Nick at a Community and GMB-run rally for workers from the Corus Steel plant in Redcar

This week, at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, Nick spoke at two fringe events.  At the Association of North East Councils meeting Nick and the rest of the panel discussed the push to grow our region’s economy around green energy and sustainable technologies. Later in the week Nick joined the Community Union, the G.M.B. and others to help secure a future for the workers at the Corus steel plant in Teesside.

Both events reflected an emerging choice facing the UK. The Labour Government is determined to step in to protect jobs during the economic downturn, while still investing in future green industries. The Conservative and Liberal Democrat proposals to cut investment immediately would make the recession deeper and the recovery longer, while threatening the public services people need.

The Labour Government has changed this country for the better over the past 12 years. In his speech in Brighton, the Prime Minister listed these achievements. From the winter fuel allowance, the creation of Sure Start and the shortest hospital waiting times in history, to the cancelling of overseas debt and the first ever Climate Change Act, there are real achievements of which we can be proud.

...and with Colombian agricultural union leader Aidee Moreno at an event organised by Justice for Colombia

The Government is now setting out the choices that will continue to improve Britain for the future. Last week saw new pledges on free childcare for under-2s; an end to charges for parking at hospitals; quicker results for cancer tests; free care at home for elderly people who need it most; and a People’s Bank organised through the Post Office network. All these changes will be underpinned by a plan to set out the Government’s approach to debt reduction in law.

Labour’s proposal to bring down the national debt over time will protect jobs now while continuing to offer improvements to the public services people depend on. There are real choices to be made here and, as Gordon said to the conference, it’s not about us, it’s about you.

Gordon has had a tough first year in the job, from the terrorist attack on Glasgow airport, to foot and mouth, the problems at Northern Rock, and the tax record data which went missing. None of these were problems of his own making, but I think he coped with each one well. In modern politics, however, everything you do right is taken for granted, whereas anything you do wrong is held against you. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than with the abolition of the 10p tax band. The important point here is that the Government did everything it reasonably could to ensure that those who lost out were compensated.

Because of the dramatic increase in world oil prices, rising international market prices for food and the credit crunch following the sub-prime mortgage arrangements in America, we are in for a tough time. The Government knows this. It is Gordon Brown who is taking the lead on the international stage in putting forward proposals to deal with the short term problem of supply and demand in the oil market, and at the same time leading the dramatic medium term case for fundamental change in the way in which we generate energy and view energy costs. It is Gordon Brown who has both the vision and strength of character to get us through these difficulties.

The Conservatives’ assault on Gordon Brown has been unremitting, unbalanced and at times has failed to rise much above the level of personal abuse. The politics of a public school debating society won’t help us. The North East of England has a great deal to gain from investment in the science, technologies and construction projects that go with the Prime Minister’s radical approach to fighting climate change.

This article was originally published in the Newcastle Journal

Tom’s leadership of the Union in the North East of England set in train a series of events that have an important impact on the public life of our region today. Tom took forward pioneering cases in the field of industrial injuries and in particular for the victims of industrial deafness, vibration white finger and asbestos-related diseases. He also, together with John Edmonds, negotiated the pioneering industry agreement with British Nuclear Fuels, an agreement that still stands the test of time today.

Tom was a shrewd and careful negotiator. His well-thought through and reflective approach to industrial relations was well-judged for the times and did a great deal to take the sting out of the worst effects of Thatcherism on the economy of the North East of England. Along with the then Regional Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union Joe Mills, Tom was a constructive and stabilising influence on the regional Labour Party.

He had the strength of character and sense of purpose not to compromise with the Trotskyite hard left who were doing their best to destroy the Labour Party in the 1980s. He also supported and encouraged younger people in the Union and in politics; myself, Alan Donnelly, Doug Henderson, and later Kevan Jones and Dari Taylor, all owe a debt of gratitude to Tom and the GMB for the support that we have been given over the years for the political causes we have taken up.

Tom saw very clearly the importance of the link between the Trade Union movement and the Labour Party, and understood probably better than anyone else I know the responsibilities placed on everyone involved. Tom had a tremendous affection for the North East, for its football, for its countryside, and for its working people. His substantial achievements are a fitting and enduring legacy.

I’ve visited the New and Renewable Energy Centre out at Blyth – one of the world’s leaders in the fight to develop fuels that don’t harm the planet. I’ve seen salt being mined half a mile under the sea down in Cleveland. For the first time our region is developing a strong service sector with tourism, heritage and hospitality playing a full part. Time and time again in the private sector I am impressed with the thought and ingenuity that has been put into the business. This point applies to the manufacturing sector just as much as it applies to the rest of the region’s economy.

Even more striking is the drive for efficiency and modernisation in the public sector, and in particular in local government in the region. The Audit Commission published a report a couple of weeks ago showing how the various councils have done over the last twelve months, and it made really encouraging reading.

North Tyneside had the biggest improvement in the country in housing services. Sunderland and Middlesbrough made great strides in their adult social care services. And Darlington scored top marks in “value for money”. All 12 of our region’s strategic local authorities are in the top two categories of the Audit Commission’s evaluation. The recent setbacks in Newcastle are of course disappointing, but across the region the general standard of local government services is good.

In a few weeks time the annual local government elections take place. Of course I want people to vote Labour, and believe that there is a great deal that the Labour Party can be proud of. However, I would much rather that people thought about the issues and took part in the election, rather than not taking part. Leaving it to other people to make the decision is giving up a valuable personal right, the right to vote, which centuries ago was only in the hands of the rich and powerful. Previous generations fought hard battles to get the vote for every adult citizen. In other parts of the world people are dying to get this basic right that we take for granted. There is not much point in having a vote if you don’t use it.

100 yrs ago this year, in August 1907, the general workers in Belfast went on strike

The strike wasn’t specific to a particular industry, nor, for once, was it wholly sectarian in nature

The UK Liberal Govt met the strikers, peaceful pickets, with troops, rifles and fixed bayonets

The peaceful pickets became less peaceful, and threw stones and bottles at the soldiers

A month previously, two new Members of Parliament had been elected for Jarrow and, a fortnight later, Colne Valley

It was Jarrow’s Peter Curran who led a ferocious parliamentary onslaught on the use of armed troops against striking workers, and whose Parliamentary activity and leadership brought about an enduring change in public attitudes and the attitudes of parliamentarians to the responses to peaceful industrial disputes

It is the memory of a great Parliamentarian, and a great trade Union leader, that we are celebrating today

In his Parliamentary work, Peter Curran was disciplined and persistent

He had the strength of character, and determination to take on difficult, not always glamorous, organisational tasks, and to see them through to an effective conclusion 

And he was not to be the last Member of Parliament for Jarrow about whom that could be said

In researching the events of the 4^th July 1907, I found much that I expected, and almost as much that I did not

In spite of coming from a very large Irish family, Peter Curran did not get the bulk of the Tyneside Irish vote in the 1907 election

It was an important vote – the Jarrow party still fights in green

When I first fought Newcastle East, just the other side of the river, the party colours were green, red and white

Green for the ground that was fought for

Red for the blood that was spilt

And white for purity of the cause

Needless to say we had to change our colours

It was also made very clear to me that the green was emerald green 

What seems to have happened is that the Irish Nationalist Party – the constitutional Irish National Party of the day – endorsed Sir Charles Mark Palmer, the long-serving Liberal MP 

Palmer was the Palmer of Palmer’s Yard. He was responsible for much of the ship-building enterprises growing up on the south of the river Tyne, and indeed for much of Jarrow town itself

He had defeated Peter Curran at the 1906 election, but Curran continued to work the seat, having shrewdly noted that Palmer was 85 yrs old and no doubt calculating that he, Curran, could fight the seat next time, or that there might be a by-election, as indeed there was, when Palmer died the following year

I thought I’d find that the shipyard workers of Jarrow carried Peter Curran to office in the by-election, but this isn’t what happened either

The shipyard workers vote split between the Irish Nationalist Party with Tyneside Irish Shipyard workers voting for the Constitutional Irish National Cause.

The Nationalist Candidate was himself a shipyard worker

The traders in Jarrow, and the freeholders in South Shields who had votes in Jarrow in those days, voted Unionist

It was the mining community of West Bouldon and Bouldon Colliery that voted solidly for the Labour candidate – the other votes split four ways and Peter Curran won, thus becoming the first Labour MP for the North East of England

I thought I would find that in the election campaign he emphasised his Labour credentials, as he would have had every right to do

In fact he fought the campaign more as a trade unionist than as a political activist, emphasising his 20 yrs as a full time Trade Union official with the Union that he, Will Thorne and others, helped to found.This was the National Union of Gasworkers and General Labourers

There is even an irony here – Peter Curran began his working career in a Steelworks’ Blacksmiths Shop, first by assisting the hammer driver, and then doing the job himself

A generation later this is something he couldn’t have done because he would have been in the wrong union

Peter Curran is the Curran in the court of appeal case Curran vs Straleven in 1891

The case overturns Curran’s earlier conviction and fine for intimidation which was imposed on him during an industrial dispute at Plymouth 

He was one of the first National Leaders of our Union in the days when Labour leaders like Curran, Clynes and Thorne were able to lead Trade Unions and serve in Parliament as well

They saw no contradiction in this and indeed there wasn’t 

Nowadays its hard to imagine anyone leaving the Fabian Society, except perhaps because of the annual fee

Peter Curran left the Fabian Society because he was against the war. The Boer War.

He was clearly a strong-willed man with drive, courage and by all accounts having an extrovert good nature 

He was a born leader and political organiser.

He died in 1910, and it’s a measure of how much he was admired that thousands of people turned out for his burial at Leytonstone Roman Catholic Cemetary

A gas-worker’s union man to the very last, the funeral procession was led by the Stepney Gas-worker’s brass band.

I am convinced that he could have won then and the overwhelming support that he has received from his Parliamentary colleagues now shows in what high regard he is held by those who know him best. He is now campaigning right across the country: listening to what people have to say, and setting out his own ideas.

His determination to restore trust in the public life of our country is truly admirable. He has already prioritised the NHS and social housing as areas of immediate concern, and pledged to continue Labour’s existing policy of placing education at the very heart of our Government. I believe Gordon Brown has the breadth of vision, strength of character, ability and personal decency to be a truly great Prime Minister.

I’m backing Harriet Harman for deputy. We are choosing a leadership team and I think it would be a pretty bleak outlook if we couldn’t elect a woman. Harriet Harman has been a courageous fighter for women’s rights for as long as I’ve known her. I worked closely with her in opposition when we were both on Gordon Brown’s Treasury team.  She has led campaigns for the National Minimum Wage and the Low Pay Commission; fought hard for the Minimum Income Guarantee which raised the income for the country’s poorest pensioners by 12%; and campaigns for the victims of crime. It is an attractive track record of a politician who has championed the interests of those who don’t always get their voice heard on their own. She would make a great deputy for Gordon Brown.

Over the last ten years we’ve enjoyed the longest period of sustained low inflation since the 1960s. There are record levels of literacy and numeracy in schools. By 2008 funding levels for pupils in the state education system will have doubled. There are record numbers of students in higher education.

The United Kingdom’s economy is strong. Employment is at its highest rate ever. There is a National Minimum Wage, currently set at £5.35 per hour. Child Benefit has been increased by 25% since 1997. The introduction of Sure Start helps children from low income households. All workers now have a right to 4 weeks paid holiday. A million pensioners have been lifted out of relative poverty, as have some 800,000 children. The introduction of the Child Tax Credit gives more money to parents.

At the same time, our strong economy has enabled us to invest more money in public services, creating 85,000 more nurses, 32,000 more doctors, 30,000 more teachers, and record numbers of police officers. Low inflation has brought with it low mortgage rates. Overall crime has been reduced by 35%.

The Government negotiated the historic Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland offering real prospects of lasting peace and prosperity. The Government’s initiatives on overseas aid and debt relief, and Britain’s proposals at international level have led the way in helping the very poorest people in the world. Britain is on course to exceed our Kyoto target to reduce greenhouse gas by 2010 and is playing a leading role internationally in tackling the problems of climate change.

