An interesting thought from Prof David Byrne writing in yesterday’s (Newcastle upon Tyne) Journal.
He points out that hundreds of thousands of skilled jobs have been lost over the last few decades in the Greater Tyneside area. Many of these are not just skilled manual jobs but the, “technical expertise of real engineers, which [means] that this was far more a knowledge based place 40 years ago than it is today for all the guff about Science City“.
He’s right about this.
He’s also right when he goes on to say, “… all the great and the good … have got it absolutely, magnificently, totally as wrong as they damned well could“.
Sadly, tragically, he’s also right when he later says, “… so far as the major parties go we have a choice among tweedledee, tweedledum and tweedleother“.
Ouch!
Could this view be fairly widespread? Could it be why Lib Dems are flatlining in the polls?
You bet!
16 October 2008 at 2:55 pm |
Practical suggestions for remedying the situation? Or are you more happy just wallowing in self-flagellation?
16 October 2008 at 4:35 pm |
After the last election the Tories had an internal debate. Should they opt for ‘one more push’ or try to rethink what they were about. Without exception they conculuded that ‘one more push’ was just not a viable option. Cameron was the result of their rethink (OK, not a very impressive result I know, but at least they tried).
Lib Dems did not even ask the question but, by default, opted for the ‘one more push’ option. This is a very dangerous complacency which we must snap out of. Hence this post.
And since you ask, yes – there will be practical suggestions following. I have in mind one for (probably) early next week.