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Supporting people to be the best they can be

The young man pointed to the side of his face where surgeons had inserted the metal plate. When asked if the police caught his attackers, he shrugged. No. “They were all wearing balaclavas”, he told me, flatly. Matthew, 16, was one of 70 budding young chefs from local colleges competing at this year’s North East […]

We need a vision of a better future

It’s traditional on election night for politicians to spin the results.  “Our retention of Dunny-on-the-Wold, albeit with a reduced majority, shows that everyone thinks we’re doing a fantastic job and we’ll win the next election!” says one politician.  “But,” replies his opponent, “you’ve lost two seats in Birmingham Nicepart, which shows we’ll win the next […]

Who do we want to run the country?

Door knocking at election time brings many benefits. Gentle exercise, catching some sunshine, and of course, talking with the public. An unexpected benefit is seeing the vast diversity of front gardens.  From manicured lawns and colourful tulips, to weeds and piles of rubble. I’ve concluded, in a totally unscientific way, that there’s a correlation between […]

Dignity is the least anyone should expect

Would you like to take a road trip to Rwanda? In a Mercedes? With a single refugee as your passenger? Staying in five-star hotels along the way?  Sound expensive? Well it won’t cost as much as the Government’s new scheme to house refugees in vast camps 4,000 miles away from Britain.  Announced with great fanfare […]

Football changing lives for years to come

When I first walked into the North of Tyne Combined Authority in May 2019, it comprised a handful of staff and a cavernous office on Cobalt Business Park.  I had a manifesto full of promises to deliver, and a small team raring to get cracking.  One of my first meetings was with the Newcastle United […]

The Curious Incident of the Spring Statement

“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?” asked Inspector Gregory of Scotland Yard. “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time” replied Sherlock Holmes.  The Chancellor’s Spring Statement contained five notable omissions.  Firstly, he opened by blaming the cost of living crisis on the invasion of Ukraine.  […]

If we want a better future, we must invest in people

If there was a fire in your kitchen, you’d put it out.  Immediately.  Or call the fire brigade.  You wouldn’t say, “We don’t have the resources to fix this right now,” close the door, and pretend the problem will go away.  Yet this mindset gets wheeled-out to justify inaction over social challenges.  Small issues are […]

Who should we value in our society?

Who should we value in our society?  The Key workers who kept our communities going throughout the pandemic, or the Russian oligarchs whose dirty money sloshes around the City of London? The health service workers who risked their lives to look after our loved ones, or the PM’s political cronies? “Sir Gavin Williamson.”  If you […]

Where has all the money gone?

I spoke to a young mother, while canvassing in Ferryhill.  She works two part-time, minimum-wage jobs, in Chester-le-Street.  There’s one unreliable bus an hour, and it costs her £19.80 for transport and childcare. She leaves the house at 8am to drop her daughter off, and she gets home at 4pm.  It’s taking her 8 hours […]

Creating Jobs – Good Jobs – is a Virtuous Circle

I’m always banging on about how many jobs the North of Tyne has created.  Having a good job that you enjoy is life changing.  It’s not just good for the local economy, it’s good for your self-esteem and confidence.  There are no down sides of creating good jobs.  I see it as the cornerstone of […]

When one person becomes more skilled, more educated, the whole of society benefits

You’ll have heard of fitness bootcamps, where, in exchange for an hour or two of torture, you shed a couple of pounds. But what about a skills bootcamp?  No sweat or tears involved, and instead of losing weight, you gain skills.  Employable skills to help you find work or a better paid job.  We’ve put […]

We need joined up thinking to combat climate change and poverty

Possible war in Ukraine.  The resignation of a Cressida Dick.  The interminable saga of when, exactly, Boris Johnson’s MPs will topple him.  Liz Truss’s flood of taxpayer-funded photo-ops.  All political stories, but none comes close to relevance of the cost of living crisis.  The cost of your groceries, fuel bills, rent and rapidly dwindling savings […]

The Parallels Between “Levelling Up” and “Back to Basics”

Do you remember “Back to Basics”?  The John Major version that was satirised by Viz magazine, not the Christine Aguilera album.   Major advocated a Britain based on morality and decency, but the campaign was ridiculed when a succession of Conservative politicians were embroiled in scandals.  Some lied under oath and eventually went to prison.  Despite […]

Understanding the human impact of price rises

When he was PM, David Cameron was famously asked if he knew the price of a supermarket loaf of bread. He didn’t have a clue, and waffled on about owning a bread-maker.  Johnson didn’t fare much better when pressed by Jeremy Paxman on the cost of a pint of milk.  Conservative MP Nadine Dorries described […]

“In the name of God, go”

“In the name of God, go!”  I had intended to write about the Levelling Up White Paper.  It was promised within a year of the 2019 election.  But like Godot, we’re still waiting for it.     It’s the second time I’ve agreed with David Davis.  In November he broke the Conservative whip, voting to require […]

Could you be, Could you be squeaky clean….

It turns out that a serial liar has been caught lying.  That a member of the Bullingdon Club was attending boozy parties in lockdown.  Surprised?  That Boris Johnson’s premiership is circling the drain makes me sad for two reasons.  Firstly, it was blindingly obvious to anyone with any understanding of human behaviour that the man […]

“Industry without art is brutality”

What do the 1900th anniversary of Hadrian’s Wall, the Rugby League World Cup and The Lindisfarne Gospels have in common? (It’s not a Christmas cracker joke).  They’re all part of our year-long programme of cultural events.  Backed with £2.6 million funding from the North of Tyne, these – and others – are taking place across […]

What did devolution ever do for us?

