The future is looking bright for Conservatives in the North East
It goes without saying that the North East is a Labour stronghold, and it has been this way for as long as anyone can remember. Up north the party is very much a religion; it is respected, celebrated and adored… but never questioned.
Due to this of this it has become apparent over the years that the North East electorate is taken for granted by the men and women who claim to represent the hard working people of the region. Tony Blair…Peter Mandelson…David Miliband (otherwise known as the three wise men up here).
Thirteen years of Labour was a fantastic opportunity to change the region for the better. The three wise men were all ,at some point, high ranking government ministers, and Tony Blair (MP for Sedgefield), was of course Prime Minister. With this in mind, if they were all die-hard Northerners, why didn’t they fix the dreadful unemployment and poverty record the region was suffering from? Well, even if they had the right intentions, their philosophy was doomed for failure. Socialism inevitably destroys what it claims to defend, and that is why it’s no surprise that the North East is both a Labour stronghold and one of the least better-off regions in the UK.
Fortunately, the great people of Newcastle, Sunderland and Hartlepool are slowly starting the see this.
The recent General Election included an abundance of success for the once isolated corner of England; the Tory screams in Berwick almost shattered the windows of Westminster. In Hexham, Guy Opperman MP doubled his majority, and in Stockton South -a seat once too close to call- was won in spectacular style by James Wharton. I am not saying the region has been painted blue, but with a positive swing in 17 constituencies, I am pleased to announce that the correct shade has been chosen and the order placed.
Furthermore, those ‘posh, out-of-touch Southerners’ who lead the Conservative Party (because the millionaire son-of-a-Marxist Miliband was much more normal) are diverting more attention, money and power to the North than Labour ever did. With the Middlesbrough-born Greg Clark CBE MP’s appointment as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the creation of the Northern Powerhouse: the tidal wave that is the Geordie accent will flood the streets of London.
The last five years has shown us what the Conservatives can achieve when they are handed the task of running this fantastic country. In the run up to the election, they were proud to boast about an incredible economic record in the North East;
- Employment up 39,000 since 2010 (with private sector employment up 60,000)
- 27,000 new business since 2010
- Over 22,000 new homes built since 2010
- 123,000 people taken out of income tax
- North East exporting at record levels (second highest in the UK)
- Crime down by 17%
- 588 more doctors and 243 more nurses
- 140,000 apprenticeships started since 2010
- 40,000 more children at good or outstanding schools
But this article is entitled ‘Bright Future’ for a reason. I don’t look back at the last five years and think ‘yes… the job is done,’ because the job is only half done. However, I am confident that we will build on our successes rather than sit back and admire. I am also confident that Northern prosperity will continue long into the future.
Unfortunately… this is entirely dependent on a Conservative government and a strong Conservative voice within the region.
Nevertheless, while I still have some, I will once again indulge in the famous Geordie optimism. Let’s once again visit South Shields–and considering it has never actually had a Conservative MP since its creation in 1832 –be optimistic about this place is ambitious, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try. You see, the Liberal replaced the Whigs at the start of the 20th Century, and then Labour replaced the Liberal’s, so I see no reason why the Conservatives cannot eventually win here. The constituency is certainly tribally Labour, and that will take a long time to change but this does not mean we should give up on pushing the right–wing message across in South Shields. Likewise, unlike the Labour Party, we should not give up on the North East.
I am most excited by the dedication, commitment and, most of all, the expansion of the Conservative Future up here, branches are popping up everywhere and members are flooding in. Hence my belief that Northern prosperity will continue long into the future.
But there is no time to relax!
We must continue to spread the word that the North can do better! We must campaign harder than ever before for the Conservative cause! We must target every seat! And we must break down the walls of the Labour fort that is the North East! Because if we do this then we can inform the regional weather people than the grey clouds of Labour, that have rained poverty and hardship for so long, have been lifted, and that they can expect to see the long forgotten blue skies of prosperity and opportunity instead. Blue skies in the North? Now you certainly think I’m crazy.
Follow Elliot on Twitter
