Paul Lay, Editor of History Today, gives a shout-out for our much-maligned Second City. Mocked for its regional accent and experimental concrete architecture, its commercial and cultural resilience provides a lesson for the nation and belies a city far more assured of its core identity than its schizophrenic London counterpart.
Birmingham's achievements past and present have long been overlooked. Until the 1970's for example average wages were higher here than they were in the City of London and its enthusiastic endorsement of Brexit under the banner of its ex-MP Gisela Stuart attests to a resilient optimism which will surely serve the city well in the years to come.
"Sometimes," says Lay, "one wishes that it blew its own trumpet a little more, but bragging is not in Brum's nature. So I'll do it."
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