May 6th has arrived: it's now all up to YOU

If you're reading this blog on polling day trying to decide how to cast your vote in the most important election this country has seen in 30 years, please consider the following before making your decision:

(1) There is only one fundamental choice to make - do you want Labour or the Conservatives to run Britain for the next 5 years?

(2) Both parties have made promises about the future - but judge Labour and the Conservatives not just on their promises but also on their record.

(3) In Labour's time in office, the UK in general and the North East in particular have made huge strides. In this particular constituency, we've seen a brand new hospital in Hexham; 5 new Sure Start children's centres in Hexham, Haltwhistle, Prudhoe, Ponteland and Bellinghan; a road-bypass around Haydon Bridge, hugely improving local residents' quality of life.

(4) Nationally, Labour brought in the National Minimum Wage (which the Tories voted against), rescuing millions from poverty-level wages; invested billions in the NHS, leading to 89,000 more nurses, 27,000 more doctors, and far shorter waiting times; invested billions in education; gave pensioners the Winter Fuel Allowance, the free bus pass, the free TV licence for those 75+, and the minimum income guarantee; and introduced child tax credits and working tax credits.

(5) The North East suffered horrendously under the last Tory government. Remember what happened to the mines? The steel works in Consett? The poll tax?

(6) In an interview with Jeremy Paxman, David Cameron identified two parts of the country which he considers over-dependent on public spending - the North East and Northern Ireland. It's absolutely obvious that if the Conservatives get back into power, they will be gunning for the North East.

If you value what we've achieved in the past 13 years, and don't want to see it thrown away under the Tories, please vote Labour today.

Haltwhistle & Prudhoe, Tuesday & Wednesday

Tuesday spent canvassing in Haltwhistle.

Wednesday spent canvassing in Prudhoe around Castle Road.

Down to the last 4 days ...

Monday witnessed the most canvassing we have ever done in a day. The morning session started in Hexham around Priestlands Road, where a crew of 4 of us door-knocked and I came across the following amusing poster (picture, left) attached to a lamp-post.

As we headed over to St. Johns Road I bumped into the Tory candidate, and we exchanged a few friendly words about the campaign and the results we anticipate in a number of North East constituencies. One common experience was noting a complete lack of any discernable LibDem effort on the ground - if the LibDems have been active in the Hexham constituency at this election, its escaped our collective attention.

In the late afternoon we shifted our attention to West Wylam, Prudhoe, where the sun made it a pleasant evening to be out on the doors. We pray for good weather on Thursday.

The hours between and after these two sessions were filled with telephone canvassing Haltwhistle residents.

Speaking at St Matthews RC Church, Ponteland

This afternoon I visited St. Matthews Roman Catholic Church, Ponteland, to speak to Father Melia and some of his parishioners about issues central to their concerns: abortion, euthenasia, stem cell research, religious rights, gay marriage and gay adoption. Although everyone was extremely polite and welcoming, it's fair to say there was not a meeting of minds on many of the issues: I support a woman's right to choose, even though every abortion is a tragedy; I believe everyone should have the right to create a legally binding 'living will'; I support the right of Christians to express their views in a plain, robust manner, but I also expect all businesses in this country, including those owned by Christians, to abide by the law of the land when it comes to non-discrimination; and I believe gay couples should have the same right as straight couples to enter into a contract having the legal effect of marriage. Sincerely held views were respectfully exchanged in both directions. Thanks go to Father Melia for organising the meeting.

Endorsement from "Protecting Animals in Democracy"

I've been endorsed by the "Protecting Animals in Democracy" pressure group as the best voting option in this constituency to protect animals from the cruelty of bloodsports, intensive farming and painful experiments.

The Glass Centre, Sunderland: PM's visit

I spent the early afternoon at The Glass Centre in Sunderland where GB gave a speech to a packed audience of mostly Labour activists to promote Labour's arts and cultural agenda. I'm glad he mentioned the importance of the UK's videogaming industry: it sounds like something only nerds and teenagers would be interested in (and middle-aged men who can afford to pay £50 for a new game) but in fact it's a cutting edge industry where the UK is punching well above its weight. Videogames are now bigger business than the movies, with first day sales for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - I repeat, not first month or first week but first day - of $310 million. This is a 21st century industry the UK government strongly needs to encourage.

Predictably, media attention will focus on the heckler who managed to sneak his way into the room. Two things should be borne in mind. First, he will most definitely not be a random member of the public who just so happened to find his way into a room where the PM was giving a keynote speech. Because of the inevitably tight security arrangements in place when the PM is around, someone must have sneaked him in. Second, his heckles were rubbish. If I was going to sneak into a room where David Cameron was giving a keynote speech in order to heckle him -- which obviously I wouldn't! -- I'd make sure (1) I said something memorable (2) I'd say it loud and clear. In the event, the only audible first heckle involved the use of the word 'bigot' (the rest was inaudible), then he shup up for a while, then he said something else also inaudible. He definitely needs coaching. He was ejected from the room not by Labour party bouncers as the press has mistakenly stated, but by a couple of party members one of whom was quite clearly in his 60s. There's no point complaining - this is what happens on the election trail.