Over Christmas, a journalist asked me what would be the big political issue for 2022.  Let’s separate out the political theatre.  Boris Johnson is on the ropes.  Will Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak replace him?  Who will wield the knife?  Yada, yada.  It might seem surprising, but I don’t really care who is Prime Minister.  […]

Please give to charity but what we really need is a different economic approach

This Christmas I’m enjoying a break from Zoom-world, and spending time with my family.  We watched Love Actually the other day.  It traces ten separate stories of love.  Romantic, platonic, family.  Unrequited love, and betrayal.  Bill Nighy puts in a great comedy performance as ageing rock star Billy Mack desperate for a comeback, and Emma […]

The story I want to hear is how we turned this around and arrived back at Bedford Falls.

Stories reach us in a way that facts can’t. From telling folktales around a campfire, to reading to our children at night, it’s innate to human communication. Charles Dickens was horrified by the social deprivation in Victorian England. He tried political journalism. He published pamphlets campaigning for social change. But it’s his stories that made […]

Creating jobs need not cost the Earth

The link between our financial system and tackling climate change is not an obvious one.  Post-COP the whole world gets the urgency of reducing emissions towards zero.     But how?  There are big-ticket items, like building a multi-gigawatt wind farm on the Dogger Bank.  Building a gigafactory to electrify Britain’s vehicle fleet.  Things that are […]

We urgently need a resilient, environmentally sustainable electricity system

Around 5,000 North East homes are enduring their second weekend without electricity.  People are suffering.    In 21st century Britain our daily lives depend on a functioning power system.  We can be stoic about losing Netflix for a week.  But boilers and central heating systems use electric pumps and control systems.  Wrapping up warm is easier […]

From Peppa Pig to Lederhosen – it’s been an interesting week

From Peppa Pig to Lederhosen, it’s been an interesting week. Monday started with getting the Metro over to Tyne Dock for the CBI conference. And the collective disbelief when the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland started doing car impressions from the platform. He then quoted Lenin, compared himself […]

Why the Government’s rail plans are failing the North East

One year ago, my column focused on the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP). It’s the Government’s national rail investment plan for the next thirty years. In a mockery of tragic irony, the IRP was delayed. And delayed. And delayed. While we’ve seen £billions on HS2, £billions on road junctions, and cuts to air passenger duty. When […]

The Boiling Frog of Climate Change

If you put a frog into boiling water, it’ll jump straight out.  Whereas if you put it into tepid water and heat it up, the frog will not notice, and passively be boiled to death.  Firstly, don’t try this at home.  Secondly, it’s not true.  It comes from an 1869 experiment by Friedrich Goltz.  He […]

About time we cleaned up politics

In George Orwell’s “1984” Winston Smith is tortured until he agrees that two plus two equals five. The point is to make him see that there is no objective truth other than what Big Brother says is true.  To give up on truth altogether. Good citizens were exhorted to train their minds to only think […]

Rishi’s Budget porkies

Let’s start this week with a quiz.  Multiple choice – which of these is true? The UK is “well on the way to recovery.” The UK has “the fastest growth in the G7.” We are in a “new age of optimism.” “We can’t afford to borrow any more.” Eon Productions have invited me to play […]

Beyond the pomp & ceremony

Like any typical lad from the North East, I’d never been to the Guildhall before.  It is deep within the City of London in the Financial District.  The whole place oozes money. £millions change hands at the drop of a hat.  And many of the problems I’m dealing with started here, their roots in financial […]

Good mental health underpins our individual and collective wellbeing

You’ll have seen it, perched on cliff tops next to the ancient Tynemouth Priory, the Tynemouth coastguard station. Decommissioned twenty years ago, it’s stood empty since.  Now, thanks to the work of local women’s veterans’ organisation, Salute Her,  a new life as a wellbeing centre for women veterans could be on the horizon. Paula from […]

Like Bond, let’s just get the job done.  

When I was elected Mayor in 2019, I joined the group of Metro Mayors already in existence, and became ‘M9’.  The first meeting was in London’s City Hall, where SPECTRE was filmed, doubling as villain C’s HQ.  I was disappointed Sadiq Khan wasn’t stroking a white cat.  ‘I’m straight out of a Bond movie’ I […]

Beyond the headlines in Brighton

It’s two years since I started writing this column in The Journal and The Chronicle.  In that time we’ve had a general election, a global pandemic, a change in Labour leader, and Britain has left the EU.  Then, as now, I’d just returned from Labour Conference in Brighton.  And then, as now, the reality is […]

The backbone of our economy

Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy. Plumbers, hairdressers and beauticians, charity workers, arts professionals and creatives. In the North East they represent around half a million jobs.  In fact, 95% of businesses in our region are micro-businesses, employing ten people or fewer.  And, sadly, small firms often struggle to get the financial […]

Valuing the arts

Setting aside the Damien Hirsts of this world, most artists don’t take up their craft with the expectation of a private jet and a villa in Tuscany. They do it to satisfy an artistic drive – it’s part of who they are. ‘Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you […]

This Is Our Run

You’re prepping for the race.  Questions racing through your mind.  Am I wearing the right clothes? Have I done enough groundwork?  Am I in the right frame of mind?  Months of preparation comes down to this moment.  I know the supporters will keep me going.  You’re on the starting line… This could be the start […]

