Our North West Durham Labour Councillors

Here are your Labour councillors within North West Durham. They form part of the largest Labour group in the country, after our excellent victory.

Jane Brown, Delves Lane & Crookhall

First elected Councillor for Durham County Council in 2008, Simon made Jane cabinet member for Human Resources after she was re-elected this time. I heard many good things about Jane's work in Consett South when I stood there and it was clear the community was very satisfied with the job she did there. Delves re-elected Jane with a strong majority, which is no surprise given the many community groups she is involved with and how hard she worked since 2008.

Bob Glass, Delves Lane & Crookhall

A new councillor, Bob was selected late after Bob Young decided to stand down. Bob brings a wealth of experience after a successful career as a police officer, where he scaled the greasy pole up to Chief Inspector level. Bob has a great eye for detail and in my view received some unfair press leading up to the election as being merely "Pat's husband". That he is, but he is much more than that and talented in his own right and he will do an excellent job for Delves Lane.

Ivan Jewell, Dipton & Burnopfield

Ivan won a tightly contested election in the Dipton and Burnopfield ward. Ivan keenly participates in community events in Burnopfield and Dipton and is involved with the Dipton War Memorial fundraising activities. I have worked with Ivan on the Executive Committee of the CLP and he offers much to the debates and has already represented his constituents about various issues in the ward.

Ossie Johnson, Lanchester, Burnhope & Castleside

Ossie is another addition to the cabinet taking over from Claire Vasey for the vitally important Children and Education portfolio. Ossie had a long and successful career in education and he spends a ton of time at County Hall and knows politics inside out. He will be awesome in cabinet and I’m very pleased he’s been given a top role. He attends every branch meeting and CLP meeting and is always available with candid information to share with members. A great councillor, everyone in the ward knows Ossie and he is always available to talk to anyone if they have a problem.

Joe Armstrong, Esh & Witton Gilbert

A councillor for over 10 years, Joe has remained chair of scrutiny and if Durham County Council wanted someone to sit back and take it easy with that role they picked the wrong man. Joe is a passionate and dedicated councillor, fiercely loyal to the cause and very knowledgeable and experienced. I’ve got a lot of time for Joe, you always know where you stand and that is a quality not often found in politicians.

Barbara Armstrong, Esh & Witton Gilbert

I was delighted Barbara got elected this time, in fact, this was one of the two results I was most interested in apart from my own. She missed out by very small margin of 35 votes to an independent last time around so I feel this was a just result. Her experience from her career has won her a role as cabinet support to Ossie and they will make a great team. Barbara did loads in her community between 2008 and 2013 and deservedly got voted in. Everyone already knew she would make a great councillor, to be honest it was only really bad luck that she was not already there.

Joe Buckham, Willington & Hunwick

I have a lot of time and admiration for Joe because he has had a number of foster children, as well as being an articulate guy and a total gentleman. Fostering is an exceptionally worthwhile thing to do for anyone. Joe is well-known in his community and within the party he is actively involved as the CLP chairman. Joe was classy last time around when he did not get the nomination and kept going and was rewarded with selection this time and a successful election campaign.

Olwyn Gunn, Willington & Hunwick

I must admit I do not know Olywn that well, but I know that she is very involved in Hunwick and it is superb to see a Labour councillor from both towns getting elected. I have sat in meetings with Olwyn for nearly five years now and she is knowledgeable and brings plenty of experience to the table. I was delighted that Olwyn and Joe won both seats in their ward.

John Hart, Tow Law, Billy Row and Roddymoor

You couldn't meet a more pleasant and friendly man than John. I’ve cheered him on as he won Pointless with his wife Suzi on T.V. and read his articles in the Guardian. John will have a great future at Durham County Council and I’m sure he will win his seat handily for many years, he is already working hard on some tough rural issues and easily handling himself with the everyday trickiness of local politics. I think John can go as far as he wants in politics and it’s always nice to see a genuinely nice person do well.

