House-building survey

A planning application has been submitted to Gateshead Council for housing on land between Starling Walk and Sun Hill in Sunniside. I have no problem with housing going onto this site but as ward councillors we had always made it clear to officers that this site should be used for housing for older people. 4 years ago, the old Sun Hill residential accommodation was replaced by the new Sun Hill. Much of the unused land was part of the footprint of the old building. New accommodation for older people in Sunniside tends to free up existing family homes occupied by single older people and by older couples.

Unfortunately, the planning application for this site is for 8 houses and 2 bungalows. The bungalows fit the vision we have for the site. The houses don't.

Yesterday I delivered a survey about the application to the 50 households in the immediate vicinity of the site. I got about 25 replies. I will be sorting through them shortly and passing on the results to the planning officers in Gateshead.

Birtley Action Day

On Saturday we held our latest action day in Gateshead. This time it was in Birtley ward. It is Labour held with a comfortable share of the vote but where the turnout is only 31%. It is a ward Labour tends to take for granted.

The aim of the action day was to deliver the latest Birtley Focus across the ward. I'm pleased to report that, other than patches taken by some helpers to deliver through the week, we completed the delivery.

Scanning historic photos

I have been a local councillor in Gateshead for 31 years and in that time I have built up a substantial collection of photos which should major changes in the area. I am doing a talk on these changes to Sunniside History Society shortly, using the photos. Alas, most of them are from the pre-digital age, so I have had to spend quite some time scanning them.

Lighting Up Sunniside meeting

I attended a meeting of Lighting Up Sunniside last week. The group has been set up to raise the funds for the village's Christmas tree. We are now just over half way to our target. The meeting on Wednesday agreed to hold a race night on 22nd September at the Travellers pub. Preparations are now underway. I need to find a sponsor (£20), 8 jockeys and 8 owners (£5 each) for race one. Get in touch if you want to splash the cash for a good cause.

Having your cake and eating it

I put my thoughts on Brexit to camera recently while I had a few minutes spare. I am a remainer mainly because I believe it is in the national interest to be in the EU, arguing our case. I do not believe sovereignty can be restored simply by going "independent" as the EU, even without the UK, is an economic superpower. What happens there, affects us here, whether we are in or out. So we should be in, fighting for the UK's interest, as well as enjoying the benefit of membership.

I also believe that people have to accept the consequences of their own actions. The UK voted leave, and that means giving up on the benefits and costs of membership. There can be no half way house in which we have the benefit of membership without the costs. The analogy I use is that if you resign from membership of the local golf club, you can hardly demand the right to enjoy the benefits of still being a member.

However, in 2016 the UK was sold a pup. The people were told we could have the best of both worlds with continued access to the Single Market without any of the costs. Lots of people bought into that message. The reality of no-deal, of hard Brexit, is starting to become clear. The vision of the UK striding the world as an independent economic superpower with the EU "needing us more than we need them" has been revealed as a sham. Had the government produced a realistic plan to leave and passed the appropriate legislation with a Leave referendum result acting as the trigger to enact the legislation, there would be no need for a 2nd referendum. People would have known exactly what they were voting for. This was not what happened in 2016 so the people should have a further referendum to decide whether or not we as a nation should jump off the cliff.

Have you stockpiled your food yet?

Are you ready for Brexit? Got your food stockpiled? A few tins of baked beans stashed away under the settee for the day Britain regains it's sovereignty and rediscovers hunger? I find it remarkable that the government can casually talk about preparing for hard Brexit by stockpiling food and drugs. No doubt this is part of the explanation for  the significant rise in support in today's Sky poll for a referendum on the withdrawal agreement and the comfortable lead for those believing we should now remain.

While some may be excited at the thought of reliving the Dunkirk spirit, the idea that negotiating a deal with the EU will be the "easiest" thing ever to do is dead in the water. The British people in 2016 were sold a best-of-both-worlds, have-your-cake-and-eat-it future which no government was ever in a position realistically to give. The UK cannot choose to have the benefits of EU membership while dumping the responsibilities. We can't keep the bits we like while refusing to abide by the bits we don't. If you are in the club enjoying the benefits, you have to abide by the rules.

So the only choice for the UK is between the poverty of hard Brexit and the shared sovereignty and security of EU membership. There is very little middle ground.

Meanwhile, as someone who grows most of my own food, my stockpiles will keep me going for years! I hope the Brexiteer extremists are equally as prepared. I doubt it though given that their  world of having cake and eating it is now shown to be a fantasy.

Congratulations Kevin and Vicky

Congratulations to Kevin and Vicky McClurey on their wedding on Friday last week. Kevin is the newly elected Councillor for Dunston Hill and Whickham East. He took the seat from Labour in May. The reception, which I attended on Friday evening, was held at the Vermont Hotel in Newcastle. In keeping with the local council spirit of the occasion, the building is the former HQ of Northumberland County Council.

Pelaw and Heworth Action Day

On Saturday we had an action day in Pelaw and Heworth ward. Alas, we also had our first serious bit of rain in two months. That rather curtailed activities. I arrived, took three bundles of Focuses to deliver and returned home. I will head back there on a day when the weather is better, some time this week.

Great Exhibition of the North - Baltic

On Friday afternoon, I took a bit of time away from politics and self-sufficiency to visit the Baltic Art Gallery on the Gateshead Quays. It was my first opportunity to attend any of the exhibitions. An interesting time with some exhibits of interest to me, others of no interest at all and others I'm still thinking about.

My first experience of LNER

I was in London last weekend and it was my first opportunity to use LNER. We were 40 minutes late into Kings Cross so my first impressions weren't good. I was hoping for an improvement on the return journey. It wasn't to be. The train was 10 minutes late leaving Kings Cross as the driver was late. It was not a good omen. By the time we got into Newcastle, I had been travelling for 7 hours on a journey that was supposed to take only 3 and a half. I'm not impressed.

Whickham Community Festival

The Whickham Community Festival was held earlier this month. I was there with goats, ducklings and jam and to help set up the marquee.

Lighting Up Sunniside Fayre

Lighting Up Sunniside, a group I helped set up to raise the funds for a Christmas tree in the village, held its first community fayre recently in the Whinnies Community Garden. Alas, I had a group meeting in the morning but I was able to make it to the fayre for the opening at 1pm. The event raised a third of the money we need to pay for the tree. Other events will be held soon.

Visiting Hill Top School

Following our recent visit to Whickham School with our goats, we got a call from Hill Top School in Gateshead asking if we would take them there as well. So on Monday last week, we made a journey across the borough with 2 goats in the back of the land rover. The event was a success.

Since then, I've had a further request to take the goats to a community centre later this year!

Dachshunds at the BBC

Having spent a morning recently printing Focuses, I went to a BBC presentation and reception at the Sage, Gateshead, about the Great North Exhibition. There seemed to be a large number of dachshunds among the guests. The video explains why.

