Had anyone predicted a few years ago that an elected mayor would be foisted upon Birmingham and that person, unelected to the post, would have a history of condemning elected mayors on principle, such a prediction would have been dismissed as rubbish.
Furthermore, had it been suggested that Birmingham’s mayor would be guaranteed almost 18 months in office before having to submit himself to the electorate, this would have been equally unthinkable.
Finally, a proposition that a Tory mayor should remain in office for 18 months even if the political control of the city council changed to Labour would have been deemed ridiculous.
Incredibly, all of these seemingly implausible propositions are about to come true, leaving city council leader Mike Whitby in the enviable position of the man who won the lottery without even buying a ticket.
This is, of course, what happens when governments try to force political change. For all of Tony Blair’s faults, he recognised there was little to be gained by ignoring local wishes and forcing cities to have directly elected mayors.
The present government is right to order Birmingham to hold a referendum on the issue, but should at least wait for a ‘yes’ result before requiring the city to be run by a mayor.