Eddie Tomlinson, Crook

At first Eddie was going to stand down this time and nobody would have thought bad of him for doing so, but he stayed on which I was pleased about. Eddie is yet another complete gentleman who has seen it all. I was very pleased he was put into the cabinet as cabinet member for housing, which is a reward for his hard work at county hall over many years. I campaigned with Eddie before polling day and it was a real education to see a good politician at work and I learned a lot.

Geoff Mowbray, Crook

Geoff has my total admiration as he has beaten cancer not once, but twice since I’ve known him. Not only beat it, if I ever asked him about it he brushed it off like it was nothing. I get on really well with Geoff and everyone in the party knows he puts Crook first at all times which is fine with me because it’s a great place. Geoff’s experience as a former head of regeneration at Wear Valley District Council will be very useful to Durham County Council so it was an excellent decision to utilise his experience and post him to the role of vice chair for northern planning.

Good luck to all the councillors for your term in office and congratulations.

What if we won’t engage?

Re-engage, renew and repair are words commonly used by politicians as they try to reach out to the disaffected public and encourage voters to take part in the political process. They face a difficult task. Public trust in politicians is very low and whilst 65.1% of the public voted in the 2010 general election, a far lower number of people have taken part in recent elections with turnouts often below a paltry 20%.

A higher proportion of elderly people vote compared with younger people. Unfortunately each year a percentage of our elderly voters pass away and they are not being replaced by younger voters. If politics cannot engage younger voters to vote we are in danger of reaching a point where we cannot justify our democracy due to very low turnouts. It would be untenable to reach a point where only 10% (or less) of registered electors voted. This would greatly weaken our democracy, offering a weak mandate to the politicians who got elected.

A mere 15% of voters participated in the recent Police and Crime Commissioner elections in November 2012. The most common response I heard during canvassing for the local elections recently was that people were just not interested in politics at all. This raises an important question; are we in danger of reaching a point where we must consider compulsory voting?

Before I discuss this issue, let me make my position clear. I do not wish to see compulsory voting implemented and favour continuing with the current system where voting is a civic right, rather than a duty. I do, however, believe our democracy must maintain a level of integrity so decreasing voter turnouts presents politics with a very serious and fundamental problem. Even at a time where the relative value of a single vote increases as less total votes are cast, people still feel their vote is not worth making.

The biggest problem for a candidate is getting your vote out. A candidate knocks on doors, persuading, cajoling and coaxing people to get to the ballot box on Election Day. Polling day operations are put into effect with the sole goal of getting the vote out and ensuring pledges of support are turned into votes. Knocking on doors is much less about engaging voters and discussing policy ideas to finding your vote to try and ensure they visit the ballot box or, better still, signing them up to vote by post, thus making it easier for their vote to be cast in your favour. The candidates and parties who are the most effective in getting their vote out win the election in a tight contest. Does this lead to truly democratic results or merely a reflection on the persuasion skills of a candidate able to inspire a very small percentage of their electorate to vote on the day?

Compulsory voting would mean an end to this practise. Whilst some voters would stoically refuse to vote and test the rules on participation, I believe that many current non-voters would engage and research who to vote for if they had to. Adding ‘None of the above’ to compulsory ballot papers or allowing blank ballot papers to be submitted would cater for those who, for genuine reasons, did not want to vote, but the more people that vote the more reliable the result.

Increased voting numbers using this method of compulsory voting would instantly strengthen the mandate for winning candidates and remove entirely the “get your vote out” canvassing strategies currently used to gauge support. Politicians could focus on getting their ideas across to a wider electorate, rather than simply massaging their known vote. We have a political system in need of repair, but on a practical basis thee focus remains on those voters who are either demographically likely to vote for you or those who have already pledged to do so. The sensible targeting of resources during a campaign can exclude those to which we need to reengage with the most. If everyone was obliged to vote, candidates would need to make the effort to win their support, so they would not be excluded.