I should be so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky

I have been attacked by Labour for having a life outside politics in the past. I make no apologies for that! I enjoy what other people enjoy. So when the opportunity for Kylie Minogue concert tickets comes along, I grabbed the opportunity, even if it meant missing the last day of party conference. The concert is in Newcastle on 18th September.

Back to printing Focuses

It may be June but the task of producing and printing Focuses and surveys goes on. I was in the office last week to print the Focus which is currently going out in Whickham as well as the survey that is being delivered in Lobley Hill. Delivery of both should be finished soon.

Great Exhibition of the North launch - photos

The Great Exhibition of the North was launched on Friday evening. I attended the launch event. A brilliant summer evening with a lovely sunset over Tyneside, what a great backdrop to the concert, fireworks and drone display. My video of the event will be ready shortly but you can view a few of my photos on the above link.

Action Day in Dunston Hill and Whickham East and an incursion in Lobley Hill

Gateshead Lib Dems had an action day in Dunston Hill and Whickham East ward yesterday. The aim was to deliver our local Focus. As a back up in case we completed that job was to make an incursion into Labour held Lobley Hill and Bensham ward to deliver a survey form. Job done on the Focus delivery though some members took patches for delivery over the next couple of days. So we managed to get a few hundred surveys delivered in Lobley Hill. We have about 700 left to do which will go out over the next few days.

It was good to see new members helping as well as established ones (such as our "delivery machine" of Paul Gibson, Robin Stanaway and Ian Patterson).



Pictured above: Nick Smeaton from Bensham, Peter Maughan, Lib Dem candidate for Gateshead and Cllr Kevin McClurey who joined me for an incursion into Labour held Lobley Hill. Sadly I wasn't in the photo as I had to operate the camera!

Church Green looking fantastic

When I was in Whickham on Wednesday, I took the opportunity to look at the flowerbeds we planted up recently. They are looking great! An excellent job by the volunteers of Planting Up Whickham. I was pleased to play my part.

If you are in Whickham soon, take a look.

Flying high with Brexit (not)

Airbus is one of our most important high tech businesses and is a great example of how international cooperation leads to prosperity back home. As a medium size nation, we do not have the resources or capacity to have a UK-only Airbus. If we want to be in the industry, we need to be working with others.

And then along comes Brexit and the "will of the people" means cooperation and joint working has to end. So Airbus is considering pulling out of the UK. Given that the brave new world of Brexit Britain will mean a rerun of Victorian Splendid Isolation, we probably won't need many new planes anyway.

And congratulations to the leaders of the Brexit movement. Your campaigning looks set to be a great boost to jobs - but only those outside the UK. We are of course a great trading nation but we need to export more. So no doubt, the Brexiteers must be cheering the export of so many manufacturing jobs to the EU. And they must be pleased about the number of skilled workers who will soon be cured of their addiction to going out and earning a living.

Whickham School planning application

As a former pupil, and a councillor whose teenage constituents largely attend Whickham School, I was interested to see that the planning application for the replacement buildings are now lodged with Gateshead Planning Department. A decision will come before the planning committee in the near future.

The proposals include a new, three to four storey ‘superblock’ to the north of the current site site on Burnthouse Lane. The new building will include a wide range of facilities zoned around a central main hall and activity studio, as well as a new sports hall and various specialist teaching spaces.

The building and site have been planned to ensure the existing school can remain fully operational throughout construction. There will be a clear separation between the building works and the operational school.  The site’s existing car parking arrangements will remain undisturbed both during and after construction.

The new school building would be situated at the entrance to the current school site alongside the existing main entrance block.

The application number is DC/18/00565/FUL. To view the plans online go to http://public.gateshead.gov.uk/online-applications/ and enter the application number. Comments need to be submitted by 2nd July.

Tanfield Railway Steam Gala Weekend

The Tanfield Railway is partly in my ward in Gateshead and on Sunday, they hosted a steam gala. Of particular interest to me was the Dunston No. 15, a steam locomotive that was built in Newcastle in 1942 and was used at the Dunston power station until 1972 when it was retired and moved out of the North East. This was its first return visit to the region.



There was also a vintage car rally at the Tanfield Railway which brought back memories of the 1970s!

Two fairs

Sunniside Methodist Hall and St Mary's Church Hall, Whickham, were hosting summer fairs on Saturday so I visited both. At the Methodist Hall I was asked if I would open their next fair in November and also had quite a long chat about the chapels plans for the hall and how the hall can be used in social care projects. One of the issues I am keen on is tackling loneliness in old age and this is something with which the organisers of the hall are keen to be involved.

Down the road at St Mary's I chatted to quite a few people including some who still remembered that I had helped them years ago on local issues. I calculated that one of these was 15 years ago. It's nice still to be remembered!

I came away from both fairs with lots of cakes - and casework!

There is no Brexit dividend

For cynical timing and political manoeuvring, Theresa May must get a gold medal. Her entire premiership has been based on half-baked promises to one group which directly contradict promises made to others, just so that she can live on to fight another day. So far she has been a dab hand at political survival. Today's announcement of zillions of pounds for the NHS at some point in the future, paid for by the alleged "Brexit dividend" is all part of this survival strategy. The reality is that there is no dividend. The sluggish growth in the economy caused by Brexit uncertainty has already cost the UK economy £400 million a week, according to the Bank of England. Then there are all the costs of going it alone - setting up our own drugs, chemicals and nuclear agencies for example or building our own Gallileo project. Then there are the costs of all those extra civil servants the government has taken on to carry out Brexit. Throw in the thousands of new customs officers and the cost of a completely new department - International Trade (which so far has produced nil points in terms of future trade agreements) and once all these new penpushers have been paid, there ain't going to be much left over for more doctors and nurses.

The government could, of course, be much more honest about this and openly admit that any increase in funding to the NHS will come from additional taxation. But don't hold your breath.

Dunston Station damage

I was in Dunston yesterday with Councillors Kevin McClurey and Peter Maughan to look at the state of the ticket machine in Dunston station at the request of residents living near Ravensworth Road. Sadly the front of the machine has been badly damaged. We have reported the damage to Northern Rail and hope to see repairs done shortly.

