Nuremburg

We had a half day off from farming and politics today. Instead we headed to Newcastle to see the Nuremburg film before it is no longer shown. There were three of us in the cinema - me, David and a bloke who sat at the far end of the theatre away from us. The film itself was quite absorbing and interesting. It clearly demonstrates the dangers posed to society by individuals within it who wish to destroy democracy and grab power for themselves. Nuremburg put the Nazis on trial. Let's hope 80 years later we haven't forgotten the lessons.

After watching the film, we went on a shoe shopping trip. When I got to the last full council meeting in November, I discovered the sole of my shoe had split. And with a funeral coming up on Friday which I will be attending, I had no choice but to part with some cash for a new pair of shoes. I can't complain about the old pair. I got 16 years of wear out of them. And they will be repaired shortly.

Council by-election analysis - Labour's meltdown gets worse

I thought Labour's position through the autumn could not get worse. Well, I was wrong. Typically Labour had been losing half their share of the vote. Now they are losing three quarters in some contests. Pity the Labour candidates who have been given the poison chalice of standing in a council by-election knowing they are heading for an absolute drubbing. Meanwhile, the Greens continue to show no significant progress in the groundwar. Meanwhile, the Lib Dems were 3 seats short of a full complement in the contests held last week, though this is an increase in the number of candidates compared to the last time these wards were contested. The good news for the Lib Dems was that they continued to gain seats.

There was a reasonable sized crop of by-elections last week so lets start with Penyrheol in Caerphilly.

• This was a Plaid Cymru seat where the Welsh Nationalists already had a firm hold on the ward. They hold is now even firmer, rising by 6% to a luxuriously comfortable 60%.
• Reform came in 2nd but their vote share at 27% is towards the bottom of their usual range of 25-35%.
• 3rd placed Labour dropped from a reasonable 24% to a mere 7%. In other words, they were close to losing three quarters of their vote share.
• Coming in 4th place, the Conservatives dropped from 10% to 4%. Stoney ground for the Conservatives here.
• Bringing up the rear, the Lib Dems were battling in a ward where they had not previously fielded a candidate. Stoney ground for the Lib Dems as well.

The key point about this result is that putting in a strong local campaign can see off Reform. In this instance it was PC putting in the effort in the ground campaign. Meanwhile, yet again there is no Green candidate.

Whitburn and Blackburn, West Lothian Council

• Reform's first victory in an election in Scotland, they took 32%, towards the higher level of their current bandwith. Up to now, Reform by-election winners were nonexistent. They have now broken through the Reform glass ceiling. Remember, Scotland used single transferable vote in local elections but this was not enough to stop Reform.
• The SNP were second but despite STV, they were unable to capitalise on Labour's ongoing meltdown.
• Labour were defending the seat but came in 3rd place, with 17% and only 4% ahead of an independent.
• There were 8 candidates in total in this by-election. Cons, Lib Dems, Greens and another independent were just footnotes in this contest.

Seaton, East Devon Council

• The Lib Dems in Devon are on a roll. I read on Mark Pack's blog that they have won 13 by-elections in Devon in a row. That total includes this contest where the Lib Dems took another seat from the Conservatives, with 41%.
• Reform came second on 31%, beaten back by the strong showing of the Lib Dems. As with Caerphilly with PC, it demonstrates that Reform can be beaten when there is a strong campaign against them.
• Defending Conservatives were in 3rd place with 21%. In come contests, the winner got less than this. Kemi Badenoch has experienced a slender rise in her poll ratings but it was of no help in Seaton. 
• Notice the lack of both Labour and the Greens. The Green surge is now a flop.

Redhall and Lingfield, Darlington

• This one is a bit closer to home for me. It was in the North East, my home region.
• A Reform gain from Labour, giving them their first councillor in Darlington. At 37%, they were 2% above their usual bandwith. 
• Lib Dems came joint second on 17% in a ward that is new territory for them. This is a reasonable performance given this was a standing start.
• The Conservatives matched the Lib Dem performance to the exact vote (both got 157). What neither the Conservatives nor Lib Dems managed to do was to established themselves as the challengers to Reform in the ward. That was the bonus that helped Reform to a comfortable win.
• Labour, the defending party, came in 4th though they weren't that far behind (they got 152). Nevertheless, coming 4th shows how extensive is the Labour meltdown. Last time they had 54%, this time their vote was more like a rapidly melting glacier, down 37% to 17%.
• Greens on 10% and an Independent on 1% brought up the rear.

Armitage with Handsacre, Lichfield

• Hold onto your seats everyone! This one is for the history books. The Conservatives held on and did so comfortably with 47%. The Conservatives live to fight another day (just).
• Reform clocked up 2nd place with 32%, again towards the top end of their typical performance.
• Labour at 9%, Lib Dems on 7% and Greens on 5% were little more than spectators from a distance. It is possible that the Conservatives had managed to squeeze the other parties in the battle to beat Reform. A rare example of the Conservatives playing the squeeze vote card effectively.