Hopefully we do not reach a point where voter turnout gets so low we must consider this radical voting reform. To my knowledge nobody has ever campaigned for it from a position of high authority but I have read a number of blog posts about it as commentators observe and speculate on the ever-decreasing voter turnout statistics.

It is not only the responsibility of our politicians to reengage with the public, it is a two-way process where the public must be open to participating in politics. If the public is not listening then politicians are wasting their time. Democracy must function in order to maintain the integrity of our law-making process, but I would be uncomfortable with politicians of any party setting the laws we live by having been elected by a tiny number of voters. The solution is for the public to engage in politics, accept the reality that no-one can please everyone all of the time and we need the politicians to accept previous mistakes and continue to do all they can to show previous indiscretions are a thing of the past.

We should not forget the counter argument against compulsory voting. There would need to be exemptions within the policy for religious groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses whose religious beliefs decrees they are not to participate in political activities. But where do you draw the line when groups all make persuasive arguments for exemption? The argument that voting is a civic right rather than a civic duty would be a powerful one in the inevitable anti-change campaign, which would be loudly heralded as an attack on civil liberties. Another obstacle would be the equally inevitable ‘donkey voting’ where people voted randomly just to spoil things resenting that they are forced to vote.

The awkwardness and strength of the ‘no’ arguments in mind, I do not expect this change to ever come into force. I raise this issue to highlight how potentially serious a continuing trend of low voting turnout could turn out to be. It is all of our responsibility to vote and by doing so we improve the integrity of the results. We must engage as a country and as an electorate with our political system, whatever frustrations we have with it. I just hope it does not take a radical step such as compulsory voting to bring this about.

Cameron blunders over the EU

If you are ever in the company of more than one Tory, you can entertain yourself by whispering the word 'Europe' under your breath and enjoy the savage reaction to the word similar to saying "where’s the postman?" to your dog on a morning. They go crazy over Europe and will do so as long as we are a member of the European Union. They are certainly jumping up and down about it now.

I do not believe that the issue of Europe is solely about UKIP, although they have seen big gains as a result of this issue. Europe severs the right and UKIP could have expected better results having mopped up floating Tory voters who are Euro-sceptic, the standard protest voters who used to vote Lib Dem and also the mid-term 'we hate politics' voters who look to inflict damage on the main parties.

If you consider the positive climate for UKIP gains given the heightened public consciousness on issues surrounding EU membership, getting 25% of the vote is underwhelming and I question the extent of the success that the media are heralding for UKIP. They have filled a void in protest politics, nothing more. That is not to say their position will not develop in time to a more established position, but as we saw in Scotland two days ago, there is no Cleggmania-like wave for Nigel Farage at present.

At Westminster, the Tories are treading familiar ground with a virile battle raging over the issue of Europe once again. The Tories just cannot resist a good row over Europe but I believe they should be dealing with the difficult domestic situation we face like the ever-increasing cuts to public services, the ideological attack on councils and the flat-lining economy. They have reverted to type and it’s the same old Tories. They showed it over the NHS and they are showing it over Europe.

Much of their ills are self-inflicted by a strategic error by David Cameron. By declaring that he will defer an in-out referendum until after the next general election and after a renegotiation on our terms of membership within the European Union, he walked headlong into three big problems.

Firstly, whilst in opposition Cameron gave a 'cast-iron guarantee' for an in-out referendum. Now he has gone back on his word and people have noticed, particularly those in his own party who were previously appeased by this pledge. Cameron now faces distrust to the extent that a private members bill has been tabled by Conservative MP for Stockton South, James Wharton, to ensure the matter is cast out in binding legislation. As no party can legislate to bind their successors, Cameron is dangling a carrot to the electorate and to his disparate MPs saying, 'stick with me and get your referendum'. Unfortunately for Dave, they electorate may well kick him out of Number 10 for not delivering an in-out referendum now.

