Whinnies harvest festival

After our advice surgery yesterday I headed to the Whinnies Community Garden in Sunniside where a harvest festival was being held. Sadly the rain had kept many people away but it was still a great event with a cookery demonstration by Gwen Young of Riverford Organics, a keen advocate of eating more vegetables. The recipes she demonstrated used fresh veg and fruit picked that morning in the Whinnies Garden.

Emerging favourites

If a vote of confidence in Boris Johnson is to be held, there needs to be a credible candidate for PM who can unite the bulk of the opposition. Since Jeremy Corbyn can't even unite his own party, he should be ruled out as a serious proposition. Previous names proposed include Hilary Benn and Harriet Harman from Labour and Ken Clarke from the Conservatives. It seems Harriet Harman is now ruled out as I understand she is in the running to be Speaker. Now, a new name is in the fray who could potentially do the job and unite the different forces: Margaret Beckett. She has been prepared to take on the extremists in both Labour and the Conservatives recently. She certainly could be the one to be an interim PM.

Clearly, negotiations are underway and what is leaking out via the national media is interesting. But we wait to see what happens this week. It could be another rollercoaster ride.

Saturday surgery

Whickham Lib Dem councillors' surgery took place in Whickham Library yesterday morning. Two local police officers attended as well. This was especially useful to me as I had some casework with which I needed police assistance. Sometimes surgeries can be quiet, sometimes busy. Yesterday was towards the latter end. A steady flow of people came in. Plenty to do.

Whickham eFocus edition 124

We published our latest eFocus for the Whickham area last night. This edition is the first to be extended to Dunston and Teams ward. Issues covered include:

• Tour of Britain race
• Plans to tax buses could lead to more pollution
• Greenhouses at the former Central Nursery to be demolished
• £620 for a meal for two at a plush London hotel - at council taxpayers' expense
• Back to the 1940s at the Tanfield Railway

You can read eFocus on this link.

The politics of scrap

Last week at Gateshead full council meeting, we had a debate about banning bottled water to help protect the environment and make the borough a bit more sustainable. Sadly, Labour destroyed the motion, committing themselves to doing nothing to save the planet.

One of the speakers was Labour Councillor John Eagle who attacked me for having a Land Rover Defender. Just for the record, I do have a Defender. It is 27 years old. I use it for my agricultural activities. (See the photos above taken inside the Defender, accompanied by 3 sheep! and being loaded up with timber to build a quail house.)

Among the three adults living in our household, we also have a 1.1 litre Polo, and I used that vehicle on Thursday to go to the Civic Centre for the meeting.

Moving bee hives, goats, animal feed and equipment is somewhat challenging in a small Polo, hence the reason we have the Defender. We restrict its use to less than 3000 miles  a year.

Cllr Eagle, and his revved up colleagues constantly interrupted me about my Defender during my speech. They shouted questions about the vehicle being taken off the road because of its age. Such a move would be highly counterproductive. The building of a vehicle takes up a huge amount of energy and resources. So does scrapping it. The shorter the life of a vehicle is, the more likely it is that more resources, especially energy, are used to build the vehicle than were used to drive it. 

Within the waste hierarchy, reuse is at the top of the pyramid (above refurbish/repair and recycle). Given that my Defender is 27 years old and has had 6 previous owners, far fewer resources have been used than if it were replaced every few years. That's the more sustainable way to behave - reuse first, well ahead of recycle.

Scrappage schemes for vehicles are, therefore, encouraging overuse of resources which are put to use in an inefficient manner.

Perhaps Cllr Eagle should think about this when he drives to council meetings - in his gas guzzling Jaguar!

I was somewhat amused however a few days ago when a large vehicle from Gateshead Council passed me on Gateshead Road in Sunniside. It was a 22 year old Defender, with the Gateshead Council emblem on the doors!

One rule for Labour, another for the rest of us......

Video: Tanfield Railway 1940s weekend

I had my video camera with me on Sunday when I visited the 1940s weekend at the Tanfield Railway, in my council ward. Here's the video.

