Afghan Groundhog Day

An amazing coincidence or a cynical ploy? Well, Gordon Brown is in Afghanistan on the day after his Chilcot Inquiry appearance. It's right that political leaders should see for themselves the conditions in which our troops serve, but Brown never does anything without considering the tactical advantages that can be gained politically.

It is of course all a bit of a groundhog day. Recall Brown's visit to Afghanistan in October 2007, coinciding with the Conservative conference. It was clear the visit was to knock the Tories off the headlines and was meant to be the springboard for the launch of a general election campaign. The only problem was he bottled out of calling the election. And as we all know now, the election will be announced shortly.
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It's amusing who you bump into in the Asda zepplin hangar

We are just pulling out of the Metrocentre Asda car park, having done one of those rare expeditions to a supermarket to buy the food we currently don't grow ourselves. It's the first time I've been to this store for about a decade and it always looks like a Zepplin hangar to me.

Anyway, by coincidence, at the next till to ours was a certain Labour Councillor from Gateshead. I waved. He nodded back and then left as quickly as possible. I have that effect on people! However he didn't leave fast enough for me to not spot the 4 bottles of Alberto Balsam he was buying. Not quite sure why he needed 4! Slapped wrists however. He didn't have a reusable shopping bag so took a disposable one instead. Not so good for the environment.

Anyway, here's to hoping your hair stays super clean!

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Labour choose new candidate

Congratulations to Councillor Ian Mearns. He is currently deputy leader of Gateshead Council but yesterday he was chosen as Labour's candidate for Gateshead constituency. I've known Ian for the past 23 years, since I was first elected as a councillor and I can't find a bad word to say about his character. He's an all round good bloke though were I a voter in his constituency (I live in Blaydon constituency) I would have to tell him that whilst he's a good guy, his party stinks!

Ian has been one of the figures on Gateshead Council leading the battle to beat ill health caused by smoking. Soon-to-be-former MP David Clelland spoke in the Commons from a much more pro-smoking position. I pointed out in a Gateshead Council debate on a motion calling for MPs to support anti-smoking legislation last year that there was something of a contradiction between Mr Clelland and his own troops on the council. I came in for heavy criticism from Labour councillors when I described the motion, which happened to be moved by Ian Mearns, as a shot across the bows of Mr Clelland. Perhaps it was actually a shot right into the bows of Mr Clelland. He's now going.

We are not going to give Ian an easy ride in the election. We are second in the constituency and my colleague Cllr Frank Hindle is our candidate for the coming contest. If Ian is elected, let's hope it will lead to an improvement in both the health of local residents and the representation of the borough in Parliament.

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The Mick Henry Life President Constitutional Amendment

Gateshead Council today and we had another discussion about the constitutional amendment to move us from the system in which the leader and cabinet are appointed every year by full council to one in which the leader is appointed only once and this person appoints the cabinet and remains in office until such time as his/her constituents turf him/her out as a councillor. This is a system that is imposed by the government but there is some leeway giving the council scope to decide how to sack a council leader.

And it is on that point that disagreements emerged again this afternoon. Labour have introduced a system in which a two-thirds majority is needed in council to sack the Leader. We argue that this is excessive and a simple majority should be used. If it's good enough for a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister, it's good enough for a leader of a council.

The effect of requiring a two-thirds vote is that in Gateshead Labour could lose an election, but as long as they have over a third of the seats, the Leader, and therefore Labour, will be able to continue to in office and run the council in the face of a Lib Dem majority on the authority. Hence the nickname we gave to the amendment, the Mick Henry Life President Amendment (Mick Henry being leader of the council). Alas, Mick jokingly said he liked the idea of being life president. The amendment is also dubbed the Mick Henry Longevity clause.

We did have an amendment on this but it was ruled out of order by the Mayor. Nevertheless we could still speak to the report which I did, despite repeated interruptions by Mick Henry. Given my previous comments on being interrupted by the Leader, my thanks go to Mick for his efforts to raise my profile within my group.

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The death of an old generation of politician

The death of Michael Foot marks the end of a generation of politicians who were great platform performers. As an historian, I came across Foot's family when I was doing research for my PhD. A great Liberal tradition was what he came from, though it was Labour's ranks into which he entered and eventually led.

He will be a loss for two reasons. He was greatly educated and widely read, a type of person of whom we need more in politics. But he was also a great platform performer, an approach which fell out of favour in the days of tv news soundbites and 24 hour news coverage.

Yet, with the decentralisation of communications created by the internet, platform performers like Michael Foot will find a new niche. The misfortune for Foot was that he was both too late and too soon for his time.

We have lost a great speaker and, in contrast to so much in politics today, we have lost someone who passionately believed in something, even though I do not necessarily share all those same beliefs.
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The boxing match of PMQs

I've just watched PMQs and it looked more like a back street boxing match than ever before. The health warning on this blog post is that I am biased but even taking that into account, the calm and dry presentation of Vince Cable was head and shoulders above the shrill Lady Harriet. Given a choice between listening to nails being scratched down a blackboard and the voice of Labour's deputy leader, I feel the blackboard would win!

In terms on the contest between Lady Harriet and failed boy wonder of the Conservatives, I think Hague was ahead on points. But the Ashcroft issue is certainly going to dog the Conservatives. And for good reason too.

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25,000 council jobs to go

The BBC has been leading with the story that 25,000 jobs are to go this coming year in English local government. Not unexpectedly, the biggest losses are in Birmingham, the biggest council in the country.

Job losses are common across authorities of all political persuasions. The main reason is simply that there is less money in the coming year for local government to spend. The biggest drop in income is due to the government reducing what is given to councils to spend. Given that for every four pounds spent by councils, three come from central government, any cut by ministers to the overall level of grants awarded to councils will have serious consequences.

Secondly, the income councils receive from other sources have been hit by the recession. Most have capital reserves that previously paid good interest. Nearly every council earned interest on their revenue balances. But interest rates are now next to nothing. Income from commercial property has also gone down. There has, after all, been a recession. So cash sources have been drying up.

The other main source is council tax. Given that central government will only allow limited rises, and council tax payers can stand only so much in terms of tax demands, council tax alone cannot take the strain caused by the loss of other revenue.

So, budgets have to be cut. Labour postures that spending will not be cut yet to protect the recovery. Their posturing is of course completely artificial. They have already started the cuts. They may not be as bad as what is to come, but they are still happening. There needs to be a bit of honesty from Labour about that.

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Heading home with a stack of videos

In a fit of excessive precaution, I left my house in London to catch the train and then Tube to Kings Cross for the 2.30pm train to Newcastle. I am heading home after 10 days of filming in Westminster with a couple of trips to Greenwich and Oxfordshire to take a few memory cardfulls of photos. Alas, I have arrived at KX with 50 minutes to spare. So I am making use of the new seating area in the station to write another blog post and read the book which I brought for this trip to London and barely had time to touch, "Victorian Farm".

I have a whole stack of videos to edit from this trip which will keep me going for the next week. Also needed this week is the next edition of Parliamentary Campaigner. For non-Lib Dems reading this, it is a campaign newsletter I edit for Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidates. It needs to be done for Friday. Sadly, I'm not expecting to get out much over the coming days!

I have however timed my train to get me back in time for the Gateshead Lib Dem council group meeting at 6pm tonight. We have John Robinson, boss of the council's waste management system, speaking to us tonight to update us on arrangements for the forthcoming waste disposal system. Should be interesting and not something I want to miss.

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What if?....Cameron fails

Having argued for over two years that the outcome of the general election is likely to be one in which no party wins a majority, the Yougov poll yesterday, giving the Conservatives a lead of only 2% highlights the possibility that they may not become the largest party in Parliament. I speculated last week about Brown possibly being strengthened against his own party if he leads a minority Labour government (a likely outcome with Labour as the largest party after polling day.) Now we need to speculate on what such an outcome means for Cameron.

Having seen the perception of his party shift from being an election winner to one in which Cameron may remain Leader of the Opposition, the right wing of his party may see the chance to strike. They have remained silent (or largely so) in the face of Cameron's so-called modernisation of the Tories. Occasionally they get tossed a bit of true blue Tory meat (eg turning marriage into a tax avoidance scheme) but generally they have looked on Cameron as the Tory Trojan horse who will get them inside government. If he fails to deliver that, and fails badly (coming second in terms of votes means doing badly) he could be for the chop. The Tory right, having stomached his modernisation for long enough, may well agitate for his removal.