Well done Lucy and team

Well done Lucy Salek, Lib Dem candidate in the Lewisham East by-election yesterday. And well done to the team around her for delivering a very creditable 19% swing from Labour and a comfortable increase in actual and share of the vote. The result is as follows (and I've included all the candidates due to the novel situation in which there are nearly as many of them as there are electors!):

Janet Daby (Lab) 11,033 (50.20%, -17.75%) 
Lucy Salek (LD) 5,404 (24.59%, +20.17%) 
Ross Archer (C) 3,161 (14.38%, -8.62%) 
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah (Green) 788 (3.59%, +1.88%)
Mandu Reid (Women) 506 (2.30%)
David Kurten (UKIP) 380 (1.73%, +0.04%)
Anne Marie Waters (FBM) 266 (1.21%)
Maureen Martin (CPA) 168 (0.76%, +0.28%)
Howling Laud Hope (Loony) 93 (0.42%)
Massimo DiMambro (DVP) 67 (0.30%)
Sean Finch (Libertarian) 38 (0.17%)
Charles Carey (ND) 37 (0.17%)
Patrick Gray (Radical) 20 (0.09%)
Thomas Hall (YPP) 18 (0.08%)
Lab maj 5,629 (25.61%)
18.96% swing Lab to LD
Electorate 66,140; turnout 21,979 (33.23%, -36.05%)


It is usual for the main opposition to be the beneficiary of any swing in a midterm by-election. While it is hard for a party on 68% to improve on their share of the vote in a particular constituency, an 18% drop is noteworthy. With the Conservatives widely acknowledged as making a mess of Brexit, the economy suffering a withering dose of flu and Tory MPs revolting, Corbyn should be romping ahead. He is not even moving forward. Polls are giving the Tories a slight edge when typically the main opposition should be leading by a significant margin at this stage. Clearly something is going wrong for Labour.

No doubt the Corbynistas will blame a BBC conspiracy against the proletariat or a Murdoch campaign to brainwash the "working class" for Labour's lacklustre performance. At some point however, Labour are going to have to wake up to the fact they have a waste of space as leader.

Isn't that against the will of the people?

So, after Theresa May spent 6 years as Home Secretary politically beating up migrants and making life very difficult for them, now we are told, her government has backed proposals to relax immigration rules as they affect skilled health workers. Having spent years trying to keep them out, and adding to an already severe shortage of key NHS staff, May has performed another u-turn. But we are constantly being told that the "will of the people", expressed through the referendum in 2016, is hostile to immigration. Surely therefore the government, to be consistent, needs to stick to its anti-immigration stance. But consistency and the Theresa May government are two very different conditions so perhaps we should not be surprised that she has abandoned another unworkable policy.

I wonder if she will approve relaxation of the rules on immigrant fruit pickers. The fruit is currently left rotting in the field due to labour shortages and a refusal of the Brits to do fruit picking jobs. EU workers are now coming over here only in small numbers as the UK did not exactly role out the welcome wagon for them. Does Mrs May look to bring in workers from non EU countries instead or do we just accept that under her, there will be no jam today, or indeed tomorrow either.

Labour MPs are revolting

It seems that some Labour MPs don't want to share the bed with the Conservatives over their Brexit plans (I use the word "plans" loosely as it is difficult to work out whether or not the government has any plans at all). 75 Labour MPs rebelled and voted to keep us in the EEA and effectively in the Single Market. The Labour line was for Labour MPs to help the Tories by sitting on the fence. 15 however joined up with the Tories in the division lobby. They clearly know who their friends are.

I've said it before and I say it again now: this country needs to accept the consequences of its own actions and decision. As a nation, the "will of the people" is that we leave the EU. I totally and fundamentally disagree with that decision and will continue to argue that it was the wrong one. After all, we live in a democracy. But a referendum was held and a decision made. We are leaving. That means we are leaving all the benefits as well. It means departing from the drug, science, environmental agencies and all the other bodies that will now have to be expensively replicated back in the UK. It means we do not have the benefits of being in the Single Market and therefore our exports will have barriers in the way. But that is the will of the people. We can't claim all the benefits of membership without paying the costs or operating by the rules. If you are a member of the club, you enjoy the benefits. If you walk away from the club, you are no longer entitled to the advantages that come with membership.

So both the Brexiteers and the Labour party need to stop pushing this claim that we can be outside at the same time as claiming the benefits of being inside.

But at the same time, we need to remember we live in a democracy. That means people have the right to change their mind. The will of the people is not set in stone. Once the actual Brexit package is clear, the people need to have the final say on whether it lives up to what was offered in 2016 or it is better to stick with current EU membership. Such a referendum would be held in the light of the agreed Brexit package rather than the fog of an unknown system of doing business. I would certainly accept the outcome of that vote.

What to do if there are bees in your garden

At this time of year, as both a councillor and beekeeper, I get lots of messages from residents worried about bees in their garden. Last year I put together this video but I'm posting it again. The basic point is that bumble bee colonies have a short lifespan and there is nothing to be gained and a great deal of money to be lost in calling out pest control to destroy any colonies. The bees won't harm you unless you try to harm them. Leave them alone and they will do the same to you. Live and let live. Don't destroy something that is wild, beautiful, beneficial and harmless.

Labour's bid to beat the Tories as the most chaotically divided party

Two years ago, when the UK, by a slender majority, voted to leave the EU, I thought the Tories would end up as the most united of the two larger parties while Labour would end up with the divisions. Instead, both have ended up divided but the shambles that are Labour under Corbyn were on full view today. And about bloody time too. Corbyn the Leaver has had an easy ride over the past year. He comes up with unworkable solutions to the customs union and the single market. Like the Brexiteers during the referendum, he is offering all the advantages of being in the club without having to be a member. I often feel that the differences between the extremists on the left and right are not that much different from each other.

6 front bench resignations, a rebellion by 90 MPs (a third of his Parliamentary party), a chance to defeat the government thrown away - all in a day's work for Corbyn. For his next trick, he will attempt to deflect more attention away from the bitter war in the Conservative Party and onto the chaos of Labour. It makes me wonder just what the Corbyn fan club see in him.

Not a good day for the economy

The expected collapse of Poundworld is now official.. But that's not the end of the bad economic news today. The run of closures and downsizing in the retail sector can in part be blamed on a failure of companies to keep up with the changes in how people shop. But how is the significant drop in UK industrial output of 0.8% in April, compared to March, announced today, to be explained? Even more worrying is that within this figure is a 1.4% drop in manufacturing output. Given that the weather in March caused a modest drop in manufacturing that month, output in April should have bounced back. It didn't. Output continued to fall. The recent drop in the value of the pound has failed to help UK manufacturers to produce more for export. Indeed, trade figures today show that the deficit in goods and services widened to £5.28bn in April from £3.22bn in March. The goods trade deficit widened to £14.04bn in April.

The pound experienced a sharp drop this morning when the figures were released. Let's hope the economy is not going the same way as Poundworld. But with Brexit impacting on investment and the government completely immersed in tearing the UK out of our single biggest market, don't expect any improvements soon.

Bee swarms and meetings

On Wednesday last week I was nearly late for my afternoon meetings at Gateshead Civic Centre as another of our hives had swarmed. Thankfully, after collecting the swarm, I was able to get to the first meeting at 2pm which was about grants for voluntary organisations, though I had to take my lunch with me.

The second meeting was at 3pm and was a presentation about the Great Exhibition of the North. It is due to kick off on 22nd June. My concern is that the 3 month event should leave a lasting positive legacy for the North East economy so I asked questions about how local hotels and visitor centres were preparing for the visitors that are expected, and what was being done to encourage people to return to the North East in the future. It seems good work is being done on this. And the region will be buzzing when the Exhibition is on. Talking of which, David rehoused the swarm while I was at my meetings!