I did not expect that

The Supreme Court has just ruled the government broke the law and prorogation of Parliament was illegal. Wow! I did not expect that. Parliament is therefore continuing to sit. Johnson's coup has failed. These are unprecedented times.

Tanfield Railway 1940s weekend

Over the weekend, the Tanfield Steam Railway, in my ward and only 15 minutes walk from my house, held a 1940s weekend. I paid them a visit on Sunday. A great afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed the talk given about food rationing and "make do and mend" (useful lessons as we move towards crashing out of the EU!)

The problem with an unwritten constitution

I am writing this with half an hour to go before the Supreme Court announces its verdict of the proroguing of Parliament. I am not hopeful that the judges will find against the Prime Minister, simply because the matters being considered are part of the nebulous unwritten part of our constitution. I could, of course, be wrong and we could have the spectacular situation of the PM being found to have acted illegally. We will know shortly.

The proroguing problem has put the spotlight on the nature of our constitution. It badly needs reform and we need a written constitution. I'm not hopeful we will get that, certainly not with Labour and the Conservatives.

North East voters abandoning Labour - Shadow Foreign Secretary

An interesting report appeared on the Chronicle website yesterday, highlighting Labour internal polling showing that Labour are losing 21% of their supporters from 2017 to the Lib Dems in the North East. A further 15% are leaving for the Conservatives or Brexit Party. We talk about 3rd party squeezes in campaigning but this is the first time I've seen a 1st party squeeze, in which the lead party in an area is losing votes in two different directions.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry raised her concerns about the state of Labour at a press conference with regional journalists. She said: "It's a little like that scene in Star Wars when they are in the crusher and the walls are coming in. What you do is, you don't just stand there and say its alright - you have to get out of there. And if we don't, I'm fearful for the result of the general election."

You can read the article on this link.

I had thought Labour would be more sensible

The news arrives from Labour conference in Brighton this evening: they have voted to go into the next general election with a policy of sitting on the fence on Brexit. It's the biggest issue of the election, indeed, the biggest issue in decades, and Labour can't give a definitive position. With all the evidence showing that they are losing votes to the Lib Dems on one side and Brexit/Conservatives on the other, doing nothing did not seem to me to be a sensible option. When there were murmurs from some unions that they were unhappy with the fence-sitting, I thought Corbyn was heading for defeat. But, it seems, Labour have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by backing the Leader's fence sitting. What a shambles.

Low Fell eFocus no. 42

The Low Fell Lib Dem Focus Team published the latest eFocus (edition 42) last week. Key issues covered include:

• Labour's bus tax
• Millennium Bridge
• graffiti
• noise on Clement Street
• Kells Lane Park Tree
• funding for voluntary groups
• period poverty

You can read eFocus on this link.

Video: conference diary

Slightly late but here it is, the video I shot at Bournemouth conference last week. I missed Saturday as I was at the Bowes Agricultural Show. I took the train there on Sunday so missed half of that day as well. Nevertheless, I hope I catch the flavour of the event.

Another action day in Gateshead

While Labour were tearing themselves apart in Brighton, Lib Dems in Gateshead yesterday were taking to the streets in a number of communities in central Gateshead. Focuses were delivered and a survey was carried out. We got a positive response. A few thousand focuses were also taken by others to deliver later this week.

Learn to speak Labour

I've been watching the Labour conference news coverage and have noted a number of key statements that are consistently repeated by those attending. Since they are all in Labour speak, I have helpfully translated them into English. Below are the top 10 statements, along with their translations:

• Key aid quits to spend more time with his family – key aid quits over lack of competence and decency in Corbyn’s team
• Labour are a leave party – people are leaving to join the Lib Dems
• Labour are doing well – Corbyn has record minus 60% approval rating
• We are for the many, not the few – we alienate many people and get few votes
• We have a candidate for Prime Minister – Hilary Benn
• Sitting on the fence worked for Harold Wilson – we love the 1970s
• Labour are leading the country – this fence is comfortable
• Labour are bringing together Leavers and Remainers – they are uniting to abandon Labour
• We demand a general election – we are terrified of an election
• We hate Tom Watson and want to scrap his job - we hate Tom Watson and want to scrap his job

Labour bottles environment plan on eve of climate crisis protests

Full council yesterday in Gateshead and Lib Dems had submitted three motions: period poverty, Domestic Abuse Bill and ending the use of bottled water in council buildings. The latter motion was moved by me and is something close to my heart. Our motion called on the use of bottled water in council buildings to be phased out and replaced with a refill scheme in which people can use their own refillable container, or buy one from the council. Refilling would be free as it is tap water.