The leadership of our Party is about to change, and as we approach the start of a new era in British political history it is worth reflecting on what has been achieved so far.

The Labour Party is essentially made up of four elements. The first is our history, our philosophical background, the idealism and sense of purpose – “for the many not the few”. Secondly, there is the Party’s ability to provide candidates for public office, for Parliament, the European Parliament, Local Government, and School Governors. Thirdly, there’s our individual membership, people who join the local Labour Party in the area where they live. Fourthly, other membership-based organisations affiliate to the Labour Party because they broadly share its aims and objectives. Among the Labour Party’s affiliates are organisations like the Fabian Society, the Co-operative Party, and major trade unions like the GMB, Amicus, T&G, and Unison.

This federal structure is rooted in the early origins of the Labour Party and goes to the very heart of what we’re about. The link with the unions is a great strength for the Labour Party and our opponents have always hated it.

It has therefore come as something as a surprise to myself and to many other Labour MPs to find that Sir Hayden Phillips is working on a recommendation that would prevent trade unions from funding the Labour Party. There is widespread support for tighter expenditure caps at election time and in the run-up to elections. What is objected to by almost everybody in the Labour Party is Sir Hayden Phillips’ proposal for a cap on income which in practice would only impact on the Labour Party, because it would be enforced against trade unions – whose accounts are open and published – but not easily enforced against wealthy individuals who wish to give money to the Conservative Party.

Trade union funds are the sum total of individual trade unionists membership dues including, where people choose to pay it, the political levy. The money that trade unions pay to the Labour Party represents a small, relatively modest contribution from hundreds of thousands of individual trade unionists. It is not the equivalent of a single large payment from a wealthy individual and should not be treated as such.

It is expenditure limits that are important. It is very wrong for Britain’s conservative establishment to use an inquiry into the funding of political parties to try to break the Labour Party-trade union link, and collapse the Labour Party financially. Trade union donations to the Labour Party are transparent and accounted for. They are not the bit of the system that needs reforming.

The Northern Region has benefited disproportionately from policies such as the minimum wage, making work pay, the drive for full employment, and the large investments that the Government has made in health and education. I would argue that our single most effective anti-crime policy is to provide jobs and a decent alternative for those who might otherwise be tempted by crime. It’s not of course the only response and the Government are right to take a tough stand on anti-social behaviour and to side with the victims not the criminals and those who make excuses for them.

Giving young people a decent start in life through schooling and then further education is one of the best things that the State can do for them. The investment in higher education and the expansion of student places gives opportunities to youngsters that weren’t there before. This sense of direction needs defending and consolidating, and not cut back on, as our political opponents propose.

There are nevertheless big challenges ahead. The employment base of the Northern Region has gone through a substantial transformation. The region’s employment base relies much more on the service sector than it used to. We must do more to attract to our region the high quality, well paid service sector jobs that are the mainstay of the labour market in London and the South East of England. The region still has a strong manufacturing base. It is the Government’s responsibility to ensure that free trade is also fair trade and that the Government does everything that it can and should to ensure that competition from elsewhere doesn’t have an unfair advantage.

The investment in regeneration schemes in the region has been on an unprecedented scale. We have some really beautiful buildings to underpin the region’s growing culture and tourism industries.

The region’s transport infrastructure and in particular the road network needs further investment. My priority would be the public transport system. The deregulation of the mid-1980s has done more harm than good. New structures should be put in place to make public transport more attractive. The motorway links north, south, east and west are also in need of more investment. The inadequacies of the road network are now a constraint on economic growth – this is something that the region just can’t afford.

The Government’s investment in public sector housing is welcome but we need to do more. Not everybody wants to be an owner-occupier. I would like to see investment in modern good quality housing for rent for those who don’t want to exercise the ‘right to buy’, who are in work, and would therefore like to pay a lower rent. No region would benefit more from a pilot scheme of this kind.

The Northern Region is not immune from changes that are taking place in the rest of the country or in the rest of the world – nor should we want to be. An excessive parochialism will do us nothing but harm. Our region has a lot to offer, and through the difficult times of the Tory years no region did more to help itself.