The issue then is, will the Conservatives enter a bout of internal war or pull together under Cameron? Do they delay the day of Cameron's reckoning as a second election is a strong possibility?

Interesting times ahead.
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The calm before the storm

I am due in Oxfordshire tomorrow to do a set of photos for one of the constituencies there. Inevitably, I have been paying attention to the weather forecasts. Typically, a massive storm is on its way. It is somewhere over the Iberian Peninsula at the moment but it is expected to hit southern England tomorrow. So I am likely to get rather wet.

Currently it is patchy sun. The calm before the storm.

Talking of calm before the storm, for the first time ever the Conservatives have put out a leaflet outside an election in Blaydon constituency. Actually, come to think of it, they never normally put out leaflets even during local elections in Blaydon either.

Anyway, it's an 8 page leaflet all about the local links of the candidate (well, a bit about the local links and the rest about the Tories nationally). Alas, I can reveal however that the candidate actually lives over 400km from Blaydon in Tunbridge Wells. It inspires headlines about "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells".

He complains in his leaflet that Blaydon is "dominated by the Lib Dem - Labour political machines". It sounds like an admission of no Tory action in the area. Anyway, I doubt this candidate will be looking to sweep to victory. His party scored a whopping 8% here at the last general election. Tory efforts will be directed at places like Tynemouth instead.

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The Mad Mad World of Labour in Northumberland

I blogged recently on the absurd and ridiculous posturing of Ronnie Campbell, Labour MP for Blyth Valley in Northumberland. One week he was slagging off the Lib Dem minority administration in the county for supporting an equestrian event which he dubbed "a weekend outing for toffs" and the following week he was full of praise for the event.

Ronnie comes from a Labour tradition in Northumberland of bluster, inconsistency and shambolic posturing. His Labour colleagues on the county illustrated that tradition yesterday.

Northumberland had been run by Labour for decades until 2008 when they crashed to third party status in the elections. The Lib Dems leapfrogged everyone to become the first party but without a majority. No vote in council can therefore be taken for granted and the story of the past couple of years has been one of Labour and Tory grandstanding and, especially with the Tories, blocking a proposed policy at a council meeting and then abstaining on it when it is brought back in exactly the same form the following month. An abstention in effect counts as a vote to let it through.

This year's budget process has followed the same path. On 10th February, Tories and Labour joined forces in an unholy alliance to vote out the budget despite having no alternative of their own tabled at the meeting. Yesterday the same budget came back with only one very minor change. The Tories announced they were going to abstain. Then someone got up from the Labour group and announced that they had originally planned to abstain but on seeing the Tories were doing just that, they would now vote against!

An interesting uturn performed in the middle of a meeting.

I attended the Northumberland council meeting on 10th February (I missed the one yesterday as I am filming in London this week but I was told what happened as soon as the meeting was over.) What I witnessed earlier this month was the most unbelievably shambolic shower that has ever passed itself off as a Labour group. Some Labour contributions must have made any sensible Labour member cringe with embarrassment. They were so bad they were funny.

With people like that dominating Labour in Northumberland, a speedy recovery for Gordon Brown's party in the county is looking less and less likely.
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What if...? The Gordon Brown survival manual

I've just finished a weekend of filming and photographing candidates and I'm sitting on the train at London Bridge waiting to go back to the flat. The news is of Brown the bully in the press. Well, this is hardly news. He's known for brooding and being bad tempered. Basically he is not well tailored for the job of PM.

Nevertheless, PM he currently is. How long he remains is yet to be seen. There are a number of different possible outcomes at the general election. The most likely, which I have argued for the past two years, is that there will be no overall majority majority for any party. Labour losing does not mean the Conservatives have won. What if Labour loses but is still the largest party? What happens to Brown then?

Does Labour continue in office and if so, with Brown as Leader and PM? Losing a Parliamentary majority at the election is not necessarily a requirement to leave office. If Labour were to remain in office, could they get rid of Brown if they wanted to? Certainly his determination to hold on has been demonstrated over the past two years. Indeed, it could be a scenario in which Brown feels more secure: the election behind him, the Tories haven't won, he's still in office, Labour are trying to run a majority government. Hardly the time to attempt a prime ministerial political assassination.

And even if Labour are not the largest party, Brown may still survive as long as the Tories are short of a majority. The chances are, there will be a second election (I would put my money on May 2011 if I were a betting man - which I am not.) Labour may want to avoid a leadership challenge if they go into opposition to a minority Conservative government for fear that a bout of infighting could tempt the Tories to go even earlier and tempt the country to give Cameron a majority.

So Brown the bully? Tell us something we didn't know. Brown the quitter? No, he isn't! We may all be stuck with him for some time to come. His survival manual would certainly make for interesting reading.
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James Purnell photoshops himself out of politics

Former cabinet minister who turned out to be a failed anti-Brown suicide bomber, James Purnell, has announced he is to leave Parliament at the general election. So another Labour MP, and another Blairite, passes through the Labour resignation floodgates.

Apart from his attempt to sink Brown the moment the Euro-election polls closed last year, Purnell is memorable for only one other event. He was late for a photo call at a hospital in Greater Manchester, so he had himself photoshopped into the photo he missed. Now he has photoshopped himself out of politics.
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On a train but no sign of Nicholas Winterton

I have just got onto a very crowded train heading from Newcastle to London. Standard class, please note. For ten years I did the weekly commute to London and in most instances I travelled by cattle waggon class. Sometimes I would get my hands on a cheap first class ticket. But not very often and not today.

So the comments by Tory MP Nicholas Winterton really caught my attention. He doesn't want to mix with the sort of people who frequent standard class. They will disturb him, they look over his shoulder, generally they are from the lower orders and should know their place in society is certainly not something that merits first class. Nasty Nick, it seems, wants to travel with nice businessmen in the comfort of first class, paid for by the taxpayer.

Well, many businessmen travel standard class. It's precisely what I am doing now. I'm heading to London not because I want a jolly time, but because I run a business and I have 20 customers there who I am seeing over the coming week. All businessmen know that the business will fail if costs aren't kept under control. The smaller the business, the more the lid has to be kept on costs.

Nasty Nick's comments are both offensive and inaccurate. And on the small number of times I have travelled first class, I don't find the people there behave any differently than those travelling in standard class at the other end of the train. The only difference in first class is that people have more room and comfort to behave like people in standard class. But his comments also show he just does not get it when it comes to the expenses saga.

I guess all political parties suffer from loose canons. Certainly the Wintertons have been firing off in all directions over the past year. The good news is that it's the Conservatives who have been damaged the most by his self-destructive actions.

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"Horse fetish MP" gallops to u-turn but fails to scare the horses!

It's official! There's only one entry in this year's Anti-Toff Class War Gold Cup and the runner in this prestigious horse race is Ronnie Campbell, Labour MP for Blyth Valley, riding his horse, Class Warrior. Ronnie, bless him, has been providing us with light entertainment and amusing relief from the realities of politics for many years. His ability to avoid serious political comment is well respected despite the competition from some of his Labour colleagues for the glamorous position of "MP Least Likely To Be Taken Seriously".

Unfortunately however, the Anti-Toff Class War Gold Cup 2010 one horse race has ended in disaster with Ronnie falling at the first U-turn! Last week Ronnie laid into Lib Dem run Northumberland Council for supporting an equestrian event in this otherwise rural county where the economy is heavily dependent on tourists visiting and spending wads of cash in local hotels, shops and businesses. (Though there is an urban area in the South East of the county which is represented by Ronnie in Parliament.)

According to Ronnie, the equestrian event was a "weekend outing for toffs". He implied that the cash for this horsey event (from the government's Working Neighbourhoods Fund) should be spent instead on social care for his elderly constituents, despite his own government strictly forbidding the money being spent in that way (it has to be spent on projects that boosts employment).

But, as Ronnie approached the first bend in the race, lots of local residents laid into him for his comments. So Ronnie has changed horses mid way through the race. Class Warrior has been abandoned in favour of a new horse called Toffs Are Welcome Here!

