As New Year’s Eve Approaches -we need action to help local pubs

As people in North Durham prepare to celebrate New Year’s Eve, the number of local pubs continues to decline as publicans are hit by Government policies. In recent year’s many people have found that the pub in which they traditionally celebrate New Year’s Eve has closed.

North Durham has lost seven pubs in four years. Across the North East as a whole, over 100 pubs closed between 2005 and 2009. This is part of an accelerating nationwide trend that is seeing six pubs closing every week.

The pub is the beating heart of the community. Local pubs act as social hubs, allowing people to come together in a warm, social environment. The closure of local pubs is keenly felt in communities all year round but it really hits home at this time of year.

We should be doing all that we can to save our local pubs before it is too late. That means cutting taxes on low alcohol drinks such as beer and increasing tax on high alcohol problem drinks, like super strength cider. It means supporting our pubs as vital parts of the community and important providers of local jobs.

The Greatest Albums of the Noughties

I heartily accept that this blog has nothing whatsoever to do with politics. However, with the noughties drawing to a close – now seems as good a time as any to run through what I think are the best five albums of the decade. This subject has been the topic of disagreement and discussion with quite a few friends ever since NME and the Times published their lists about a month ago. Let me know if you agree or disagree!

1. The Strokes – ‘Is This It’

This album changed everything in the noughties and it came right at the start of the decade. Before The Strokes came along, music had become a fairly sludgy, middle of the road mess – all Stereophonics and Travis. New York’s finest kicked the door down and hundreds came following in their wake. Music had an edge again. Music had meaning again. Indisputably the best album of the decade – retains its magnificence with every listen.

2. Johnny Cash – American III: Solitary Man

The ‘American’ series of recording put together by Johnny Cash, with the able assistance of Rick Rubin is probably the most consistently brilliant series of albums since the Stones wrote ever musical rule in the book in the late 60s and early 70s. This album is dark, stark and magnificent – mighty beginnings with a great Won't Back Down cover and dominated by an awesome centrepiece of I See A Darkness and a cover of Nick Cave’s oddly topical death row ballad, ‘The Mercy Seat’. American III broods on life, death, love and everything in between.

3. Jay Z – The Blueprint

Jay Z had completely missed my radar until I saw his show stealing performance at Glasto in 2008. I saw a man at the top of his game and this album is the album of a man at the top of his game. From the swaggering grudge song ‘Takeover’ to the dancefloor classics such as ‘Izzo’ to the staggeringly bleak but tremendous Renegade, this album oozes lyrical brilliance. A must even for people who don’t know hip hop at all.

4. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever You Say I Am

Amongst other things, this album was a tremendous example of how the power of the internet had changed music. It was also an example of how the power of sonic noise and ultra clever lyrics can make a mighty album. A fine modern masterpiece, set against the background of a Northern working class upbringing that I can more than relate to. Brilliant.

5. Primal Scream – XTRMNTR

When they are with it (and even sometimes when they are not), Primal Scream can be one of the most exhilarating of all live bands. With this album, they put that tremendous exhilaration on record. A thrilling listen.

Congratulations To Everybody In North Durham Honoured In The New Year's Honours

The New Year's Honours list is often dominated by talk of celebrities who have been honoured. But there are a large number of people in North Durham who have been similarly honoured today. I have listed them all below. COngratulations to each and every one of you -richly deserved for services to North Durham and the North East. Apologies to anybody I have inadvertently missed off the list.

OBE

Dr Linda Ebbatson, Chester-le-Street District Council leader. For services to local government. (Durham)

MBE

John Cunningham, for charitable services. (Stanley)

Ronald Dodd, chairman, Training and Development Resource, Tyneside. For services to skills. (Chester-le-Street)

Atma Singh Gill, for services to the community. (Chester-le-Street)

Alan John Godfrey, publisher of historic maps. For services to heritage. (Edmondsley)

Lady Alderman Edna Hunter, for services to the community. (Stanley)

New Video: Talking About The Campaign For Change In North Durham

Below is a video in which I talk about the campaign for real change in North Durham. I am hoping to do plenty of these videos over the next few months as the election comes closer.

For those who are interested, the video was filmed in the beautiful village of Tanfield. Tantobie and Sleepy Valley are in the background.

Please bear with me when it comes to picture quality.

More Violent Robberies Highlight The Need For Action Against Crime

I have blogged a few times about the worrying upsurge in crime in North Durham. In the past few months there have been armed robberies in both Ouston and Stanley. Just before Christmas, another violent robbery happened in our area - this time in a Tantobie off licence. The shop assistant acted heroically by grabbing the gun of the violent robbers and standing them off until they left the shop. She should be saluted for her bravery.

With such frightening local incidents, the people of North Durham need no reminding that there has been a surge in violent crime in recent years.

