Bruce Springsteen at the Co-op Live arena

 I was there on Wednesday night when a global news event was happening right before my eyes.

At the opening night of his European tour, American heartland rock legend Bruce Springsteen introduced his three hour set at Manchester’s packed Co-op Live arena with a declaration that “The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock’n’roll in dangerous times. The America I love is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.”

Billions of people have now engaged in a viral story at which the venue where it happened is referenced, as is the city where the still sprightly 75-year old legend chose to kick things off.

It seemed inconceivable a year ago when the venue endured such a disastrous opening month that would become so firmly woven into the cultural fabric of the region.

Their economic impact has been valued at over £785.5m. Their General Manager Guy Dunstan will be joining us at our Business of Greater Manchester conference on the 1st of October to talk us through the remarkable story so far.

The biggest corporate news of a very busy week has been the merger of Daisy Group with Virgin Media O2, creating “a major new force” in the UK business communications and IT sector with combined annual revenues of around £1.4 billion.

In time, the new group will have to have a new name. When I spoke to a bleary eyed Daisy founder Matthew Riley on Tuesday it seemed a long way down a to-do list that has had “reduce debt costs” at number one for the last five years.

It may seem a trite point to quibble over something like a name, but these things matter. The UK cable communications industry, out of which this business has emerged, only really took off once it licensed one of the best known UK consumer brands from Richard Branson.

I’m sure the Co-op also have other issues on their mind this week as the impact of last week’s cyber attack lingers on, but they will have taken great cheer from the exposure The Boss has given them.

Hot take on the Observer under new ownership

I thought @theobserveruk was a decent read this weekend, the first under the new owners @tortoise.

It had plenty of the familiar writers that have made it my favourite Sunday paper - Miranda Sawyer, Barbara Ellen, Andrew Rawnsley, Eva Wiseman, Nigel Slater and John Naughton.

Shame there was no Stewart Lee or Carole Cadwalladr.

Sport seemed much reduced but match reports in a Sunday paper are a relic, really.

Getting Robert Harris back to do a piece on the Papal transition was a deft move, but getting Nick Clegg to write three pages felt like landfill.

I’ve been a @tortoise subscriber for a few years and liked how some of the best of their journalism made a strong intro. The @aleximostrous Tate investigation was another smart move.

Pat Nevin at Hebden Bridge Trades Club

Top night listening to Pat Nevin at Hebden Bridge Trades Club - loved his books, but got great bonus stories!

In the 1980s I was a real fan of the “accidental footballer” who stood up to racism and signed an open letter in support of the miners. Even forgave him for mullering Rovers in the 1988 playoffs.

Thanks for sorting our trip to Hebden (nor Las Vegas) Steven Lindsay and great to catch up.

I’ve been shortlisted for a journalism award

 I’ve been shortlisted for a journalism award.

I’m not going to come over all modest and humble, because I am chuffed to bits about this.

I had a rough couple of years before deciding to try and get back in the game and do what I love the most.

The faith that TheBusinessDesk.com have shown in a veteran like me will be forever appreciated. The day Lee-J Walker rang me to pull me in from the wilderness was a game changer.

The stories I submitted to the esteemed judges were a mixture of styles, and included crime, corporate analysis and mental health advocacy. If you follow me then you can probably guess what they were.

Chairing the Mayor's Question Time in Bury

I was honoured to be asked to host the Mayor’s Question Time by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority in Bury.

I chose the questions submitted by the public, pooled a few common themes, made sure that the question was addressed by Andy Burnham.

The Mayor didn’t get sight of the questions beforehand, and he had his deputy and senior officers in the front row to answer specific points on delivery.

It’s not always comfortable for him, and by its very nature people who come to these events are passionate about their concerns and queries, but it’s such an important function of this new kind of direct democracy. 🙏