Yes, Ronnie has turned from Class Warrior into New Labour, New Toffs, We-Love-The-Rich-and-Especially-Their-Horses Warrior in the space of just a few days.

According to Ronnie, the confusion over his position is because the local press "has not fully understood the point I was making." Apparently, when Ronnie says that public cash should not be spent on a "weekend outing for toffs", what he means is: let's spend lots of cash on this wonderful event to attract these wonderful people and their horses to Northumberland." Just how Ronnie was misunderstood is beyond me!

This however is not Ronnie's first hoof-in-mouth experience when it comes to horses. Not that long ago Ronnie, bless him, was approached by the organisers of National Fetish Day to wear something purple to support the cause. Ronnie obliged and promised to wear a purple shirt (we don't know if it was a jockey shirt).

But when approached by a local newspaper to be asked why he was backing the fetish cause, Ronne, bless him, explained that he thought the word fetish meant "Worry, like worrying about backing the wrong horse." !!!!!

Ronnie may not yet scare the horses but it is time to put him out to grass!

Latest edition of Northern Democrat

This is the latest edition of Northern Democrat. Number 48, it features the two visits by Nick Clegg to the North East. Alas, I missed both visits as I was tied up on business on each of them (shooting videos for other people) so my thanks go to the regional office for supplying the photos of the visit.

Northern Democrat No 48 Feb 10

"Football hooligan" set to be chosen as Labour candidate

Labour will announce their candidate for Wansbeck constituency in Northumberland on Monday where they are defending a majority of 10,000. Favourite to win the nomination is National Union of Miners boss Ian Lavery. Given Mr Lavery's background, the Blairites must be turning, indeed spinning, in their graves. Mr Lavery, it turns out, has convictions for football hooliganism, according to the Mail and Times.

Mr Lavery's football related crime allegations go back to 1985 when he was successfully prosecuted. According to the Mail, he was also arrested 6 times for activities carried out during the failed and botched miners strike in 1984-5.

In 2005, according to the Mail, he claimed he had 'absolutely no respect for the police'. He also claims to be the 'natural successor to Arthur Scargill'.

And when Lady Thatcher went into hospital last year, apparently he said, 'I for one would not be sorry had Thatcher not been coming out of hospital.'

Mr Lavery seems to come from Labour's Jurassic era. Deep mining has gone from Wansbeck. The area is changing. Morpeth is the main town in the constituency and is full of residents who have never had anything to do with coal mining, or football hooliganism, who would be horrified with Mr Lavery's record. Morpeth is also a substantially Liberal Democrat town.

Ashington, one of the other towns in the constituency, has also seen the rise of the Lib Dems in recent years.

So, Wansbeck could make for an interesting battle in the general election.

Finally, I have experienced being in a meeting that has been addressed by Mr Lavery. It was on 19th January 2008. This is the tongue-in-cheek piece I wrote in my diary following the meeting:
Ian Lavery, big honcho in the NUM gave a presentation on "clean coal". ...

We heard an hour's rant about the failure of the government to back coal and how disgraceful was the decision of the government to build new nuclear power stations. (At last, something with which I could agree.)

And Mr Lavery's solution to global warming - errrr....build more coalfired power stations. After all, if the Chinese can do so, why not the Brits?

Mr Lavery's Old Labour bull in the New Labour chinashop style speech (hereafter refered to as a lot of old bull) even found time to hero worship St Arthur Scargill, saviour of the coal industry in the 1980s when evil Baroness Thatcher of Falkland Island attempted to boost the tourism industry of the UK by converting pits into museums.

Mind you, I have seen before Labour candidates indulging in pathetic political posturing to win selection as candidate. But once elected they turn into poodles, doing as they are told by the Labour whips, voting for privatisation, Trident, new nuclear power stations, higher taxes on the poor and so on. Everything they said they were against.

Meanwhile, the Lavery article in the Mail can be found at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1250216/Football-hooligan-miners-union-hardman-run-Labour-seat-party-veers-Left-election.html

Purile drivel from this ridiculous MP

Ronnie Campbell is the Labour MP for Blyth Valley. He never got off the backbenchers. Somehow, neither Blair nor Brown saw fit to bring him into government. With Campbell's most recent pronouncements, it is not difficult to see why his "abilities" have not been put to any use by Labour Prime Ministers (if indeed any use can be put to his "abilities.)

Mr Campbell loves to fight the class war. Indeed, I remember when he was first elected in 1987, he made a big fuss about accepting only an "working class" wage, rather than the pay of an MP. That was quietly dropped and more recently the expenses scandal drove him to offer to repay thousands he claimed for purchases bought in shops that most of us would regard as not normally frequented by the "working classes".

Anyway Mr Campbell's most recent move has been to attack Lib Dem run Northumberland County Council for supporting an equestrian event which he dubbed "a weekend for toffs". So, what is all the fuss about?

The County Council has provided a grant from the Government's Working Neighbourhood Fund of £80,000 to support the equestrian event in rural Northumberland. So that means the event had to be agreed by the government in the first place. The benefit to the local economy of this event is great. 5,000 visitors buying local services and staying in local hotels. Think of the jobs. Think of the extra money ringing through the tills of local businesses.

Mr Campbell doesn't think of them. He said, "It is a weekend out for toffs...making sure the rich and the so-called elite of the county have a good weekend out."

He then suggested the money could be spent on care of the elderly and disabled. That of course would not be allowed by his own government. The money can only be spent on activities that boost employment.

The area where the event will be held is very rural. Equestrian businesses are important to the local economy, as are hotels and other tourist centres. Mr Campbell may look back in sorrow at the loss of the old, heavy industries but the world has moved on. Mr Campbell hasn't and he prefers to fight a class war rather than work with the local council to help find new jobs in the real world.

I'm glad to see that Northumberland Council's leader, Jeff Reid, put the boot in on Mr Campbell this morning. And it's time to scrutinise much more Mr Campbell's claims, words and actions more closely. Watch this space!
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So Cameron is disgusted?

David Cameron is "disgusted" that Labour MPs are attempting to hide behind the Bill of Rights and Parliamentary privilege to avoid prosecution for expenses fraud. Errrr, what about feeling disgusted about the Tory peer who is doing the same?

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Student fees: an interesting example of Labour forgetting their own decisions

In my occasional monitoring of what candidates from other parties are saying, I came across this video from Labour's Luke Pollard who is contesting what is for Labour the no hope seat of Devon South West. It is about a meeting hosted by the National Union of Students on the issue of tuition fees.

Mr Pollard is joined by Linda Gilroy, a Labour MP in Plymouth. Judging by what both said, any viewer would be forgiven for thinking tuition fees had nothing to do with Labour and that the Labour government was on the brink of a vast reform that will sweep away the problems created by charging students for their education. It certainly doesn't sound like a party that created the system in the first place.

One million viewings on YouTube

Well, I have hit the milestone. One million viewings of my videos on YouTube. Or to be precise, 1,000,012.

So if you want to boost my viewings (and my advertising revenue as well!) visit my channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/jonathanwallace.

My top video is "Inside a former secret, Soviet, submarine base" which I filmed inside a nuclear bomb proof submarine bunker inside a mountain in the Crimea, Ukraine, in 2006. It has 142,507 viewings, boosted by its status as a YouTube featured video.



Number 2 is the video I shot on the London Eye. I filmed this on a cheap Casio camera that had no microphone. Viewing figures are 138,125.



Number 3 is Copacabbana Beach in Rio de Janiero where I also happened to film the QEII sailing out into the Atlantic. 85,936 viewings.



Number 4 is now the fastest rising on my site. Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai. It's the world's only 7 star hotel. Alas, I wasn't staying there. 63,665 viewings.



Number 5 is "Santiago de Cuba", filmed in 2006 in Cuba. 35,416 viewings.



Number 6 is "View from the Petronas Towers" which I filmed from the Skybridge between the two towers, 43 storeys up. If you are ever in Kuala Lumpur, they are worth a visit. 20,178 viewings.



Number 7 is "Gauchos and Horse Riding" which I filmed on a ranch in Argentina in 2005. 17,085 viewings.



