A successful visit

 

I recently arranged for Sunniside History Society members to visit Ravensworth Castle in Gateshead. The trip took place on Saturday. The Castle was a stately home designed by John Nash (who designed Buckingham Palace when the Prince Regent was around) but it was partially demolished in the late 1930s and then more substantially in the 1950s. Fragments survive including the stable block and a corner of the Nash house (see photo above). In addition, the two medieval corner towers have survived the ravishes of time far more so than the rest of the site.

Ravensworth Castle is in the Ravensworth Park estate and is privately owned. You can't just turn up and look around. All visits must be arranged in advance.

There were about 15 of us on the visit and a good time was had by all. There were two of us able to talk about the history of the site - myself and Barry, the head gamekeeper at Ravensworth. Barry's intimate knowledge of the buildings was especially useful.

I was the only member of the group who had previously been to the Castle so this visit was a new experience for the others.

Stable block.

Stable block

Fish pond.

Good start but....

It seems that Andy Burnham has got off to a good start. I had previously thought of him as something of a lightweight but his performance since becoming PM has made me revisit my opinions on him. This is of course the honeymoon stage of his premiership. We saw with Starmer and Brown that honeymoons can be shortlived. It will be interesting to see how long Burnham's last. Nevertheless I get the feeling that most people want him to succeed, at least for the nation' sake.

But then we come back to the same problems that Starmer faced. Burnham makes announcements on policies but he still has all the restrictions that were placed on his predecessor. All the problems that faced Starmer are still there. He was not able to resolve them (his time in office was after all curtailed). Time will judge Burnham in the years to come on whether he succeeded where Starmer fell short.

Which is the most unworkable policy?

It seems the Conservatives have entered a competition with Reform to see which party can come up with the most unworkable policy. Over the past week, Reform announced that if they were in government, they would use the Royal Navy to forcibly return asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats to France. That would mean Royal Navy vessels entering French territorial waters without permission from the French authorities. The French have already announced they will not allow ships to dock. For an unworkable policy, Reform are awarded 10 out of 10.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have come up with a plan to solve the housing crisis by evicting people. Specifically, they want foreign nationals thrown out of social housing. The patronising claim by the Conservatives is that somehow those living in social housing are not paying their way and should therefore be kicked out of their homes so they are forced to support themselves. But what about the hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals who are paying their way? People who work in the NHS or in vital other local services? According to the Conservatives, they are living off everyone else so they need to be evicted. Another 10 out of 10 for an unworkable policy.

Neo-Nazi and net zero

The Conservatives have really lost the plot. In a desperate bid to outdo Reform, Kemi Badenoch has announced that no one supporting net zero will be allowed to stand as a Conservative candidate in the general election. This led to one former cabinet member (Grant Shapps) being refused permission to stand. Yet at the same time she was standing by a Conservative local election candidate with convictions for harassment and neo-Nazi activities. This candidate has now stood down but the damage to the Conservatives has been done.

Ravensworth Castle visit

 

As chair of Sunniside History Society, I have arranged a visit to Ravensworth Castle (or what is left of it after the demolition squads of the 1930s and 1950s had finished their work). What is left is the stable block, the two Medieval corner towers, the ice house and a corner of the John Nash mansion. The trip will be on Saturday. If you want to join the visit, come to the Sunniside History Society meeting tonight (Wednesday 5th August) at Sunniside Social Club and register your interest. You can also email sun1h1st@gmail.com.

Cornerstone community fair

 

Cornerstone Church recently took over the former Sunniside Methodist Church building. I am delighted that Cornerstone took on this project as it ensured the building continues to be available for use by the community and the heritage of the Sunniside was retained and protected. On Sunday, the church held its first community fair. I was there to run the Sunniside History Society table. My ward colleague Cllr Jonathan Mohammed also popped in (see photo above).

Reform bans the Ukrainian flag

Two flags have been banned by Reform from the flagpoles of Gateshead Civic Centre. Firstly, they put an end to the display of the Pride flag. Now, they have banned the Ukrainian flag, a decision that was confirmed at the last full council meeting in July. A Lib Dem motion calling for the flag to be flown was kicked out by the ranks of largely silent Reform Councillors (other than the deputy leader who spoke against. Her argument was that the union jack flown constantly at the Civic Centre would have to make way for the Ukrainian flag. This is of course nonsense. There are 3 flagpoles at the Civic Centre. We only want one for the Ukrainian flag, not all three.

Meanwhile, I continue to see people displaying the Ukrainian flag at home. Given the improved Ukrainian battlefield situation, Reform could soon be in the wrong side of history.

No DBS checks in Gateshead

DBS checks (Disclosure and Barring Service) are not to be required of Gateshead Councillors in Gateshead. That was the decision of Gateshead Council a couple of weeks ago. DBS is a system to check whether someone has a criminal record so it can be decided whether a person is appropriate for appointment to a particular job or role. Earlier in July, Labour put forward a motion calling for DBS checks on all councillors as a matter of course. Council rejected the call.

Or rather, Reform rejected it.

I have criticism of both Labour and Reform about this. Firstly, Labour had been in power in Gateshead since 1974. They chose to put forward the DBS proposals after losing power. Before May, they had the power to require DBS checks but did not implement them. Then, after losing power in May and no longer having the power to introduce them, they then propose implementing them.

Secondly, Reform responded to the motion by rejecting it. Their deputy leader led their argument against. She made the point that there was nothing in the motion to explain what the Council should do if someone's DBS comes back failing their check. It's a valid point to raise but it was wrong to use that argument to throw out the DBS proposals. They could have moved an amendment or simply worked with the opposition parties to come up with a workable solution.

In the dark days of Labour's one party state in Gateshead, Labour largely voted against our motions (there were a few honourable exceptions). It seems Gateshead under Reform is heading in the same direction.

Wallpaper ballot

 

This photo has been doing the rounds on Facebook. It is the ballot paper for the Clacton by-election. At this point in the contest the supply of jokes about this absurd contest have been exhausted. 34 candidates are competing for the crown, making for a ballot paper that is more like wallpaper.

The jokes may be exhausted but it is still possible to engage in fantasy outcomes. The idea that Farage could be beaten by a bin is delicious. Alas, however, I can't see it happening. Expect a Farage win unless Binface manages to whip up enough people to push him over the line. Dream on!

Fish and chips onboard the Tanfield Railway

 

Sunniside is fortunate to have the Tanfield Railway, the world's longest running steam rail system, right on our doorstep. Recently I spotted an advert for an event at the Tanfield: fish and chip aboard the train. I couldn't resist. We had a great time!

Newcastle Pride - the video

 

Filmed today.

Newcastle Pride

 

It was Newcastle Pride today. After my ward surgery I headed over to Newcastle Civic Centre to be part of a sea of colour for the parade to the Monument. Good to see lots of people from Gateshead Council LGBT support network.

One of the first people I bumped into was Cllr Henry Gallagher, mayor of Newcastle.