Levelling up fund for the North….

Can’t see them being able to make this sort of thing in the woke era!

It appears so. The layers of Great British snobbery and stereotypes they are lampooning seems to go over the heads of some.

There are groups of people in this country who revel in stirring up divide, egged on by turncoat/bitter/opportunist cheerleaders.

One of my grandparents who lived in a deprived northern area was interviewed by a BBC news reporter. She (RIP) was erudite, informed and progressive. Of course the news editors decided that wasn’t fit for national news. Instead they focused on interviews of toothless people who could barely string a sentence together, as proof of the type of people/scum who live in her area.

It’s just for Jenrick and his mates isn’t it?

Are you seriously suggesting that ‘Honest Bob’ isn’t entirely straight and above board? It would be scandalous to even suggest that all this money will end up in the pockets of his mates

I’m about to move to Newark – jenrick’s constituency; can’t wait for the day when he or anyone of his constituency team are out door knocking.

Your moving “to” Newark… well fancy that?

Just kidding…

Apologies half my family are from Ashington (Ashganistan) and the rest are from the posh part of South Shields – Marsden… so i really shouldn’t comment

My parents lived in Wallsend so it’s all relative…no pun intended.

@ crazy-legs

‘Same thing is going on at the moment with the Monsal Trail’.

Can you expand on this please.

As a cyclist who has ridden in the area from time to time but do not live in the area I am interested to know ‘what gives’.

Thanks

@drnosh – few articles on the BBC about it, this is the most recent:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-54064786 which actually mentions the distraction nature of the announcement.

The people behind this and several other rail reopening plans are the Campaign for Better Transport https://bettertransport.org.uk/media/05-february-2019-rail-reopenings-report

A lot of their output is the usual thing of having to make noise to get funding. Sustrans do the same with cycling news which usually translates to giving themselves a big pat on the back when 100m of towpath is resurfaced.

Keep the topic in the public consciousness and obviously MP’s like to get on board because it makes them sound in touch with local issues but they don’t actually have to do anything other than the occasional photo opportunity in front of some abandoned railway station!

That photo sums up the Govt; fat, middle-aged, white, male, privileged, ignorant, scruffy

The miners were easier to dismiss because mines were often out of the way, communities were distinctive, only one or two leaders to be disemboweled by the press. This time round it’s different. Job cuts, austerity, deregulation, housing issues, are much more widespread and a lot of people must be wondering how so much can be spaffed on whatever when nothing is coming their way and how they’ve been misled.
I can’t imagine there won’t be protests but what form they’ll take and who’ll organise it? In the 70s the LP was quite sectarian and kept a low profile and I don’t suppose Sir is out shopping for demo wear. The usual pattern is the police get a bigger than average rise and then they’re expected to go out and wield the big stick.
There will be enough people (and certainly students) who are opposed to the government to generate a popular movement that challenges what’s going on and this could evolve into a something organised and effective but it won’t be based around or supported by the parliamentary parties.

I doubt there will ever be public disorder on the scale of the Miners strike, they (family members) had a sense of community that i don’t see anywhere in the North of England currently added to the fact that they were literally scared of “nowt”

They were better educated as Unions always understood the value of this.

Its long gone any desire for confrontation has been removed.

You need a mass threat to a mass group with little to loose.

If you dont have all three nothing will kick off.

Miners strike was mass closure, mass of miners, no alternative jobs.

Polltax was mass increase of cost, mass residents, no cheaper alternative.

Interesting, you do wonder how identity politics has divided and distracted so many, I’m a this you’re a that, has just been taken on uncritically by so many. It is the opposite of class consciousness but it suits those with a racist agenda and it has a wonderful way of giving ad homs to shut down debates.

I have had “my kids didnt have the opportunities your kids had” thrown at me by a person who came from exactly the same background as me… i pointed out that was because he was too selfish and ****ing bone idle to help his kids with GCSE/A level/Uni and spent too much time in the Pub.

The same man wouldn’t let his kids go on the French trip as France was shit and Uni was a waste of time apparently…

Bump this morning.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/levelling-up-boris-johnson-nao-b2005274.html

More regions to have an elected mayor that can be blamed rather than the govt.

TBF, I think having more local decision making and elected accountability is a good thing.

I agree Westminster will both use it to blame and pay lip service, but mayor and further devolution of power is a good thing generally.