Time To Fight Back Against Labour's War On The Local Pub

It takes something nowadays to be shocked the sheer brass neck of Labour Ministers. But I was a little astonished to see a few of them popping up in photo opportunities in their local pubs in recent weeks, to demonstrate their affinity with local pubs. This would be the Ministers of the same Government that has knowingly run down local pubs over the past decade.

This Government has a joyless, puritanical streak that runs through all of its policies. Nowhere is this more in evidence than in their policy towards people who enjoy an occasional drink in their local pub. Beer tax went up by 18 per cent in 2008. Not content with that hammer blow to local publicans, they increased the beer tax by 2 per cent above inflation in this year's Budget. 33% of the cost of every pint now goes to the taxman.

This puritanical desire to punish people who enjoy a quiet pint has
resulted in more than 52 pubs closing a week. With each of those pubs has gone a large number of jobs and an important centre of community life.

Lets be clear about this. I think the pub is the beating heart of the community. I'm proud of the fact that we have some magnificent watering holes in North Durham and I'm going to do all that I can to make sure that they continue to prosper and serve their community. That is why I'm backing CAMRA's 'Save Our Pubs' campaign - http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=294840 and the Conservative Party's campaign and signing this petition to Save The Great British pub -http://www.conservatives.com/Campaigns/Save_the_Great_British_Pub/Petition_Item.aspx

"Labour Have Taken Our Votes For Granted"

When I speak to people in North Durham, there are a few things that are repeated time after time. The most common of these is a complaint that Labour have taken our votes for granted for too long.

There is a real belief that the local Labour elite have become complacent and arrogant. Local people are sick and tired of being taken for granted by the Labour Party.

Take the residents of Urpeth rightoly disgusted about their local park being sold by the Council, meaning there will be no local play area. Or the people throughout North Durham who have been subjected to inflation busting Council Tax rises and still see their services being cut back. Or the local people afraid to go to their local high street after dark. because of Police cut backs and record local rates of anti social behaviour.

The fact is simple. A Labour elite has governed the North East for so long that it has become tired, complacent and arrogant. They have ceased to care about local people or be responsive to local concerns. They have taken North Eastern votes for granted for much too long.

That is why North Durham needs an MP who is passionate about the local area; who will listen to local people and stand up for local people; and who is independent of the party machine that has taken local people for granted for much too long.

I'm Backing Durham To Be UK City Of Culture

I'm very proudly backing Durham's bid to become the UK city of culture.

County Durham is one of the most culturally vibrant places in the country. Art, music, comedy, photography and theatre all flourish in our area. We have a wealth of museums, galleries and theatres and a huge number of talented local artists, musicians and writers.

Making Durham the UK capital of culture would ensure that an international spotlight is placed on the great cultural talent in our area. It would also play a role in helping push forward the economic renewal of our area.

The backdrop of the city and cathedral would be unbeatable anywhere. The immense beauty of our local area means that Durham would provide an immense setting as the UK's capital of culture.

I'm passionately backing this bid. If you share my belief in the city, county and region please show your support at this Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=45420764268

The Career Open To Talent Has Become Closed Under Labour

The report published by Alan Milburn's cross party social mobility commission is fascinating, depressing and utterly damning about the state of social mobility in the UK after 12 years of Labour Government.

Take these examples of the Government's failure to do anything but dash the hope and expectations of 1997:

• Although only 7% of the population attend public schools, well over half of many professionals have done so. Including 75% of judges, 70% of finance directors, 45% of top Civil Servants and over 50% of solicitors
• There have been substantial declines in social mobility in journalism and accountancy
• "The overall trend is clear: the professions have become more, not less exclusive over time. Despite a sharp growth in professional employment opportunities in recent decades, access to the professions is becoming the preserve of those from a smaller and smaller part of the social spectrum."

I don't normally agree with Polly Toynbee, but I though she was right on the money yesterday when she argued that, "on Labour's watch, class has become more rigid, destiny for most babies is decided at birth, and the incomes of rich and poor families have drawn further apart."

This is an utterly unnaceptable situation and a scandalous betrayal of the working class voters who placed so much faith in Labour twelve years ago.

We need radical and far reaching reform to ensure that the career open to talent is more than just a slogan. The fact that, in so many cases, life chances are decided at birth is simply wrong. Declining social mobility is a grotesque scandal and is one of the most severe and urgent problems facing our country.