Hustings at Highfield Middle School, Prudhoe

Friday afternoon: the Tory, LibDem candidates and I spoke at a hustings for 11-13 years old at Highfield Middle School, Prudhoe. The questions were extremely sharp for such a young audience, and I think all the candidates had a good time talking to the youngsters, with their teachers watching and listening thoughfully at the back. I'd like to thank Deanne Smith for organising this event.

The Third Man, Hexham Forum Cinema, April 29th @ 7.30pm

Just a quick plug for "The Third Man", my film choice at the Hexham Forum. Come along and hear why I chose this bona fide classic.

Court of Appeal: Part II

A few blog entries ago, I mentioned that I recently argued my first case before the Court of Appeal in my day job as a barrister. Unfortunately I lost the appeal (an occupational hazard), but the Court of Appeal were kind enough to say that I had impressed them "... with the excellence of [my] advocacy." So if you're wondering whether I would make a good advocate in Parliament for local residents, don't just take my word for it, take that of the Court of Appeal!

Hustings at St. Mary Magdale Church, Prudhoe

Tuesday evening: a well-attended church hustings in Prudhoe, with more than a few local residents standing at the back. The questions covered all the issues voters in the constituency are talking about - our views on nuclear power (I'm for as part of a balanced, mixed energy supply policy), the role of the third sector, churches, charities and other voluntary organisations (I'm for an increased role, but see them as working best alongside the state, not as a substitute), and proportional representation (I'm for the Alternative Vote system and against PR, but accept my views may have to change depending on next Thursday's election results). Thanks to the Rev. Charles Hope for organising this event.

Labour CAN win here, and hopefully will

I see that the LibDems in their election literature are up to the same tricks in Hexham as they are in every other constituency in the UK - choosing a convenient set of electoral results to claim that only they can challenge the incumbent MP, be they Tory or Labour.

The facts are simple: in the general elections of 1992, 1997, 2001 and 2005, the Conservative candidate in Hexham came first, the Labour candidate came second, and the LibDem candidate came third. Since the LibDem candidate in Hexham this time around was the third-placed candidate in 2005, you'd think he might know this!

To avoid the inevitable conclusion that Labour are the main challengers here, the Liberals point to the most recent set of local election results where Labour candidates admittedly did poorly. But there's two essential points to bear in mind.

First, people split their votes between local elections and general elections, and realise that the choice at this election is between a Conservative or a Labour government, not a Conservative or a Liberal government.

Second, many of the votes which Labour lost at the last set of local elections went to Independent candidates, many of whom were former Labour councillors who lost out when Tynedale Council was merged into the unitary authority and all-women shortlists were imposed.

At the debate at Haydon Bridge High School, the LibDem candidate described Hexham as a "three-way marginal". If that's correct, that means any of the three major parties can win here, including Labour. Since the LibDem candidate's a nice enough local guy doing no more than typical LibDem 'spin', I forgive him.

Now for the tricky part - making sure Labour actually does win here ...

North East will top the list of Tory cuts

It's not just the Labour Party saying the Tories will specifically target the North East for cuts - now even the Tories are saying it! In an interview last Friday with Jeremy Paxman, David Cameron confirmed that in his view, the public sector in the North East is too big. Realising his gaffe, Tory spin-meisters were quickly at work to suggest that this meant growing the private sector here, not shrinking the public sector. The problem with that interpretation of his remarks is, however, that while the Government controls the public sector, no-one controls the private sector, hence the only way the Tories can seek to 're-balance' the North East's economy is by targeting the public sector for job cuts.

Hexham, Prudhoe, Newburn

Virtually every waking hour today was spent campaigning in one form or another. We started off in Hexham, though the drizzle literally rained on our parade, swiftly substituted by phone canvassing, followed by door-knocking in Prudhoe, finished off by helping our excellent candidate in Newcastle North, Catherine McKinnell, by delivering direct mail in Newburn. The picture above was taken at a spot roughly marking the end of Newcastle's outer suburbs looking west into the Hexham constituency. In Prudhoe, I bumped into someone on the doors who has worked with my aunt, a nurse at the RVI, for the last 13 years - small world!

St. George's Day, Hexham

I took a break from campaigning to join my wife and kids at the St. George's Day festival in Hexham. The bouncy castle was popular with the young 'uns, and I was particularly taken by the alpacas - amazing animals.

Haltwhistle and Haydon Lea Gate

Today's door-knocking covered Haltwhistle and Haydon Lea Gate (oops! - I meant Halton Lea Gate), where my local roots as an Alston-born lad (only a few miles up the road) appear popular. I've kept the cock-up in the title in the interests of honesty, I blogged this posting late Friday night when I was completely shattered.

