Regional progress (From The Northern Echo)

Regional progress

9:48am Friday 8th January 2010 in Letters

THE response by Grahame Morris (HAS, Jan 1) to my previous letter (HAS, Dec 28) about the need to do more to create jobs sums up the lack of vision of an out-of-touch Labour Party.

I was born and brought up in the North-East and am proud of our industrial past. However, what we need now is a vision and ambition to build a regional economy with a golden future to match our glorious past.

On virtually every economic measure we have fallen further behind every other English region since 1997. We lag behind all other regions in terms of GDP per head and gross weekly pay, as well as having the highest unemployment rate. This is the legacy of 13 years of Labour government.

We have the industrial legacy, skills, natural resources and people to be an economic powerhouse.

We can, and should, be global leaders in clean technology, green industry and high-tech, niche manufacturing. The only thing holding us back is lack of vision and leadership from a complacent Labour elite.

Labour may not be capable of articulating a vision and ambition for our region, but I am. I’m standing as a proud North-Easterner. I believe in our region and in our potential to be an economic colossus again.

David Skelton, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, North Durham.