Andy Burnham is playing it dangerously safe

Manchester's Mayor is promising to break with 40 years of neoliberal politics while practicing an all-too familiar kind of centre-left triangulation

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Sometimes in politics the stars momentarily align to make the outcome in a small local race feel as consequential as a national election. It’s a rare thing but, when it does happen, an individual politician can suddenly wield the kind of influence few will ever possess. When there’s widespread hunger for change, that effect is only magnified. With this in mind, it’s worth putting the scale of the opportunity that’s just been handed to Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham.