Michael Taylor is an events producer and writer. He used to write about sport, music, fashion, design and culture – but that was in Australia in 1989. He came home and became a moderately successful business journalist. In 2012 he gave up Blackburn Rovers, alcohol, carbs and a job. He’s now started his own events and publishing company and is the chairman of business lobbying group Downtown Manchester, a director of Liberty Pensions and is on the board of the University of Manchester Alumni. In 2012 he published Northern Monkeys by William Routledge, a history of northern working class fashion. He is one of the founders of Discuss, a new debating forum.