The allocation of the UK’s Global Talent Fund (GTF) stands as a recent and compelling illustration of a much larger, systemic issue within UK policy: persistent regional inequality. Far from being an isolated administrative oversight, the GTF decision serves as a potent case study, revealing deeper patterns of uneven investment and opportunity distribution that disproportionately impact regions such as the North of England and, specifically, Yorkshire.
I do not feel English. I feel like a Northerner. This is a region with a distinct identity, and its ancient kingdom of Northumbria still seems to pull the overwhelming majority of the weight in the UK’s economy. Yet, everywhere you look, it gets shafted by the central government. Most of all, I feel distinctly like a Yorkshireman.
What if our disengagement is not an accident, but a deliberate act of design? The truth is, the most important topics—the ones that shape our lives and society—are often relegated to the shadows because the powerful have a vested interest in our apathy.
The path to a better future doesn’t start with a conspiracy theory. It begins with the courage to look past the easy narrative of evil geniuses and to hold our leaders accountable not for their presumed malevolence, but for their undeniable incompetence.
The Northern Powerhouse was an idea; now we have the data to judge its implementation. It is time to learn from its shortcomings, to listen to the voices of Yorkshire, and to demand a new path forward.