Number 8 is "New York at Night from the Empire State Building" which was recently become a YouTube featured video. 16,017 viewings but likely to rise faster now. I filmed this in 2003though only more recently added it to YouTube.



Number 9 is "Cruise on the Nile" which I filmed in January 2005. Whilst everyone was freezing back in Britain, I was getting hot with the camera in temperatures of 30C! 15,801 viewings.



And number 10 is "Pyramids and the Sphinx", filmed in November 2004. 14,606 viewings.



So, it seems my travel videos are getting many more viewings that my gardening, cooking, self-sufficiency and political videos.

Searched under Terrorism Act

Section 44 of the Terrorism Act gives the police the right to stop and search people who are taking photos in public places. Well, there I was next to the Churchill statue in Parliament Sq this morning, waiting for some MPs and candidates to turn up and have their pictures taken when I found a policeman standing next to me. I was actually working on my blackberry at that point.

Anyway, he asked me what I was doing, asked for some for of ID (he had to make do with my debit card) and looked inside my bag. It contained one Nikon SLR and one Sony video camera, a notebook, a pen and a pair of sunglasses and two microphones and spare tapes for the camera. He didn't ask to see the contents of the camera. All it contained however was 100 photos of John Barrett MP taken half an hour earlier.

The policeman filled in a form and in the process asked if I was "white British". It left me wondering if I were checked just so the numbers of non-whites stopped and searched didn't look too disproportionate.

Parliament Sq is of course full of foreign tourists snapping away at one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the image of Parliament is already spread around the globe. Quite what can be gained from stopping and searching in this way and in this location is not clear. Anyway, I cooperated. My details were checked. They were happy I was not an Islamic bomber or a member of the militant wing of the Green Allotments Liberation Front (or the Front for the Liberation of Green Allotments!)

I really wonder whether or not this is a good use of police time. Is it effective? Is it being used sensibly? I was under the impression that the last time there was a hoohaa about section 44, the government said it should be used sparingly and sensitively.

Given that so many photographers have been stopped and searched under this legislation, I'm not sure whether it should be a badge of honour or treated as an infringement of my right to go about my legitimate activities. Discuss.


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Clare Short speaks with the benefit of bitter hindsight

The remarkable attack today by Clare Short on Blair and Brown over Iraq at the Chilcot Inquiry may have the power to produce headlines but it doesn't throw much light on her own role. She spoke with an incredible degree of bitterness and a considerable amount of hindsight. Her claim that the Cabinet was misled by legal officers claiming the war was legal is all very well but there were clear doubts being expressed at the time, not just about the legality, but also about the moral case for war and about the evidence. Frank Cook, her Cabinet colleague, did resign before the war. She resigned after the invasion. And I wonder whether her allegations of being marginalised by Blair are more to do with the possibility Blair was likely to find her a waste of space rather than a troublesome minister with a mind of her own.

Don't get me wrong, I opposed the war as I thought at the time the evidence was shallow and unbelievable. Clare Short however looks like someone rewriting history to obscure the fact she didn't take a stand until it was far too late.
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Tories - like nailing jelly to a wall

First there was the Tory plan for social engineering and making marriage into a tax avoidance scheme. The policy changed twice in one day. Now we have spending plans mark II. The Tories re not, as of this weekend, going to be tough on spending, well, not this week at any rate. Maybe next week they will be.

Press the Tories hard enough on any policy and they will change it. Pinning them down on what they believe in and will do in government is like trying to nail jelly to a wall.

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Retiring MP opens up race for heartland seat

David Clelland, Labour MP for Tyne Bridge, whose profile was raised significantly by the MP expenses issue (buying an "oriental rug" at taxpayers' expense, financing an "equity release scheme" for his wife at taxpayers' expense and clocking up massive travel expenses for his wife) has announced he is quitting at the election. He also clocked up a large bill for flying between London and Newcastle. So it's goodbye to him. He says he will be too old to continue and wants to enjoy his retirement.

So, now that Mr Clelland has departed on his flying oriental rug, who will be in the running for the new Gateshead constituency which, at the last election was something like Labour's 40th safest seat, under the new boundaries?

This was a question I put to a Labour member on Thursday. To my surprise this person expressed a strong interest in standing. I will of course remain silent as to who I asked as I rather like the person and think he will do a good job as MP. Any endorsement from me is likely to kill off his/her chances immediately within Labour ranks.

We are of course mounting a strong challenge in Gateshead constituency in the form of Frank Hindle, the councillor with the largest vote of any cllr elected in the constituency. Should be an interesting fight, both in the Labour party and in the constituency.

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Blair performance as expected

I missed much of the coverage of the Blair appearance at the Iraq inquiry yesterday because I was travelling to London. What bits I did pick up were not complimentary. It seems his performance however was just what I expected. No regrets, the world is a better place as a result of the war, he did no wrong. No contrition. No apology. He's do it all again.

Perhaps he has been living in a parallel universe. He certainly doesn't inhabit the real world.
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Putting best foot forward for healthy living

Yesterday saw the launch of Gateshead Council's healthy living campaign. Councillors are taking part to encourage others to do so as well. Last week we were asked to make a commitment to change something in our lifestyle that will lead to better health. Yesterday the launch involved a walk from the old town hall, down to the Quayside and back again. I decided to bring some extra weights to carry in the form of my cameras. This of course meant that for the photo op, I was on the wrong side of the camera and other than a few shots one of the photographer took with my camera, I didn't get to star in the pics.

However, I did snap this one. Not sure if it is Council Leader Mick Henry explaining to an officer he doesn't like his report, or he is just posing for the photo!



The following was taken on the Millennium Bridge. A case of putting best foot forward to encourage people to take exercise every day. I'm the one in the red coat in the middle.



Meanwhile, yesterday evening I went over to Newcastle Business School for the launch of "The Three Secrets of Green Business" by Griff Kane, a Lib Dem councillor in Newcastle. There was a healthy contingent of Lib Dems there including Neil Bradbury.



Griff (real name Gareth) with his book (1500 already sold!):



And finally, where there is Jonathan, the laws of nature dictate you find cameras:

Back to the joys of train travel

I am due in London this evening for the start of a week of shooting video and taking photos. This is the first time I have caught the London train for nearly 2 months. And would you believe it, it is late. I hope this isn't a foretaste of how East Coast is going to operate though they couldn't do worse than National Excess.

I am of course missing the coverage of Tony Blair at the Chilcott Inquiry. I will have to catch up with it over the weekend, in between shooting videos. I don't expect any expression of regret from him.

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Speaking at the CBI

The CBI in the North East are holding a conference today for rising stars of the business world. They are having a political panel discussion and I have been invited as the Lib Dem speaker. Labour will be represented by Nick Forbes, their leader on Newcastle Council, and the Conservatives by Wendy Morton, their Tynemouth candidate. I am on my way there on the bus now. The event will be held in the Baltic Art Gallery.
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Gateshead Democrat January edition published

This is the latest edition of our Gateshead Lib Dem members' newsletter. Happy reading!

Gateshead Democrat Jan 10

Meeting to discuss anti-social behaviour

My main task today was to go to Whickham to have a meeting with local police, neighbourhood wardens, environmental services and neighbourhood officers to discuss anti-social behaviour in the area. Last year, after discussions with the police, we carried out a survey of 500 homes in the area nearest some of the hotspots and got replies from over 100. My colleague, Cllr Peter Craig put a report together about the results and the meeting was held to discuss the results.

Overall, a useful meeting and we hope to be moving forward on some of the matters we discussed.

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Bumping along at the bottom is the best it gets

As expected, the economy has moved from recession to growth. Yet with a growth rate of 0.1%, it means we are bumping along at the very bottom, barely escaping recession. Gross domestic product fell 4.8% in 2009, the biggest fall since records began in 1949. So we are over the worst but there are big difficulties still in the economy. The next few months could see a slip back into recession.

Nevertheless, expect Labour to shout loudly that everything is now wonderful and that the Lib Dems and Conservatives will eat your babies for breakfast.
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The BBC interview

We recorded the BBC Politics Programme as we have been in York over the weekend. I have only just watched it now. Well, I had about 10 seconds! A pity the BBC didn't keep in the bit I said about actually supporting 1NG, (the local development company) and the concept of the conference centre for Gateshead the issue I raised was that it is still not clear in detail how it will be paid for and if Gateshead makes a capital contribution, what gives to pay for it?
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Boy George: Do you really want to hurt me?