Showing off our region

We’re at least 280 miles from London.  It’s a long way however you travel.  3 hours by train, 6 hours by car and 27 hours by bike.  But we’re even further in terms of media focus.  The Westminster Bubble is obsessed with political manoeuvrings in Westminster.  Try and get them to cover the creation of […]

Nurturing our communities with goodwill & solidarity

I love getting out and about and meeting people.  Last Monday I met trade minister Lord Grimstone for dinner.  We discussed getting more Government support to bring investment here.  On Wednesday I met the Vice President and the European Ops director of a US firm over coffee.  The meeting was a success, and fingers crossed, […]

Storytelling defines a culture

I get a buzz from seeing talented people do their thing.  Whether it’s sport, comedy or plays.  I’m endlessly impressed watching the skills that have been honed over thousands of hours.  And the joy and passion at performers’ self-expression.  I love seeing people learning their trade, too.  Supporting up and coming talent.  Edinburgh Fringe has […]

A Solid Investment in Good Work

Much of the work trade unions do is hidden and unsung.  Such as providing workplace learning opportunities through the Union Learn programme. The view of trade unions as “the enemy within” and wreckers of the economy is obsolete.  It’s a far cry from the reality.  When employers work with trade unions, whether in the public […]

The Sky’s the limit

Allan Wells. Anthony Joshua. Linford Christie. Chris Boardman. Nicola Adams. Pythagoras. Eliud Kipchoge. Haile Gebrselassie. Nadia Comaneci. All Olympic champions.  No, that’s not a mistake, although it’s true that you’re more likely to associate Pythagoras with triangles, rather than the Olympics. Pythagoras didn’t win an Olympic crown for doing difficult sums. He won for boxing.  […]

It’s about jobs, stupid

What does “levelling-up” mean to you?  Getting more investment into the North of England?  Closing the life-expectancy gap, perhaps?  Reversing the historic under-funding of the North’s transport infrastructure?  I’d hoped the Prime Minister’s much-trailed speech on levelling-up would define it.  His 32-minute speech, his “Vision to Level up the United Kingdom”, covered everything from football […]

Southgate’s teamwork shows the way

It’s difficult to type with your fingers crossed. But by the time you read this, we’ll know whether it worked, and football really has come home. I’m not claiming that it’ll all be down to my crossed fingers, mind.  Or even the now anthemic Sweet Caroline – my wife’s name.  The key word for the […]

Our people are the North’s true powerhouse

There’s a lack of trust between the people and power. For decades, this has been reflected in Whitehall’s top-down approach to the North East and the other English regions.  Decisions on infrastructure to education to health are made by people without frontline experience, who don’t live here.  The result?  A huge imbalance of power, wealth […]

Building a Zero-Carbon, Zero-Poverty North East

Cooperation is what makes humans special.  Just look at the vaccine roll out.  The way we went from research and development, into production, into the public sector organisation getting jabs into people’s arms.  It also shows how vulnerable our economy is – our very lives are – when nature is disrupted and our environment becomes […]

Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not

Talent was in the North East last week, along with Hollywood fever.  The latest Indiana Jones film is being shot at stunning Bamburgh Castle. It struck me that Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1981.  I was 11. How time flies. I expect Harrison Ford is thinking that, though anyone who saw him […]

A rich and vibrant regional economy in our sights

The words “Annual General Meeting” generally have the same effect as prescription sleeping pills.  Appointments to committees, scrutiny reports, and dozens of pages of accounts.  But they are a keystone of democracy and accountability.  It shows the public, amongst other things, what we’ve spent.  The corporate budget is our running costs:  staff wages, office accommodation, […]

What transport system do we want? How do we pay for it?

When we talk about transport there are two questions. First, what transport system do we want? And second, how are we going to pay for it? It’s the second one that causes all the problems. Transport is a fundamental part of everything we do.  It’s a mistake to let the market dictate its direction.  It […]

Welcome to the real North

There are some fascinating photos online by Finnish photographer Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen.  They cover the North East and focus on Byker, where she lived, showing the gritty, grubby reality of our region in the early 1970s.  Not that long ago, this is how people pictured the North East.  Pit villages.  Fishing.  Heavy industry.  Not quite the […]

Coming out of a hell of a year

From B&Bs in Berwick to micro pubs in Newcastle, small businesses across our region are opening up.  They’ve had a hell of a year.  No trading for six months has taken its toll on hospitality and cultural businesses.  The self-employed have been hit hardest, with only a fraction of the support of other companies.  Over […]

Beware of the Leopard

Town planning is as old as cities.  The Romans did it.  In fact, the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus Valley had a planned water and sanitation system 2,600 years before Hadrian’s Wall was built.     As Britain moved out of the medieval era, towns grew.   People lived closer together, and governments needed to […]

Train the people. Create the jobs. Generate the wealth.