SInce Labour came to power, violent crime has risen by 70 per cent in the UK. The latest British Crime Survey showed that there were over a million violent crimes committed on strangers in 2008/09. These are truly shocking statistics. And one of the really shocking things is that so little is being done about it. Indeed, a recent report showed that a number of violent crimes are being routinely ignored by the Police.

We need to get more Police Officers on to the streets and give them real powers to deal with violent crime. If there is one consistent theme from the people of North Durham when I speak to them on the doorstep, it is that they want more Police on the streets to tackle crime and make them feel safer.

Writing In Today's Northern Echo - Labour's Failure To Create North Eastern Jobs

I have a piece in today's Northern Echo talking about Labour's failure to create jobsin the North East of England.

I have reproduced the piece in full below:

THIS year has been yet another of Labour failure to help the economy in our region.

The recession has hit the North-East particularly badly.

Unemployment in North Durham alone is 94 per cent higher than it was in January 2008, with thousands of families left to face a difficult Christmas period because of unemployment.

Labour’s policies have failed to help create jobs. We are the only major economy still in recession, with the highest rate of youth unemployment in Europe.

On top of this, the Government has decided to punish hard-working people and place a “tax on jobs” by increasing National Insurance.

We need real action to create jobs. This means a £50bn National Loan Guarantee Scheme to get credit flowing to business again. It means creating 100,000 new apprenticeships. It means ensuring that Labour’s proposed tax on jobs is reversed.

The Labour Party has grown out of touch with local people. It is no longer offering solutions to our region’s problems and has no vision or ambition for the future.

It must make way for passionate North-Easterners, like myself, who are determined to take action to create jobs and move the region’s economy forward to a more prosperous future.

The link to the piece is here:

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/letters/4822121.Labour_failure/

The Top Political Speeches of the Noughties

Lists seem to be the modus operandi of plenty of political blogs. With the noughties screeching to a halt, I thought that today would be a good day to do a top five political speeches of the decade (I'm minded to to a top 5 albums tomorrow if anybody cares). A word of warning - the below will probably not please narrow political tribalists of either the right or the left. A good speech is a good speech, whether you agree with it or not. Let me know your thoughts.

1. Barack Obama - South Carolina Primary Victory Speech - "Yes We Can"

Obama made political oratory matter again. His soaring oratory took him from outsider to front runner in a race that the 'experts' said that Hilary couldn't lose. He inspired Americans and those outside of America who love the US but hated what Bush had done to it and achieved the highest share of the vote for any Democrat since LBJ. The spontaneous and near universal surge of joy that greeted his election (I helped campaign for him and was in a jubilant New York on election night) was proof that his oratory and message had reached millions.

Obama could probably have filled every spot of a top ten speeches of the decade. The 2004 convention speech; the Iowa caucus acceptance speech; the Philadelphia speech on race; the convention address; the election night acceptance speech; and the speech defending healthcare reform from hysterical right wing attacks would all be worthy contenders. But the acceptance speech in South Carolina was possibly the most soaring of the campaign. He had survived all that the Clinton camp could throw at him (including a red faced Bill) and emerged triumphed. As political oratory it is masterful.

2. David Cameron - Speech to Conservative Party Conference, 2007 - "We Will Fight, Britain Will Win"

They said that speeches didn't matter any more. This one certainly mattered. The media had made their mind up - Gordon Brown was ready to call an early election. That was until this speech. This speech in 2007 turned round the media narrative and forced Gordon Brown to bottle the election. A thoroughly progressive Conservative speech and very much one of the most important British political speeches of the decade.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7024919.stm

3. Robin Cook - Resignation Speech

We may not have seen many speakers of the greatness of Bevan or Foot in the noughties, but this resignation speech was very much in that oratorical tradition. Whether you agreed with him or not, Robin Cook displayed enormous courage in resigning from Cabinet over the Iraq War and he captivated the House of Commons in a way that very few people can with this address. His intellect and oratory are sadly missed.

4. Tony Blair - 2001

Tribal Tories might baulk at the inclusion of this in the list, but Tony Blair was the supreme political communicator of his generation. He was the master of the art of the setpiece speech - particularly in the annual showdown with Gordon Brown, where Blair regularly outshone the then Chancellor. He simply cannot be left off a list of the top speeches of the decade. This speech was the moment when Blair was probably at the peak of his powers. He had won a second landslide and he was, for so many people, speaking for them about the reaction to September 11th.

5. Howard Dean - 'The Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party'

The Democrats had acted like rabbits in headlights since the 2002 mid-term elections. They didn't know how to react to the damaging policies being introduced by the Bush administration. This speech shook the Democrats from their collective tupor and made them realise that they could win again. It wasn't Howard Dean who was to depose the hard right Republicans but his campaign made a lot of what happened in 2008 possible.