President Obama's decision to adopt Liberal Democrat policy on breaking up the banks has certainly caught the headlines. It should be remembered that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling have consistently opposed moves against the banks when called for by Vince Cable. Now, they say, Obama's proposals are the best thing since sliced bread.

But the response of George Osborne is the most remarkable. Boy George claims to be at the forefront of this policy, suggesting Obama has come into line with the Tory position. This is of course the man who attacked Labour's weak regulation of the financial markets on the eve of the recession as being far too heavy. Even less regulation was needed, he claimed.

So are we really meant to believe that Boy George has completely uturned and become some kind of red rinse Tory? I find it a bit hard to swallow. I just can't believe they are going to take action against the banks that will hurt them.

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Interviews, grills and pledges: Thursday in action

The last time I did a big interview for the BBC, it wasn't broadcast, despite having put in a large amount of work and research for the programme (it was Panorama over a year ago - I was interviewed about opencast mining). I am a bit more hopeful that the interview I did this morning will be broadcast. It was for the BBC Politics Programme, North East edition. Mark Denten interviewed me about how the proposed conference centre for Gateshead will be paid for. I'm not going to go into the details of it now. I'll save it for another day. I feel a little more confident that this interview will be broadcast. Fingers crossed for Sunday. The programme starts on BBC1 at midday.





The 2 photos above were taken at the interview. In the 2nd one, it looks like I'm playing the air guitar! Maybe I thought I was performing at the nearby Sage Concernt Hall!

Inevitably I took an interest in the camera they were using. Meanwhile, Mark asked me if all my stories on my blog about jam making and growing our own food was spin. Sadly, it is all for real! And with 5 tonnes of manure due shortly for our allotment, this politician for one will be up to his eyeballs in muck shortly!

Then to the Civic Centre where a group of children from Fellside Primary School grilled us on life as a councillor. We were told to expect questions about what time we get up in the morning and when do we eat dinner. We ended up instead with questions about whether we need qualifications (Council Deputy Leader Ian Mearns said no but pointed to me - as the only Doctor in the Council village - saying that I had a bagful of them: "Not sure if they have helped me!" I joked); what age do you have to be to stand; is it a privilege to be a councillor and what are our greatest achievements (I think mine was to survive the grilling!)

Shortly before full council we did the next part of our promotion of healthy lifestyles. We had to write on a note something we were pledging to change in our lifestyles to make us healthier. The note then went on to a display where everyone could read it. I announced I was giving up nibbling between meals. So out go the cheese, chocolate shortcake (with caramel), salami (yes, I confess, one of my favourite nibbles, but they are very very thin!) and other such foods. Eating is to be done at meal times, unless it's health fruit etc.

Photos below - my ward colleagues Cllr John McClurey and Cllr Marilynn Ord and I agree to change our lifestyles for something healthier:

BBC interview

I am currently heading on the bus to central Gateshead to meet up with Mark Denten from the BBC Politics Programme (North East edition). He is going to interview me about the funding of the proposed conference centre that is being considered for the Gateshead Quays area. The problem at the moment is that I am stuck in the traffic congestion in Bensham. My bus has taken 10 minutes to move forward 10 metres!

This afternoon is full council. I'll report later on how I get on at both.
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Funeral for a local lad lost in Afghanistan

David Watson was a soldier in the Royal Engineers. He was raised in Whickham, went to school there and his family still lives there. He was on active service in Afghanistan and it was whilst on duty on New Year's Eve that he tragically lost his life to a road side bomb at the age of 23. He went there to save lives and did so by making the ultimate sacrifice himself.

His funeral service was held today in St Mary's Church in Whickham. I attended. So did hundreds of others. Outside the church, hundreds of residents also gathered to pay their last respect.

David Watson RIP

I can appreciate his disappointment

Say what you might about Blaydon Labour MP David Anderson, and I often do, but one issue that he has led on and which is close to his heart is the campaign for compensation for sufferers of pleural plaques, a form of asbestosis. A judgement by the House of Lords a few years ago overturned the previous position in which sufferers were entitled to compensation. David Anderson is campaigning for that previous position to be restored.

He was due to team up with a group of likeminded MPs and meet Gordon Brown last week to take the issue further. However, the meeting was cancelled by Downing St and Mr Anderson is, understandably, angry and disappointed.

He said, "It is imperative that the government departments who will have financial responsibilities accept their responsibility and work with us to put through the legislative changes required to reinstate the previous position. The Prime Minister needs to tell them to get on and do it. We are not going away."

I can appreciate his disappointment and frustration. I can also see where Mr Anderson is coming from. This is an illness that is more likely to afflict people who worked in the old heavy industries. Sorting out their compensation is clearly needed but the danger now is that many will not live to see it.

So on this issue Dave, good luck and hopefully you are successful.

Burstow to Brown: go to police with your election rigging claims

Nick Brown, Labour's Chief Whip, made unfounded allegations of electoral fraud against Newcastle City Council's ruling Liberal Democrats earlier this week. He claimed he could not trust the Lib Dem council with ballot boxes and papers to be left overnight so that counting could take place in the day after polling day.

His groundless comments have caused a storm of protest. Now, Lib Dem chief whip Paul Burstow has written to Brown demanding he raise the matter with the police rather than the press.

Paul wrote, "...you are accusing the ruling group on the council of vote rigging because the count is being held on the Friday."

He then went on to write, "I believe that unless you have evidence, this is an unfounded attack on the integrity and independence of the officials responsible for running and overseeing the electoral process. You will know very well that these officials are not affiliated to any party.

"If you have evidence of any conspiracy to rig the election you should be passing it to the police not issuing press releases condemning officials who are in no position to defend themselves. I hope you will take this opportunity to apologise to the officials concerned and withdraw your remarks."

In reply Brown simply reiterated his allegations were about the Lib Dems, not officials.

So everyone, no withdrawal of his claims, no evidence to back them, no specific allegations, just a vile smear from the man who is at the heart of the Labour party. Watch out folks, I think we can see the desperate tactics Labour will use in the coming general election.

Meanwhile, my colleague, Clare Mills, who works in Alan Beith's office, pointed out to me this morning that Friday counts in Berwick are the norm. There have been no problems with fraud, vote rigging or any other misdemeanours.

And here in Gateshead, we have Friday counts for local elections now. The process goes smoothly. Officers behave with the greatest integrity - and so do both the parties on the council, Lib Dems and Labour. Maybe Mr Brown should venture across the Tyne to speak to his Labour colleagues who, on this issue at least, have a saner view of the world.

Northern Democrat now published

Thanks to my former colleague Mark Pack for posting up a government document on his site using Scribd. I have to confess I had never come across this site before but now that I have, I've signed up and can now put various publications for which I am responsible directly onto the web.

The following is the Northern Democrat which I finished last night and which is about to be emailed to Lib Dems in the north.

North East Democrat No 47 Jan 10

4 meetings

I was in the bizarre situation yesterday of walking to a meeting in the morning in Gateshead because it was quicker that using any vehicle on the roads. I was supposed to be in Gateshead at 9am. I am taking part in a health promotion drive with other councillors and it starts with a health check. That was my 9am meeting. The bus I got from Sunniside took me as far as the Teams when I decided that the traffic was so congested it was time to put my legs into action and walk the rest of the route. The last I saw of the bus was when I got to the end of the Redheugh Bridge. I could see it in the distance, barely moved from the bus stop where I had decided to get off.

I was of course late by then. Arrival time was not helped by my turning up at completely the wrong place for the health check. For some reaon I have St Mary's visitor centre next to the Tyne Bridge as the venue. People there knew nothing about it. A phone call to the Civic Centre and I discovered it was meant to be in the Old Town Hall. Fortunately not too far to walk but I was now running very late. The health check was rushed through so I could get to a 10am meeting in the Civic Centre. For any political opponents hoping the health check showed me at death's door, I am sorry to disappoint them. Apart from a need to marginally reduce my waistline, I am in fine health, ready to do battle!