The council declared a climate crisis 4 months ago but there is little sign of any action as a result. The council meeting did not change that as Labour gutted the motion to ensure no action was taken. So Labour's inaction can be added to a growing list of questionable Labour decisions on the environment, including their plans to tax buses, planning a clear air zone that could shift air pollution up river rather than tackle it at source and building homes for the wealthy few on our countryside.

In terms of refill, Wetherspoons are now more progressive that the Labour council. Their central Gateshead pub, the Tilley Stone, does offer free water refills.

And, of course, Labour's rejection of the plans came on the eve of the climate crisis protests.

The annual conference rugby scrum

I couldn't resist the opportunity to join the rugby scrum of photographers for the leader's walkabout before her speech this afternoon. This is an annual event and this year it took place on Bournemouth beach. So, there I was, battling with the tabloid photographers, Sky News camera teams and the BBC to get a set of photos. Job done!

Today at conference

There will not be a dry eye in the conference chamber this morning. At 10.50am there will be a tribute to the late Paddy Ashdown. The chamber will be packed for that. The biggest event of the day however will be Jo's leader's speech, her first. There is an air of anticipation in the conference centre about it. Meanwhile, there will be policy debates on citizenship, housing and the railways.

North East Dinner

A bit of a catch up last night: I attended the North East regional dinner at Valentino Restaurant last night. It was good to catch up with others from the region. Conversations across the table covered a wide variety of issues including self-sufficiency, campaigning and Labour vote meltdown. It was also useful to meet up with some of the key campaigners from Sunderland. Lots of swapping of campaign ideas took place.

Excellent speech Ed

We had a superb speech from Ed Davey MP this afternoon. He gave us some great attacks on Corbyn, Johnson, Brexit and climate change. But there was plenty of detail about what he would do if he becomes Chancellor including investing in training, town centres and especially in green technology.

Dr Wollaston I presume

One new game we are playing at this conference is get a selfie with a new MP. This is my first, with Dr Sarah Wollaston!

I've arrived!

I arrived at Lib Dem Conference at about 3pm today. I am a day late as I was at the Bowes Agricultural Show yesterday. We do this show every year so Conference had to take a back seat for a day. My train left Newcastle at 7.54 this morning and I am feeling the effects now!

I missed the big debate today on Europe because of my late arrival. It went the way the party leadership wanted. A majority Lib Dem government means revoking article 50 without a referendum. We continue to work cross party before the election to put an end to No Deal Brexit. And if we have no Lib Dem majority after polling day? More negotiating cross party, I guess.

Brexit Party takes over the helm at Hartlepool

If you want to see strange goings on in politics, go to Hartlepool. Famous for electing Peter Mandelson as MP and then the football team's mascot as Mayor, the town's new claim to fame is the appointment of the first Brexit Party local council administration. Or rather, a Brexit/Conservative administration. Apparently, ten independent councillors joined the Farage party last night. Today the old administration was ousted when the Brexit councillors teamed up with the Tories.

No doubt, up the coast in South Shields, Emma Lewell-Buck, Labour MP for the town, will be eyeing up the situation in Hartlepool. She came out yesterday in favour of a coalition with the Brexit Party, rather than the Lib Dems. She may be feeling dreadfully let down by her prospective coalition friends jumping into bed with an alternative suitor. Never mind Emma, I'm sure there will be other opportunities to team up with the Brexit Party in the months to come.

