Prosperity You Can Be Part Of
Jamie Driscoll Labour's First North of Tyne Mayor
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Jamie is now heading up and developing the North of Tyne Combined Authority, the regional body that allocates spending and will deliver on manifesto promises.
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Latest News
A meal deal not for the masses
A fortnight ago, Boris Johnson compared himself to US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR’s New Deal turned round the economic collapse of the Great Depression. He created the first ever US state pensions and unemployment insurance. He promoted collective bargaining, improving wages and working conditions. The Public Works Administration built dams, bridges, schools and hospitals. […]
Devolution is about Democracy
I was listening to radio last week, and on came Michael Heseltine, bigging-up Metro Mayors. He name-checked our work in Newcastle. It ‘s a funny feeling for a Labour politician, getting praised by a Tory grandee. It’s heartening to have your good work recognised. It’s good in electoral terms. An opposition politician saying you’re doing […]
“Please sir , I want some more”.
“Please sir, I want some more”. Oliver Twist sums up the relationship between central government and the North. There’s a dependency on grants from Westminster, often tied in with the electoral cycle. Restrictions come from Whitehall on to how to spend it, with priorities optimised for the Home Counties. Oliver needed the handouts because the […]
Hunger in the UK
Politicians are terrified of U-turns. They look indecisive. 200,000 kids have had to skip meals because their family couldn’t afford enough food during lockdown. Yet thanks to England footballer Marcus Rashford, 1.3 million kids will now get fed this summer. When the cupboards are bare, that £15-a-week voucher will stop kids becoming malnourished. […]
Culture for the Soul
Culture is the sum total of how we express ourselves as humans. Culture is our collective soul. For some it’s theatre, museums, art galleries, opera. For others, a live music gig, a beer festival or a home game. I don’t see culture as a “sector”, an opportunity for economic growth. We can live in concrete […]
