At the start of the year, like most of us, I made some resolutions. I even wrote them down to give them a little more impetus. It’s hard to deny something once it is in writing. One of them was to ‘Become a little more politically active, how I am not yet sure.’ I can … Continue reading NoT Clear
So we’ve had the European Elections 2019
It was certainly an interesting election, despite the poor turnout. Overall turnout was around 37% of the electorate, up from 35.6 in 2014 which still means that nearly 2 out of every 3 people did not exercise their democratic right. The picture in the North East constituency was even worse with just 32.7% turnout, from … Continue reading So we’ve had the European Elections 2019
Enough hot air
Another round of local elections but this time the usual parties have fared less well. The two main parties of Conservative and Labour have lost significant numbers while the Liberal Democrats and Greens have been successful. Independent candidates have also done very well while the UKIP vote has all but collapsed. The dust has not … Continue reading Enough hot air
The Nolan principles
This is a new one for me. One of the local candidates for ChangeUk brought the work of the Committee on Standards in Public Life to my attention, especially the seven Nolan principles. These are there to guide people who are in public service and commit them to the highest standards. You can find them … Continue reading The Nolan principles
Harmonic politics
There is not much uplifting entertainment in politics, a lot of interest, cut and thrust and intrigue perhaps, but not much entertainment. It has taken a special kind of perseverance to have sat through the comings and goings of the last few months. Every so often however, there is a bright spot in the otherwise … Continue reading Harmonic politics
European Elections North East England
If you live in North East England and are pro European Union then you need to think about voting in the European Elections on 23 May. In these elections only parties can stand and there are only three that have an unequivocal position on the EU, ChangeUK, the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats. Labour … Continue reading European Elections North East England
Who are you going to vote for?
I’ve seen this a lot lately, especially on social media. With all the furore about a possible upcoming general or european election people are asking the question ‘Who are you going to vote for?’ Quite often this is done by a poll and, due to the limitations of the software, not all possible parties are … Continue reading Who are you going to vote for?
Indicative votes
I’m looking forward to Brexit the movie. It will either be a three part epic directed by Peter Jackson, showing the struggle of good against evil, or a never ending series on Netflix that eventually peters away as public interest drops off, perhaps a bit like Lost or Prison Break if you remember either of … Continue reading Indicative votes
North of Tyne Mayor
An open letter to all North of Tyne mayoral candidates for the upcoming election. Dear prospective Mayor, I wish you every success in your venture and have noted a few comments which you may find useful going forward, either in your campaign or once you are in office. First the negative stuff: The North of … Continue reading North of Tyne Mayor
Deselection of MPs
The vote of no confidence in Dominic Grieve as the Conservative candidate for Beaconsfield, initially billed as a deselection, is another example of how the party system corrupts the country’s politics. It does not affect his position as MP, for the moment but presumably may well do when the next election comes along. At the … Continue reading Deselection of MPs
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 