Tories in Winlaton

I have heard on the grapevine that the Conservatives were out campaigning in Winlaton and High Spen over the summer. The ward is the only one currently where the Conservatives have a realistic (though still a bit distant) chance of winning a seat on Gateshead Council which has been an electoral desert for them for 30 years ago. They must have been disappointed by the result in Winlaton and High Spen in May where, despite visits from (or is that because of visits from?) cabinet members, the Conservatives saw the Labour majority increase to 620. Perhaps the Conservatives however understand that winning an election requires constant campaigning. Success does not come overnight. We shall wait and see if the Conservatives continue to work the ward in the months ahead.

Mountains of waste

Edinburgh is rapidly disappearing under a blanket of waste. The strike by bin lorry staff in the city means the waste bins throughout the city are not being emptied. Roads and paths are not being cleared of rubbish. Waste food is rotting. This situation highlights just how wasteful we are as a society. It has taken only a few days for Edinburgh to begin to disappear under an avalanche of waste. Most of what is dumped in streets is single use food and drinks packaging. Surely we must all now realise that we cannot go on in this consumerist consumptionist manner. We are trashing the planet.

45 years ago

45 years ago I had just returned home after spending 50 days in hospital following a road accident. So I was still on crutches when I heard the news that Elvis was dead. Looking back nearly half a century later, can anyone think of a performer and musician who still dominates the music industry two generations after they have passed away? Elvis was of course The King but he gave us some fantastic songs. Long may his record continue.

Celebrating in Kent

 

At the end of July I went with David to Kent to celebrate various family birthdays and a wedding anniversary. We had planned to go by train but the rail strike saw our having to drive there instead. Sally's house (where the celebration was taking place and where we were staying in a tent!) is a converted oast house with a large garden. The large pond there is exactly what I want to put on our farm to boost wildlife and encourage amphibians that will eat bugs on my crops. So, as you can imagine, the pond for me was as much a draw as was the celebration event!

Labour demand Lib Dem policy

Proposals for a windfall tax were first put forward by Ed Davey and the Lib Dems last autumn. Two months later, Labour announced a proposal for a windfall tax. Some weeks ago, Ed Davey and the Lib Dems proposed a freeze rather than a lifting of the price cap on domestic energy bills this autumn. It will be interesting to see which Lib Dem policies Keir Starmer will adopt next. 

eFocus edition 171

The latest edition of eFocus for the Whickham area was published tonight. Issues covered include:

• Anti-social behaviour in Chase Park;
• Hospital bus service saved;
• Petition - cut Gateshead Council down to size;
• Whickham Voluntary Library is five years old;
• Chase Park dog show postponed;
• Sunniside phone mast;
• Wood carving at the Whinnies;
• Can you donate a school uniform?

You can read eFocus on this link.

On the shortlist

I am no great fan of the Eurovision Song Contest though I did watch the final in May. That said, I am a great fan of the tourism industry so anything that encourages people to visit Gateshead, Newcastle and the North East generally is welcome. It's all about jobs, wealth creation and the local economy. For a successful tourism industry we need reasons for people to visit us and spend their cash in local businesses. So, hosting the Eurovision Song Contest would be a huge boost to the economy here. Newcastle, it was announced today, is on the shortlist of possible host cities for next year's contest. Fingers crossed!

Dog show falls victim to heatwave

 

I'm used to activities being cancelled due to rain, snow and cold but we now have to get used to events being cancelled because of extreme heat. The Fun Dog Show in Chase Park, Whickham, due to be held tomorrow, has been cancelled because of the extreme weather conditions. I had planned to spend much of the day there but, though disappointed the show is postponed, the welfare of the people and pets attending has to take priority. Hopefully we will have a new date for the show shortly.

Sunniside phone mast

 

Residents have raised with me some questions about the new phone mast at the Stanley Road junction in Sunniside. I had to do some digging. The questions and answers are:

• When was it granted planning permission - June last year.
• Who gave it planning permission - officers under delegated powers.
• Who was consulted - the 14 nearest properties.

Typically, phone companies install phone masts quickly after they have been granted planning permission. This time they took 14 months to get the work done. This I suspect has generated the confusion about when it was granted.

Day trip to York

 

I filmed this on a day off from politics and farming. A day trip to York - the city is packed with history and is only an hour on the train from home. It is a regular host of Lib Dem spring conference. I'm not sure if York is hosting conference in the next couple of years but if it is, I will use the opportunity to visit more of the historical attractions.

The video was filmed at Clifford Tower, York Castle Museum and The Shambles.

What happened to collective responsibility?

There is something both interesting and nauseating about Conservative MPs and especially cabinet members taking part in a ding-dong battle between themselves about tax, the economy and inflation. Anyone who had just arrived from outer space and tuned into the Tory leadership debates would be forgiven for thinking the contenders and their supporters had come from opposing parties who had not been in office for the past few years. Recently agreed tax rises and monetary measures, it would appear, were all vehemently oppose, leaving everyone else wondering how the cabinet actually managed to back them. Quite what happened to collective responsibility is a question without an answer. While ministers initially knuckled down at the last budget and went on TV to back the proposals, now all we hear from the same people is how much they oppose them and want them scrapped.

What a strange world in which we live. 

