French TV Praises Economic Rebirth in Rotherham

10 April

The French-German TV channel ARTE will broadcast tomorrow night (11 April) a remarkable 90 minute filmed report comparing how South Yorkshire and the equivalent steel/coal region of Longwy in France have handled the major restructuring of industry and society in the last decade.

Rotherham MP Denis MacShane took part in a discussion afterwards when the whole programme was recorded in Paris. After the recording he said: “The Yorkshire part of the film is full of praise for the guts, can-do energy and partnership spirit in the Dearne Valley. The reporters said Yorkshire Forward has done well, compared to equivalent bodies in France, to promote new jobs, inward investment and sowing the seeds of new economic activity.

“The local councillors and trade union officials as well as workers who have had to retrain and find new jobs all add up to a real advertisement for Rotherham on a main French channel. The filming done with Yorkshire Forward also comes over very well.

“By contrast, the French look miserable with three generations without work, a conservative government in Paris that does not know how to reduce unemployment, and trade union leaders who take pride in making life a misery for Japanese and Korean investors into France who quickly disinvest when confronted with anti-business, anti-open trade rhetoric from union leaders and political militants.

“I was very proud to see Rotherham, Yorkshire as a whole and Yorkshire Forward portrayed in such positive light. After the filmed reports I debated the issues with the former German economics and industry minister, Wolfgang Clement, and he was also full of praise, as a Social Democrat, for what the Labour government and our region have achieved in recent years.”