There’s another crisis looking, even more deadly and destructive than Coronavirus and this time, we must act.  We can not afford to turn away any longer.  Dealing with the Covid-19 crisis has got me thinking all the more about this next big crisis yet to come. The Climate crisis. It is going to hurt our nation and the globe in ways never imagined.  We must … Continue reading There’s another crisis looking, even more deadly and destructive than Coronavirus and this time we must act.

As revelations of Conservative donors and lucrative businesses deals, aided by friends in Government emerge, I have been deeply angered but not surprised. I have been doing some of my own investigating of the links between the Conservatives and deals done in this area and I have been left with many more questions than answers. The Conservatives have done a remarkable job at convincing working … Continue reading Sirius, the Conservative Minister and his Billionaire Friend – We are definitely not all in this together!

Jessie Joe Jacobs works with Steel River Drinks to deliver care packages and much needed hand sanitiser to care workers as part of a new Act for Key workers Campaign Over the past few weeks Jessie Joe Jacobs has been working with the local community across Teesside after setting up Teesside Community Action Group which is a support network focussed on the response to coronavirus. … Continue reading Working with Steel River Drinks to deliver Gin hand sanitiser in new Act for Carers Campaign

Darlington’s Great British Menu finalist spells out future for North East’s food and drinks sector post Covid Darlington’s Ruth Hansom, BBC Great British Menu Finalist, joined Luke Pollard MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Minister in an online discussion with Jessie Joe Jacobs, Labour’s Tees Valley Mayoral candidate to look at the impact of the Covid Crisis on the food and drink sector. In the online discussion … Continue reading A conversation with Shadow Environmental Secretary and Great British Menu Chef

It is clear that the impact of Coronavirus is going to hurt the Tees Valley in ways, that up until a month ago were thought unimaginable. The jobs losses and business closures will be unprecedented and the human cost and loss of life will be devastating. Local, regional and national government must pull together, alongside our communities and civic society to ensure the survival of … Continue reading A Civic Response to Coronavirus

Jessie Joe Jacobs Tees Travel plans will bring public transport system into the 21st Century Jessie Joe Jacobs, Labour’s mayoral hopeful for Tees Valley, has announced her exciting plans to drastically overhaul and improve public transport in the region, putting buses centre stage of her plans. Buses in Tees Valley are in dire need of a shake-up with figures revealing bus services are being reduced, … Continue reading Bringing Tees Transport into 21st Century

New analysis released today shows that 18,000 children in the North East with a parent working in the public sector are now living in poverty. That’s a 37% rise, with some 4,000 more children falling into poverty since 2010. So why is this happening? It’s simple. While the government has been handing out tax giveaways to large corporations, it has simultaneously been starving our public … Continue reading As Britain’s billionaire count rises, our public servants are being forced into poverty

Where do you go to put the world to rights? For some of us it’s our local hairdressers, other’s it’s in the staffroom, or at our Dads house after Sunday lunch. For a few of us, it’s our local boozer. John Christie knows this only too well. Running The Golden Smog micro pub in Stockton he has heard his fair share of political discussion and … Continue reading Introducing RePublik… Politics down the pub

I’ve been reflecting on poverty this week. On Sunday I was at a music gig at Golden Smog micro-pub in Stockton. It was organised by the amazing landlord John Christie, as part of a national weekend of music events called “We Shall Overcome”. It’s aim was to make a political statement about the human cost of the current government’s funding cuts and welfare reforms, alongside … Continue reading We Shall Overcome