Ben Houchen - Guardian

I guess it depends how you measure success or achievement? I agree it doesn't feel like much tangible is taking place yet but then in a different 'sliding doors' outcome we could have had the blast furnace site still being owned by Thai banks and the airport demolished for housing.

Trouble is, none of this shows results for years. The Treasury in Darlington, for example, is not so much about the jobs in that department moving now but about having decision makers from central government (with the money) actually in the region so that future investments decisions are not so London/SE based.
 
CommanderComcast said:
I guess it depends how you measure success or achievement? I agree it doesn't feel like much tangible is taking place yet but then in a different 'sliding doors' outcome we could have had the blast furnace site still being owned by Thai banks and the airport demolished for housing.

Trouble is, none of this shows results for years. The Treasury in Darlington, for example, is not so much about the jobs in that department moving now but about having decision makers from central government (with the money) actually in the region so that future investments decisions are not so London/SE based.
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Houchens whole original campaign was based on the lie that the Airport was going to close, it wasn't. It was, albeit slowly and in small numbers, increasing it's passenger numbers after a dramatic fall because of the financial crash. Peel had I believe spent millions of pounds upgrading the radar at the Airport and improving the facilities. As to the point about houses being built there, they may have been and they still might be, the housing plans are still in existence, indeed it's been reported that £5 million pounds was the price paid by Houchen for those plans. I'm looking forward to the 180,000 jobs Nadine Dorries promised recently, no doubt the majority of them will be in the new Snake Oil plant due to be opened on the Teesworks site in 2297.
 
He was the first in-depth interview on Times Radio's coverage of the Tory conference. I've never voted Tory in my life but I found his performance very impressive from an 'electability' point of view. Spoke confidently, answered questions without waffling, northern enough but not 'too northern' in a Home Counties voter-frightening sense. Had the interviewer lapping it up. Fast becoming the conference/party darling. I could easily see him as an MP soon (possibly doing both jobs) and succeeding Johnson sometime in the next parliament. Get your 50p each-way on now!
 
JackG said:
He was the first in-depth interview on Times Radio's coverage of the Tory conference. I've never voted Tory in my life but I found his performance very impressive from an 'electability' point of view. Spoke confidently, answered questions without waffling, northern enough but not 'too northern' in a Home Counties voter-frightening sense. Had the interviewer lapping it up. Fast becoming the conference/party darling. I could easily see him as an MP soon (possibly doing both jobs) and succeeding Johnson sometime in the next parliament. Get your 50p each-way on now!
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The vast majority of conmen perform very impressively. Spin above substance and it's quite easy to answer questions, which are not too difficult and pre rehearsed. As someone said earlier, brilliant at self promotion. He spends more on facebook advertising than any other politician in the UK and guess what he does if you ask him difficultish questions, he bars you off his page. He will however, and probably because of his brilliant self promotion, be very difficult to beat if he decides to stand locally.
 
gregorgregorovich said:
The vast majority of conmen perform very impressively. Spin above substance and it's quite easy to answer questions, which are not too difficult and pre rehearsed. As someone said earlier, brilliant at self promotion. He spends more on facebook advertising than any other politician in the UK and guess what he does if you ask him difficultish questions, he bars you off his page. He will however, and probably because of his brilliant self promotion, be very difficult to beat if he decides to stand locally.
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He's good at this conman lark - more Blair than Starmer.
 
CommanderComcast said:
I guess it depends how you measure success or achievement? I agree it doesn't feel like much tangible is taking place yet but then in a different 'sliding doors' outcome we could have had the blast furnace site still being owned by Thai banks and the airport demolished for housing.

Trouble is, none of this shows results for years. The Treasury in Darlington, for example, is not so much about the jobs in that department moving now but about having decision makers from central government (with the money) actually in the region so that future investments decisions are not so London/SE based.
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It's just about all narrative though.
Unless someone is willing to delve beneath that
"exactly how many Treasury jobs have been moved to Darlington"
"exactly what has been the benefit of getting the steelworks site from the Thai banks"
"exactly how much debt is Teesside airport in and when will it make profit and repay that debt" the narrative will be swallowed up by the electorate.

One thing it does underline for me, the woeful performance of Labour in the region both politically and practically.
No wonder the red wall is crumbling. We've been taken for granted by successive Labour Governments and opposition for decades and now it's coming home to roost. Stuart Bell and Milburn to name two went through the motions.
 
Unravel_Morrison said:
I don't live locally, but looking from outside, it appears that there's a lot of things announced and not a lot happening.

I recognise that's probably due to the election cycle v time taken to carry out infrastructure work, but the Tees crossing is a good example. That was originally announced in 2019 to start in 2023 and is now mooted to start in 2025.

I would be interested to be pointed towards things that have
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I have to say he's done infinitely more than Blair and Mandelson ever did over 12 years tenure .

I'm not even going to say much more than what exemplifies my point is a chap by the name of Stuart Bell !
 
Borobarmy said:
I have to say he's done infinitely more than Blair and Mandelson ever did over 12 years tenure .

I'm not even going to say much more than what exemplifies my point is a chap by the name of Stuart Bell !
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Genuine question as I don't live in the area so not qualified to give an opinion but would Houchen be seen in the same light (generally negative on this board) if he was Labour?
 
Sunak has a big place at Kirby Sigston - the one that's getting the new pool! I think that's what he means by levelling up :ROFLMAO:

CJ-COMP-P12-V2.jpg

I've seen him and his family kicking around before he was made chancellor. If anything he's back on weekends and will do anything for a photo opportunity. It's a common joke around here that he does f-all apart from get his face in the local papers.

He's useless as a local MP and by the sounds of his speech yesterday instead of cuts the new Tory austerity is tax rises. The joys.
 
Alzi said:
Genuine question as I don't live in the area so not qualified to give an opinion but would Houchen be seen in the same light (generally negative on this board) if he was Labour?
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If he was Labour, he wouldn't have been given £750 million to spend. If you think only Tory politicians are commented on negatively on this board, then you haven't read some of the comments on the current and previous leaders of the Labour Party on here. He has done infinitely more than Blair or Mandelson, since he became Mayor, there has been a net loss of 16,500 jobs in the area he represents and now furlough has ended that is likely to rise. Still, we could get them all to be LGV drivers or fruit and veg pickers or abattoir workers.
 
zzzzz said:
I think it's pretty balanced tbh.
Some of the Corbynites are very sore losers but most are happy to debate without mudslinging.
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And some of the Starmer supporters are very sore winners and I don't think Borobarmy meant some Labour supporters arguing/debating with other Labour supporters.
 
Sunak married into a very rich family (hundreds of millions) he can afford lots of very nice houses. The job he has now he does for something to do and influence opposed to the salary.

Having him Richmond/Hambledon MP - I do think its helped to get some new Government jobs to Darlington. If he was MP for Guildford I doubt it would have happened.

Ref loss of funding to Local Government, yes it is fairly hidden cutback and significant amount of money especially in the Cameron years. It went on under Thatcher too. I have always questioned why 95% of our taxes go the Central Government and the EU, and only a tiny % to Local Government in this country. Thus local government relies on higher government for a lot of its funding.
 
Borobarmy said:
Erm my remark was a comment ! Whinging is achingly repeating discord incessantly .
Btw I'm not specifically aiming it you Greg
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Well you replied to my remark/comment about your remark/comment, so it seemed pretty specific to me and telling me what whinging is, is pretty patronising, which means.......... bloody hell I'm at it now.
 
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