London and the south east has done so well over the years - they have the well oiled machinery to develop those business cases and the willingness to put some money in up front to pay for that initial work. That is where TfN will come and if they merely put forward a "wishlist" then they will be no more successful than the current regime at securing investment.