northern democrat no 45 sept 09

8/14/2019 Northern Democrat No 45 Sept 09

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The Northern

Democrat

no. 45no. 45no. 45no. 45no. 45SeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptember

20092009200920092009

The newsletter for Liberal Democrats in the North of England

Produced, printed and promoted by Jonathan Wallace, 7 Laburnum Grove, Sunniside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE16 5LY

Nick in Newcastle

for key seats visitLib Dem Leader NickClegg paid another visit tothe North East earlier thismonth as part of a tour of

the partys most winnableseats.

Nick visited Newcastle on 10thSeptember. In a tight schedule, he

visited a Council apprenticeshipscheme, Newcastle Jobs Fair, theCyrenians training and supportcentre and spoke at a packedpublic meeting in the evening.

Nick was accompanied on histour by Newcastle Council Leaderand Deputy Leader John Shipleyand David Faulkner.

Parliamentary candidates RonBeadle and Greg Stoneaccompanied Nick on the visit to

the Jobs Fair which was held at StJames Park (where Nick bumpedinto Peter Beardsley.)

The meeting in the evening wasattended by over 200 residents whoasked a series of questions. Themeeting was chaired by RonBeadle.

The tour was a great successand the meeting was standingroom only, said Ron. Nicks visitwas a great boost for us.

The Newcastle meeting was the49th open public meeting Nick hasheld since becoming leader.

Full photo coverage of the visitcan be found on pages 5-6.

Nick Clegg arrives in Newcastle and is greeted on arrival by CityCouncil Leader John Shipley.


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Steven Abbott, the eldest son of Chris and Glynis, leading Lib Dem Councillors inRedcar and Cleveland, has been nominated as the Liberal Democrat candidate forthe South Bank By Election on 17th September.

There are five candidates contesting the vacancy caused by the death of LabourCouncillor Marilyn Bramley, herself a By-Election victor last October.

The result last time was:

Marilyn Bramley (Labour) 652 (49.9; -0.6)

Toni Meir (Liberal Democrat) 288 (22.1; +12.3)

Bernard Collinson (BNP) 206 (15.8; +1.4)

Oz Sadiq (Independent) 101 (7.7; -7.3)

Joan Bolton (Conservative) 59 (4.5; -5.8)

Turn out 27.6%

Majority 364

Lab hold

Swing 6.45% Lab to LD

This time there is no BNP candidate standing though UKIP have fielded acandidate.

Redcar and Cleveland has had a string of by-elections in recent months, most of

which have been Lib Dem gains. Good luck Steven.

Harrogate BC, Starbeckdate: 27/08/2009

LD Janet Law 886 (63.4; -8.8)Con 252 (18.0; +5.0)

Ind 178 (12.7; +12.7)

Lab 82 (5.9; +0.8)

[BNP (0.0; -9.7)]

Majority 634

Turnout 31.81%

LD hold

Percentage change is since May 2007

Britains by-election capital sees sonSteven set to join Team Abbott

York City UA, Heworthdate: 10/09/2009

Lab 876 (34.0; -2.6)LD Jennifer Ayre 608 (23.6; +11.5)

Con 591 (23.0; +2.3)

Green 302 (11.7; -6.1)

BNP 172 (6.7; -6.0)

Raving Loony 25 (1.0; +1.0)

Majority 268

Turnout 26.6%

Lab hold

Percentage change is since May

2007

Climbing in his parentsfootsteps: Steven Abbott ishoping to join his parentson Redcar and ClevelandCouncil

Northern By-election results

South TynesideMBC, Westoedate: 10/09/2009

Ind 694 / 194 (39.2; -26.4)

Lab 567 (25.0; +6.1)

Con 320 (14.1; +3.3)

BNP 266 (11.7; +11.7)

LD William John Troupe 225(9.9; +9.9)

Majority 127

Turnout 34.5%

Ind hold

Conferencereportersneedednow!Northern Democrat needs people to reporton debates and fringe meetings atBournemouth Conference.

Would you like to be one of our reporters? Ifso, call Northern DemocratEditor Jonathan

Wallace on 07860 730270 or email him [email protected]


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Even if youre not going to the Bournemouth Conference, you can still take part! The conference featuresthree Question & Answer sessions, where questions are welcome from all Party members, whether yourethere in person or not.

Sunday 20th September (afternoon) - with Nick Clegg MP, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Monday 21st September (morning) - Crime Policy: Panel including Chris Huhne MP (Shadow HomeSecretary), Jan Berry (Independent Reducing Bureaucracy Advocate), Juliet Lyon (Director, Prison ReformTrust) and Professor Larry Sherman (Wolfson Professor of Criminology, University of Cambridge)

Tuesday 22nd September (afternoon) - The Economy: Panel including Vince Cable MP (Shadow Chancellorof the Exchequer), Jeremy Purvis MSP (Scottish Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance andSustainable Growth), Cllr Howard Sykes (Leader, Oldham Council) and Liam Halligan (Chief Economist ofProsperity Capital Management and Economic commentator, Sunday Telegraph)

If you cant make it to Conference, you can still send questions to ask.