There were 9 by-elections last Thursday and I still have to work my way through 4 of them. That's a job for the coming days.

Swalwell action day

 

Another Saturday and therefore another Gateshead Lib Dem action day. This time it was in Swalwell. I took a patch with 211 doors and delivered them in 40 minutes. While this sounds impressive, it should be pointed out that the patch I did was predominantly terraces with no front gardens. A bit of a doddle!

I then used the opportunity to go to Birtley North and finish a patch I had started delivering last Saturday. Lots of gardens and gates to get past in this patch so not as easy as Swalwell.

Cutting cake at the Tynesider

 

The cake that Gateshead Lib Dems had made as a replica of the derelict but still standing Flyover was moved to the Tynesider pub last night where Lib Dem Leader in Gateshead, Ron Beadle, gave Labour a lesson on how to demolish a structure! Cake was handed out to the pub's customers and Ron was called to the DJ's box to give an impromptu speech along the lines of Labour being unable to organise anything! (I put if politely.)

Let him eat cake

 

The Gateshead flyover closed to traffic a year ago today. The closure was an emergency measure because the 1960s structure was found to be unsound and bits were dropping off the edge. Labour Leader of Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon, told the BBC in March that the concrete eyesore would be demolished by the end of the year. Alas, with only 19 days left, it's looking like Martin's prediction is going to be somewhat off target.

To mark the anniversary of the closure and non-demolition, Gateshead Lib Dems had a cake made in the image of the flyover. Lib Dem Leader of the opposition Ron Beadle cut the cake in front of local journalists (who were the first to taste it.) Behind him, still standing, was the actual flyover.

The cake has now been taken to the Tynesider on Gateshead High Street. Lib Dems will be there tonight to help demolish and eat it. Martin Gannon is invited. We'll let him eat cake.

Safely predicted

 

I was in the Lib Dem office today to do a bit of printing. We have a Gateshead Lib Dem media event coming up tomorrow in Gateshead so the printing was for a handout flyer. We will be marking a year since the Gateshead Flyover was closed. Gateshead Labour leader Martin Gannon said in March that "I can safely predict [the Flyover] will be gone by the end of this year." (BBC 18th March 2025) It is, of course, still there as a grandiose landmark paying tribute to 1960s concrete architecture. With only 20 days of the year left, Martin's prediction may just miss the target.

Meanwhile, I am avoiding the temptation to safely predict that Martin will be gone at the local elections in May next year. 

Meeting Robo Dog

 

Yesterday at Gateshead Civic Centre there was a briefing for councillors on equipment that can be used to help older people wth dementia continue to live at home rather than go into a care facility. While most of the equipment had a passing resemblance to remote controls, ipads and mobile phones, my attention was drawn to this little critter which I dubbed Robo Dog. It is designed for people now suffering from dementia but previously had a pet dog. Robo Cat is also available. Apparently Robbo Cat can purr but not claw the furniture. No feeding needed and no need to clean up puddles and poo. 

I haven't kept dogs for over 40 years but I currently have two cats (called Bug and Eve) which do claw the furniture and need a constant supply of cat meat and water. I wonder if they can learn from Robo Cat on how to behave. Alas, I don't believe there are any sheep or goat versions!

Beating the flu bug

 

Last night we had the Gateshead West Lib Dem dinner at the Soho Tavern in Kibblesworth. Throughout the day I received a steady stream of messages from people apologising for not being able to make it to the dinner. The culprit was the flu bug that is circulating at the moment. Nevertheless, some of us made it to the restaurant. An excellent meal.

Blast from the past

 

While sorting some papers in my office at home recently, we came across this blast from the past. It was my election leaflet from April 1992 when I stood in Hexham, then the neighbouring constituency to where I lived in Gateshead. The haircut with a  left parting did not survive the election for long. The parting shifted to the middle. A few years later, the whole style changed again to what I have now - short with no parting. Sadly, the colour changed from brunette to grey, or as we prefer to say, silver! The good news is I still have the tie! The bad news is that I am slightly more enlarged around the waist so the suit had to go! It is a bit of a shock to the system to think this election was a third of a century ago. There are members of the Lib Dem group, and others aspiring to join us as Lib Dem councillors on Gateshead Council, who weren't even born when I went down to defeat in Hexham.

Beamish comes to Sunniside

 

The next meeting of Sunniside History Society will be on 7th January 2026. A speaker from the museum will give a talk about the recently added attractions, particularly in the 1950s town. As usual, all residents are welcome.

Birtley north action day

 

Another Saturday and another Gateshead Lib Dem action day. Today we were in Birtley North and Lamesley to deliver the latest Focus. Deliveries will continue over the next few days.