Yesterday Showed New Labour's Detachment From Ordinary Working People

Gordon Brown's actions yesterday were reprehensible. His attack on a lifelong Labour supporter as a "bigoted woman" showed the difference between public and private actions for the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister's actions showed quite how detached New 'Labour' has become from lifelong Labour voters and ordinary hard working people. It is no wonder that thousands of lifelong Labour voters are set to desert Labour in seven days time.

The truth is that New 'Labour' has comprehensively ignored the people who have formed the electoral base of the Labour Party since its formation. All too often, New 'Labour' has taken its core vote for granted and watched as the national economy grew more unbalanced, inequality grew wider and bankers in the city of London grew richer. All too often, New 'Labour' has turned a blind eye to the feelings of ordinary, working class voters in Labour heartlands - leading to a high level of political disenchantment and disengagement in working class areas.

Yesterday illustrated starkly and utterly the gap between New 'Labour' and working class people. It showed how far the Labour Party has been driven away from its roots and values by Gordon Brown, so it now represents something that barely resembles the values based party of 1945. It shows how far Brown and Blair moved the party away from the proud roots of Hardie, Bevin, Bevan and Morrison. Whereas the Labour Party used to stand for and listen to ordinary, working class voters, the new beast of New 'Labour' treats their views with contempt.

The issue of immigration is a massive issue on the doorstep. It needs a proper response and real action - notably Conservative proposals for a clear annual limit and a Border Police Force. What it doesn't need is people like Gordon Brown looking down their nose at ordinary, hard working people.

The Second Debate Should Be On Terrestrial TV

TV debates have already become part of the furniture of British elections. I have often said that it is quite right that a democracy such as ours has televised debates between party leaders. They are a crucial part of engaging the electorate in the political arena.

Plenty of people I'm speaking to on the doorstep are telling me that they will be watching the final two debates as they decide who to vote for. People in the shops of Sacriston and Chester-le-Street, where I was canvassing today, were talking about the debate to come on Thursday with a fair degree of anticipation (a good example of how debates are crucial to the process of re-engaging the public in politics).

What quite a few people don't realise is that the second televised debate isn't actually going to be on terrestrial television. As the scandal of test match cricket being shown only on Sky has shown, events not being televised on terrestrial TV gain far smaller audiences.

It surely isn't too late for BBC or ITV to reschedule some programmes and put the second debate on terrestrial TV. It is only right that such an important event is broadcast to as wide an udience as possible.

Campaign Day 10 - A Conservative Surge In The North East

Only three weeks to go and there remains a strong desire for change in North Durham. Our canvass returns continue to show that well over 50% of respondents will either vote Conservative or strongly consider voting Conservative on May 6th.

And what we are finding on the ground is backed up by a recent You Gov poll, discussed by Lord Bates today. The poll shows that Labour support has fallen by more in the North East than in any other region of the country. It also shows that Conservative support has surged in the North East and that Liberal Democrat support has plummeted in our region since 2005.

This confirms what we are finding when we are canvassing on the doorsteps of North Durham. Firstly, there is a real sense of betrayal at a 'Labour' Government that so many people placed so much faith in thirteen years ago. This Government has ignored the North East and done nothing for ordinary, hard working people. Under this Government decisions are made by distant bureaucrats in London and Whitehall, who have no knowledge or understanding of our region. Secondly, the poll confirms that the Liberal Democrat is falling flat on the doorstep. People realise that the election is a choice between real change and four more years of Gordon Brown.

Please feel free to add comments. You can donate to my campaign for change in North Durham via the following link: http://tinyurl.com/y9whlnx

Campaign Day 9 - Brown's Apology Over Banks Doesn't Go Far Enough

Yet another gloriously sunny day in North Durham today. Very positive canvassing, interrupted only by some top class food in Ashley Tea Rooms at lunchtime and some very competitive games of pool later on in the afternoon. People remain very eager for change.