Most political leaders get to choose their cabinets – local authority leaders, Scottish or Welsh first minister, the Prime Minister. Combined Authority Mayors are the exception. Our cabinets comprise the leaders and deputies from each constituent council. I’m looking forward to welcoming the new North of Tyne Cabinet Members, regardless of party. Despite the narrative […]

Downing Street is a Moral Cesspit

There’s something rotten in the state of Britain. In 1963, Cabinet Minister John Profumo resigned after lying about an extra-marital affair with Christine Keeler. That was sleaze. I agree with former Tory Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude, who said about Coalition minister Chris Huhne’s affair, “What goes on in people’s private lives is a subject […]

Live Your Life With Purpose

Stewart Lee was once given some advice on how to earn a living in the transient world of stand-up comedy. “You get 5000 people to like you, and they all give you £10 a year. That’s a living. ”It’s a risk, pursuing your passion. And it’s not an easy option, as any established musician or […]

What Would a Universal Basic Income Look Like

42, as every HG2G fan knows, is the answer to life, the universe and everything. It’s also the title of a crowdfunded book including Douglas Adams’s notes on work, life and technology. His memo-to-self shows that even a writer with his confidence and fluency struggled. “Writing isn’t so bad, really…” he wrote, and “…attack it, […]

Invest in Staff and They will Invest in You

The notion of a job for life is fast receding. Not so long ago, a job at “The Ministry” in Longbenton, or maybe with the local council, meant financial security. Not in any sense of luxury, but the stability to raise a family, followed by a decent pension after you’d put in your decades of […]

When The Boat Comes In

I just about remember the TV show ‘When the Boat Comes In’. It was set in the fictional town of Gallowshields in the North East. If you’ve seen it even once, you’ll remember the theme tune, “Thou shalt have a fishy, on a little dishy, thou shalt have a fishy when the boat comes in. […]

My Friend Nigel Todd

I have a packet of Northumberland Wildflower Seeds given to me by Nigel Todd. The mix contains flowers that will thrive in harmony with our local ecosystem. It speaks to his ecological sensitivity and profound sense of place. High on the wall of Newcastle’s Stowell Street is a stone carving of a sheaf of wheat, […]

What Have The Unions Ever Done For Us

When I was a ward councillor for Monument – Newcastle City Centre – our police liaison officers showed exemplary sensitivity and emotional intelligence when dealing with challenging members of the public. We know, though, that any organisation can have bad individuals in it – serving police officer Wayne Couzens has been charged with the murder […]

Investment with Forsight

In 1929 the Roaring Twenties plummeted to earth with the Wall Street Crash. Its global aftermath caused mass unemployment and eventually a collapse of democracy across Europe, the rise of the Nazis, and genocide. The response to the Wall Street crash in both the US and Britain was to cut public spending. Austerity didn’t work […]

Make Decisions about our Region, in our Region

As a political insider, not much in politics shocks me. But I was astounded to hear the Chancellor say, the “Budget is not the time to set detailed fiscal rules, with precise targets and dates to achieve them by.” WTF? That’s exactly what a budget’s for. My first priority is to deliver for the people […]

Build Back Fairer

“Build Back Better” has become the mantra. Good as far as it goes, but unless we build back fairer we’re back to the status quo. High levels of economic inequality and deprivation are damaging to health and wellbeing. The core objective must be providing good jobs. Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You was a superb […]

Reimagine How to Connect

“Shall we meet online or in real life?” This increasingly common question speaks volumes. No matter how good your internet connection or webcam is, it’s still not the same. Maybe The Matrix has raised our expectations. Workers in the cultural sector have again shown their creativity and resilience. Online shows, workshops, musical performances from bedrooms. […]

Plaggy Bagging

Snow, -6 degrees C, and I’ve been out sledging with my kids. My younger son, now 13, clad only in a T-shirt and cagoule jacket. “How are you going to keep warm in that? You’ll freeze!” I told him. “I’m a Geordie,” he replied. He was right too. Maybe it’s the energy of youth, running […]

Listen To Those You Disagree With

The act of listening matters. Hearing viewpoints different to your own is an essential part of a healthy political climate. It’s the only route to effective democracy. So who should politicians listen to first? Billionaires? Newspaper owners? Lobbyists? That’s the list that worries people – that those with influence exercise it unhealthily and selfishly. It’s […]

Retrofitting is a short sighted waste of money

Did you know the 2nd February is Groundhog Day?    At this very moment houses are being built which will need to be retrofitted.  Retrofitting means installing something later which would have been easier and cheaper to include it when it was built.   This will cost about £20,000 per house.  Who will pay? Probably the homeowner.  How much would it have cost if it was built into the house? About […]

Light at The End of The Tunnel ?

 Do you remember when you were a kid, and you’d ask your Mam or Dad for something, and they’d say, “We’ll see” – which is parent speak for “No chance.” Or they’d say “We’ll see what Santa brings” which is code for “Hopefully you’ll have forgotten by then”. As a child, next Christmas was always […]

Feed the Children

You’ll have seen photos of the meagre rations meant to feed schoolchildren. You might have read that corporate CEO pay has rocketed to 120 times that of their average worker. You’re probably aware that people are volunteering to help with Covid jabs. What links them all? Some cheese slices, tin of beans, loaf of bread […]

72% of Children in Poverty are from Working Families

Democracy is a powerful idea. Everyone gets an equal say, no matter your background or your wealth. It took a lot of fighting for – the landed nobility did not roll over willingly. Many campaigners were hanged, transported or killed in battle. The events in Washington DC this week show we can’t take it for […]

Look after Your Staff and they will Look after You

January, it’s said, is named after the Roman god Janus. He’s depicted having two faces, one looking into the past and the other the future. He’s the overseer of transition and change. Looking back at January 2020, I doubt even a Roman god could have foreseen the year we actually had. I’ve been looking back […]