For the session with Nick Clegg, [email protected]. The deadline is 12.40, Sunday 20th September.

And you can email questions to the Crime or Economy sessions [email protected] later than 17.00 onThursday 17th September.

In all cases, please keep your questions concise - 25 words maximum. If you are going to conference, please submityour questions onsite rather than by this route. See the agenda for details.

There will be more ways in which you can keep in touch with conference on LibDems.org.uk, including live videocoverage online and highlights on YouTube. There will be more details nearer the time.

Not going to Conference? Dontworry, you can still take part!

A fresh start for BritainLib Dems head for Bournemouth for last autumn conference before election

The Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth thismonth will debate the key policy proposals on whichcandidates will fight the General Election.

A Fresh Start for Britainwill be debated on the morning ofTuesday 22nd September and candidates are stronglyencouraged to attend and take part in the debate.

Nick Clegg said:

With Labour finished and much of the country stillunconvinced that Camerons Conservatives offeranything better, this is an extremely exciting time for

our party.The ideas we agree in Bournemouth will shape thechoices we offer voters at the next General Election.

The key themes are: tax cuts for people on low and middle incomes paid

for by closing loopholes for the wealthy;

creating green jobs to help the economy recover andmake our environment more sustainable;

making sure every child gets the best chance in life.

Northern Night Reception

Sponsored by ANEC andNorthumbria Water

Bryanston Suite

Highcliffe Hotel

8:15pm,Mon 21st September

All are welcome

Any queries call

0191 240 1084


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Photo ops at Conferencefor Northern members

Liberal Democrat members from the North East

are invited to take part in photo ops at theBournemouth Conference.

These events have been organised by regional mediaco-ordinator Angelika Schneider and the photos willbe taken by Northern Democrat Editor JonathanWallace who is also running the national photo opsfor campaigners (see below).

The regional photo ops are as follows:

Saturday 12.30pm-1.30pm - flooding. JoinFiona Hall MEP on the beach with sandbags.Meet in the Foyer of BIC

Sunday 10am-11am - protest against ID

cards. Be pictured with a giant ID card. Meet inthe Tregonwell Hall.

Monday 9.45am-10.15am - housing. 72,000council homes in the North East are classedas substandard. Be pictured with with some cut out houses to highlight the problem. Meet in the TregonwellHall.

Tuesday 8.45am-9.15am - high speed rail. The North East is in danger of being left out of a new high speedrail network. Join in the call for the region to be included. Meet in the Tregonwell Hall.

Wednesday 9.30am-10am - environmental labelling and cutting your carbon footprint. Be photographed withFiona Hall and a giant carbon footprint. Meet in the Tregonwell Hall.

MP photo opsJonathan Wallace, who has run photoops at previous Conferences, will beholding further events at Bournemouth.This is a free service for candidates andcampaigners. The events will take placein the Tregonwell Hall as follows:

Sunday 20th 3pm-4pm: LynneFeatherstone, knife crime

Monday 21st 10.30-11.30am:

Simon Hughes, environment/carbon footprint

Monday 21st 12pm-1pm: Tim

Farron, fair trade/farming

Tuesday 22nd 2.30-3.30pm

Norman Baker: Labour/Conservative rail failure

Wednesday 23rd 10.30am-11.30am: Steve Webb,unemployment

Wednesday 23rd 11.30am-12.15pm: Vince Cable

One of the photo ops from Conference last year puton by the North East Region. This year there will be aphoto op held by the region each day of Conference.

In addition, we will have a number of previously used props which we are bringing to conference for use without

MPs. There will be two of these general sessions in the Tregonwell Hall: Sunday 20th, 12pm-12.30pm;Tuesday 22nd, 6pm-6.30pm. (These two sessions can be used for taking portrait sessions as well.)

There will also be a session for candidates to have their photos taken outside the front of the BournemouthInternational Centre on Sunday 20th from 11am-11.30am.


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By all accounts, Nick Cleggs visit to Newcastle on 10th

September was a great success.

Nick in Newcastle

Nick at City Build, Newcastle CityApprenticeship Scheme, testing out traffic lightelectronics and giving a red light to Labour!

John and Nick set up a road sign for the attentionof the Government.

Above and below - Nick meets apprentices.

After being met at Newcastle Central Station by Councillors

John Shipley and David Faulkner, Nick headed to anapprenticeship school, City Build, Newcastle CityApprenticeship Scheme, with teaching ranging from weldingto full road maintenance.