Hell's Kitchen at the Sunniside History Society

Sunniside History Society, of which I am the chairman, held its monthly meeting last Tuesday and our speaker was Freda Thompson who gave a presentation about characters from the past 200 years of Geordie history. One of the characters lived 200 years ago on the Newcastle Quayside. He was a regular at an establishment called Hell's Kitchen, an aptly named public house with a riotous reputation. I pointed out at the end of the presentation that Hell's Kitchen obviously predated Gordon Ramsay by 200 years!

On a slightly different subject, the society is organising a trip to the Bowes Museum on 1st September. The cost is £16 and we will also be calling into Barnard Castle where people will be able to make their own lunch arrangements. Anyone interested in coming on the visit should contact the society's secretary, Alan Guest, on sun1h1st@gmail.com.

Not in the money

We paid the Potters Wheel a visit on Friday evening. The pub in Sunniside, my home village, reopened a couple of weeks ago under new and (according to the poster outside) "good" management. While enjoying a pint of George and the Dragon ale, the barman persuaded me to enter the pub's World Cup sweep stake. I am not a follower of football but I made the comment that I would enter but I hoped not to draw England as their record at the World Cup is not a resounding success. No victories in half a century despite all those vast pay packets which are bankrupting the game suggests drawing England would not leave me in the money.

Alas, I drew England.

Planting Up Whickham

On Sunday I was in Whickham to help the volunteers from Planting Up Whickham to plant the flower beds on Church Green. Job done by midday. In a few weeks' time, the flowerbeds will look great.

Gateshead Full Council Meeting

A bit late but this is the video of the last full council meeting in Gateshead on 24th May. As Leader of the Opposition I raised issues about EU funding, housing strategy, electric car charging points and devolution.

Gateshead annual council

The annual meeting of Gateshead Council on 18th May was a slightly strange affair as the retiring mayor, Pauline Dillion, was absent due to health problems, as was Martin Gannon, leader of the council. The meeting went ahead anyway. One of the points that irritates me about Gateshead Council is that the mayor is always Labour, but as Leader of the Opposition, I am asked to second the vote of thanks to the outgoing mayor. While I have no problem with seconding a vote of thanks when the mayor has done a good job, I do not like the fact this has become institutionalised into supporting a party political appointment when the appointment itself is denied to us. Labour like unity, as long as it is a united front supporting them. This is going to have to change.

In the meantime, here is the video of the annual meeting, so that everything is on record.

Video - council response to Regent Court fire

Earlier this month, Regent Court in Gateshead experienced a significant fire. Residents were evacuated. Most have now been able to return but 14 flats remain damaged. At Gateshead Council's annual meeting last week, deputy leader Catherine Donovan and I (as leader of the opposition) led the tributes to the services involved in tackling the fire and helping the displaced residents. I also raise the issue of the promised review of council housing which so far has not seen light of day.

Whickham eFocus no. 108

Our next eFocus for the Whickham area was published tonight. It covers the local election results, the plans for the new buildings at Whickham School and the open day at the Whinnies Community Garden. You can view the newsletter on this link.

Taking the goats to school

Huge thanks to Cllr Jonathan Wallace for Blaydon & volunteers for bringing lovely Coal, Perky and Whinney along for our final activity for MHAW18.  We all felt  the calming properties of petting animals as part of #WhickhamSixth 's #MentalHealthAwareness Raising#SixthFormFriday pic.twitter.com/DJHehArLFl

— Whickham School (@WhickhamSchool) May 18, 2018

Last Friday I was invited to take some of my goats to Whickham School as part of a project by sixth formers into addressing mental health issues. The aim was to see if petting animals would help improve people's mental health. I took Coal, Perky and Whinnie Too. Hundreds of children and lots of staff came along to visit them. The experiment was a success.

Above is the school's Twitter report on the visit.

Planning the Sunniside community fair

The plans for a community fair in Sunniside to raise funds for the village's Christmas tree are moving forward. We had a meeting on Monday evening at the Whinnies Community Garden where the fair will be held on Saturday 14th July. This will be the first community fair in Sunniside but hopefully it will be an annual event. There will be more information to follow as the details are sorted out.

Video diary - Sunday 13th May: visiting the Hop Garden

The Hop Garden is a community allotment in High Spen. An annual seed and plant swap event is held there and the most recent one was on Sunday. I attended but took quail and duck eggs with me to swap.

Lighting Up Whickham Race Night

Lighting Up Whickham are holding a race night on Saturday 26th May at Glebe Sports Club, from 7pm to raise funds for the Whickham Christmas tree. To order tickets go to the Lighting Up Whickham Facebook page.

Dunston Community Fair

On Saturday I visited the community fair at Dunston. A pleasant afternoon and a burger consumed as well.

Get well soon Martin

Last Thursday, members of Gateshead Council received an email informing us that Martin Gannon, Labour leader of the authority, had gone into hospital for urgent treatment. When I received the news I called Martin on his mobile. He was comfortable but very bored! So Martin, get well soon and get back to leading the council. It's a good cure for boredom!

Boozy winnings at the Bay Horse

On Friday evening, the Whickham and Swalwell Music Society had a pub quiz at the Bay Horse in Whickham to raise funds. My brother Andrew suggested we attend. Since our record in pub quiz music rounds is catastrophic, I had my doubts. We went anyway. We came 4th out of 10 but won vodka, gin and chocolates. So not so catastrophic after all!

Video diary - Wednesday 9th May 2018: Trump, hair and leadership

My video diary from Wednesday: my thoughts on Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal; the delayed haircut and being re-elected Leader of the Opposition on Gateshead Council.

Re-elected as Leader

Last night was the AGM of the Lib Dem group on Gateshead Council. I was re-elected Leader of the group. This stunning victory came courtesy of an unopposed return! My contingency plans for what to do if I were defeated - cleaning the muck out of the henhouse, planting vegetables and making more jam - have had to be shelved yet again!

Thank you to my colleagues for putting their trust in me.

Well done Marilynn

I was not up for election this year but my ward colleague in Whickham South and Sunniside, Marilynn Ord, had a superb result. Marilynn scored 1970 votes, the highest for any candidate in Gateshead. She had a majority of 1314, which in itself was bigger than 12 of the 19 winning Labour candidates' actual votes. With two-thirds of the votes cast in the ward, Marilynn has a result of which she can be proud. I'm up for election next year. Assuming I am both willing to stand again and party members are willing to adopt me as candidate, I hope I can achieve a result as good as that of Marilynn.

Whickham Volunteer Library 2nd hand book sale

Yesterday Whickham Volunteer Library held a 2nd hand book sale. The books had been donated by members of the public (I have a large number to pass on). Alas, there were already lots of helpers there when I arrived so I was given the job of getting people to fill in survey forms about the library.