Real Wellbeing Requires Abundant Green and Blue Spaces

The places where we live and the stresses we face constantly change, but the importance of our friendships remain. Living in safe, attractive communities is essential for our wellbeing. Connection to others defines our sense of belonging, our place in the world. It’s not surprising that research shows a strong link between a sense of […]

Have a Safe and Peaceful Christmas

2020 has definitely been a challenge and made us all see life in a new way. There’s nothing like a global pandemic to make us realise that simply spending time with our family is the most important thing. I know many people will find it tough not seeing their families this Christmas. Like many, my […]

Mature Relationships Get Things Done

It’s said that the distance between the Government and Opposition benches in the House of Commons is two swords lengths, to stop them stabbing each other. If you watch some of the debates, it’s probably just as well. Prime Minister’s Question time is meant to be the opportunity for MPs to question the Prime Minister, […]

With Power comes Responsibility

Are metro mayors properly scrutinised? That’s a question I was asked at last week’s Parliamentary Select Committee on devolution. Steve Rotherham, my counterpart in Liverpool City Region, says that we are the most scrutinised politicians anywhere. To get something done as Mayor, I have to persuade the 6 council leaders and deputies in my cabinet. […]

Spending review=Pay Freeze

On Wednesday we had the long-awaited spending review. Since May the Chancellor had told us it would be a comprehensive spending review. There was nothing comprehensive in this. No multi-year strategic vision. What did we get? A public sector pay freeze. Let’s call that for what it is: a pay cut in real terms. Ministers […]

Leave No One Behind

The new series of The Crown has started on Netflix, covering the 1980s – the Thatcher Years. Gillian Anderson’s performance is superb, portraying Mrs Thatcher’s views on Life, the Universe and Everything. People should help themselves, women are too emotional to be trusted, and people should stop waiting for the Nanny State (or anyone else) […]

Great North Eastern Railways, We hope

The North East’s rail network has an unusual geography. We’re almost an island – the only routes in or out are the East Coast Mainline, or the track to Carlisle. With all the talk of high speed rail, the biggest problem we face is capacity. There’s no advantage to a train capable of 255mph if […]

A Fair Days Pay For a Fair Days Work

In my first few months in office, I made the North of Tyne an accredited Living Wage employer. We’re a small organisation, mainly highly skilled workers already on more than £9.30 an hour. But it did affect the cleaners, receptionists and security staff who maintain the building. We also have a gender pay gap of […]

The North will Remember

On September 18th, the North East’s council leaders and I asked government for the powers to impose additional restrictions. We knew that cases were rising. We knew that government’s insistence on keeping universities open, with face-to-face teaching was a mistake. Government did nothing, so we did what we could. And it worked, as well as […]

A Million Reasons to Act…

   Unprecedented times demand unprecedented measures. That’s the gist of a new report on youth employment published last week by the Alliance for Full Employment. Youth Report: A Million Reasons to Act is based on a study by Professor Paul Gregg from Bath University. He warns that as many as one million young people will […]

Standing up for the North

A week is a long time in a pandemic.Last Friday, (9th Oct), a meeting with Number 10 mysteriously popped into my calendar. Ministers wanted to talk to me and my Local Authority colleagues about the new Tier system. Later that afternoon, as I logged into the video conference, it got cancelled. Eventually there was a […]

Zero Carbon Now ?

There shall be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repenteth than over ninety-nine just persons. It’s good to see the Prime Minister contradicting his 2013 statement that “wind farms couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding.” Or, presumably, an Eton mess. So I’m delighted that he intends to invest £160m for all […]

Invest To Save

Boilers on prescription might not sound like an obvious link to radical devolution. But it’s a strategy that GPs working with housing provider Gentoo implemented in Sunderland in 2016. And it worked. The scheme allowed GPs to “prescribe” new, efficient boilers and home insulation to patients suffering respiratory conditions and living in damp, cold homes. […]

A Green New Deal For All

Unemployment is the worst of the economic scourges. Pundits obsess about debt-to-GDP ratio, interest rates, inflation targets, and trade imbalances. But it’s unemployment that fuels anxiety, crushes mental health and lays waste to communities. Having citizens unable to earn a living is a blight on prosperity. So Rishi Sunak was right to take action. But […]

Look After Each Other

The first duty of any government is to keep its people safe. In the absence of any leadership from Matt Hancock, Michael Gove or Boris Johnson, the North East’s Covid cases were doubling every week. Our local public health teams identified the transmission hotspots and asked central government to bring in some limited restrictions. This […]

Track and Trace the Corruption

How would you feel if someone broke the law, took £480 of your money, and spent it secretly? In under six months, Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings have spent £10 billion on Test & Trace and £15 billion on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). That’s a staggering sum. It’s £480 per UK adult. Hanbury Strategy is […]

We May All Be Daniel Blake

If a week is a long time in politics, a year is an age. An independent documentary crew asked if they could film my first year in office. Last week, I saw the final edit. The contrast between last summer and now was marked. Gone are the busy rooms, handshakes, and meetings. Now everyone I […]

Stand with Extinction Rebellion, because you might be next

“Extinction Rebellion could be treated as an organised crime group as part of a major crackdown on its activities that may also include new protections for MPs, judges and the press, The Telegraph can disclose.” Boris Johnson and Priti Patel are calling for Extinction Rebellion to be classified as “serious organised crime”.  Some Tories are […]

Auf Weidersehen Locally Produced News ?