Today's admission by Gordon Brown that he has made mistakes over the regulation of bankers is welcome but all too late. Brown's mistakes and lack of banking regulation meant that reckless bankers brought the economy to its knees. Under Brown, nationalised and part-nationalised banks have continued paying outrageous bonuses and have failed to meet their obligation to lend to small and medium sized businesses.

Words from Gordon Brown are not enough. Gordon Brown spent 13 years cosying up to the banks and allowing our economy to become terribly unbalanced in favour of financial services. His lack of regulation created the conditions for the banking crisis. In the same time, we have seen over 95,000 manufacturing jobs lost in our region alone and the economic gap between the North East and other regions has grown.

We need a levy on the banks and international agreement on a global levy on the banks. We need bold leadership over financial regulation and bold leadership to get the back for taxpayers every penny we put in to rescue the banking sector.

Please feel free to leave comments. If you would like to donate to my campaign, you can do so here: http://tinyurl.com/y9whlnx

Campaign Day 8 - A Radical Decentralisation Of Power From London And Whitehall To Our Communities

Another very positive day of campaigning across North Durham – with plenty of lifelong Labour voters saying that they are ready to vote for change and a strong local voice come May 6th.

I popped down to the North Eastern launch of the manifesto at Cullercoats, where there was a real buzz in the air – a real sense of enthusiasm and excitement. The manifesto contains a very central idea – trusting the people.

It is based on the idea that power should be redistributed from London and Whitehall to local communities and local people. In the North East, politicians in London have ignored our region for too long. We need passionate North Eastern representatives in Parliament to stand up for our region and our area. And we also urgently need to kind of radical decentralisation of power from Whitehall to local people set out by the Conservatives today.

Please feel free to add comments. You can donate to my campaign for change via the following link: http://tinyurl.com/y9whlnx

Campaign Day 7 - Tackling Anti Social Behaviour In North Durham

The first week of the campaign is almost over and the sun is still shining in North Durham. If the weather continues at this rate, I might end up getting a tan by the end of the campaign.

As well as canvassing and leafleting today, I spent some time talking to Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling MP, on a visit to the North East today, about the problems of anti social behaviour in North Durham.

North Durham has one of the highest rates of anti social behaviour in the country and the highest ASBO breach rate in the country. People from across the constituency have told me how their life has been badly affected by the menace of anti social behaviour.

That is why, as Chris Grayling, set out to me today, Conservatives will take tough measures to crack down on the anti social behaviour that affects ordinary, hard working people the most. . This includes giving the Police the power to take instant action against troublemakers and louts, including the power to confiscate items. He also outlined measures to ensure that the Police spend more time on the beat and less time filling in forms.

We need to take real action to fight back against anti social behaviour and reclaim our streets from louts. We need to stop the anti-social minority making life a misery for the hard working majority.

Why Should We Believe Brown's Promises After Years Of Failure To Deliver?

I’m reading an excellent book at the moment by Giles Radice, the former MP for North Durham, about Clement Attlee’s Government, called ‘The Tortoise and The Hares’. Clearly, Gordon Brown was trying to take a bit of the magic of that great reforming 1945 Government, with the front cover of the Labour Manifesto harking back to the imagery of 1945 and some pre-war Labour posters. Well, Gordon, it takes more than a picture. One of the worst post war Governments has a bit of cheek in trying to compare itself with one of the best.

Where Attlee, Bevin, Cripps and Bevan presided over lasting and necessary social reform, Brown, Balls and Harman have presided over economic collapse and widening inequality. Under Gordon Brown’s stewardship, manufacturing industry has shed almost a million jobs while the highly paid gamblers in the City of London were given total licence to carry on with irresponsible folly and bring the economy to its knees. At the same time, the North-South divide has worsened, social mobility has stalled and unemployment has increased.

Brown may have promised radical reform today, but why should we believe it any more than the promises made in 1997 (anybody remember the promise of a referendum on PR in 1997 - repeated this year or the promise of House of Lords reform) or the promise of full employment made in the 2005 manifesto. Why should we trust Gordon Brown to be a reformer of public services when he constantly blocked Tony Blair's attempts at reform?