Video diary - four counts and a funeral

My video diary from Friday - off to the count in the morning. Two wards were of particular interest to me - Ryton and Dunston Hill and Whickham East. On the way to the count I was concerned about Ryton but was confident we would gain Dunston Hill. Pelaw and Heworth was always going to be an outside chance but I was pleased that we were only 102 votes behind. Low Fell was a top target for Labour who threw everything including the proverbial kitchen sink (indeed a whole warehouse full of them) at the ward and there barely dented our majority.

Ryton went to a recount but I was not able to stay for it. I had the funeral of my late friend Peter Angus to attend in Blyth. I got the Ryton result later in the day. Labour had scraped in by 28 votes.

Video diary - polling day

Slightly late but this is my video diary for polling day. It started in Ryton, moved on to Ryton and finished in Sunniside where, at the last moment, I was reminded I needed to vote!

Whickham eFocus edition 107

Our most recent edition of eFocus for Whickham was published on Wednesday. Due to the election battle, I didn't have time to post it to the blog so here it is on this link.

Labour's letter cock-up in target seat

Labour's struggling campaign in Dunston Hill and Whickham East ward of Gateshead has had its eyebrow-raising moments. Firstly, Labour's candidate and defending councillor Allison Thompson issued a leaflet in the Whickham part of the ward which was all about what she was doing in Dunston. Whickham barely got a mention. Then, a Labour leaflet announced that a planning application for nearly 600 executive houses in the ward will be submitted this summer. The application was actually submitted last year and again, earlier this year, raising questions about whether or not Labour know what is happening in a ward they are defending.

Today, Labour's cock-up comes in the form of a letter that is being delivered to people who vote at polling stations, rather than by post. The problem is that what has been delivered is the same letter that went to postal voters two weeks ago. Indeed, the letter begins by advising people that their postal vote will arrive shortly!

This will no doubt cause some confusion but one possible outcome is that Labour voters will stay at home on Thursday waiting for non-existent postal votes to arrive. Everyone else hopefully will go to the polling station to vote!

Allison scraped in by 78 votes back in 2014. Hopefully the result this time will be a bit more clear cut, and not in Allison's favour! I never however count my chickens before they have hatched.

In the meantime, a quick request to Allison (who is a reader of this blog). Time is running out for more Labour cock-ups in your ward. Could you get any remaining ones done asap as I am busy and need a bit of time to write about them on my blog!

Where are the hordes of Corbynistas?

It is always a challenge to deliver literature. My shoe leather and legs know the cost of so many deliveries. The challenge face all parties. It's hard work and a hard slog to get everything through people's letterboxes.

We are constantly being told by Labour that their ranks have been swollen by youthful Corbynistas. In my ward, I have to ask, where are they? Labour started to deliver an A3 leaflet in the last week of March. Two weeks later the same leaflet was still being delivered. A week ago, Labour started to deliver another A3 leaflet. Last night I discovered that in Fellside Park, both leaflets were still being delivered and they were arriving through letterboxes together.

There is a similar picture in the neighbouring ward of Whickham North which is Lib Dem held. Labour are struggling to get out their literature. As recently as 2014, this ward was Labour's top target in the whole region. Now they have melted away. While I have no reason to doubt Labour's claims of a greatly increased membership, it seems that most of the new members seem content to join, pay the inflated membership fees (easy for most of them as they tend to come from well off backgrounds) and spend their time sniping at Tony Blair on Facebook. Helping in an election campaign is for others to do. And they certainly don't want to dirty their hands with a bit of manual effort to get leaflets through doors.

Ryton and Blaydon eFocus

We recently published our next edition of our Ryton/Blaydon eFocus. It's mainly about the local elections but you can read it on this link.

Video - Whickham canvass

Canvassing in Whickham on Saturday was relatively positive, towards the higher end of expectations. But in Dunston Hill and Whickham East ward, the battle is still on for first place.

Gutting Labour's leaflet

In Dunston Hill and Whickham East ward of Gateshead, Labour have circulated a leaflet which contains a few statements that don't quite fit with what's actually happening. In this video I gut the leaflet.

Enjoy!

Tackling the motorcycle menace in Marley Hill

One of the meetings I had this week was with highways officers and I took the opportunity to raise the on-going battle over the use of the area to the south of Marley Hill and Byermoor villages for illegal, off-road motorcycling. We are working with police and the council to tackle this and I'm pleased to report that the next action is to place signs (see above) around the site, the content of which speaks for itself.

I was recently in Byermoor on a Sunday morning to look at flytipping and while I was there, the police arrived to do one of their spot checks to look out for illegal motorcycling activity. The owner of the site has also been told by Gateshead Council to take action to stop the use of his land for this activity.

We hope this will lead to a successful conclusion of this issue.

Door knocking in Watergate

Much of our canvassing in Dunston Hill and Whickham East ward in recent weeks has been in parts of the ward where Labour are normally relatively strong. So yesterday we headed into the Watergate Estate. I was pleased with the responses we received. Generally, our support is holding up and the biggest moves were from hard to soft Labour. The Lib Dem vote was towards the higher end of expectations, Labour's towards the lower end. Though this is helpful, it does not mean a certain victory, though a repeat of the result last time in 2016 will give is a gain this time (hence the good news about our vote holding up.) I think there is all to play for but the result will be close, whoever wins.

Video diary - Sunday 15th April: delivering in Gateshead

Postal votes were about to arrive so I delivered lots of letters in Ryton and Dunston Hill and Whickham East wards.

In the Daily Star

It appears I am in the Daily Star today, quoted about the £5000 food bill for Labour Council Leader Martin Gannon. Martin successfully managed to turn Gateshead Council into a personal version of his very own food bank by claiming for lunches from 2014-17. It turns out that over those three years, over half the subsistence claims were made by Martin. He ate just over half the budget.

The last time I was in the Daily Star was on Friday 13th March 1992. My Conservative opponent in Hexham constituency, Alan Amos MP, had just been arrested with another man on Hampstead Heath. Two days later, he was replaced by another candidate and my being gay was suddenly an issue right at the start of the general election campaign. So I came out and got enormous coverage for a story that nowadays no one in the media would bother with.

Peter Angus RIP

I discovered on Saturday morning that Peter Angus, former Lib Dem Councillor in Castle Morpeth, had died. Peter was a friend of mine who provided me and David with our first home, 32 years ago. We lived in his house while we bought our first home in Swalwell.

Sadly, Peter was an alcoholic and his illness eventually caught up with him. He passed away last month. The funeral is at 1.45pm on Friday 4th May at Cowpen Crematorium in Blyth.

Labour Councillor missing her "goal"

Labour Councillor in Dunston Hill and Whickham East, Allison Thompson, has announced in her election leaflet that her "goal is to give the people of our community a voice on Gateshead Council." After 14 years on Gateshead Council, I'm not yet sure she has managed to score that goal. I've only heard her speak twice at full council meetings, an average rate of once every seven years.