Auf Weidersehen, Pet was a landmark of my childhood. First broadcast in the depths of the Thatcher recession, when I was in secondary school. The North East had lost a hundred thousand jobs in manufacturing. And along came this show with Geordie bricklayers like Dennis, Neville and Oz. It was a programme about hard working […]

Education for Children not Government

“Politicians are terrified of U-turns. They look indecisive” I wrote two months ago. The sound of screeching tyres accompanied last week’s handbrake turn. Boris Johnson and Gavin Williamson were adamant that Ofqual’s algorithm was “robust”. Until they suddenly declared it was all Ofqual’s fault. I wonder what grade our school leavers, parents and teachers would […]

Get on top of the Virus

t was announced last week that we’re officially in a recession. In other news, the Pope is a Catholic. More than a million and a half people have signed-on in the past few months. Many more don’t claim. I spoke to one lad, perhaps in his late thirties. “I didn’t bother signing on,” he told […]

Our Final Warning

Phew what a scorcher! Global temperatures are rising. We know that. What most people don’t realise is the urgency. The United Nations IPCC says that to avoid severe climate breakdown, we must limit global heating to 1.5 degrees. Mark Lynas details the effects in his new book: Our Final Warning. We’re already at 1 degree. […]

The benefits of a happy workforce

In my late thirties I signed up for a fitness challenge. A load of my twenty-something martial arts friends joined in. To get maximum points, you had to do twenty pull-ups, one hundred sit-ups in two minutes, and run three miles in 18 minutes. Maybe it was a midlife crisis. It was certainly cheaper than […]

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 […]

Vandalism by Chequebook

I’m sure health and safety officials would have a lot to say – I doubt anyone completed a risk assessment form.  But the toppling of the Edward Colston statue looked peaceful.  And remarkably well organised.  I wasn’t there, but I’ve seen no reports that anyone got hurt.  No looting, no arson.  No riot.  I have seen reports that the police handled […]

Black lives Matter

 Why is it that when someone supports #BlackLivesMatter, someone replies, “All lives matter!” If someone told you, “I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer,” you wouldn’t reply, “Well some people get prostate cancer!” The protests in America are the confluence of three recent killings of black citizens by US Law Enforcement Officers. On 25th February this year, […]

The Good, the Bad and The Ugly

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. It’s not often that Spaghetti Western titles provide a framework for economic analysis. But this sums up the choices facing the economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. We went into this crisis with a quarter of our people getting paid less than they need to live on, a […]

Government by Toddler

Getting dressed after the shower, Leon sidles up to me, “Daddy my cwayon has bwoke.” The boys were three and one at the time. “Oh dear, how’d you do that, son?” “It bwoke on the wall.” A dash downstairs found Nelson in full Neolithic cave-art mode. Navy blue Crayloa on magnolia emulsion. Celtic swirls decorating […]

Jamie Driscoll urges government to ensure rough sleepers don’t return to streets after lockdown

North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll has urged the Government to ensure emergency measures to end rough sleeping continue once the lockdown is over.  The Government’s £3.2 million “Everyone In” scheme has helped get 4,500 rough sleepers off the streets, often by housing them in hotels. But it’s unclear how long the policy will last, or […]

Billionaires are not inevitable

“Our secret superpower is our ability to cooperate”. (18-05-20) Not my words, but from a great new book, Human kind : A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman.  You may remember him, he’s the guy who called out the super-rich at Davos last year, telling them to pay their taxes.  And wondering why 1500 private jets had flown […]

Schools should not reopen until there is a guarantee it’s safe

Mayor, Jamie Driscoll speaks to the Newcastle Chronicle (15-05-20) North East employers were left “genuinely worried” by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s weekend announcement that staff should go back to work, North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll says. He criticised Mr Johnson for making the announcement before guidance for firms and staff was available, and for […]

To Change Direction We Have To Change The Rules

I’m a black belt in jiu jitsu. The style I practice has one main rule – stop when someone signals they want you to stop. It’s a self-defence style, not a sport. There’s nothing fair about self-defence. You only need it when the odds are against you. You’ll only ever be attacked if the aggressor […]

So Much Achieved In Just One Year!

It’s been an amazing year and with the support of my fantastic team we’ve achieved so much. Here are the highlights.

One year as Mayor

A year ago on Thursday our people elected me Mayor of the North of Tyne Combined Authority.  I knew that building a new organisation would be a challenge.  On my first day, cameras & film crews outnumbered the staff.  But I had no idea what a rollercoaster year it would be.   In my acceptance speech, I spoke about […]

Statement on International Workers’ Memorial Day 28 April 2020

International Workers Memorial Day

“Remembering the dead, fighting for the living”.  (First published in The Newcastle Journal and The Newcastle Evening Chronicle 27 April 2020.) That’s the message from International Workers’ Memorial Day which falls tomorrow.  It’s never been more relevant. Did you know that every year more people are killed at work than in war?  Most don’t die of ‘tragic […]

Take Time To Be Human

It’s interesting which products are selling fastest. Of particular note are flour and seeds.  Both are products that need time and patience to use.  We’ll ignore crisps, alcohol and toilet roll for now.  Although if the lockdown lasts a lot longer maybe we’ll see a rise in homemade hooch. Is it because many of us […]