The reason for the visit to the Civic Centre was to attend planning committee and represent Councillor Peter Maughan who was opposing a planning application to build a house on the old farm on Whickham Highway. Peter had been called away on business so he kindly offered the task to me! Such was the ferocity of my argument and the skill with which I presented Peter's case opposing the application in such a superbly convincing way that the application was agreed unanimously!

Back home for a bit of news release writing. And for the foodies amongst you, I also plucked and gutted a pheasant, given to us by one of the other allotment holders. A few jars of homemade jam and chutney will be winging their way to him shortly.

Having ripped the innards out of this formerly feathered friend, I was in the mood to head back to Gateshead Civic Centre for some politics and a group meeting to decide on motions for council next week. I had a vague idea about a motion about holding general election counts on the day after polling day, following the "vile" claims by Labour chief bruiser Nick Brown MP that suggested the Lib Dems are politically corrupt. But my idea was as popular in the group as Gordon Brown is at a Labour love-in so I didn't push it. Given that it was barely a twinkle in my eye, never mind a fully formulated motion, I didn't feel I had wasted any time on it. We opted instead for a motion on the impact of the recent winter weather.

After the group, I went along the corridor to the Gateshead Lib Dem executive meeting and gave my media and communications report. Mention was made of the coverage I got on the non-demolition of the Gateshead Multi-Storey Car Park (known for its starring role on the Michael Caine classic "Get Carter"). This same coverage had ruffled one or two feathers amongst some Labour members, one of whom before Christmas had made a passing remark to me in a corridor in the Civic Centre. At least then I was only ruffling feathers, not plucking them!

My day ended back home when we decied to watch the 2nd dvd of "Victorian Farm" which included a bit about pheasant shooting and cooking. Ideas have now been generated for forthcoming dinners!

"Vile" claims by Labour chief whip on Lib Dems

Labour Chief Whip, Nick Brown MP, has now stooped to the lowest of the low with outrageous and "vile" allegations of electoral fraud and cheating against Lib Dem run Newcastle City Council.

The row involves the decision of Newcastle Council, supported incidentally by a majority of Labour councillors on the authority's constitutional committee, to hold general election counts on the day after polling day. Brown claims, "Leaving blank ballot papers and lists of those who haven't voted and the ballot boxes all together in the same place overnight is not a reassuring prospect. The scope for fraud is obvious."

He then went on to claim, "I wouldn't trust Newcastle Liberal Democrats to be left alone with the blank ballot papers and ballot boxes overnight."

The unfounded and untrue allegations that Newcastle Liberal Democrats are corruptly abusing the electoral process really are "vile". That was the description applied in response by Newcastle City Lib Dems.

It should be remembered that the person making these despicable, vile and untrue claims is the Government's chief whip. This is the level to which those in the heart of Labour have now sunk. And I suspect it is a foretaste of the Labour campaign in the general election battle to come.

Brown however may have shot himself in both feet whilst placing them both in his mouth. Our regional newspaper, The Journal, was distinctly unimpressed by his disgusting claims. According to their leader column, his comments were "outrageous" and, "Such shameful politicking has the power to impair his party's cause."

Now we await the announcement, assuming they make one, of Newcastle Labour's distancing of themselves from Nick Brown. Let's hope we are not kept waiting.

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Regrets, I have a few, but there again, too few to mention

You would have thought that there would have been at least a vague hint of contrition from Alistair Campbell. Perhaps a small concession to the obvious reality that Labour got it utterly wrong over the war. But no, nothing of the sort. As far as Campbell was concerned, he had no regrets at all. He stood by the "evidence" that weapons of mass production existed in Iraq and said Britain should be "proud" of her role in the Iraq invasion.

It will be interesting to see what Hoon, Straw and of course Brown and Blair have to say when they get their grilling from the Iraq inquiry.
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Some more snow pics

Yes, I've been out with the camera and snapped a few photos around my ward. Here are some of them:







The three above are of the Sandy Lonnen, the medieval lane that runs from the Derwent Valley, between Whickham and Sunniside. We walked down it on Sunday to go to Hollinside Manor House. Here are some of the photos we took when we got there.




(and through the square window)


(I can imagine that this one will end up appearing on Xmas cards later this year!)


(I was not half feeling the cold at this point!)

The following is the railway viaduct in the Derwent Valley. I put the telescopic lens on the camera and snapped it from Hollinside.



Labour didn't repair the roof when the sun shone!:


(Taken near Hollinside, I think the derelict building is an old farm worker's cottage)

Out filming for my latest snow epic movie:



Is that an icicle in your hands or are you just pleased to see me?:

Labour suicide tendency dents poll position

Today's poll in the Times putting the Tories at 41%, with Labour on 28% and us on 19%, does not show any significant degree of difference from the previous poll picture. In other words the position of Labour continues to be dire. The behaviour of the Hewitt-Hoon Labour Suicide Action Team has hardly helped their own party to make the recovery they need to stand any chance of salvaging even a vaguely respectable result at the general election.

At 28%, Labour are on the same share as they won in 1983, their worst general election proportion since 1922. Even in 1931, when Labour dropped to only 50 seats, Labour's share of the vote was over 30%. In 1983, tactical voting barely registered as a factor. In the past three general elections, tactical voting has significantly reduced the number of Conservative seats and artifically boosted the number of Labour ones. The same could happen in the 2010 election, only in reverse for Labour. Gordon Brown's party could be heading for their worst ever result since the first world war.

This is of course speculation. There is a possibility of a rise in Labour support in the polls as people move away from a mid-term view of politics. Nevertheless, Labour are leaving it late in the day to get into winning form and at the moment I see no signs of the late surge coming.

Nevertheless, the Conservatives are yet to close the deal with the voters and the final general election result could leave them short of a majority. The final result is likely to hinge on what happens in individual constituencies. With a national swing less applicable than for decades, there remains all to play for in those constituencies where a change of control could take place. For those of us involved in campaigns in Labour held seats, such as our constituency here in Blaydon, Hewitt and Hoon have been a godsend. (I hear Hoon may now be in trouble with his local party in Ashfield and it waits to be seen whether or not that helps boost the Lib Dem candidate, Jason Zadrozny, in a constituency that has developed as a winnable one for us.)

So, at a time when Labour need to be recovering, their own suicide tendency have dented their own ratings. Whilst minor in its own right, it is a classic characteristic of a party that is losing the will to win.

After a day of writing press releases

Today has been a day for writing news releases and sorting candidate photos. So we are taking a few hours off this evening to celebrate David's new job. The interview was this morning. So we walked down to the Marquis of Granby pub, near our village of Sunniside (it is one of the historic pubs of the area). The meal is ordered. And I am drinking a pint of guest ale called "Brains"!
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Time travelling MP demands vote in debate that never happened

You couldn't make this up! Some MPs think their mission in life is to sign as many early day motions as possible. New one, old ones, completely out-of-date ones! They'll sign them. And that's when they start to get into difficulties.

So step forward time-travelling David Anderson, Labour MP for Blaydon. Mr Anderson loves EDMs. The more, the merrier. He signed around 600 in the past year, though that's less than some EDM junkies.

Anyway, here's one of the EDM's he signed:

That this House welcomes the Employers' Liability Insurance Bureau Bill as a long overdue reform; believes that it will provide the necessary mechanism to ensure compensation for employees who suffer injury, illness or disease as a consequence of the acts or omissions of a negligent, but uninsured employer, or an employer who has ceased trading and whose insurers cannot be traced; notes that the provisions of the Bill would particularly benefit sufferers of diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, which are often diagnosed long after the negligent response to harm; and urges all hon. Members and the Government to give the Bill a second reading on 13 March 2009 and a fast passage through committee.

It all seems proper and in order. Except.......

This EDM was the last one signed by Mr Anderson in the 2008/9 year. According to the Parliament website, Mr Anderson put his name to it on 11th November 2009. "Better late than never" could be Mr Anderson's defence for signing a call to action 8 months after the event has passed. Unless of course, Mr Anderson has invented his very own Tardis and is able to whip his colleagues back 8 months to March so they can vote in the debate mentioned!