If elected, I will work unstintingly to ensure that priority is given to policies aimed at improving social mobility. I will work to ensure that the advantages of birth play an ever diminishing role in British life. The Government have had twelve years to turn the situation round. It is now time for the failed Labour establishment in the North East to step aside for those of us with the ideas and determination to create a new wave of social mobility.

We Need Vision and Leadership To Make The North East An Economic Powerhouse Again

I had a piece published in the Durham Times this week about what needs to be done to restore our region's economic fortunes.

You can find it here. I have also reproduced it in full below. Let me know what you think:

I attended the parade of banners on Miners' Gala weekend because I am enormously proud of our industrial heritage. Being brought up in Consett, with grandparents who worked as steelworkers and miners, I have the region's industrial heritage coursing through my blood.

I wanted to celebrate the past economic glory of the region, but I also believe that the event should serve as a reminder of the need for a serious debate about the region's future. There is no doubt in my mind that we have the skills, the people and the natural resources to become once again the leading economic region in the country.

My passion and belief in the region means that I am convinced that we will become an economic powerhouse again. But that can only be achieved if the present leadership vacuum is filled with vision and dedication.

What really galls me is the neglect and empty promises from a Government that takes your votes for granted and has failed to take the necessary steps to turn around our economic fortunes.

Indeed, in comparative terms with other regions, the North East's situation has got worse rather than better over the past decade. In terms of GDP per head, we are lagging behind other regions. Workers in the North East also have the lowest gross weekly pay in the country and the Work Foundation has ranked us bottom of the UK Regional Competitiveness Index. In North Durham alone, unemployment is a shocking 93 per cent higher than it was a year ago.

My family speaks with immense pride about their time working in our great industries. But that is in the past and I want today's young people to be able to speak with equal pride about our region's economic achievements to their Grandchildren in 50 years time.

I have no doubt that we have the potential to be trailblazers in the new economy, just as we were the epitome of excellence in the industrial economy of the last century. The legacy of our coal mining, steel working and ship building tradition can provide the basis for renewal. It is the highly skilled people who were integral to those industries who can and should be integral to making highly skilled occupations, including high technology and niche manufacturing, the core of North Eastern economic renewal.

Equally, the natural resources that made us an economic collosus in the past can do the same in the future. We can and should be world leaders in the use of clean technology, as well as clean coal and carbon capture. New technology, allied with existing talent and natural resources can make the North East a global leader in clean technology.

The industrial decline of the 1970s and 1980s was extremely difficult for our region. Its social consequences are still being felt to this day. My family and friends were affected by it. I'm acutely aware of that and it pains me.

But I'm not standing for the Conservative Party of the 1980s. I wasn't even born when Margaret Thatcher became Conservative Leader. Instead, I'm standing for the Conservatives of 2009 - who are serious about restoring the North East's economic fortunes. We need to move the debate on from the past to the future.

I believe in this region. I believe we have the potential to be at the top of the economic league table. To do that we need vision and leadership to match the brilliance of the region's people and our industrial past. We need to take action now to close this gap and retain our rightful place at the top of the economic league table.

The Barnett Formula Hurts The North East - It Needs To Be Reviewed Urgently

The Barnett Formula isn't working. It urgently needs to be reviewed. In the words of the Chairman of a House of Lords Committee into the formula, "it is arbitrary and unfair and cannot continue indefinetely." What started off as a short term fix in 1978 has now run its course.

It is only right that any such formula must be needs based. The Barnett Formula blatantly isn't. Although information about funding has been clouded by the Government, we know that the North East receives £8,156 per head and has a lower GDP per capita than Scotland, which receives £9,032 per head from the formula.

Clearly, we must have a needs based solution to the problem. As the Lords Committee said, "public spending per head of population should be allocated... on the basis of relative need." That is not the case at the moment. This is yet another example of the Government letting down the North East and taking our votes for granted.

It is just a shame that the North Eastern Labour MPs have not seen fit to stand up for the region they represent. That is why Parliament needs people like me from the North East - passionate voices independent of the Labour Party machine that has let down the North East for much too long.

Time To Reclaim The Streets From Louts

It wasn't great to see County Durham being profiled in The Sun as one of the 'lout capitals of Britain'. Sadly, it doesn't come as a massive surprise.

When I speak to people in North Durham, the only complaint that comes up time and time again is that anti social behaviour is a real problem and that not enought is being done about it. The number of people who regard the streets of our big towns as no go areas after dark suggests that a lot more needs to be done.

