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The Manchester Weekly from The Mill

Why I started The Mill - and what we want to do next

Season 1, Ep. 50

In the 50th episode of The Manchester Weekly, Darryl Morris interviews Joshi Herrmann about why he founded The Mill and the most fascinating parts of the journey so far.

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  • Who is to blame for the Night & Day Cafe saga?

    42:02
    In late 2021, a noise complaint filed to Manchester City Council about the iconic Northern Quarter venue Night & Day Cafe caused a city-wide row that lasted more than two years. In today's episode, Jack and Joshi discuss Jack's recent piece, that took a deeper look at what, until now, had been quite a simple story.
  • The mistreatment of Manchester's homeless community

    15:04
    When a video emerged of a Greater Manchester Police constable kicking and stamping on a homeless refugee, there was a huge public outcry. Andy Burnham demanded an internal investigation and homelessness charities called it "appalling, unacceptable and degrading". What does this incident tell us about the police's attitudes to the homeless community in Manchester, and what will it take for the authorities to regain the trust of some of society's most vulnerable? Mollie speaks about her reporting on this topic and reveals that Greater Manchester Police still haven't sent their review of their decision-making in the aftermath of this incident to the GMCA.With thanks to The Hallé for sponsoring this week's episode. We're offering our listeners 25% off tickets to the world-class Hallé orchestra's performance of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra at Bridgewater Hall on Thursday 18 April. It's an opera built around intrigue and revenge, featuring abductions, murders in the palace and a plot to overthrow the aristocracy. They will be under the direction of the legendary Sir Mark Elder, providing one of the final chances to see Elder in action before he steps down as Music Director after 24 years. Click here to get your tickets, and make sure to enter themill18 in the promo code box to get 25% off.Recommendations:Months after a violent attack on a homeless man, the police are still trying to rebuild trust, The MillJordan Neely’s Death and a Critical Moment in the Homelessness Crisis, The New Yorker
  • The extraordinary stories of ordinary Mancunians

    20:00
    In 2016, Caroline Dyer and Colette Burroughs-Rose shared frustrations with how the world was becoming more divided. They believed the political developments of the time — the election of Donald Trump and Brexit — had caused more friction in the world and there was a need for more nuanced conversations to help us reconnect. In the aftermath of this division, Heard Storytelling was born. It began with a series of live events in a pub in the Northern Quarter, where people were invited to share their personal stories in front of a live audience. Just last month, they launched their first podcast series, the Heard Storytelling podcast. They publish twice a week, with one long form episode on Monday which features a story and an interview with the storyteller, and on Fridays, they publish Briefly Heard, which offers behind-the-scenes insights into how a story was crafted. In this special episode, Mollie sits down with Heard Storytelling's co-founder Caroline Dyer to discuss the inspirational Manchester stories that they discovered while making the podcast, the importance of being vulnerable with strangers and why storytelling matters. Warning: this episode contains a mention of suicidal ideation.Recommendations:The Heard Storytelling PodcastSobriety's Wake-Up Call: Karl's StoryFollow Heard Storytelling on Instagram to keep up with their latest events, projects and announcements
  • Exclusive: Bernie Sanders tells us about a "disaster for democracy"

    29:36
    Earlier this week, our editor Joshi Herrmann sat down with US Senator Bernie Sanders to discuss the colossal decline of local news in the UK, how that impacts communities and how he imagines the crisis in local news might be resolved. "It is a disaster for democracy," Bernie Sanders told us, a powerful statement about something we all care about. In today's episode, Mollie and Joshi examine that interview and take a deep dive into the crisis in local news in the UK and why we're still optimistic about the future.Many thanks to Manchester Museum for sponsoring this week's podcast episode. After its major reopening last year, Manchester Museum’s South Asia Gallery won headlines around the world. The New York Times noted that it was “the first permanent museum gallery in Britain to spotlight the South Asian diaspora,” in a new space that “focuses on the community’s lived experience: on what it means to be British and South Asian at the same time.” That gallery features everything from ancient Sri Lankan musical instruments to displays about the secret South Asian Daytimers raves of the 80s and 90s, as well as exploring garment manufacture and South Asian working lives in Manchester. Plan your visit now — and you can see the stunning Golden Mummies of Egypt show (ending in April) and Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex at the same time.Recommendations:Colossal decline of UK regional media since 2007 revealed, Press GazetteIs this the future of local news?, Media ConfidentialWhat Happens to Democracy When Local Journalism Dries Up?, The Washington Post‘The Men Who Are Killing America’s Newspapers’, The Atlantic
  • Is Rochdale a cursed constituency?

