2012: A year in Blog Posts

This year has been a busy one. I am honoured to have been selected to contest the 2013 local elections in Leadgate and Medomsley. At present there is no Labour representation in the ward so we will have to work hard. 2012 has been a big year in politics as well as sport. We have had the NHS bill and the Welfare reform bill go through and we have seen the media obsess over the Leveson enquiry. Locally Durham County Council have seen unprecedented budget cuts which have led to service cuts and job losses. A UCU comrade at was work was also made redundant, he was an active and vocal rep who always put others before himself. 

Here is my eclectic round up of 2012.

The Tories are the real enemy and now is the time to direct our energy to trying to make sure this coalition is a one term government.

The government continues to allow companies to evade tax, preferring to implement policies that force the most vulnerable into poverty rather than compelling large corporations to pay tax owed to the treasury.

The media like Cameron: Where we see 'slimy' they report 'slick'. Where we see 'arrogant' they report 'confident'

Kier Hardie would have to play Dumbledore, a true giant of both the trade union movement and the Labour Party.

There is a very real need for a school with state of the art facilities to serve the young people of the Consett area.


The only reason that anyone would ever receive £26,000 in benefits is because there is an abject lack of social housing.

"When I was at school the Queen had a boat = we need to buy the Queen a boat"

"When I was at school everyone did Latin = We are bringing back Latin"

"When I was at school there was no sex education = We are scrapping sex education"

Grass roots Lib Dems have now voted not to bother having a vote that could the Health bill at their conference in Gateshead.

We are looking at developments worth in the region of £100 Million being built in Consett. On its own this not going to solve the problems of unemployment and lack of opportunity but every little helps.

11 000 more young people unemployed in North East, the government deny complacency. It's true they aren't complacent, they just don't care.

Lib Dems have voted with their Tory friends for the dismantling of the NHS. They have voted to remove benefits from disabled children and long term cancer patients. They have voted for a £40 000 tax cut for millionaires.

Gove is coming up with policy that equips students for life in the 1950s.

When Gove dreams up policy is he just reminiscing?

The French election result also proves that a Socialist Party can be elected without having to embrace wholesale privatisation in order to become credible with the electorate.

There is a need for the Environmental Scientists of the future to develop skills to come up with solutions that are beyond the realm of current thinking.

A Labour government will always better for people from normal backgrounds than a Tory one.

Regardless of peoples views on the royal family the Jubilee is a great opportunity to bring people of all ages in the village and the surrounding area together.

Under this Coalition government unemployment is back to Thatcherite levels. There is now a food bank in the Salvation army hall in Consett; the last time that there was a food bank there, there were striking Miners collecting food.

Talk of an EU referendum is simply a distraction which focuses attention on an internal Tory Party squabble that has rumbled on for years.

I thought of my grandfathers both miners who survived the pit but not did not escape 'miners lung' the emphysema that came later  - The price of coal has always been high.

I have returned to South India for a holiday with my family ... I have never before been on a holiday where arriving at the destination feels so much like coming home.

Gove is setting himself against the teaching profession in order to impress those in his own Party ... He is a danger to the future competitiveness of our country.

The planning application for the High Bradley wind turbines has been refused, We are lucky enough to live in a democracy. It is the views of the majority of the local community that should count.

The coalition house of cards has collapsed. Cameron is holding a busted flush - shuffling a pack full of jokers is unlikely to make any difference at all.

It is terrifying that we have an Education Secretary who is failing to challenge inequality where it exists in our education system. He is actively pursuing policies that make matters worse.

Lamplas (local fibreglass factory) is not a playground

They emphasise that they are not in power, then in the next sentence claim to be influencing government. No wonder disillusioned voters are saying “Lib Dems, never again”

Say it loud. Geek and proud

Osborne needs to look at himself and his shambolic department and finally acknowledge that his policies are hurting but not working.

PCC Elections Vote Ron Hogg

Economic policy is the real weakness of the coalition government.

Obama wants to move away from a private healthcare system, our government is moving towards more private involvement.

Burglaries are rare and the crime rate in the Medomsley area is low. We can help to keep it low by being vigilant and reporting anything out of the ordinary to the Police.

Independent politicians claim to be apolitical, but they are simply politicians who do not tell the public what they truly believe.

Osborne has failed; he has stuck to his plan A boasting that he had no plan B

I will work together with the leadership of the Council and our MP to serve the people of Leadgate, Medomsley and the surrounding villages.

Thanks for reading my blog in 2012, all the best for 2013.  Liam