Cameron's second problem is that this furore has handed all mainstream parties a headache in dealing with the rise of UKIP. I have explained above why I would argue their rise is not simply down to a massive surge of nationalism but Farage has a platform now to express his clear views. Farage gives the same interview time after time on television and we have to accept that a decent proportion of the public are listening. Border control is a regular issue which is raised on the doorstep, as is the £50 million per day membership fee for being an EU member and you will not find many people who would say they are happy that Brussels has rising influence over our lawmaking.

These issues do strike a chord with the electorate who note the cuts to our public services, wage freezes but rising inflation and more and more competition for decreasing numbers of jobs. I believe the public will support membership of the EU but only if they are clearly demonstrated in a proper debate why it would be significantly worse for us not being in it. We need to give them the facts and not defer the issue, this only hands an open goal to the campaign for us leaving the debate and if we sit back too long it could be over before we start. At the moment the ‘no’ argument is controlling the debate, which must be a concern to anyone who wants to remain in the EU.

Cameron's third problem is that by promising to have an in-out referendum on a renegotiated relationship with Europe, Cameron has chosen not to disclose the terms he will be seeking to achieve within this new relationship. This leads to uncertainty from both the public and his fellow MPs, who are particularly sensitive on all things Europe. I am not even sure he knows what he is aiming for at the present time. Certainly the Tory MPs are unsure what is going on and the debate rages on with the press delighting in it without an end in sight. It is front page news at the moment and the distrust and in-fighting is exactly what politics does not want when the institution needs to reengage with a suspicious general public.

Both the press and euro-sceptic Tories are sensing weakness and the wolves are circling around the beleaguered PM. Cameron has real problems to deal with over Europe. Labour must seize the moment so the public do not put their trust in UKIP as the only party offering a clear position of conviction. It is a test for the Labour front bench to show some leadership and offer the real alternative to the Con-Dems.

Taking the Setback

Unfortunately I narrowly lost the election last week. Consett South had a very low turnout and as my opponent was a well-known local independent, he got over the line by 41 votes. Obviously I was very disappointed because I have always admired my friends and colleagues who did a great job as councillors and wanted to achieve this for myself. I wanted to work hard for my constituents and felt I was ready to pick up the baton and run with it. This time, however, it was not to be.

It might have been bad news for me personally, but it was an amazing day for Labour. 94 seats out of 126 were achieved with some big gains especially in the Durham area. Closer to home I was particularly pleased for Barbara Armstrong who was elected in Esh and Witton Gilbert. Barbara missed out in her ward in 2008 by 35 votes but worked tirelessly in the interim and thoroughly deserved success this time. I was also pleased for Bob Glass, who was elected in Delves Lane and who is so much more than just "Pat’s husband". Bob has lots to offer and is skilled in his own right. Over in the lovely Crook and Weardale area I was very pleased for Geoff Mowbray, who has beaten cancer three times in the short time I've known him and I was also pleased for John Hart who will also do very well in the single member ward of Tow Law and the smaller villages nearby. Although defeated, Joe Kirwin proved Weardale is not a lost cause and the residents welcomed a real Labour candidate as an alternative to long-standing independent representation. Perhaps he will go one better next time and hopefully Consett becomes open to such alternatives in the future.

The council missed out on some excellent candidates, people who stood in tricky seats and fought hard. For a multitude of reasons, none being their suitability for the post or abilities, they did not win. I would have loved to see Liam Carr get elected in Leadgate and Medomsley, someone of immense passion and commitment and also Sara-Jane Heslop who would have fought hard for her constituents and delivered positive results. Brynnen Ririe and John Davies worked very hard in Blackhill and did not manage to get the results their efforts warranted and Joanne Carr lost out in Dipton by 17 votes, Joanne is a very experienced candidate with immense skills and Durham County Council is a poorer place for all of the above not getting elected. Please note everyone who lost I feel for, just the above people particularly stand out for me as I write this.

