London v the rest.

From Roman times London has occupied a unique position politically and economically in the nations life. The complex causes for this phenomena were explored in a scintillating and inspirational programme on BBC 2 introduced by Evan Davis - Mind the Gap: London v the Rest. A recent survey for the programme found that most people across the country - some 60% thought that the success of London was overall positive, they were not envious, but wanted to share in some of the spoils. There is a positive feedback loop, the more talented, educated people move to the capital, the more people want to join them. Google for example has decided to put its European headquarters in Kings Cross, in order to benefit from its neighbours - Central St Martins Art School - 'birds of a feather flock together'. Economists have referred to this as the - economies of agglomeration. Another example is the new Francis Crick laboratories being built in Kings Cross next door to the British Library and St Pancras Station. It will house the largest collection of scientists in Europe under one roof. The theory behind this idea is that a chance encounter with another colleague working on another project will create a spark that illuminates a new path of scientific discovery - happenstance in action. I'm look forward to next weeks programme.