In 2012 the people of Manchester were asked the following question; "would you like to have an elected mayor?" The majority (53%) of respondents to this question said "No." Now Manchester loves a bumbling Etonian toff as much as the next northern industrial city, but we just didn't want our own version of Boris Johnson running things. This wasnt a poll on the M.E.N website or something, it was an actual, official, city-wide referendum. But three years is a long time in local politics and a lot can change, especially when theres an electorate to patronise and a referendum to completely ignore. So guess what happened next. Here's a clue; It's George Osborne talking about Manchesters new elected mayor. Surprise!