Drought restrictions approaching

 

I've been saying since January that rainfall is greatly reduced this year. Normally in January I am plodding around in mud up to my ankles but the start of the year was damp but not as wet as we would normally expect. Every month since then, rainfall has been minimal, and for many weeks at a time, non-existent. Some areas of the country are now facing drought restrictions but we all now need to start saving water. Do you need to clean the car so often? Do you need to bathe rather than shower (and when showering is it necessary to leave the water running the whole of the time you are in the shower)? Do you need to clean all your towels after a single use.

Water is a resource and should be treated as such. We must be sparing with its use. A few thoughts on this issue in the video above.

Northern Pride

 

Liberal Democrats from the North East were out in force yesterday for Northern Pride parade through Newcastle. As usual, I was there with my camera.

Eurovision on Tyneside?

There is talk of Eurovision coming to an as yet unspecified venue in Newcastle. With Russia invading Ukraine, this year's Eurovision winner is not in a position to host. As runner up it now looks like the UK will inherit that role in 2023. I'm no fan of this annual camp musical jamboree (I was put off by Brotherhood of Man) but I'd be very happy for the contest to come to Tyneside. Think of the boost to the local economy! Finding a venue however will be something of a challenge. The Newcastle Arena is about the only building to fit the bill but it is nearing the end of its life. Sadly the new conference and concert venue on the Gateshead Quays will not be completed in time. Newcastle will be up against some stiff competition from elsewhere in the UK so being realistic, Newcastle being chosen as the host is not something to bet the house on. 

I have unhappy memories of the Newcastle Arena. I went there with Richard to a Kylie Minogue concert 3 years ago but had to leave early. Richard had collapsed and I had to get him home. Not good. 

In the running for PM

Okay, so just back from my farm and I've discovered that Johnson is to resign. Alas, one of the Lib Dems' best recruiting sergeants is to exit the stage. So who could be in the running to replace him as Tory leader?

• Priti Patel - aaaargh please no.
• Dominic Raab - needs to spend more time with his small majority.
• Sajid Javid - not to be underestimated.
• Nadhim Zahawi - quietly running his leadership campaign for months.
• Liz Truss - remainer turned Brexiteer.
• Michael Gove - sacked by every PM since 2010.
• Nadine Dorres - Get me out of here.
• Grant Shapps - off the rails.
• Jacob Rees-Mogg - back to the future.
• Keir Starmer - now pro-Brexit, fits the bill perfectly.

Enjoy the summer everyone!

Manning the barricades at the fire authority

Gateshead is part of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority. It is run by a joint committee consisting of councillors from the five constituent councils. Hardly renowned for gripping debates, the committee is unlikely to have a queue of people eagerly waiting to get into the meeting to listen intently to councillors discussing the great issues of the day. Until today, that is.

For today, I am informed, Labour put on a great show in which they manned the barricades and battled with themselves for the role of chair. Labour are the majority party so the role is theirs until such point as they lose their majority. Sunderland is the lead authority and would normally expect to hold the chair but this time, there was a challenge. Gary Haley from Gateshead threw his hat in the ring and went head to head with the new member for Sunderland. No one won. The score was 7 votes each. The vote was run again but as no one had changed their mind, the result was simply a reheat of the first one.

Could it be third time lucky? Yet again, the vote was rerun but no one was in the mood for changing. So it was another score draw. The committee broke up without a chair being appointed. An extra meeting has now been called to be held in a couple of weeks.

And if that fails to resolve the matter, presumably there will be a penalty shoot out. 

I thought it was just Gateshead Labour group that were incompetent when it came to filling appointments - they were still making committee appointments 5 months after the annual council meeting last year. I have now discovered that this inability to sort an appointment extends much further in the Labour Party.

Dogs beat politicians in the Dunston popularity stakes

 

Dunston fair on Saturday was attended by local Lib Dem councillors. Cllr Peter Maughan decided to take his two Newfoundland dogs with him. The breed basically consists of enormous heaps of fur, gigantic tongues and an unfeasibly large quantity of slather. Nevertheless they were very popular with the other visitors to the fair in Dunston Park, indeed, more popular than the politicians (of both sides)! Pictured above: Councillors Peter Maughan, Amelia Ord, Vicky Anderson and Labour's Brenda Clelland who is also one of the organisers of the fair.

The Hoppings

 

For the first time in 30 years I went to the Newcastle Hoppings last night. We got to Exhibition Park and a sudden and very heavy downpour nearly made the evening into a washout. Fortunately it lasted only 5 minutes. So, one burger, one packet of very overpriced pick and mix sweets and one ride later and we headed back home. You need to watch to the end of the video to find out which thrill ride we did!

Whickham eFocus no. 170

Latest eFocus for the local Lib Dem Focus team, just published. Issues covered include bank branch closures, cuts to bus services, housing planned for Dunston Hill derelict school site and much more. Cloci on this link to read eFocus.

Saving the 69

I'm currently sitting in a briefing meeting for Gateshead Councillors with officers from Nexus and Go North East. I'm pleased to report that the 69 service has been saved. Nexus will step in to run it as a secured service. A grant from the government will pay for the service which is vital for many residents. The 69 is the main way for those without a car to get to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Saving it was a priority for the Lib Dem group. It should now remain in place until 2025.