Hexham Abbey hustings

Today's main event was the hustings at Hexham Abbey, preceded by a beautiful service which put me in just the right frame of mind to address a mixed audience including many churchgoers.

One of the questions concerned rural deprivation and poverty, which allowed me to remind the audience that the single most effective measure in recent years to reduce rural poverty was the National Minimum Wage -- which the Conservatives of course voted against -- and that Labour propose to undo the damage the Tories caused to pensioners' incomes by breaking the link between earnings and pensions by restoring that link from 2012.

One question concerned promotion of Fair Trade products, which resulted in the interesting admission from the LibDem candidate that his wife does all the shopping. Our household is a bit more egalitarian that that, as I do all (ok, nearly all) of the shopping! Fair Trade tea, coffee and chocolate are the order of the day.

One question concerned how to pay down the national debt, and I didn't have time to make the point that we have been paying down the national debt incurred by our forefathers for literally hundreds of years now without any problem. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with incurring debt on either an individual or national level provided it is incurred for a good purpose (eg, keeping the economy afloat) and there is a reasonable repayment plan, which Labour has with its plan to halve the budget deficit in the course of the next 4 years.

On Afghanistan, there was broad agreement among all speakers that although we would like to see British troops back home as soon as possible, the work in Afghanistan needs to be seen through. Far worse to pull out prematurely only for another atrocity planned there to occur in the West, requiring us to go back in a second time.

On marriage, the Tory candidate spoke in support of the Conservatives' plan for financial support for married couples (£3 a week - whoopee!), even when the couple concerned don't have children, while the LibDem and Independent candidates and I stressed the importance of the state not interfering in people's private lives. I wonder whether anyone else in the audience noticed the irony of an unmarried man praising the institution of marriage, while three married men gave it more qualified support - the benefit of experience over hope, perhaps?

Fox hunting? Keep the ban

I've been asked a few times - less regularly than I expected - whether I would vote to keep the ban on fox-hunting. If elected, I will vote to keep the ban, and am glad to see Brian May (Queen guitarist) feels the same way about this issue.

Byrness, Elsdon, Barrasford, West Woodburn, Wall

I'm pleased to say our hardy team of deliverers delivered our "Your Life, Your News" newsletter to residents living in Byrness, Elsdon, Barrasford, West Woodburn and Wall on Monday - thanks Philip and David.

Immigration

This morning I did a 10-minute interview on Radio Newcastle on the topic of Immigration, where I plugged Labour's Australian-style points system for determining who gets to work here from non-EU countries, the Conservatives plugged the national quota system they are proposing, and the LibDems looked a bit uncomfortable when their policy of an amnesty for illegal immigrants was raised. With the LibDems now up in the polls, I suspect there will be a lot more scrutiny of this policy, which I can assure you most voters haven't heard of and definitely wouldn't approve of (no matter what name you give it).

I oppose an amnesty for four basic reasons: (1) it rewards those who broke the law: (2) it punishes those who have obeyed the law by staying outside the UK while they go through the proper channels to come here to work legally (3) it sends the wrong message to those outside our borders - if you get here illegally, and work here illegally long enough, you'll be ok (4) it doesn't work - Spain has had 6 amnesties for illegal immigrants since 1985/86, and in that time the number of people applying for amnesty (ie, illegal immigrants working unlawfully in Spain) has markedly increased over time - 44,000 in 1985/86, 127,000 in 2000, and 700,000 in 2005.

Labour actually has got a good story to tell on Immigration, not that you'd know it from reading the Daily Mail (quel surpris!). As well as the Australian-style points system and the 'earned residency and citizenship' programme, there's at least 6 important steps being taken to secure the UK's borders:

First, an ID card scheme for foreign nationals, with over 170,000 cards issued to date.

Second, an electronic border control, which by the end of 2010 should have 95% of people entering/leaving the UK on it.

Third, a new single border agency, with more staff (20,000 in 1997, 25,000 in 2010) and double the number of Immigration Officers at the border.

Fourth, the siting of border control staff overseas with the power to stop suspicious travellers before they travel to the UK.

Fifth, tougher requirements for student visas, including pre-entry English language requirements, reducing the hours non-EU students are allowed to work, and closing down bogus colleges in the UK.

Sixth, tougher action against employers who employ illegal immigrants - unlimited fines (3,800 imposed to date) and the threat of a jail sentence.

Moorlands, Prudhoe

Out and about in Prudhoe this evening talking to Moorlands residents. I enjoy the craic on the doorsteps, even when talking to Tory voters - people are glad you made the effort to talk to them. One lady invited me into her front porch only to tell me she was definitely not voting Labour this election. After thanking her for letting me know, I asked why she invited me in, and she pointed to 10 cats in the living room who might have tried to make a run for it while her front door was open!