Aditya Chakrabortty’s article on the impending election of the first metro mayor for the North of Tyne (Newcastle can be the capital of a new, radical British politics, 19 April) makes interesting reading about a matter that has so far been well under the radar, but a few points need to be added.
First, the North of Tyne is politically more diverse than Aditya assumes: Northumberland has a Tory council and the MPs for Hexham and Berwick are also Conservatives (with large majorities), so the Labour candidate for mayor, Jamie Driscoll, will have to appeal beyond the core Labour vote if he is to win. Second, the choice facing Labour members in nominating their candidate was very narrow: between two people who are both Newcastle councillors and both men, hardly reflecting the diversity of the area.
And third, the picture captioned “an aerial view of Newcastle city centre” is not accurate: it is of a sliver of Newcastle quayside, but mainly of Gateshead, which is not part of Newcastle. Nor is it part of the North of Tyne mayoral constituency with which the article is concerned.
John Fenwick
Whitley Bay, Tyne and wear
Thank you for publishing an article on the north-east. But it is a pity that the piece didn’t mention how the four councils south of the river would not participate in a devolution deal they saw as insufficient, leading to the breakup of the former North East Combined Authority and the creation of the political territory of the North of Tyne. Many hope this will be temporary and that the authorities to the south will ask to join in again – see some of the candidates’ manifestos, for example.
Tom Pullman
Corbridge, Northumberland
Aditya Chakrabortty, in singing the praises of Jamie Driscoll, unnecessarily attacks Nick Forbes. I suggest that he looks more closely at the record of the “big beast”. Nick Forbes is a popular and successful leader of Newcastle council. Mr Chakrabortty appears to minimise the importance of experience and to condemn local politicians for being members of “the political class”. What else could they be?
As a Labour party member (and a Corbynist), I’ll be campaigning for Driscoll while rejoicing in the fact that Forbes will be able to continue in the more powerful and demanding role of council leader.
Vin Riley
Newcastle upon Tyne
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