Another Labour vote collapse

Just in, a council by-election result and yet another Labour vote collapse (and Lib Dem gain!):

Middleton Cheney (South Northamptonshire) result:

LDEM: 44.3% (+10.2)
CON: 39.8% (-2.3)
GRN: 10.3% (+6.2)
LAB: 5.7% (-14.1)

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative.

Labour could explain the result by suggesting they were squeezed in what is a marginal ward. Had this been a three way battle, the argument could stand up to challenge. However, in this instance, it was a 4 way battle. And the party that came 4th last time (the Greens) had a modest increase in vote share and leapfrogged into third place ahead of Labour. They weren't squeezed, unlike Labour.

This result is not a one off. Council by-election results are regularly showing a Labour collapse. And opinion poll results, when compared to 2017, are dire.

South Shields Labour MP backs coalition with Brexit Party rather than Lib Dems

Emma Lewell-Buck is the Labour MP for South Shields. She was David Miliband's replacement after he resigned to spend less time with his brother who had just beaten him for the Labour leadership. While David went on to be the head of the charity International Rescue (I'm trying to avoid references to Thunderbirds to the rescue), Ms Lewell-Buck headed to Parliament as the new MP. She is not without her controversies. She seems very much on the Brexit wing of the Labour Party. Indeed, she is so devoted to the Brexit cause that earlier this year Corbyn, a lifelong Leaver, sacked her for voting against a further referendum when the Labour line, as usual, was to sit on the fence and abstain.

Ms Lewell-Buck has now courted more Brexit controversy by announcing she would prefer to go into coalition with Nigel Farage's Brexit Party rather than the Liberal Democrats. Maybe she has an eye on recent expulsions from the Labour Party of members who admitted voting Lib Dem in the European elections in May. While action against Labour anti-semites has been slow, anyone with a hint of Liberal Democracy is immediately show the exit door from the Labour Party.

But could she really be prepared to go into coalition with the Brexit Party? This is an organisation near enough to the far right to make any association with it by anyone of a progressive hue at best uncomfortable and at worst carrying out a complete betrayal of their principles. The answer is yes.

According to ITN's "Acting Prime Minister" podcast, when she was given the choice of a coalition with the Lib Dems or the Brexit Party, she plumped for the latter.

"Nigel Farage openly stokes racism, hatred and division, but some people in the Labour Party are so determined to deliver Brexit they'd put him in Government," said Jo Swinson.

Even Boris Johnson has ruled out an election pact with Brexit and has said Farage will not be allowed anywhere near the levers of power.

It will be interesting to see what Labour will do. My guess is that as she wasn't advocating teaming up with the Lib Dems, expulsion is not an option. Aspiring Labour politicians need to put their CVs back in the drawer!

Whickham eFocus no. 123

We published our latest eFocus for the Whickham area earlier this week. Issues covered include:

• Tour of Britain cycle race coming to Sunniside, Whickham and Swalwell on Tuesday 10th September;
• Dunston house building plans rejected;
• Whickham Social Club to be demolished;
• Mayor re-opens Marley Hill Bowling Club's pavilion;
• Dunston School Plans submitted;
• Teddy bears picnic in Sunniside.

You can read eFocus on this link.

Tour of Britain cycle race in Sunniside

I'm just back from standing on the corner of Sunniside Front Street and Sunniside Road (less than a minute's walk from my house) to watch the Tour of Britain cycle race go through Sunniside. Two minutes of high speed cyclists and support teams captured on video. Enjoy!

Jo Swinson more popular among Labour voters than Corbyn

No doubt the Corbynistas will claim this is evidence of a conspiracy by the media to stop the People's Revolution in its tracks but back in the real world, a poll by Opinium of voters who backed Labour in 2017 puts Jo Swinson ahead of Jeremy Corbyn. Given Jo has been the Leader of the Lib Dems for less than two months, being ahead of Corbyn among his own voters is just plain delicious. Some in Labour worship Corbyn as if he were a deity who can walk on water. Others regard him as an iceberg that has just holed them below the waterline. Either way, Labour are stuck with him if there is a general election this year.

