Reform chaos reaches Gateshead

It didn't take long! Reform chaos has started lapping at the political shores of Gateshead. Peter Gray, one of the three Reform candidates for Crawcrook and Greenside has resigned. Except it is not as straightforward as that. His resignation was too late to remove his name from the ballot papers. So Reform hobble forward in the ward with only 2 cylinders firing, dragging along with them their former colleague in tow. If he is elected, there will be an immediate by-election in the ward, costing in the region of £10K. It seems Reform have made an interesting start to the election campaign.

So, one Reform candidate down, just 65 to go.

Only 14 Conservatives

Nominations for the local elections in Gateshead closed on Thursday last week and candidates were announced on Friday. One of the notable points to emerge is that the Conservatives have put forward only 14 candidates for the 66 seats available. The last time the Conservatives failed to field a full slate of candidates was in the late 1980s. Since then they have fielded candidates for every vacancy. In a normal year, there are 22 seats up for election in Gateshead. In 2004, all 66 seats were contested because of boundary changes and the Conservatives fielded a full set of candidates. 22 years on and the Conservatives are fielding a team so small, it leaves many wards without a Conservative candidate at all.

This is a truly appalling situation for the Conservatives. They last topped a poll in Gateshead in 1992, 34 years ago, when the last surviving Conservative councillor held his seat of Low Fell (it went Lib Dem four years later). Their absence from the Council did not mean they were absent from the electoral battle. Until now. I understand that other areas are seeing the collapse of the Conservatives  so we are not talking about their disintegration as a Gateshead specific issue. The malaise is wider, much wider.

There are some good people in the Conservative Party who are horrified with the Reform lite direction in which their party is moving. Centrists and right of centre are looking for a new home. They are repelled by the Reform Party and want nothing to do with them. Pragmatic liberal conservatives can still play a role in politics, but not in the Conservative Party where their efforts are now wasted. If you are a liberal minded, pro-European, caring Conservative, it's time to join the Liberal Democrats.

The Team photo

 

The Whickham South and Sunniside team. Polling day is 7th May.

Election slides

 

Along with my colleagues Jonathan Mohammed and Marilynn Ord, we have been nominated for Whickham South and Sunniside ward of Gateshead Council. Polling day is 7th May. 

Nomination accepted

 

I am seeking re-election to Gateshead Council. Nomination papers went in earlier this week and were accepted. I have already done 11 terms as councillor for Whickham South and Sunniside, starting in 1987. Four weeks of solid campaigning ahead of us. Given Gateshead Lib Dems have been working solidly on the elections since May 2024, the next four weeks shouldn't be much different for us!

Polling day is 7th May.

Promoted by Ron Beadle on behalf of Jonathan Wallace (Liberal Democrats), c/o 21 Beaconsfield Avenue Low Fell NE9 5XT.

Daffs on display

 

As I travel around my ward, I spot things that fall into the categories of Good, Bad and Ugly. This one definitely falls into the Good category. This is the daffodil bed ay Byermoor next to the A692 and very close to the border with Co Durham. It comes up blooming every year and makes a great display for people coming into Gateshead.

What a bruiser

 

I've got quite a black eye! Florence, one of my nanny goats, had two babies yesterday but her udders where so full of milk that the babies could not suckle. I therefore took her to out milking shed and encouraged her to get onto the milking stand. That was when it happened. I made the mistake of bending over as she jumped onto the stand. The result was an impact as her horn collided with my glasses and nose.

On the plus side, I took 4 litres of milk off her which are currently being fed to her two babies.

So it wasn't the end result of a difference of opinion with a political opponent or party members! Just plain bad luck! The last time I had a black eye was nearly 50 years ago. Let's hope it's another 50 years before the next!

The irony of it!

 

I wonder if Labour spot the irony in this banner. The issue at hand here is the closure of the Gateshead flyover which, a year and a half ago, was found to be in a poor and dangerous state. The resulting closure has added to the congestion next to a zone where Labour's one way system has itself added to congestion in the town centre. "Brought to you by Gateshead" - the words are really quite accurate. Just stick the word "Labour" before Gateshead.

Ed Davey in Newcastle

 

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey was in Newcastle today as part of his local election tour. In this group shot Marilynn managed to be right at the front, next to Ed himself!