There has been a lot of rhetoric about cracking down on anti social
behaviour in recent years. But the fact that Durham Police area has one of the highest rates in the country of anti social behaviour and the highest rate of ASBO breaches in the country suggests that tough rhetoric isn't being matched with tough action.

We need zero tolerance of anti social behaviour. There is no excuse for a minority of louts making life a misery for the majority of people. This means that Police have to take this problem seriously. Swift, decisive and resolute action is needed NOW to reclaim the streets from louts and yobs.

Unemployment Up 93% in North Durham. We Must Do More To Tackle Unemployment

Figures published today show that Northd Durham continues to be badly hit by unemployment. 2,583 people were claiming job seekers allowance in June. That is 1, 251 more than in June 2008. A rise of a shocking 93%.

Unemployment has a devastating impact on families and communities. I believe that, quite simply, the Government is not doing enough to address the problem. More needs to be done to address the situation. More needs to be done as a matter of urgency.

That is why, I believe, we must act now. And act decisively. We need to create more training places and apprenticeships. We need to ensure that jobseekers have immediate access to good quality careers advice and that careers advice is not strangled by red tape. We need to help local businesses to create jobs by getting credit moving again through a National Loan Guarantee Fund and cutting Corporation Tax.

Hailing Paul Collingwood - A County Durham Hero

Some great entertainment in the Ashes yesterday. Mind you, at the time it seemed particularly nerve shredding. The North East should be proud of the heroic resistance of Paul Collingwood in keeping out the Aussies and keeping our Ashes hopes alive.

At a time when all around were losing their heads, Collingwood maintained mental concentration and mental discipline. Given that he is a County Durham boy, we should have expected no less. Good to see that he has been joined by two more Durham lads in Steve Harmison and Graham Onions for the Second Test.

Many years ago, I used to play against Paul Collingwood when he played for Shotley Bridge. It was clear then that he would go on to great things. The entire nation is now seeing what those of us in the area saw a few years ago. Here's hoping that the rest of the series will bring more pride and glory for County Durham.

Two Of Blair's Former Ministers Admit That The Government Has Let Down The Working Class

I blogged on Friday about the Government's terrible failure to improve life chances and career chances for people from working class and more deprived areas. Clearly my anger about this is also shared by people who served in Tony Blair's Cabinet.

On Friday, following a question from me on BBC's 'Any Questions', former DFID Secretary Clare Short described Labour's record on social mobility and inequality as a "massive failure." Today, The Sunday Times is reporting that arch Blairite and ex Health Secretary Alan Milburn has said that the Government has failed "the working class on education", with Minister's "doing little to help poor pupils" use education as an ennabler.

This failure regarding social mobility is not just a political failure,
it is a complete moral failure on behalf of the Government. Ability not background should be the key factor in determining life chances. The fact that this is not the case is a stain on modern Britain. The decline in social mobility since 1997 is a disgrace.

Breaking the glass ceiling in British life has to be a priority for an incoming Government and it would be my absolute priority if elected. Education is absolutely key to smashing this glass ceiling. This Government's failure shows that it has run out of ideas about how to do this. It is time that they made way for people, such as myself, who are absolutely dedicated to advancing social mobility.

Returning To My Old School For Radio 4's 'Any Questions'

Slightly bizarre experience on Friday night. I went back to my old school for the first time in about 15 years (I shuddered when I realised how long it had been since I left). Some things had changed a lot. Plain old Moorside Comprehensive had become 'Moorside Community Technology College'. Some of my old teachers were still there and I was pleased to see that Phil Lewis, my old Physics teacher who sadly died during the Great North Run a few years ago, has been honoured with the Community Centre being named after him.

The reason for this return... Radio 4's Any Questions had hit County Durham. The hall was jammed full and the audience was spirited and vocal. The panel included Pat McFadden (Mandy's number 2 at BIS), Norman Lamont, Clare Short and Jean Lambert (Green MEP).

I asked a question about the decline of social mobility and the fact that New Labour has let down those working class people who placed most faith in it in 1997. This really resonated in the hall - local people are clearly really angry at
Labour's failure to deliver since 1997. People in the North East are rightly
furious about the squandered trust since 1997.

Clare Short was pretty forceful in her response, admitting that failure in social mobility had been a monumental one for the Labour Party. The Minister's response admitted that the problem was a real one but he then became trapped in obfuscation, relying on dubious figures to back up his fairly flaky case.

You can catch it on i-player here. Let me know what you think.