So, a brilliant start to Jo's leadership. In the meantime, here are those delicious opinion poll figures:

• Johnson MINUS 46
• Corbyn MINUS 6
• Swinson PLUS 4
• Farage MINUS 38

Lib Dem brunch

Gateshead Lib Dems' latest social event was held yesterday in the Land of Oak and Iron Heritage Centre near Winlaton Mill. A good turnout and it was great to see some new members attending as well.

I recommend the potato rostis.

On yer bike!

Gateshead is hosting the 4th leg of the Tour of Britain cycle race on Tuesday. This is great news for the image of the area and the local economy. Just think of all those visitors coming here and spending money with local businesses. But I was not overly impressed with an invitation from Labour run Gateshead Council to attend the start of the race. I received an email inviting chairs and vice chairs of committees to the event. As I am the only non-Labour person to be in this category, it meant all other members of my group were excluded. And it is typically elitist of Labour to make such an invite.

I turned down the offer.

The other reason I didn't want to attend the start was because the race is due to come through our village and past my house. With such a good vantage point on home territory, I decided staying in Sunniside was better!

Good luck to all the competitors. I'm looking forward to a great race!

More Whickham Focuses

I had a stack of Whickham Focuses to deliver in the Whickham part of my ward this week. The first batch went out on Tuesday. I finished the entire patch on Thursday. Hooray! Now, all I have to do is deliver the patch I have to do in Sunniside!

Re-elected chairman of Sunniside History Society

And now for something completely different! Forget politics (just for a moment). On Tuesday I was re-elected chairman of Sunniside History Society. My thanks to members for returning me to the post and to the officers and committee members who have made the past year such a success.

Our big project over the coming months is to collect people's memories of wartime and postwar periods. In May next year, along with Sunniside Methodist Hall, we will be using the memories to produce a display at Sunniside Methodist Hall about how people lived in the war years to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

So, lots to do.

Revised clean air zone proposals

Earlier this year Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside councils published proposals to tackle illegal levels of vehicle emissions in the urban core around the Tyne bridges. Two proposals were put forward. The first was for a toll payable when using one of the bridges. The second was for a clean air zone which  would have charged the more polluting vehicles.

My problem with the first was that it taxed clean vehicles at the same rate as dirty vehicles, therefore creating no incentive to people to have a vehicle producing low emissions. My problem with the second proposal was that it was very likely to divert vehicles to the A1 and move the pollution up river to Blaydon.

Both proposals have now been dropped and yesterday at a members' seminar in Gateshead I learnt what the new proposal is. A clean air zone is proposed but it will be smaller than what was previously on offer. People will be able to use the bridges without incurring a charge. In the initial period of the zone's operation, cars would not be charged. Instead, the charge (as yet an unspecified amount) would fall on taxis, buses, vans and heavy goods vehicles.

The problem in my eyes is that we want more people to use buses but charging them to enter the clean air zone will push up fares. I pointed out that a bus that is quite dirty in its level of emissions while carrying 60 passengers will still produce less pollution that 60 people each travelling in their own vehicle.

The proposals come to cabinet on 17th September. They will then go out to consultation later this year.

Visiting Bamburgh and Seahouses

On Wednesday, wearing my Sunniside History Society chairman's hat, I went to Bamburgh Castle and Seahouses on our annual outing. 21 of us took the trip. A good time had by all. Photos from the trip are above.

Ditch digging

In preparation for a prime ministerial visit to our allotment, we have finished digging the ditch!

Low Fell eFocus no. 41

Last night edition 41 of the Lib Dem email newsletter for Low Fell was published. The key articles include:

• Tour of Britain Cycle Race comes to Low Fell
• Sponsors needed for Low Fell's Christmas tree and lights
• More flowers for Low Fell
• Flagstones replaced
• Welcoming Grace College
• Low Fell Library hosts Macmillian coffee morning

You can read eFocus on this link.

Delivering in Whickham

I was out in the Whickham pat of my ward on Tuesday. I had 300 Focuses to deliver. It took just over an hour to completed the patch.

But there's still more to do!

