Most of my life has been in the North East, except for seven years in the 1960s when, like thousands of other miners, my father had to leave to live and work in South Wales and Yorkshire.
Like you, I am proud of the heritage and history of our region and delighted to see the Journal's excellent campaign, the Case for the North East, for wider recognition of our great strides in developing a positive future for ourselves.
However, I am not wearing rose tinted glasses. We still lag behind more affluent parts of this country. That is not unexpected given that successive governments, including Labour ones, ignored our needs and priorities for far too long.
Even in the 1960s we did not get the same advantages or support that similar industrial areas did. Look, for example, at the car plants established in Merseyside and Scotland.
However, the balance has become better in recent years judging by the regeneration around us. I am clear though that past neglect of the North East requires us to have sharp elbows now and in the future.
But let's acknowledge real progress in recent years. Who would have thought that two decades after the decimation of our coal, steel and shipbuilding industries we could lead the world in building a low carbon future?
The development of the wind turbine testing facility at NAREC in Blyth, the tremendous diversity at NEPIC on Teesside and state of the art technologies being promoted at Netpark in Sedgefield exemplify the modern approach that will drive new wealth.
The North East currently contributes around £41 billion annually to the national economy but it could be bigger and better.
Our universities and colleges are important to these new green technologies and manufacturing industries and they are working hard to maximise the ingenuity and inventiveness of the workforce.
We all know of many great things on offer in the North. Our beaches are second to none even if sea temperatures leave much to be desired! Our castles and cathedrals are the best in this kingdom and there is no where else where you can so easily reach glorious moorland, fantastic forests, beautiful rivers and towns and villages steeped in history and culture.
And above all else there is us! The people of the North East. We are a breed apart - the descendants of people with a great story to tell. Do we really speak too quickly or do southerners listen too slowly?
We still have problems. We need to keep the pressure on both government and Corus to keep the steel industry alive here. We need to build on the success of Nissan as it moves beyond last year's decision to lay off 1200 workers. And we need to ensure that we continue to support businesses which have struggled to cope with the recession and the meanness of bankers who were the main cause of it.
Locally, AEI Cables and BAE Systems have won lucrative defence contracts. De la Rue has secured the bid to produce the new UK passport using cutting-edge production processes, while further down the Team Valley we see the building of the Graphite waste handling plant which hopes to direct its surplus heat to the new health and leisure centre nearby. And the Dairy in Blaydon that was closed last year is being reopened, albeit on a smaller scale but with great future potential.
And we should celebrate our public services and those who provide them. Every day of the year they are looking after our kids, caring for the sick and elderly, keeping our streets safe and clean and doing the thousand and one things that make the North East a civilised place to live in.
The Journal is right to promote our case and I hope that those who make a career out of rubbishing our glorious region will take a rest for a while.
Newcastle Chronicle and Journal
| Promoted by Paul Foy on behalf of Dave Anderson, both of St Cuthbert's Church Hall, Shibdon Road, Blaydon, NE21 5PT |