At the moment I do not know where my own efforts will lie. I will be staying active in politics, but I will seeking to achieve more balance in my life in the period between elections. I gave this everything I had, it’s been a goal of mine since being at university to be elected to Durham County Council, but I never told anyone. I am 32 this month, so I have to reflect on the possibility elected political achievement that matches my previous ambition may be difficult to achieve now. It's not that bad, not everyone can do it and I've always aimed very high in everything I do or try. I am very lucky that I have a great job for a great MP in Pat Glass and I love going to work every day. Mostly for my spare time then, I feel it’s about time I fulfilled my potential and not pass off four years as I will have to if I simply continue towards my current ambition of becoming a councillor with nothing else going on in my life. This ambition remains though, but I shall be busy inbetween achieving as much as I can!

I would like to thank anyone who voted for me or considered voting for me. I enjoyed the campaign process and tried my best to win, though the count was very stressful. Everyone in the Consett South ward got three leaflets and in addition the postal voters received a special letter from me, so whatever the reason for the low turnout in Consett South it was not from my lack of effort. A special mention also to Philip Richardson, a great young member, we knocked on many doors too and his help is massively appreciated. I also thank the other members who turned up to knock on doors for me. I note that I have now tasted maybe the worst feeling in politics in narrowly losing an election and yet I'm still here, still ambitious and still confident that eventually I'll make it at one level or the other. I look forward to the next chance to achieve my goals and look forward to setting new goals.

To finish on a political point, if you look at the seats where UKIP fielded candidates, they attempted to dethrone well-known members of the council. They did not simply go for seats, they went for news-worthy scalps. As such, they completely failed to grab anything more than the protest voters looking for a new home now that the Lib Dems are accountable in government. They did not win a single seat from Labour across the entire country. Politics is not the NFL, you win nothing for yardage. The right-wing press want to say it is a brave new world out there, but I do not believe this is borne out in practise just yet. UKIP will do well in the MEP elections, mainly because of the main political parties en bloc are not engaging in a true debate on the EU when there is a public wish for that engagement. UKIP remain, however, a protest party, full of flaky dissenters who will leave as fast as they came, many of whom are far more radical even than the right-wing UKIP party. They moaned about parties trawling facebook for pictures of radical behaviour, but nothing can be found if it isn't there already!

Putting People Before Politics

Liam Carr & Estelle Spring posted this about me on their blog. It is very kind and nice to know my actions, which were my own decision and after a lot of careful thought, are in line with such principled people. I hope both they and I get a good result this week. They have worked very hard and are offering a genuine choice to residents of their ward and I hope Leadgate, Medomsley, Ebchester and the surrounding villages residents vote for change this week and give them the opportunity to keep up the momentum of their hard work. Whatever happens, they are up there with the best of campaigners and if effort meant victory, they would have won easily months ago.

"During the May 2nd election campaign I have seen the claim "We put people before politics."

One person who really does put people before politics is Malcolm Clarke the Labour Candidate for the Grove, Moorside and Berry Edge.

He was one for the leading members of Lanchester Parish Council for which there are 15 seats, it turned out that 16 people put their names forward for the ballot. This would have resulted in a ballot paper with 16 names on it and 15 votes. People would have to decide which candidate not to put an X next to.

Malcolm waited until the 11th hour before choosing to withdraw. Lanchester Parish have therefore avoided the costs associated with an election, an estimated £6000 that can now be spent on community projects.

For some, "People before politics" is just a tag line on a leaflet. For others, actions speak louder than words."

http://liamrcarr.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/people-before-politcs.html

Thanks to Liam and Estelle and best of luck for Thursday.

When casting your vote this week, remember that without people there is no politics, so I stand as much for the community as anyone else and my actions, as per the above recent developments, show that I always do that. I am Labour because of my values, openly and proudly, allowing you to vote knowing exactly what I am and what I stand for.

• A new multi-million pound academy (cruelly delayed by the dissenters)
• * A massive Morrisons
• * A massive Tesco's
• * B & Q, Starbucks
• * Brand new Football Ground

I'm proud to stand for Labour. Anyone who says Consett gets nothing or has recently got nothing needs to think again.