He met apprentice welders Daniel Hall, David Ridley,Andrew Carr and Ben Cowley and toured the site with MickMurphy the Director of the school and Tucka Allen who was,until recently the last apprentice in Newcastle (he finished hisapprenticeship in the 1970s).

Nick later spoke to Chloe Turner (Apprentice Plumber),Hayley Allen (adult Apprentice Electrician), Charlotte Sheridanand Kay McGuire (both Technical Trainees).


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Jobs

Nick then travelled to St James Park for a jobs fairwhere he visited stalls and saw the multipleinitiatives in Newcastle to bring young people back into work. He also met with jobseekers and heard their

stories.

He was accompanied by Newcastle candidates

Ron Beadle and Greg Stone.

Nick in Newcastle

Homelessness

Nick then made a return visit to the Tyneside Cyrenians, aleading North East Homeless Charity. Nick visited theCyrenians in 2007 where he tried his hand at plastering.

This time he met young people enrolled on horticulturecourses that seek to give clients a grounding and skills basethat will help them into independent living. The TynesideCyrenians is a charity that works with homeless people,helping them attain skills as well as provide shelteredaccommodation.

Nick met with residents of the project (pictured in the

greenhouses), one of whom was a heroin addict who is nowclean and is building his CV with skills he has learnt at theCyrenians.

Nick was accompanied by Newcastle Central candidate

Griff Kane.

Above and left - Nick Clegg with Ron Beadle and GregStone at the Newcastle Jobs Fair

Middle left -Nick is shownpart of theCyrenianshorticultureproject. Left -Nick chats toone of theresidents,accompanied

by Griff Kane.

GosforthPublic

Meeting

Finally, Nickaddressed apublic meeting in

Gosforth CivicHall, attended byover 200 people.

Above, Nick addresses the meeting in Gosforth. Left -chair of the Gosforth meeting, Ron Beadle, listens whilstNick answers questions.


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North East benefits from end to bulbs - Hall

Regional News

Vince to visit North EastLiberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor, Vince

Cable MP, will be the keynote speaker at the North East LiberalDemocrats regional conference on Saturday 17th October. The

conference will be held at Gateshead Civic Centre.Registration details for the conference are being circulated with this edition of

Northern Democrat.

Registration before 9th October is 12 and thereafter 15. (There is also a reducedrate of 10 and 12 respectively.)

Vince will also be attending the Berwick Constituency dinner in the evening. Seebelow for details.

The Berwick Annual Dinner this year is on Saturday 17th October (the same day as Regional Conference). VinceCable is the speaker. It is at St James Church Hall in Alnwick, NE66 1JW. 7pm for 7.30pm.

Tickets are 25 each and include a drink on arrival, a meal of steak and ale with herby dumplings, a glass of wineand a selection of home made puddings, entry into a prize draw and the chance to hear Vince Cable!

If you would like tickets, call 01665 602901 or email [email protected] .

Berwick Annual Dinner

North East Lib Dem Euro MP Fiona Hall has welcomed the end of the 100-watt incandescent light bulb saying it will open the way for new jobs in theinnovative North East lighting industry.

Fiona, who is an energy efficiency expert in the European Parliament, recentlyvisited Thorn Lighting in County Durham where she learnt about exciting newdevelopments in the field of printable electronics which make possible innovationssuch as wallpaper acting as lighting.

Raising the bar and demanding that lighting becomes more efficient is goodnews for North East England, said Fiona. Our region is at the cutting edge of newlighting technology. By insisting on high standards for lighting across Europe weare driving forward a market demand for new forms of lighting which will translateinto more jobs.

The industry is very innovative and compound fluorescent light bulbs are onlyone option for energy efficient lighting. Local DIY stores already have on sale two

or three other types of energy efficient lighting in addition to compact fluorescent bulbs.

The EU is not alone in banning the 100-watt incandescent bulb. The United States, Canada, Australia, and NewZealand have all put in place similar bans. There is a global consensus that the 100-year old technology of

incandescent light bulbs is not a bright idea any longer.

Fiona HallMEP

Doreens victory in LGA committee electionIn the recent Local Government Association elections, Newcastle City CouncillorDoreen Huddart was elected to the Community Well Being Board coming second.

Im delighted, humbled and amazed, given there was a strong field of candidates this year,said Doreen

As I dont know who voted for me Id like to take the opportunity to say a heart -felt thanks

to everyone who placed their faith in me, and everyone else who participated in thisdemocratic process.

Ill try to live up to your expectations and be a representative voice from the North East. Ishall try to consult with you through the email system, so that I can raise any issues ofconcern.

Im still available on 0191 240 1084 and [email protected] if you need to contact me.Cllr Doreen

Huddart

northern democrat no 45 sept 09

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