To put it another way, why should we trust Labour to undertake radical reforms when Gordon Brown has failed to deliver that reform in the past 13 years?

Day 6 - We Must Do All That We Can To Tackle Youth Unemployment

It has been a glorious day today in North Durham. Hopefully this sunny weather will continue all the way through to May 6th.

One of the biggest tragedies of Gordon Brown's recession is the impact it has had on young people. We now have the highest level of youth unemployment in Europe. Over a million young people are not in education, employment or training. This is a national disgrace. The Conservatives have made it clear that a key priority in Government will be tackling youth unemployment.

200,000 new apprenticeships will be created over two years, as well as 100,000 extra work pairings and 100,000 additional Further Education places. Young people will also be given expert careers advice and quickly assigned to relevant training courses.

We need to ensure that the young people who are out of work because of the recession do not become a 'lost generation'. We must do all that we can to make sure that out of work young people are given every opportunity to fulfil their potential. Anything less would be a betrayal of our nation's future.

Please feel free to add comments. If you would like to donate to my campaign, you cn do so via the following link: http://tinyurl.com/y9whlnx

Day Four - Time To Make A Move Towards Genuine Fairness

Yet another great day of canvassing in North Durham. The weather has behaved itself so far in the campaign and there has been very sunny response on the doorstep.

People across North Durham tell me that the Labour Party that has governed for the past 13 years isn't the Labour Party that they grew up with. Since 1997, the economic gap between the North East and other regions has grown. In the past 2 and a half years, unemployment has increased by 140% in North Durham. In the same time, the gap between rich and poor has widened and social mobility has stalled. Manufacturing industry has been weakened, while the Labour Government was busy unbalancing the economy in favour of super rich bankers in the City.

I have already written about the obscene reward packages in the banking sector. This is particularly obscene given that bankers still owe the taxpayer money for rescuing the banks from their folly.

There are also other elements of unfairness and inequality in society that a Government must address. One of these is the discrepancy in public sector pay, with the people at the top of public sector organisations being paid a ludicrous amount out of the public purse and a multiple considerably higher than the lowest paid people in that organisation. This kind of unfairness and inequality needs to change.

That is why the pay of public sector chiefs should be linked to the lowest paid person within their organisation. That is why David Cameron announced today that a Fair Pay Review will be established to consider pay inequality in the public sector. The Fair Pay Review will be asked to introduce a pay multiple so that no public sector boss can earn over twenty times more than the lowest paid person in their organisation.

The country has become less fair and less equal under a Labour Government. It is time to take some steps to create a society that is fairer and more equal.

Please feel free to leave comments. If you want to donate to the campaign for change in North Durham, you can do so via the following link: http://tinyurl.com/y9whlnx

The Best Sporting Weekend Of The Year?

The first weekend of the election campaign also happens to be one of the vintage sporting weekends of the season. Timing of door knocking has to be fairly carefully watched this weekend.

The US Masters at Augusta has been even more keenly anticipated than usual this year, with the might Tiger Woods making his long awaited comeback to golf following his much publicised personal problems. I have always said that Tiger should be judged by his golf alone and I have no doubt that he will let his golf do the talking this weekend. The Masters always creates sensational drama and excitement and I have little doubt that will also be the case this weekend. Tiger winning would be quite a story.

If that isn't enough, it is also the FA Cup Semi Finals this weekend. Sadly, there is no North Eastern representation (on the subject of which, congratulations to Newcastle for their promotion back to the Premiership) but some top notch sporting excitement is promised. Surely, Portsmouth making the final is this terrible year for them would be quite something...

If all that isn't enough, the Grand National takes place at Aintree this weekend. A tremendous spectacle and , although lacking the quality of the Gold Cup, certainly makes up for it in terms of excitement. Watch out for the number of horse racing analogies used by political reporters on Grand National day. Also, watch out for a politically themed winner doing what 'Party Politics' did in 1992!

