The old lady has pale blue eyes, wavy white hair and a benign smile. She sits in a chintz-covered armchair, a blue leather handbag balanced on her lap. โDo you have any children?โ she asks. I tell her I have a daughter who is 26. The old lady nods. โI never had any myself,โ she …
As we approach the general election on July 4, the unambitious policy commitments of parties appear in ever greater contrast to the size of the challenges we face. As in the 1970s, we are at a point in which our political system seems incapable of addressing the issues that matter. In the North East, these …
The TV dramatisation of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal Mr Bates vs the Post Office evoked outrage and disbelief. However, as another example of dysfunctional organisational behaviour, it was expected rather than exceptional. The Post Office saga joins a long list of cover-ups or scandals that includes Hillsborough, Enron, Grenfell, the infected blood scandal, …
The partyโs over! The recent metro mayoral elections constitute the endpoint of a process that began back in the 1930s, if not earlier. Our devolution policy landscape is littered with decades of ill-fated initiatives โ centralised post-war regional policies, the short-lived Tyne-Wear County Council, the disastrous referendum on a directly elected regional assembly, the establishment …
Football fans delight in historic moments enjoyed by their club. Exeter City supporters for example, will have fond memories of the FA Cup third-round match their team played on the wintry afternoon of January 8, 2005. Jubilant scenes greeted the final whistle after the side fought valiantly to secure a 0-0 draw, which gave Exeter …
The long-awaited general election is finally here. Itโs hard to believe how much the political landscape has changed in the five years since the last election. Boris Johnson was elected on a pledge to โget Brexit doneโ and โlevel upโ, with huge swathes of historic Labour areas in the North and Midlands turning blue for …
Me and Hilda, the camper van, are setting off for what might be one last road trip, Thelma and Louise style, though hopefully without the bit where we plunge off a cliff at the end because even a VW camper wonโt make much money if itโs shattered into 73,000 pieces. She, the main motor of …
Itโs a tale of mystery. Newcastleโs โlow traffic neighbourhoodsโ (LTNs) came and then they went. After 18 months of effort โ bollards, road markings and consultation โ puff, they have vanished. On April 23, 2024, nine men, with vans and two trucks, could be found labouring away on Heaton Park View, removing all trace that …
There are broadly speaking two ways of looking at the Labour Party’s last period in government under first Tony Blair and then Gordon Brown between 1997 and 2010. The first view brings to mind Monty Python’s ‘what did the Romans ever do for us?’ sketch, later wonderfully parodied by the BBC in a promotional advert …
On Monday, I was invited to give evidence on alcohol harm at the Health and Social Care Committee session on Prevention.ย I travelled down on the train to London from the North East and took the Tube over to Westminster from Kingโs Cross. Walking through the tunnels, I was struck by the scale of alcohol …
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