The Decline Of Social Mobility - Labour's Betrayal Of The Working Class

A report published today shows that career chances for working class people "are no better now than they were thirty years ago." This comes shortly after another report that shows that social mobility has actually declined since 1958. This is a disgrace.

It is a damning indictment on the failure of this Government to do
anything to benefit those who put so much faith in it. It is shameful that after eleven years of Labour Government, parental income and social status is now more of a factor in a child's life chances. Privately educated people are more dominant in the professions than they were when Labour came to power. This is not acceptable in modern Britain.

This Government has paid lip service to improving social mobility, whilst actually making the situation worse. This is a shocking betrayal of the people who placed so much hope in the Labour Party.

If elected, it will be my absolute priority to turn this situation around. We need action on the matter and that means, amongst other things, reforming the school system so the standard of education in the state sector is better than is the case in the private sector. We need full scale reform aimed at improving the life chances of people from working class areas. We must smash the glass ceiling in British life. This must be an absolute priority.

The Final Outrage Of The Abolition Of The 10p Tax Band

Yesterday was the last chance for Labour MP's to stand up for the people who sent them to Parliament and defend the poorest in society. They had their chance and they flunked it. The abolition of the 10p tax band was confirmed.

Lets remember what Gordon Brown's decision to abolish the 10p rate of tax was all about. He regarded it as a political wheeze to take money from the poorest people in society and use it for a pre election bribe for the middle classes. It was probably the most regressive taxation decision made since the war. And Labour MPs just stood by and let it happen.

Despite a few climbdowns and some packages cobbled together by the Treasury, it is still the case that the most deprived (and the people that Labour MPs claim to represent) will suffer most from Gordon Brown's decision. The IFS have said that over 1.5 million households will still lose by at least a pound a week.

The poorest in society have been badly neglected by Labour MPs, who have taken their votes for granted. If elected to Parliament, I will fight for the most deprived in society and fight to ensure that a repeat of this outrage is not allowed to happen again.

The Real Victims of Anti Social Behaviour

One of the most common issues that the people I talk to in North Durham are concerned about is anti social behaviour. Different people in different parts of the constituency all have their own different horror stories to tell about the problems that anti social behaviour has caused them.

The elderly people afraid to leave their homes at night. The local people unprepared to go into Chester-le-Street or Stanley town centre after dark on a weekend. The angling club in Chester-le-Street who have had their lives made a misery by anti social behaviour. All of these people have been badly let down by a system that isn't doing enough to make sure that they can go about their lives without the worry or harassment of anti social behaviour.

Something is clearly going wrong when the Durham Police area has one of the highest rates of anti social behaviour in the country (63,412 incidences in 2006/07) and one of the highest ASBO breach rates in the country of 73%.

Frankly, this just isn't good enough. We need to do much more to protect the hard working people and ordinary families who are having their lives made a misery by anti social behaviour.

We Need Action To Battle Unemployment

It is pretty hard to understate the devastating impact that unemployment has on individuals, families and communities. The North East has suffered more than most from this terrible recession.

Unemployment in North Durham has gone up by 101 per cent over the past year. Some 1,316 more people are unemployed than was the case at this time last year. That is 1,316 more families suffering the terrible impact of unemployment. That is 1,316 more people who have been badly let down by this Government and their inability to take swift and decisive action to turn the situation around.

People I speak to in North Durham are all of the mind that much more needs to be done. To take just one example, it frankly isn't good enough that somebody who is unemployed has to go through hoops of Job Centre bureaucracy just to have a decent conversation with an advisor.

Unemployment is the worst of all economic evils. We must do all that we can to turn around the rise in unemployment in the North East. And we must take this action quickly.

The Southern Obsession of The Times

Today's Times has an example of the kind of Southern bias that always infuriates me. They have a special pull out celebrating "Britain's 50 top beaches" - pretty topical given the beautiful weather we are having up in Durham today.

Needless to say, I assumed that the golden Northumbrian coast line and the other beautiful beaches that line the North Eastern coast would dominate the list.

I was pretty shocked to see that although Bamburgh and South Shields get a token mention, the entire list is so Southern heavy that it is almost beyond satire.

Of the 50 beaches, only two are in the North East and only one is in the North West. Are these people serious? Do they EVER leave the South of England? Anybody who has ever seen the North Eastern coastline is intoxicated by its beauty.

Maybe the Times writers should forget about holidaying abroad this Summer. Instead, they should head up to the North East and see why what we have to offer has no comparison - anywhere.