From A. Gallagher:-I WAS not totally surprised to hear that the 'Twelve Quays' site had not been chosen to get the Imperial War Museum of the North, once it was declared it was a straight choice between a Merseyside location and Manchester's Trafford Park.

For many years now Manchester has been promoted and supported by the Government as the 'Capital City' of the North. Investment has flooded into Manchester to the exclusion and detriment of such regions as Merseyside.

Manchester has recently received government approval for major expansion of its airport despite Speke airport in Liverpool presenting a very good case for its own expansion, based on the increasingly-proven theory that the people of Merseyside will use Speke airport if the services and facilities are provided.

Manchester has been chosen to host the forthcoming Commonwealth Games with a massive insertion of government funds and grants to build the stadium and facilities. The authorities in Manchester have stated their wish that all the events be staged in and around the Manchester area and declined the offer of existing facilities in the Merseyside and Chester areas. This just about says it all.

With Manchester receiving favoured status in many areas of investment, one suspects that there are other motives and reasons behind these decisions.

I suspect that they are politically orientated decisions based on the vulnerability of various Conservative M. P.s seats in and around Manchester and Cheshire.

We can only hope that once the election has taken place and a new government installed, decisions such as the 'Twelve Quays' site can be reassessed and arrived at based on merit, fairness and reflecting the interests of the area and its people.

Monmouth Road, Wallasey.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.