    13:14
    When Sir Tony Lloyd died last month, his seat in Rochdale looked like a relatively easy hold for Labour. Now, with the party’s candidate disowned for spreading a conspiracy theory about Israel and George Galloway picking up support over the war in Gaza, the by-election has entered uncharted territory. Under the glare of the national media, three former Labour members are on the ballot, but Labour has effectively suspended its campaign. And speaking to The Mill from his campaign HQ in a Suzuki garage, Galloway is feeling confident. Members of his team are even claiming that Labour’s now-expelled candidate Azhar Ali has left the country. In this week's episode, our reporter Jack Dulhanty takes us behind the scenes, and tries to find out what on earth is going on in Rochdale.
  • Is Manchester a 'rentier city'?

    46:36
    "How did Manchester became the poster-child of neoliberal urbanisation, and what can the people that live there do about it?" That's the subject of tenant organiser and author Isaac Rose's debut book, The Rentier City: Manchester and the Making of the Neoliberal Metropolis. In this week's episode, Joshi Herrmann hears from Isaac Rose about whether the "Manchester model" of property-fuelled growth symbolises where the British economy is going, and what needs to change to make Manchester a more equitable place to live and work.
  • Should Greater Manchester be partnering with Fujitsu?

    13:37
    Last month, before Mr Bates vs The Post Office created a massive public outcry and elevated Fujitsu to nationwide notoriety as the company that allowed its software bugs to destroy the lives and reputations of hundreds of innocent subpostmasters, Andy Burnham and Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig were on a bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo, on their way to pay Fujitsu a visit. The central achievement of the trip was secured at the global headquarters of Fujitsu in Tokyo, where a landmark deal was signed, a partnership that Burnham described as a “massive boost” for Greater Manchester. Now, Burnham faces questions about whether the partnership should go forward at all.Many thanks to The Hallé for sponsoring this week's episode. Manchester is globally renowned for its bands and its football teams, but we also have — in the words of The Times — “one of the world's best orchestras”. The Hallé have been entertaining Mancunian audiences for 165 years and they have a sensational calendar of concerts ready for this year, including a three-day celebration of the music of Steve Reich, a living legend from the world of contemporary classical music, on 1 Feburary. It will feature world-class artists like “daring percussionist” Colin Currie and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. Reich himself says the festival “promises to be a magnetically attractive event.” Book your tickets now. 
  • Who is behind the Manchester Nightlife videos?

    15:16
    For the past year, we've been aware of a bizarre new trend where TikTok creators share videos of women wandering the streets on a night out in Manchester. The video creators claim to be documenting modern life in Manchester, but watch enough of these videos and you’ll start to see an extremely skewed version of the city, where beautiful, drunk women are on every street and there’s a nightclub on every corner. You’ll also notice something else: these women aren’t looking directly at the camera, and don’t appear to be aware that they’re being filmed. So who's behind it? And what's in it for them? That's what Mollie and Jack are discussing in this week's episode. Many thanks to Pomona Partners for sponsoring this episode. Founded by a longtime Mill member, Pomona Partners is a new Manchester business representing the sharpest expert talent. People who bring events and campaigns to life with their knowledge, charisma and storytelling skills. Maybe you’re looking for someone to fire up your staff, get people talking at your conference or engage your prospects over dinner? Pomona has experts in everything from AI to activism, politics to productivity. To find the right person for your event or campaign, drop the Pomona team a line or check out their website. 
  • Our 2023 in review

    41:54
    It's nearly the end of 2023! What a year it's been. In our final episode of the year, Joshi, Mollie and Jack round up their favourite stories and take you behind-the-scenes of reporting some of our big investigations and feelgood features. Many thanks to the Hallé for sponsoring this week's episode. Manchester is globally renowned for its bands and its football teams, but we also have — in the words of The Times — “one of the world's best orchestras”. The Hallé have been entertaining Mancunian audiences for 165 years and they have a sensational calendar of concerts ready for 2024, including a three-day celebration of the music of Steve Reich, a living legend from the world of contemporary classical music. It will feature world-class artists like “daring percussionist” Colin Currie and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. Reich himself says the festival “promises to be a magnetically attractive event.” Book your tickets now.