In January she had put in objections to a planning application for a chippie to open for longer hours. Allison the Chip Snatcher asked to speak at the planning committee, no doubt "to give the people of our community a voice" and persuade members to bin the longer opening hours. Alas, there was no sign of Allison at the meeting and no apology for absence. The application was approved.

Meanwhile, the Council's website now gives details of councillors' attendance at meetings. Since October, Allison's attendance was expected at 13 meetings. She attended 3. That's one every two months, an attendance rate of 23%.

Not exactly a strong voice for the community.....

Are Labour asleep in Dunston Hill and Whickham East

It is very nice of the Labour Party in Dunston Hill and Whickham East ward to set aside a fair chunk of their main leaflet in the local elections in Gateshead to respond to the Lib Dems in the ward. It has been clear from the start of this campaign that we, rather than Labour, have set the agenda in the ward and Labour have been forced to respond.

One of the key issues is the plan for nearly 600 executive houses to be built at the top of Dunston Hill. Despite the Lib Dems having led the battle against these plans, and the Labour run council coming up with the plans in the first place, the Labour leaflet circulated this morning tried to make out that Labour were opposed to the house-building plans and that they were the fault of the Lib Dems! Perhaps Labour's campaign slogan should be "Vote Labour because we are opposed to Labour policies"!

Alas for Labour, they have included a monumental error in their leaflet that well and truly shows that they are completely out of touch with what's actually happening. Their leaflet claims, "A planning application is expected to be submitted this summer for the development of homes on land south of Whickham Highway close to Lobley Hill." The reality of the situation is that the planning application was submitted last year and resubmitted earlier this year. This is a live planning application and I am staggered that the Labour Party in the ward are completely unaware of this as this is the biggest planning issue to hit the area in decades.

Dunston deserves better.

eFocus Whickham edition 106

Our latest eFocus for the Whickham area, edition 106, was published tonight. It leads on the work being done at the top of Dunston Hill where Labour are pressing for nearly 600 executive houses on former greenbelt. There is also a number of stories about the local elections. You can view it on this link.

Video Diary Sunday 8th April 2018 - flytipping

On Sunday I was invited by residents of Byermoor, the smallest village in my ward, to have a look at the flytipping taking place next to the school. The amount of dumped waste is staggering. I have since taken the issue up with officers.

Video diary - Saturday 7th April 2018 - delivering and printing

There are bits of my life that feel like groundhog day, especially when it comes to printing and delivering Focuses.

Who is standing where in Gateshead

A short video I put together about which parties are standing where in Gateshead, what happened in the last elections and which seats could change hands. Only 1 min 38 seconds long.

Who ate half the pies?

Labour leader of Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon, is in a bit of a pickle at the moment. It looks like he has bitten off more than he can chew but I hope he isn't going to make a meal of it. It has come to light that subsistence allowance claims by Martin from 2014-2017 amount to £5003.64. In those years, the Council spent a total of £9623.06 on subsistence for all councillors. So, in a budget for 66 councillors, over half was spent on pies and sandwiches for one member. Most councillors (regardless of party) claim nothing.

The allowance is meant to cover the cost of food while on normal council duties. Half the budget being spent on food for one member is a bit hard to swallow. We could chew this over for a bit and no doubt residents who pay for Martin's meals may want to pick a bone with him. As Leader, Martin already has a lot on his plate. He should feel a great pudding over this issue.

It seems Martin has turned the council into his own food bank, I told the local media. If you want to sink your teeth into the story, follow this link.

Letters delivered

Another trip down to Whickham and Dunston this morning, this time to deliver about 100 letters. Job done by midday. Tomorrow I shall return - to deliver our next Focus.

Whickham East annual report

We are currently delivering our annual reports to constituents in the wards we represent in Gateshead. I was out recently delivering in Whickham East. The issues covered include Labour's attempts to sell part of Chase Park, battling against housing plans on local countryside, litter, council tax and Gateshead's budget.

Dunston Hill and Whickham East action day

Saturday last week saw our latest action day in Dunston Hill and Whickham East. A day of deliveries and door knocking.

Negotiating to get what we've already got

So, Liam Fox, the globetrotting Secretary of State for International Trade, has expressed his hope that after the "transitional" period is over (quite what we are transitioning to is not clear), we will be free to negotiate our own trade deals around the world, and he expects 40 agreements with 70 countries to be made.

Except, these are 40 agreements with 70 countries that are already in place, put there by the EU. As we are constantly being told, the "will of the people" is being followed by the government. So why, therefore, are we "rolling over" existing agreements which the Brexiteers tell us are bound up with EU bureaucracy and red tape? We were told that we would be free to negotiate "better" trade deals. So all this negotiating activity as we use our new found freedoms and it delivers us.....nothing more than we already have.

As I have said many times before, the UK needs to accept the consequences of the decisions we make. The "will of the people" dictated by a small majority is that we leave the EU, which means we do not continue to enjoy the benefits of EU membership. So surely, to deliver the "will of the people", all those EU trade agreements should be abandoned and Liam Fox should then have to do some work and come up with new agreements rather than copying someone else's homework.

Given that the EU carries vastly more economic and political clout than the UK, quite what "better" deals Fox can negotiate is the big unknown.

And of course if the people don't like the consequences of the decision they have taken, they should have the democratic right to change their mind.

Video: Sgt Bill Forth's memorial service

On Wednesday last week, police and residents of Sunniside gathered for a memorial service to Police Sgt Bill Forth who was murdered in the village 25 years ago while on active duty.

The will of the people: Britain's Brexit Star Wars

According to the Financial Times, Theresa May is battling to keep Britain in the EU's Galileo space programme and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson "hit the roof" when he was informed of moves by the EU to exclude Britain. It seems to me that all the EU are doing is following the often-repeated mantra of the Brexiteers that Britain is "taking back control of our borders" (admittedly these are borders in space), "freeing ourselves of EU red tape" (we will have to invent and launch our own rockets) and "controlling our own money" (it will of course cost vastly more than we save to design, build, launch and maintain our own equivalent of the Galileo project - which has a crucial role to play in defence and security operations.)

The space industry is an area in which the UK has already built up a share of international business, fueled to some extent by the UK's involvement in European space programmes. Pulling out of those programmes is a significant setback for Britain's prospects in this sector but that is the "will of the people". The people voted to leave (by a very small majority) so when the people (and our own Brexit government) don't like the outcome, they need to understand there are consequences to the decisions they take. Some believed the Brexiteer claims of a pain-free divorce from Europe in which we were told we could have all the benefits of being in Europe with none of the costs and rules. The reality is that UK "independence" from the EU comes at an enormous price and with few of the benefits promised by the likes of Boris Johnson.

