The Northern Agenda: life outside of the Westminster bubble
The Northern Agenda is the podcast that looks at power, politics and public affairs in the North of England.
By Daniel J. McLaughlin
At the time of writing this newsletter, the Government is in trouble… again.
Liz Truss is about to hold a press conference, expected to announce a U-turn on the mini budget; and just as Kwasi Kwarteng finished unpacking his boxes at Number 11 Downing Street, the Chancellor - well, now ex-Chancellor - has to pack up of all his belongings again.
In an honesty, this whole charade has been rather distracting, whilst I try to promote our podcasts in this correspondence with you.
Politics in Westminster often feels like a game, a competition between egos; but politics outside of that bubble means the difference of feeding your kids or heating your homes.
The decisions made in Westminster, as the chess masters move their pieces, affect the livelihoods and indeed lives of those throughout the country, struggling under this cost of living crisis.
It’s not a game; it can be, as dramatic as it sounds, a matter of life and death.
It can be very easy to fixate on the soap opera that is the House of Commons, cheering or jeering these almost cartoonish characters.
But, as some of our representatives ought to realise, there is life outside of Westminster. And that’s where The Northern Agenda comes in.
The Northern Agenda is the daily newsletter and weekly podcast that looks at power, politics and public affairs in the North of England.
Hosted by Rob Parsons, our podcast provides you with a digest of the stories that matter, voiced by journalists who are outside the Westminster bubble.
The Northern Agenda brings you expert insight and analysis while reporting from the other side of the North/South divide.
Here’s what our political podcast for the North has been reporting on in recent weeks…
Dr Kieran Mullan MP on sentencing for child murderers | How well-prepared is the North East for the coming economic storm?
The phrase a 'life sentence' is a familiar one for anyone who follows reports of our most high-profile criminal cases, but how often does a life sentence actually mean life?
And in the case of offenders who carry out the most unimaginable act of violence, the murder of a child, should a life sentence actually mean life in prison with no prospect of release?
That's the argument being made by Dr Kieran Mullan, Tory MP for Crewe and Nantwich in Cheshire and a member of the Commons Justice Committee, who said the Government “can and must do better” on sentencing for child murderers.
During a Westminster Hall debate this week he highlighted the fact that people given a life sentence for murder generally serve an average of just 16-and-a-half years.
The Conservative MP appears on this week’s podcast to discuss his contribution to the debate.
And how well-prepared is the North East for the coming economic storm? Rob asks one of its best-known business owners John Elliott, the Chairman of County-Durham based Ebac Limited, described as the only manufacturer in the UK of dehumidifiers and washing machines.
The business leader shares his often strongly-held views on the Government, Westminster, Brexit, and devolution in the UK.
The future of STEM: how we can get more young people in the North into science and technology jobs
A supply of graduates in the so-called STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is vital for our economy - but how we can get young people, particularly girls, to engage with the subjects and fill the high-skilled jobs in emerging areas in the economy?
This question was on the agenda at the Conservative Party Conference held in Birmingham at the start of this month.
Attempting to answer it are two experts from different fields and with strong links to the North: Carl Ennis, Chief Executive of Siemens plc, and Riffat Wall, the principal at Urmston Grammar in Manchester.
They discuss how we can get more young people in the North into science and technology jobs.
Catherine McKinnell MP on the East Coast Mainline | How the North can help Liz Truss
The East Coast Mainline - one of the country’s most important strategic rail routes that connects the North East and Scotland with Yorkshire and London - has many critics.
They say that it suffers from unreliability and delays that blights its performance and holds back economic growth in the areas that it serves.
And one of those critics is Catherine McKinnell, the Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North, who explains what is going wrong with the East Coast Mainline.
Clare Hayward - who chairs the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, and is on the board of the NP11 - also joins Rob on the podcast.
She discusses how the North can help new prime minister Liz Truss, as well as what the region is asking from the government.
By the looks of it, the prime minister needs all of the help that she can get…
I hope you have a better weekend than Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, and as always, stay safe, stay positive, stay informed and stay tuned.