Day 3: Protecting And Creating Jobs Must Be Our Priority

A great day of campaigning so far today in North Durham. An excellent response on the doorsteps, with plenty of lifelong Labour voters telling me that they were ready to vote for change and vote for a progressive Tory candidate, with a real passion for the North East and the area.

So many people mention the major problems that unemployment is causing in the area. Since late 2007, unemployment in the constituency has increased by about 140%. Almost every family in the constituency has been directly or indirectly affected by the unemployment caused by Gordon Brown's recession.

We need to do all that we can to protect jobs and create jobs in the area. That most certainly does not mean increasing the costs on business at a time like this, which is what the Government's proposed National Insurance increase will do. I have spoken to small business owners who are very concerned about the potential effect that the National Insurance increase will have on their business and their worries about the effect it will have on jobs.

That is why we need to ensure that Gordon Brown's proposed National Insurance rise must not happen in full. The potential impact on jobs will be devastating. And job creation must be a major priority in North Durham, so badly hit by unemployment in the past few years.

Feel free to add comments. If you would like to donate to my campaign for change, you can do so via the following link: http://tinyurl.com/y9whlnx

Empowering The People

Day Two of the campaign and a great day of canvassing and leafletting, along with a visit to a Working Men's Club for refreshment and a really good discussion with local small business owners. People have had enough of being taken for granted by a local establishment and are ready for an MP who puts the North East and local people first.

This election is all about empowering and trusting the people, as part of the wholesale reform that our politics needs. That is why I'm enthusiastic about the idea that local people will be given the power to recall and MP they don't feel is performing or they are not happy with. This will keep all MP's on their toes and ensure that they always focus upon serving the constituents who sent them to Westminster.

This is only part of a wholesale political and constitutional reform package that we need in this country. Empowering the people needs to be the hallmark of this political reform.

With four weeks to go, there is a real desire for change on the doorstep in North Durham. Please feel free to add comments. If you want to donate to my campaign for change, you can do so via the following link: http://tinyurl.com/y9whlnx

As The Campaign Launches - This Is What I'm Fighting For

At long last, the campaign is under way. The chance to deliver radical, progressive change to North Durham is here. I have spoken to thousands of people over the past few months in North Durham - all hungry for change and I look forward to speaking to thousands more over the next few weeks.

During this campaign, I will be fighting on behalf of:

• The thousands of people across North Durham who have become unemployed because of Gordon Brown's recession. Unemployment is up by 140% over the past few years. If elected, I will take real action to tackle the jobs crisis, create new jobs and make North Durham and the North East the centre of the green industrial revolution.
• The hard working people across North Durham who are the victims of anti social behaviour, which affects our area so badly. The old lady I spoke to who is scared to leave her house after dark. The single mother who is terrified of the anti social behaviour in her neighbourhood. The local angling club who cannot go to their traditional 'spot' because of anti social behaviour.
• The proud North Easterners, such as myself, who feel taken for granted and ignored. I have made quite clear that, if elected, I will ALWAYS put the North East and North Durham first.
• The local people who, quite rightly, want and expect first rate public services for all. That is why I'm supporting year on year spending increases on the NHS. That is why I want to protect local GPs' surgeries against Labour cuts. That is why I'm supporting the strengthening and protection of local Sure Start centres.
• The pensioners who have seen their savings and pensions decimated by the Government. I will be fighting to ensure that pensioners get a fair deal and that, at last, the link between pensions and earnings is re-established.
• The local people who have seen the Labour Party they were brought up in betray their interests. They have seen a Labour Government support super rich bankers at the expense of manufacturing industry. They have seen a Labour Government preside over mass unemployment and widening inequality. I was brought up with the strong values and instincts of our area. I'm proud of those values. I will be the candidate fighting for progressive, radical values in North Durham in this election.

This campaign is not about old style party politics. I am standing up for the thousands of people ready to vote for change and vote for a Conservative candidate for the first time in their lives.

I will be updating this blog on a daily basis. Please feel free to add comments.

If you want to donate to the campaign for change in North Durham, you can do so via the following link: http://tinyurl.com/y9whlnx