The Guardian view on Birmingham’s bin strikes: a wake-up call for Labour | Editorial

England’s second city has become a symbol of political dysfunction. But the government should draw wider lessons from the chaosIn the 1890s, a visiting American journalist described Birmingham as “the best-governed city in the world”. Inspired by the reforming spirit of its one-time mayor Joseph Chamberlain, England’s second city had become a showcase for a new kind of municipal government. Introducing better schools, libraries, parks and public baths, politicians were ta