The alternative to going ahead with Brexit and accepting its consequences is to remain in the EU. That would require an opportunity to show whether or not the people have changed their mind - a referendum. This is a fundamental part of democracy. Just don't expect it to happen under this government or one led by the Theresa May Brexit echo chamber otherwise known as Jeremy Corbyn.

Dunston Hill and Whickham East Action Day

We had another action day in Dunston Hill and Whickham East ward in Gateshead on Saturday. In the Dunston part of the ward we were delivering the next Focus (I had already delivered a patch on Thursday). In the Whickham part of the ward, we were delivering the Focus Team's annual report. It was printed by colleagues through the week but I headed to the office on Friday to fold it.

Most of the ward was delivered on the day though some took patches to do this coming week. We also did some canvassing in the afternoon. We deliberately chose the area where Labour's vote was strongest. Admittedly, we excluded from the canvass known hard Labour supporters. However, as our historic canvass in this area is less than the rest of the ward, we still called on lots of doors and I went in with an expectation that we would find lots of Labour voters. We did, except for the fact that a very large number of them are very disillusioned with Labour over local issues. There is a modest shift in voting intention from Labour to Lib Dem. I came away satisfied that we were getting a higher level of support that predicted. When looked at simply in terms of numbers, Labour were only ahead if every polite but otherwise non-committal canvass response was transferred to Labour's column.  Add in those previously canvassed as hard Labour and they move ahead of us. Don't forget however that this is the strongest area for Labour in the ward. That means there is all to play for as this is a ward in which, just 3 years ago, Labour held on by a mere 23 votes. If Labour are struggling in this part of the ward, they will have a real battle to hold in the local elections on 3rd May.

But there is no room for comlacency.....



Lib Dem campaigner Kevin McClurey and me in Poplar Crescent in Dunston.

Delivering in Ryton

On Friday I was in Ryton to deliver our latest Focus about the council budget. My colleagues very kindly gave me two patches to do which contained lots of houses with lots of steps to front doors. My legs hurt when I got home!

Delivering in Dunston

Our latest Focus is hot off the press in Gateshead and I was out in Dunston delivering it this morning. I did a patch of 180 before going to council. It leads on Labour's neglect of Dunston. The old Dunston Hill Primary School building has been left by Labour run Gateshead Council to stand unused and derelict for ten years. And people are understandably getting fed up.

I am hoping this is a mistake

I arrived at cabinet at Gateshead Civic Centre yesterday and discovered that the usual china cups for teas and coffee were nowhere to be seen. Instead, we were to use disposable paper cups that were "green" because they were "100% compostable". This is of course a factually accurate claim. Paper is compostable. Indeed, in my household, all waste paper either goes straight into the compost bin or is shredded and used for livestock bedding and then goes into the manure bin. Yet just because paper is compostable, does not mean it is green. Resources are required to produce it and paper production uses large amounts of chemicals and bleaches which can damage the environment. Resources are also required to dispose of single use paper cups though the plus point is that, when they are not dropped as litter or dumped in landfill, they can be burnt to produce a tiny amount of heat that can be converted into electricity.

The amount of resources used to manufacture, transport and reuse china cups across their lifetime is far less than those used to manufacture sufficient single use paper cups. A china cup can be used thousands of times. A paper cup is used once.

I had words with Martin Gannon, Leader of the Council, after the meeting and, to be fair to him, he was as surprised as I was to find the paper cups replacing the china ones. We are both hoping that the cups were used as a one-off simply because of a problem that will be resolved (eg a dish washer breaking down). If on the other hand this is a permanent change, I will be making a great deal of noise.

By-election victor at Gateshead meeting

I attended the Gateshead East Lib Dem branch meeting last night to give my group leader's report and talk about the issues on which we are fighting the forthcoming local elections. However, I was not the guest speaker! That privilege fell to Martin Haswell, the Lib Dem victor in the Pallion by-election in Sunderland last month. He talked us through how he was able to take the Lib Dem vote from 4% to 54%. I'm pleased to report that many of the techniques are now being used by us in Gateshead.

Sergeant Bill Forth's memorial service

Sergeant Bill Forth was murdered in Sunniside while on duty 25 years ago today. A memorial service was held this afternoon at the memorial stone on Sunniside Front Street. A full set of photos of the service can be viewed above.

Gathering to remember Sergeant Bill Forth

25 years ago on 21st March, Sergeant Bill Forth was murdered while on duty in Sunniside. At 2pm tomorrow, the police will be laying a wreath at the memorial to Sergeant Forth on Sunniside Front Street. Residents are very welcome to attend.

Our recent tabloid

In January and February Gateshead Lib Dems delivered tens of thousands of copies of our tabloid across the borough. There were five editions which focused on significant local issues. Generally it was well received (except by Labour!) I've included images of the five different front pages in this post.

The will of the people - queues at our borders

One of the biggest cries from Brexit campaigners was that leaving the EU would allow us to regain control of our borders. It was one of the promises that, if implemented, would create far more problems than solutions. One consequence will be that there are more extensive checks at the borders with ramifications for businesses and the flow of goods as lorries join long queues while border bureaucracy is carried out.  This is, of course, the will of the people.

Now, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling is claiming there will be no delays at our borders as there will be no checks. Somehow all the checks will be done in the ether, in the virtual world of the internet or somewhere in hyperspace. As with so many other matters, he is offering a pain free world which in reality cannot be achieved. Nevertheless, the people voted to take control of the borders and Grayling's comments indicate that, like so many other issues, implementing the will of the people comes at an enormous price. The Government simply proceeds by pretending there is not a cost or problem.

So, to implement the will of the people, there should be extensive border checks for the whole of the UK (including Northern Ireland). Other services will have to be cut to pay for the customs officers and officials who will be needed to police our borders, but that is the will of the people.

Of course, the will of the people can change. And the people should be given the opportunity to change their mind once they've seen what needs to be done to implement the will of the people as it was in June 2016.

Dunston Hill and Whickham East Action Day

I had to miss conference at Southport last weekend due to my friend Richard's emergency heart operation (I am his carer). The good news was that I was able to help at the Dunston Hill and Whickham East action day in Gateshead where we are hoping to pick up the seat of the former Labour mayor on 3rd May. We shifted a large quantity of literature. The video was shot on the day.

Gateshead Lib Dems first "party political broadcast" - cutting councillors rather than street cleaning

This is Gateshead Lib Dems' first "party political broadcast" for the local elections in May. It features on of our "Six to Fix" campaign issues - cutting the number of councillors by a third in the borough with the savings of £250,000 a year used on street sweeping and litter clearance.

Video diary: missing conference

I had to miss conference at Southport last week as my friend Richard (I am his carer) needed an emergency operation on Friday afternoon. Thankfully it was a success. Sadly, I was not able to rescue my conference hotel booking. I had to pay for night. Happily, the hotel did not try to charge me for the 2nd.