Marilynn is introduced to Ed.

Gateshead Lib Dems photographed with Ed.

Ed rather liked the Gateshead Lib Dem manifesto.

Promoted by Ron Beadle on behalf of Gateshead Liberal Democrats, c/o 21 Beaconsfield Avenue Low Fell NE9 5XT.

Pictures of Noel

 

Noel Rippeth was Leader of the Lib Dem group and Leader of the Opposition on Gateshead Council from 1994 to 2010.Sadly, he passed away last month. His family asked me to pass on any photos I have of him from his days as group leader. SO here are some of the ones I sent. All photos are pre 2005 and some date from the 1990s.

Above - Noel in his ward of Crawcrook and Greenside.

Mid 1990s, a social event at my house (I recognise the curtains!)

Mid to late 1990s, Noel with then Leader of the Party, Paddy Ashdown, with Cllr Peter Maughan in Whickham.

2003 - Noel and local members are joined by Ed Davey MP.

Mid 1990s - Noel as part of the group meeting Paddy Ashdown in Chase Park. At the tiime, Labour were planning to remove and not replace the play equipment in local parks. Paddy joined in the campaign and suddenly the Labour council found the money to replace the old equipment.

Noel joins the winning Lib Dem candidates from the local elections, 1990s.

Noel and Councillor Peter Maughan in Crawcrook, 1990s.

Noel and Ione join me in Ryton, 2017. This was 6 years after they had retired from Gateshead Council.

Save Gateshead from Reform's opencast mining

 

Don't bring Reform chaos to Gateshead

 

Lib Dem boy band

 

I set myself the task of sorting through a filing cabinet of photos in my office at home this morning. All my photos taken since 2005 are digital. So the contents of the filing cabinet are something of a historic nature, being at least 21 years old. Some were over 40 years old. I did however find this photo which we decided to scan. It was taken in spring 2001. These 5 young people (I'm on the front left) were the Lib Dem's youngest candidates in the North East for the general election which has been delayed (if I remember correctly) by an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

We look something like a boy band on a comeback tour! I suspect I was the oldest. More middle-aged than boy!

Back to Bridges

 

On Sunday Gateshead Lib Dems had the last action day before the election expenses kick in. Again, it was another mopping up day in which bundles of manifesto leaflets were delivered. We split into 4 groups. All deliveries in the morning were in the blocks of flats on or near the Quayside. The final bundles were delivered on a new estate near Gateshead Stadium. The to Tesco (yet again) for lunch.

Promoted by Ron Beadle on behalf of Jonathan Wallace (Liberal Democrats), c/o 21 Beaconsfield Avenue Low Fell NE9 5XT.

Saltwell action day

 

On Saturday Gateshead Lib Dems had yet another action day, this time in Saltwell. The aim was to mop up remaining target letters. Job done and we then headed to Tesco cafe for lunch. Over the past two years of action days, Tesco has been our regular eating place. I dread to think of how much Lib Dems have spent in the place.

Promoted by Ron Beadle on behalf of Jonathan Wallace (Liberal Democrats), c/o 21 Beaconsfield Avenue Low Fell NE9 5XT.

Good to see the media at the manifesto launch

 

Gateshead Lib Dems held their manifesto launch at the Tynesider on Gateshead High Street on Tuesday. Good to see both the BBC and Chronicle attending.

The Chronicle focused on the battle for Gateshead being between Lib Dems and Reform. You can read the write up, and Reform's attack on us, in this link.

Birtley South action day

 

I missed the Birtley North and Lamesley action day last week as I was at the Whickham Library easter fair. I was however able to make it to the Birtley South event the following day. 13 of us finished the delivery of target letters in the ward.

Birtley South is an interesting ward. We first won a seat in the ward from Labour in 2023. A year later we won another seat from Labour but this time only by 5 votes. This is the closest result I have ever seen in my 45 years experience of political campaigning in Gateshead. Now, it appears Labour have largely given up, even though they are defending their last seat in the ward.

So the battle is now between Lib Dems and Reform though Reform's candidates are yet to be announced. Birtley South is definitely a "one to watch".

Labour's council tax rise in Gateshead