The Secretary of State for Business dropped a clanger this week, referring to Tory peer Ben Houchen as the Tyne Tees Mayor. It was a slip which drew the inevitable suggestion that perhaps the Conservatives weren’t really paying attention to the North. The Labour Party, on the other hand, confirmed it most definitely was paying …
On a May evening in 1991, a tense interview between music journalist Steve Lamacq and musician Richey Edwards led to one of the most infamous and challenging images in the history of pop culture. Lamacq had come to see Edwards’ band, the Manic Street Preachers, but suggested they were less authentic punk rebels than cynical …
Students expressing solidarity with Palestinians and protesting about Israel’s war in Gaza have set up encampments on campuses around the UK. Around 15 encampments have emerged in Oxford, Cambridge, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Warwick, Manchester and others. They’ve also cropped up in other countries including France and Ireland. Broadly, students are calling for transparency over and divestment …
So, here we are. Devolved! The North East has its first Mayor. The months up to the election saw an accumulation of hope for — and demands on — what our Mayor should do. At the many hustings and debates that took place, I lost count of the number of times candidates were asked ‘what …
In terms of their impact on national politics, local elections are often about which party is better at playing the ‘expectations game’ The trick is to set a target number of seats which you then comfortably overshoot, or alternatively, if you are the incumbent government, a maximum number of seats you expect to lose which …
The long-awaited devolution deal in the North East — proper, real devolution with the money for transport until now held back — is finally here. The final count was delivered before the Bank Holiday weekend, way ahead of the rest of the country. As most people got on with enjoying their long weekends, I waited …
The last time Labour won Blackpool South, the party won 270 other constituencies. It was 1997 and Labour took 179 more than all other parties combined. Tony Blair walked down a flag-festooned Downing Street later that sunny May day. The debate about whether Britain is approaching a 1992 knife-edge election, where a surprisingly resilient Conservative …
Social media and some pockets of the press were awash with Islamophobic and racially charged comments about Sadiq Khan last week, holding him responsible for violent crimes in London in a way that no white Metropolitan Mayor or Police Commissioner faced during their election campaigns. Numerous journalists working for some of the most prominent news …
The North East of England is at a pivotal moment with the impending establishment of a new Mayor and Combined Authority. This development comes amidst a landscape of both promise and challenge. While the region boasts burgeoning commercial and residential developments, there exists a stark reality of economic inequality and social deprivation. Despite the skyline …
Not so long ago it was the lawyers and journalists who were the activists. How times have changed. With the birth of the environmental movement and social media it now appears almost everyone is. In many schools, where teachers embed man-made climate change and gender-fluid narratives, youngsters are seemingly encouraged to take up a cause. …
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