But the story doesn't end there. It is reasonable to assume that having put his signature to the EDM late, he was at least present on 13 March 2009 to take part in the debates and vote that day. Alas, a quick check on the votes taken that day show Mr Anderson was not present!

Nice one Dave!

The story however doesn't end there either! It gets even more interesting.

I have no doubt that Mr Anderson was committed to the Bill. He has a record of campaigning on the illnesses mentioned in the EDM and his concerns are genuinely held. But....

The vote on the bill did not take place on 13th March 2009. In fact, it never took place at all. The bill was abandoned before 13th March 2009 by its sponsor Andrew Dismore MP!

So, 8 months after the event that never took place, Mr Anderson asks colleagues to attend and vote on a day he himself was not present on a bill that had been dumped before the non-existent vote could (but did not) take place.

Mr Anderson must therefore be appreciated for his ability to make politics that bit more interesting!

Snow photos

I couldn't let the last few days go by without a few photos.



This one's a bit fuzzy as I took it from the train on the way home from London on Tuesday. It's the Team Valley with Lobley Hill in the background.



A bird in the hand is worth two in the snow! Our bird table in our back garden in Sunniside, feeling the weight of all the snow.



Our back garden yesterday morning. A bit more snow has arrived since then.



Breaking the ice: well, thawing a bit of it on our barrel pond. David melted the surface to allow in oxygen for the fish.



Down at the bottom of the garden and David applies WD40 to the shed just to unlock it.



This one I took from the train on Tuesday whilst travelling at high speed. I think it is somewhere in North Yorkshire.



Our fruitcage, straining under the weight of snow on our allotment.



The allotment yesterday just before sundown with the snow cleared from the greenhouse and fruitcage.



The allotments in the Whinnies, Sunniside, just after sunset, yesterday. Ours is off the picture, to the left.

Fizz and Ice: the Labour leadership crisis

As predicted, the latest Labour leadership crisis didn't even melt any ice, never mind put the skids under Brown. A short fizz and then nothing. So the latest bout of infighting has simply damaged Labour. Quite what Hoon and Hewitt were thinking when they went off half cock is difficult to work out. Perhaps the cold has affected their ability to think sensibly (as far as Labour are concerned.)

What I find more interesting however is the slowness of the chief cabinet members to come forth with gushing praise for Brown. This probably said more about internal Labour dynamics than the fizz of the Hoon-Hewitt self-indulgence. It shows that whilst cabinet members accept Brown is there to stay til the election, there is absolutely no enthusiasm for him at all. They are stuck with him because they have lacked the will to dump him previously and because Brown has been very good at using his office to maintain his own position.

Labour are in an ice age of their own making. The slow-moving glacial Gordon is here to stay a little longer. The chances are that political warming will come with the election. Brown may melt away then but that is not certain. After all, events of the last three years show he has a remarkable ability to survive, even if the cost of that is serious damage to his own party.
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Labour turn their guns on themselves

Does Labour suffer from a suicide tendency? Are they really sufficiently off their trolley to take pot shots at themselves rather than their opponents right at the start of the unofficial election campaign? The answer seems to be yes. Just when Brown and Darling seemed to score a successful hit against Cameron on the married people's tax, Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt come sweeping in from the cold and like a couple of abominable snowmen amongst the Labour pigeons are causing chaos.

Were I a Labour member (and thankfully I am not) I would be in a state of despair. This action seems to be uncoordinated. It is not a major conspiracy in which large numbers of Labour MPs are taking part. So, yet again, Brown, who won't be prised out of office before the election, is faced with individual, irresponsible, self-righteous cranks who think they can bring down the PM. Blears and Purnell last year thought they could bring down Brown. All they did was wreck their own party.

Brown is secure as leader until the election. Any attempt to dislodge him by disgruntled Labour MPs will simply be an internal row that damages Labour. So Labour must have taken leave of their senses, on the eve of the election. It's not the longest suicide note in history but it is certainly the longest political self-strangulation session on record.
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Tories rewrite history

If only the Tories had a Tardis of their own. They would be able to go back in time and change the past rather than talking in the present as if their own history were different to what it is. The issue at point here is the Tory attempt to claim they were conned into supporting the Iraq invasion. Chris Grayling has just had a go at Alan Johnson in the Commons about this, whilst debating the recent attempted bombing of an airliner in the US. The Tory posturing is that they were conned into supporting the war. No word about the others, especially the Lib Dems, who questioned the dodgy dossier. No mention of the Tories as the cheer leaders for war. No mention of the fact the Tories failed in their duty as the opposition to hold the government to account.

Watch out for forthcoming general election claims by the Tories that they were opposed to the war, supported nationalisation of the banks and opposed privatisation of the railways. The Tory Tardis will need to be in overdrive.
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Half baked policies give Tories indigestion

It was good to see the Tories in a mess yesterday over their policy on tax breaks for married couples. This Tory bit of social engineering deserved to give them trouble. In the morning it was merely an aspiration. In the afternoon, it was changed to be a hard core policy but with no explanation whatsoever as to how they would pay for it.

I wonder how many more of their half-baked policies are going to give the Tories political indigestion. Still, it could lead to some interesting Tory cock-ups during the 4 month election campaign. I suspect there will be a number of them.
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Heading North

I am currently sitting on a train heading north to Newcastle, having spent the Xmas/New Year break in London. There is no snow in London but the news says it has fallen heavily in Yorkshire. The result is East Coast services have been delayed. I seem to be the lucky one. My train is only 9 minutes late. We have not, however, got as far as Yorkshire. David returned home over the weekend and has sent me a message to tell me the snow has fallen back home. With a load of Focuses to deliver, that is not good news.
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Let battle commence

Actually, it has already begun with both Tories and Labour engaging in high profile political cross dressing. Yes, Election 2010 is underway and the first skirmishes have taken place. The Conservatives claim to be in love with the NHS - and I can imagine A&E depts of NHS hospitals today being flooded with people who fell off their seats laughing at the Tory claims. Meanwhile, Chancellor Darling highlights gaps in the Tory spending plans, carefully overlooking the rather interesting gaps in his own PreBudget Report.

Meanwhile Cameron complains about the widening gap between rich and poor under Brown. Alas, his claim is true. How his plans for inheritance tax cuts for millionaires and giving wealthy couples a tax break simply because they are married will solve this crisis is not clear.

Anyway, we now have 4 months of this. Enjoy it whilst it lasts!
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Fighting for everything he has got?

No early election, screams BBC News 24. And then you look at what Gordon Brown said. He expects a Labour budget. That was the basis for the no early election claim. Whilst 6th May remains the most likely date, nothing he said rules out 25th March, the date that would allow Labour to go to the polls without having a budget. Still, I would put my money on 6th May, were I a betting person (which I am not!)

One interesting point I heard Brown make on the Andrew Marr programme was his claim that he had always had to fight for what he has. That isn't quite how I remember the Labour leadership election in 2007. That was a Stalinist triumph of an unopposed coronation. It happened because Brown's opponents had previously been bullied and brow-beaten into inaction and because Labour are stuffed full of spineless jellies looking for a place in government. But Brown hardly had to "fight" for the leadership. A little bit of rewriting of history is a favourite activity by Labour!
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My less-than-happy highlights of 2009

I could not think of 10 but I do have 8, and they are not in any order:

Shock of Paris prices: I went to Paris in June, the first time in 7 years. Last time I was there, the Europhobes were rubbing their hands at the thought of the Euro doing badly and the banking system was sucking vast amounts of money into the UK with the result of the pound going sky high in value. How times change. I was horrified at how expensive Paris has become. Even a cheap meal cost an arm and a leg.

Death of Freda: Freda was my cat. She was nearly 21 years old so in cat years she was super-elderly. Nevertheless, her going in October was still a shock.

Death of Margaret: Margaret was my aunt, Dad's half sister. There is a great family history to be told, and I will tell it soon, but the key feature of the story is that Dad and Margaret did not meet until 7 years ago when he was 72 and she was 89. Alas, Margaret died in October.

Missing the heatwave whilst in Norway: the heatwave that was predicted to last for ages in the summer lasted a week. Typical that I should be in Iceland and Norway when it happened! Still, I got to experience daylight at midnight. And that was spooky!