Understanding the Emotion of Betrayal

There are nine layers of Hell in Dante’s Inferno.  The first is for those who were not baptised.  The second for those who committed the sins of lust.  Third, gluttony.  Fourth, avarice.  Fifth, anger.  Sixth, blasphemy.  Seventh, violence.  Eight, deceivers and liars.  The ninth and final circle of Hell is reserved for traitors.  After making […]

Local Service Champions

Unison, the public sector union, calls them the UK’s “Local Service Champions”. The unsung heroes of the public sector, the thousands of council workers who provide the vital services that keep our communities running. Local government workers have always been there for us. From cradle to grave, they are the glue that holds our communities […]

Jamie Interviews The Labour Leadership Candidates

Last February, Jamie took time out of his schedule to ask the three Labour Leadership all manner of questions, ranging from trust in politics, the democratic revolution, how best to deal with press vilification and…Top Cat. Take a look. Rebecca Long-Bailey Lisa Nandy Keir Starmer

It is time to put wellbeing ahead of growth

What do the prime ministers of New Zealand, Iceland, and Finland have in common? In a word, wellbeing.  I gave a speech last week on inclusive economic growth.  Over the centuries, kings and ministers have steered their policies towards different goals.  Pharaoh Ozymandias put his realm to work building monuments to impress his rivals.  Ancient […]

Twenty-Twenty Vision

Twenty twenty has a ring to it.  Last year was politically turbulent.  In the North of Tyne, though, we just got on with delivering prosperity for our people.  I’ve been Mayor for eight months.  Much of 2019 involved setting up a brand new combined authority.  Recruiting staff, building relationships, and getting our first programmes underway.  […]

The High Street of Christmas Yet to Come

What do you call an old snowman? Water! Ah, Christmas cracker jokes.  I love Christmas.  I’m not a religious man but Christmas embodies so many traditions core to my beliefs.  Family and friends.  Helping each other out. Communities coming together to sing carols.  Taking time to cook a good meal, and the time to eat […]

Stop The Poverty

“It’s Christmas time, and there’s no need to be afraid.”  So says the song.  This Christmas, like every year, millions in our country will be working.  Emergency services, NHS staff, catering and hospitality workers.  Taxi drivers, people staffing petrol stations.   And for many people who work, and many who can’t get reliable work, the money […]

Paul Mason – Where Next After Corbynism: A Reply

In the final paragraph of Paul Mason’s thesis he name checks me, saying we need to be “learning from Jamie Driscoll’s mayoral campaign on North Tyneside.”  Thanks for the nod, Paul.  What did we do to warrant this reference?  In one sense, we didn’t do anything special.  We just did lots of simple things right.  […]

Where does this result leave democracy?

My Dad would shout at the players during the football, “Just put the ball in back of the bloody net!” My brother and I would laugh. “You should write to him and suggest it.” I’m reminded of this when people say “Labour should have won more seats.” Post election analysis is often one dimensional. People […]

Lessons from the 2019 General Election

Most of the analysis I’m reading about the election defeat is not analysis, but schadenfreude.  I sometimes write polemics, and sometimes calls to arms, but today, let’s start with some facts, shall we? Here’s the last five elections.  Total votes cast for Labour, and the percentage of the electorate at the time that voted Labour.  […]

How Do Labour’s votes compare to recent elections?

Here’s an updated one with vote share as a percentage of the electorate. Percentage of the electorate is more useful than percentage of votes cast. The challenge for Labour is to win over voters who’ve voted for other parties, to get out our base, and to inspire non-voters to turn out.

There but for the grace of god go I

Your task is to design a society.  Its tax systems, justice, education, health, and so on.  But there’s a twist.  You don’t know in advance what part you will play in that society.  Philosophers call this a Veil of Ignorance.  You don’t know your gender, race, age, height.  Whether you’ll have a disability.  You might […]

The banks get it. The kids get it. Do you get it?

“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs” starts Rudyard Kipling’s poem If-. “Then perhaps it’s because you don’t understand the situation…” continues the joke. On Monday, I met with Andy Haldane, chief economist of the Bank of England. We touched on many things, including making our economy sustainable.   He […]

Did you ever have control to take back?

What would taking back control mean to you? Maybe you’ve piled on a few pounds over recent years, and want to take back control over your health. Perhaps it’s wrestling back some work-life balance, returning to that hobby you did when you were younger. If that’s the only part of your life out of control, […]

The town with lessons to share about devolution

On Tuesday I was due to meet Chancellor Sajid Javid in Parliament, to discuss devolving budgets to Metro Mayors.  I was due to meet John McDonnell and his team immediately afterwards – it would have made an interesting comparison, since we won’t get to see Mr Javid debate Mr McDonnell.  Saj has refused; perhaps because […]

The right to fulfilling work

This week is Living Wage Week.  23% of working people in our region don’t earn enough to live on without getting into debt.  The figure is set by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation: £9 per hour.  Crucially, it applies to everyone – the national minimum wage is only £7.70 if you’re under 25, and £4.35 if […]

I’ve got two new kids. Apparently.

