Ah well, another day, another election. This time though it was nothing as high a profile as a general election or a referendum. No, this was the election of a Police and Crime Commissioner for the Northumbria Police Area, caused by the resignation of the incumbent as she had been offered and accepted other employment. … Continue reading Police and Crime Commissioner
Prorogue
Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. It seems that every trick in the book is being considered to either implement or derail the Brexit process. Although not the latest wheeze the one that is getting most media coverage is the suggestion to prorogue parliament to prevent any challenge … Continue reading Prorogue
NoT Clear
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
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
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
The Government has responded
I don’t know why I bother really. Another day goes by and I have received yet another email from the Government responding to a petition that I have signed. Whatever the worthy cause, in my opinion, the answer is always the same. No, basically. The problem I have though is that the email is always … Continue reading The Government has responded
Getting to somewhere
I’ve started reading ‘The road to Somewhere, by David Goodhart, which describes the potential causes behind the dramatic shift in politics over the last few years. It talks in terms of people who belong anywhere and those that belong somewhere. May herself gave a nod to such thinking in her ‘citizens of nowhere’ speech. “But, … Continue reading Getting to somewhere
Unproportional representation
Proportional representation is a an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them, rather than our first past the post system where the individual with the most votes, irrespective of the number in relation to the size of the electorate gets into power. It has always … Continue reading Unproportional representation
Rewriting spin
I don’t normally bother with programmes which bring politicians together to argue with each other. It may be entertainment seeing two people who must have opposing views try and avoid answering the questions asked of them but it panders to the polarised nature of politics that this country has fallen in to. Occasionally though I … Continue reading Rewriting spin
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 