Wrecking hard drive: October was a really shitty month for things going wrong. Having experienced the loss of Margaret and Freda, I proceeded to drop an external hard drive on which were stored thousands of documents, photos and videos. Fortunately, the vast majority of documents were back up copies. But not all of them. Most I have now recovered from other sources but not all.

Wrecking the video camera: as if wrecking the hard drive was not enough, I followed it up the next day by dropping the video camera. With the camera wrecked, and a trip to Morocco coming up, I had to do an urgent search for a new camera on the internet. And in a sense, the accident turned out to have a silver lining. I had planned to buy a new, professional camera at some point and set up a small business to make videos (mainly for Lib Dem candidates and for small businesses). As a result of buying the camera, I am now in business earlier than I expected! The amusing point about all this is that the new camera arrived just in time for me to take to Morocco (one hour later and I would have missed it.) And when I got to Marrakech and made my first visit to my first location on my first day, I wasn't allowed to bring in the camera. The guards thought I was from a tv company and despite protestations to the contrary, they were convinced that the camera I had was only used by professional tv programme makers! So I put the camera away and got out a small camcorder I had borrowed from a friend and which I had brought along as a backup.

Shambles of Sunniside junction traffic lights: we are now into our third year of promises and deadlines from Gateshead Council over proposals to put in traffic lights on the busy Front St/Sunniside Rd junction in Sunniside village. Three years ago we got the council to agree to put them in. And we are still waiting. Every few months we get a new deadline and none have seen the lights introduced. The last deadline was December. We are of course in January and there are still no lights. What a shambles by Labour Gateshead.

Remaining beds in allotment: my plan for 2009 was to bring the remaining uncultivated beds on my allotment into use. We got two of them going but two still remain. So lots of hard graft still to do.

So that's the not-so-good side of 2009 for me personally.
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My top ten highlights of 2009

Happy New Year everyone, including all my avid Labour Party readers in Gateshead! I thought that I would bring you my personal highlights of 2009 whilst sitting at Crystal Palace station waiting for the train to arrive to take me to Westminster

So here are the top 10 positive highlights, in reverse order:

10)Reaching the milestone of 750,000 viewings on YouTube. I got there at the end of June. The even better news is that I am now approaching one million viewings. Give it 6 weeks or so and I reckon I'll be there.

9)The Government's defeat over the Gurkhas: I was there to witness it. Well sort of. I got a call in Cowley St when the vote went against the Government. "Get your butt over to Parliament and get some photos and video done!" Being in the crowd outside Parliament was quite something. And seeing the line up of snivelling hypocrite Labour MPs who had signed the EDM calling for the Gurkhas to stay only to vote the opposite way shortly afterwards was quite something as well.

8)Visiting Morocco: I was there for two weeks in November. Facebook friends have already had to endure my photos, as have visitors to my Flickr site. The videos will be coming soon!

7)Being the victim of attacks carried out by Cllr Mick Henry: this really was fun! And thanks to the Labour Leader on Gateshead Council, who spent a large part of the council meeting in October attacking me, and constantly interrupting me, my profile and standing in my group went up significantly. Keep up the good work Mick!

6)Whale watching in the North Atlantic: early July saw me in the North Atlantic armed with binoculars to spot whales, east of Iceland.

5)Building the greenhouse: we built it on the allotment in January and February and immediately saw it go into crop production. The video I made about building it has been an incredibly minor success on YouTube in the US, for some odd reason.

4)Fiona Hall's re-election: I attended the Gateshead count for the Euro elections and we were all nervous about whether or not Fiona would hold on as Lib Dem Euro MP for the North East. I drove home after the count and waited only a few minutes for the result to come through. The UKIP surge we had feared had not been enough. And happily, Gateshead saw a higher share for the Lib Dems than the average across both the region and the UK.

3)Stokkur geyser: a must visit when in Iceland so I visited it in July. Don't worry if you miss it going up when you first arrive. It goes off every five minutes. Quite an amazing natural feature.

Joint first)Leaving Cowley St/Crops from allotment: these two are actually closely linked. I loved my job at Cowley St but I also had a long list of other things I wanted to do. June was, I felt, the right time to leave. Now I am heading for self-sufficiency, though we have plenty still to do. We are looking for more progress in 2010. And leaving Cowley St also means that I am able to put much more time into battling Labour in Gateshead!

Coming up soon, my negative highlights!
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Heading south

We are currently in the car at the moment heading to London and just passing the Nene Valley Steam Railway. We will be in London and Kent over Xmas. Andrew, my older brother is temporarily moving into our house in Sunniside over the Xmas break as it beats sleeping on Dad's floor whilst he is up visiting the rest of the family over Xmas.

I am also doing a bit of photography and video in London whilst I am down for candidates.

The car is packed full of home grown and wild foraged food. Our aim is to have as near self-sufficient Xmas dinner as we can get. More about that later.

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Christmas has hit my radar

Bahhhhh humbug and all that. Christmas has now hit my radar screen. I'm off to Newcastle now, on the bus, to do some Xmas shopping. Thank goodness for vouchers. They make much better presents than actually buying something for someone that they don't want.

I did however spend a hour on the allotment in the snow this morning. We are aiming to have a self-sufficient dinner on Xmas day. So I picked cabbages and sprouts, dug up ready frozen leaks, and harvested some plump parsnips of which I am, sadly, rather proud.
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On equal terms

Very good news - debates between all three party leaders will take place at the general election on tv. This immediately removes one of the disadvantages under which the Liberal Democrats operate. The three leaders appearing together should help alter that perception. We will be on an equal footing with the other two.

The agreement on the leaders' debates is also a last throw of the dice for Brown. With little else to lose, the debates could be the boost Brown needs, at least to salvage something from the election. The biggest threat is to Cameron. His vacuous statements and shallow policy pronouncements may not stand the scrutiny of the leader debates. Interesting times ahead, me thinks.
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A view inside Lib Dem conference centre 2012

Lib Dem conference is coming to the Sage, Gateshead, in March 2012. The building is one of the best music halls in the country and on Thursday it celebrated its 5th birthday. I filmed the following video at the celebration. For Lib Dems it will give a taste of the venue for conference though I did not film inside any of the performance halls.

Don't walk away, make it the start

Copenhagen's outcome is a huge disappointment. The stakes are high and the cost of failure is enormous. Ambitions before the conference were very high. But we must not stop now. We may not have got the binding treaty we need but we have the foundations for an agreement that cannot come too soon. So whilst Copenhagen is very disappointing in what it has produced, we can build on the agreements we have reached.

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Visiting the Gibside Farmers' Market

Gibside is a National Trust property in my ward in Gateshead. It is the former home and estate of the Bowes-Lyon family, of Queen Mother fame. Once a month a farmers' market is held here. It is on now and I am currently having a coffee in the cafe waiting for the final trader to arrive. Despite the snow the event is going ahead but the final trader is the one who sells the exotic gins (which we want to buy as presents for people as well as compare with our own homemade fruit gins.)

And from here I will be going to Rowlands Gill to deliver a few Xmas cards and Neil Bradbury annual reports. I say a few. I actually have 800. That's what happens when you volunteer to deliver!

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Exclusive news on 2012 Lib Dem conference

I am at the Sage in Gateshead, the fantastic new music hall on the banks of the Tyne. And I can exclusively reveal that Lib Dem spring conference will be held here in March 2012. Fantastic news. Really pleased. I knew conference office were interested in coming here and when I was at Cowley St I was constantly plugging the location as ideal for conference. So come to Gateshead in 2012 and enjoy my home town!
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The Sage 5th birthday

The Sage is the concert hall on the Gateshead Quays. It was opened 5 years ago and is today celebrating its 5th birthday. Thanks to the short-sightedness of the then Labour run Newcastle Council, Gateshead got the Sage, rather than it going north of the Tyne. Nevertheless, we are all proud of it on Tyneside. I am on the bus heading to Gateshead now to go to the Sage birthday party.

I had thought I could get through this year without a cold or any other illness. Alas, as I sit here on the bus, I am experiencing a cold, my body defences having let me down at the 11th hour! And it's cold outside as well, though we are on lower ground than Sunniside and therefore the snow has not been lying.

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