“Do you have another two kids you haven’t told me about?” laughed my wife. “Eh?” She explained, “It says on Wikipedia we have four children.” A more interesting question might be why she was looking me up on Wikipedia while I was sitting next to her in the living room.  The article was neutral – […]

Sorry We Missed You

Ken Loach has a gift of cutting through the statistics and hitting you in the heart.  This Wednesday he invited me along to the Newcastle premiere of his latest film, Sorry We Missed You. Without giving any spoilers, Abby works as a carer, Ricky as a “self employed” delivery driver under unremitting pressure to hit […]

The Blame Game

Leadership is difficult to quantify.  It should be a defining characteristic in our politicians, a blend of gravitas, consistent values, integrity, and the courage to stand firm when others flinch.  We’ve seen real leadership this week, but it’s come from footballers.  Last Monday’s Euro Qualifier saw 26 year-old Tyrone Mings stand strong against monkey chants […]

The Queen’s Speech

Today is the Queen’s Speech.  Perhaps Boris Johnson will actually win his first Commons vote as Prime Minister.  For a man who is so opposed to socialism, he spends a lot of time getting publicly owned.  I don’t know why we still pretend that the speech belongs to the Queen.  I’ve never met her; I’m […]

World Mental Health Day

“Health, wealth and happiness!” is the toast we’ve all heard.  Mental health defines two of these, and impacts on the third.  In May, Tyne and Wear Citizens held a Mayoral hustings at the Tyne Theatre, 1000 people attended.  The host asked everyone to stand up; a thousand people got to their feet.  She then said, […]

It’s all about the power

Last Monday I was in Manchester when the Tory Party conference was in town.  I haven’t crossed the floor, it was a meeting of the M9.  It sounds like something from a Bond film.  Whenever we meet I think of SPECTRE – me and the other 8 Metro Mayors sitting round a huge table, working […]

Labour Conference Blog

Like most high-profile occupations, politics looks different from the inside.  The TV news shows Labour Party conference as sound-bites from a packed conference hall.  But for every high-profile policy announcement, there’s two dozen fringe events spread across Brighton, a hundred private meetings huddled around tables in hotel bars, and politicians and advisors scurrying around finishing […]

A People’s Bank Explained

Banks are essential to a modern economy.   Banks keep money flowing.  Cash machines, direct debits, card payments, and other transactional functions.  Then there’s savings, mortgages and loans – if you had to save up and pay cash, no one would ever be able to afford a house, and businesses would struggle to expand.  The economy […]

Newcastle can be the capital of a new, radical British politics

Ah, that rare thing: a political speech served straight, with no side of hyperbole. One of the most interesting developments in politics so far this year is set to happen not in Westminster, but 300 miles up the A1. On 2 May, voters from Newcastle right up to Berwick can elect their first ever North […]

The Bridge Tax & Public Transport

There are few sights more iconic than the bridges over the Tyne.  They’re famous, and represent the ingenuity and industrial skill we’re known for.  We should not be charging people to use them.  We have an air pollution problem, and it needs fixing. The government’s answer? To force local councils to put an extra charge […]

Kia Kaha. Truth and love will win.

I was horrified to hear about the murders in Christchurch. I’ve been fighting racism and the far-right all my life, through education, community outreach and direct action. My thoughts go out to the injured and the families of those killed. My thoughts go out to those terrified going to Friday prayers for fear of similar […]

John McDonnell is backing me – so is Noam Chomsky

Could there be any better endorsement of my socialist economic policies than John McDonnell, Laura Pidcock and Clive Lewis – all Labour economics front benchers?

A Green New Deal

As Mayor I will: Declare a Climate Emergency Build eco-friendly social housing and plant trees Create a community owned green energy company Tackle food waste and food poverty Provide world class environmental education “There’s no challenge that we face more critical than addressing the dire threat of global warming.  NASA has just reported that of […]

Municipal Socialism – We Can Start Now

Right now, there’s a Labour internal selection going on across Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland.  I’m on the shortlist as the possible Labour candidate for North of Tyne Mayor.  I’m a grassroots activist.  I worked on both of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership campaigns.  This is one of the Metro-Mayor deals.  It’s not about running the bin […]

A majority of CLPs are backing JD4Mayor

The first phase of the campaign is over.  All of the CLPs (Constituency Labour Parties) have voted now, and a majority of CLPs have backed me.  The support has been overwhelming.  Even the CLPs who didn’t back me, the vote was close, and tied in some cases.  At the time of writing, I also have […]

Why Our Economy is Broken

Why Our Economy is Broken. When I grew up in the 1970s, photocopiers were so advanced that my school didn’t have one. When I started work in 1986 the company I worked for didn’t have a computer, we had people whose only job was to type up things the rest of us had written with […]

Questions for Jamie

People have asked questions via our Facebook page, so here’s a video of me answering them. Everything from rural regeneration to clean air zone charging gets covered. And there’s even a disappearing dog walker! We’ll do this regularly throughout the campaign, and it’s something I’ll continue to do if selected and elected. It’s important that […]

It’s Christmas Time

“It’s Christmas time, and there’s no need to be afraid.”  So says the song.  This Christmas, like every year, millions in our country will be working.  Emergency services, NHS staff, catering and hospitality workers, taxi drivers, people staffing petrol stations, to name just some.  And for many people who work, and many who can’t get […]

Why Do We Have A Housing Crisis?

Private rents are so high that people have in any given year to work from January 1st until 31st May to earn enough to pay the year’s rent. That’s nearly half a year’s hard graft going on rent. Since the 1970’s, median wages have pretty much remained at the same level – once you account […]

Weathercocks and Signposts

Normally what happens to politicians is the closer they get to the levers of power, the more attention they get from the establishment.  Sitting in board meetings, appointments with corporate lobbyists, calls from government officials take up a bigger and bigger part of their calendar.  All of these people who court them are well informed, […]