In praise of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act

We had a debate in Gateshead Council last year about the need for a referendum on any Brexit deal. This was at the time when Labour opposed a referendum but supported a "public vote". We were told by Labour during the debate that a public vote was NOT a referendum but refused to say what it was. But one of the most interesting contributions from Labour during the debate was the claim that the Fixed Term Parliament Act was "working class" legislation. This is such utter nonsense that I almost laughed when the comment was made. Stopping Conservative Prime Ministers from choosing the date of general elections to suit themselves and their political party is, instead, a positive. And we have seen the results of that over the past 24 hours. Parliament's decision not to back Johnson's call for an election means we are less likely to have a No Deal Brexit (though the possibility of dropping out of the EU is still very high). As No Deal is most likely to hit those on lower incomes the hardest, Labour's absurb class war rhetoric in Gateshead leaves them with egg on their faces.

We need an election like a hole in the head

I watched Johnson's speech last night and was a little lost for words. "Is that it?" I thought to myself. Nothing new. Just an attempt to move us to an election Johnson wants but claims he doesn't want. If a snap election is held, there will be an improved performance for the Lib Dems, Labour and Conservative votes will drop and the SNP may pick up seats. As Labour will drop more than the Conservatives, Corbyn is likely to lose seats to the Conservatives and some to the Lib Dems. It could hand Johnson a majority which he will claim is evidence of the nation being on his side in terms of Brexit. It is, of course, nothing of the sort and Johnson, at current trends, is polling a share of the vote which is little more than a third of those intending to vote.

We await developments but if Johnson calls an election and therefore sparks a Commons vote on going to the country (which needs a two thirds vote) Labour have made so much noise about having a general election that it will be difficult for them not to vote for one. Turkeys and Christmas spring to mind.

I suspect however that the people themselves are not keen on an election. Indeed, they probably want one like a hole in the head.

Cooking up history

Tuesday 3rd September will be the 80th anniversary of the declaration of war by the UK on Nazi Germany. We are marking that anniversary at the Sunniside History Society and today I spent a bit of time making some pies to wartime recipes: two homity (vegetarian) and one pigeon. The wartime quiz I have prepared is also ready: 30 questions mainly about social history of the war years and the immediate postwar period. It should be a great event.

Be careful what you hope for

When I attended the protest against the suspension of Parliament on Saturday in Newcastle, there were lots of speakers demanding a general election, under the expectation that it would lead to a majority Corbyn/Labour government. While I appreciate that Labour members will dream of a Labour government (though how many dream of a Corbyn led government is another point), the dream itself is not set in any basis of fact. Labour have been performing worse that the Conservatives in elections and opinion polls this year. The latter show that Labour have lost 40%-50% of their 2017 vote. This is hardly the stuff of election victories. Labour need to be careful what they hope for.

Under first past the post, a drop in vote share can still lead to an increase in Parliamentary representation. The issue is, how big is the lead of one party over another? If it is significant, regardless of share of the vote, the lead party wins a big majority. In the current circumstances, the Conservative vote has dropped, losing about a quarter of their vote share from 2017. They are typically polling in the low 30s, an historically low level beating even the dire Conservative performance in 1997. Labour however are in the low 20s. And that simply means that a snap autumn election is more likely to result in a Conservative majority. It is not a certainty. There are huge unknowns: will the Brexit Party stand and,if so, who do they damage the most?; will a Lib Dem recovery cost Labour and the Conservatives seats?; will the Conservatives be wiped out again in Scotland?

There's lots to think about, but there is no clear picture of what's around the corner other than that the Conservatives (the Johnson wing of it) are planning an election this autumn to take advantage of Labour weakness and to get rid of their Remain wing.

People's Vote Rally in Newcastle

Superb rally for the People's Vote campaign today in Newcastle. I was there along with hundreds of others. We heard a great set of speeches but the best was, in my humble opinion, Andrew Adonis. Anna Turley MP, Phil Wilson MP and Anna Soubry MP also spoke well. The question that is unanswerable at the moment however is: do we have enough time to stop the UK sliding over the edge of the No Deal Brexit cliff?