Video diary: the best data destruction technique

Due to my friend Richard's recent visits to hospital (and two heart operations), I've been out of time to keep the blog up to date. But I've continued to record my video diaries. Now that Richard is back home, I have the chance to catch up. This video was my diary from 8th March. I attended a meeting about the new personal data regulations that come into force in May. At the meeting, the officer asked us how we safely disposed of papers that contained personal data. I have the most effective and original way. It involves a shredder and pooping animals!

Labour campaigning on the wrong issues

Julie Elliott is the Labour MP for Sunderland Central. A relatively recent arrival in the Commons (she was first elected in 2010), Ms Elliott represents a constituency which has been Labour for as long as people can remember. Such security can generate a degree of complacency and throughout Sunderland, complacency is rife in the Labour Party. They run the council with a whopping great big majority and their Parliamentary majorities are rather steep. Campaigning and communicating with voters is not a Labour priority in the city. Or at least, it wasn't until January when Labour faced the prospect of losing a safe seat (Pallion) in a council by-election.

The rather decrepit, rusting, dilapidated Labour machine therefore swung into action. A street stall was set up in the city centre and a petition was launched. People were invited to sign it. Sunderland has high levels of unemployment, poverty, poor health, low incomes, there's the impact of Brexit and so on. So which of these important, relevant issues did Labour and Ms Elliott take up as a campaign?  Errrr, none of them.

Instead, members of the public were invited to sign a petition calling for Nick Clegg to be "stripped" of his knighthood. (He hadn't even been knighted at that point!) One of our members witnessed residents parting with a few choice words about Labour's choice of campaign subject.

You will be pleased to learn that Labour lost Pallion on 1st February to the Lib Dems. Our vote rose by 49%. I'm almost tempted to suggest a knighthood or damehood for the person in Labour who came up with their campaign idea!

Vlog 27th February 2018: the Beast from the East

My 2nd vlog, filmed on Tuesday 27th February. The Beast from the East had arrived so the day was dominated with tackling snow problems - from feeding the goats in the morning to driving past road collisions in the evening.

A policy designed to fail

So, once the fanfare of Corbyn's announcement on a customs union died down, we were able to see the details of the deal he wants to strike with the EU. One telling statement made it clear right from the start that this was a policy designed to fail. Corbyn demanded that even though the UK is leaving the EU, the UK should still have a say on the trade deals the EU strikes with other nations. This is another example of politicians offering something that is not in their gift to give and which offers lots of rights but no responsibilities. Having your cake and eating it is now all the rage.

Labour's position is that we leave the EU club, retain the benefits of club membership and even continue to have a say on the rules of the club we have left. I can imagine what the rest of the EU thinks of that. They are likely to tell Corby where he can put his cake!

Vlog 26th February 2018: Covert or Overt

For the past 28 years I have kept a diary. I started off writing it by hand. After 14 years technology caught up with me and my diary was written on my laptop. Technology is catching up with me again and I'm experimenting with a video diary. This is my first attempt, filmed yesterday. Half the day was spent in the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle where my friend Richard has had a major heart operation (I'm his carer). In the early evening I was at Gateshead Civic Centre considering a report on surveillance. I was interested to know whether checking someone's Facebook activity counted as overt or covert surveillance. the answer was that it was both (depending on the circumstances).

About bloody time

So, at long last, Labour have come up with a Brexit policy that is not simply a repetition of the Tories' plans. Time to celebrate that there has been a small step away from the fence on which Labour have been sitting since June 2016. As I write this, Corbyn is yet to make his speech so we will have to await the actual details. Given his anti-EU history, expect any customs union outlined by him to be limited. It must not stand in the way of the socialist revolution and must not block the road to Utopia. Also, expect the same tone to be employed as that adopted by Tory Brexiteers: the EU will give us this, that and the other. Ever since the referendum campaign, Brexiteers have chosen to speak for the EU negotiating team and have made all sorts of pronouncements about what the EU will give Britain. None of these are based on anything the EU has said. Brexiteers are simply offering rights without responsibilities, a cherry-picking exercise in which the UK resigns as a member of the EU club but still enjoys all the benefits of being in the club without abiding by the rules. To be fair to the Brexiteers, politicians offering something for nothing has been a common theme for decades and was especially rife under Blair and especially Brown. It was an attitude that carried over big style into the Corbyn general election manifesto last year in which 90% of the population was offered everything they wanted for free, paid for by a handful of rich people.

So, watch out for this something-for-nothing attitude flowing over into Corbyn's speech today.

Come back Nigel, you're bad judgement is needed

While Lib Dems in Gateshead were running our action day on Saturday, we made the occasional check on news websites to find out how the Kipper fight was going in Birmingham. After the last tabloids went through the doors, we still had no news. I returned home, had a cuppa, switched on Sky News and there it was - Henry Bolton had succeeded in being UKIP's longest serving leader in the last 2 years but had now succumbed to the urge of Kippers to have constant leadership elections. Odd that the same people don't support a second referendum, but contorted posturing is a UKIP skill.

So, Bolton is gone, leader number 7 takes over and work begins to wash the blood from the walls of the Birmingham conference centre. But don't write off UKIP yet. They may be in a state of collapse, but they still managed to get 1400 members to an emergency conference at short notice. That said, I doubt they will be fielding many candidates in the May local elections and those UKIP Councillors who do defend their seats are likely to have more time on their hands after 4th May.

One noticeable point about the UKIP bun fight was former Kipper deputy chairman Suzanne Evans who went on tv to say Nigel Farage's judgement was seriously bad but she wanted him back as leader despite this. The Kipper comedy continues.

Delivering our tabloid

We took delivery of our Gateshead Lib Dem tabloid at the start of February. All hands to the pump to get them distributed. So far I've done 4 patches in Dunston Hill and Whickham East (one of them was this morning) and five in Whickham South and Sunniside, my ward, where I have three patches still to do (a job probably for tomorrow).

Another gain from Labour in Sunderland

Another earth tremor, if not a political earthquake, in the Labour citadel of Sunderland tonight with a gain by the Lib Dems in the Pallion by-election. But this wasn't just any old earth tremor! The Lib Dem vote increased by a modest 49%. As is now the norm, the UKIP vote went into meltdown, but Corbyn's candidate also suffered not only the loss of the seat, but a big drop in vote share. The result was:

LDEM: 53.9% (+49.5)
LAB: 34.8% (-15.9)
CON: 5.4% (-7.2)
UKIP: 4.2% (-24.7)
GRN: 1.7% (-1.8)

To be fair to Labour, everyone other than the Lib Dems suffered a loss in vote share. Those squabbling warriors of UKIP were the worst performers on votes but that does nothing to deflect from the fact Labour lost a formerly safe seat.

Labour lost a seat to the Lib Dems in a by-election in Sunderland this time last year on a similar swing. This is starting to become something of a habit.

Meanwhile, my afternoon of delivering letters in the ward and being mistaken for a Labour campaigner by a very angry voter did not hinder the Lib Dem progress in Sunderland!