A vote for me is a positive vote to continued success and a vote against the Tory Cuts, Bedroom Tax and the ideological attack on the working and vulnerable classes on May 2nd. It's up to you.

Make the right choice on May 2nd, Vote Mal!

It has been a busy time for candidates of all parties as we approach polling day on May 2nd.

In Consett South, there is a straight choice between myself as the Labour Party candidate and a candidate from the Derwentside Independents. The Lib Dems and Tories didn’t fancy it, the only way they can affect a result is not to stand at all, which is pretty depressing. The Derwentside Indies are a registered political party so people saying it is Labour or an independent are misinformed. The Derwentside Independents would encourage this subtle misunderstanding, however, as their position is almost exclusively anti-labour and protesting over historical decisions made over half a decade ago. I prefer to look forwards.

If you are intending to vote for the Derwentside Independents, bare this in mind:

Their party councillors have voted consistently with the Tories and also voted against a motion which condemned the Tory cuts.

On a somewhat lighter note such is a bizarre nature of a party of independents which, by definition, is contradictory if you mention a ‘real’ independent candidate you have to say they are an ‘independent independent.’ Only in Consett!

One of my pet hates is people who shout and moan but offer no solutions and I believe that saying you disagree means nothing unless you offer a better alternative. This would have applied to any candidate from UKIP, who would have collected some votes I am sure but who would have stood on an incredibly negative basis, preying on and encouraging social divides for political gain. I simply disagree with them. Be reassured I am standing on a positive, practical basis and in four years I want to be able to fill my re-election leaflet with lots of achievements and progress. Anyone thinking of not voting Labour and voting UKIP have to realise you are backing a party with a more right-wing approach than even the current coalition!

Talking to people out and about I have listened to a range of concerns. I have also witnessed firsthand that dog fouling is a problem in this ward just like any other. I am reminded of Sussex Road in Moorside in particular where I counted over twenty deposits of dog dirt as I walked along the road canvassing last month. This is not the fault of Durham County Council, but irresponsible dog owners but this issue can be addressed through regular patrols and the issuing of penalties. Lack of dog bins is an excuse, responsible dog owners take their dog waste home, but where residents need a dog bin I will do my best to arrange that for them.

On May 2nd, in a little over two weeks time I urge voters to send a strong message to David Cameron that communities like Consett South will back the party that represents their communities and vote for me, Malcolm Clarke, to become your hardworking councillor for Consett South.

My new Politics Podcast #1

I am going to try out doing a politics podcast diary and see how that is received, I like using the different media you can access online and Mixcloud seems good. Here is my first go, where I discuss the resignation of David Miliband. I won't post all of these so subscribe on Mixcloud if you want to hear other ones I upload.

Latest Malcolm Clarke's Cloudcasts on Mixcloud

Big Brew Coffee Morning with Derwent Valley Partnership

I am informed via email that:

"The Derwent Valley Partnership will shortly be holding its third annual ‘Big Brew’ coffee morning to continue its commitment to using and promoting Fairtrade products in Derwent Valley. So far the Partnership has raised over £1,000 for Traidcraft to support the use of produce from developing countries.

The ‘Big Brew’ will be held on Thursday 7th March 2013 from 10am until 12pm in Consett Salvation Army Hall (Sherburn Terrace, Consett, DH8 6ND), and will include free tea, coffee, hot chocolate, quizzes and competitions.

There is no need to book a seat at the coffee morning, please just come along. Everyone is welcome so feel free to bring a friend, relative or a neighbour with you!

Small donations to Fairtrade can be made on the day (this is not obligatory).

If you would like more information about the Big Brew, please contact a member of the team on 03000 260 725, e-mail us at dvaap@durham.gov.uk or visit your community website at www.derwentvalleylife.org.uk

We hope to see you on 7th March."

And so do I, as I'll be there trying to work out the quiz.