The Morning After

Politics requires patience. It isn’t a recommended activity for anyone who is in a rush.

Yesterday there were elections in our local area, as there were all around the nation, in different forms. The news this morning is full of opinion, sprinkled with a degree of analysis. But with the majority of results still trickling in we are still in “wait and see” mode.

I’ll be on the radio later so I have to spend a bit of time collecting my thoughts, drawing some interim conclusions. Labour’s loss of Hartlepool is the big news story. That we lost it is no surprise – it was more surprising that we held on to it in 2019. The scale of the loss does sting though.

I feel bad for Paul Williams, who was Labour’s candidate for Hartlepool. He’s an absolutely top bloke, a doctor who has been working long shifts in the hospital that serves Hartlepool right through the pandemic. There are families in the town with members who literally owe their life to him. It’s a real shame.

Specifically, I’m waiting for the results here in North Tyneside, not least to see how my ward colleagues have done (I’m not up for re-election for another two years).

We also have a really important Mayoral election result imminent. I’m trusting that later this evening I’ll be raising a toast to another four years for our Mayor Norma Redfearn. She’s a fantastic leader, she just patiently gets on with it.