It's great news that the green revolution in the North East is beginning to command cross-party support, if somewhat slowly.
The renewal of the region requires solid support from the major parties even if it has been spearheaded by Labour. All good ideas require patient and long-term support. The best ones end up being supported by all the main parties and aren't therefore subject to electoral ping-pong.
We should strive for consensus if we are to ensure that the region recovers from the recession and creates a valuable niche for itself. We would then be able to contribute more to national wealth.
So I am glad that Nick Clegg has belatedly backed the green jobs revolution here but it is a shame that Mr Clegg instructed his MPs to boycott the North East Regional Committee when we started work on this agenda at the beginning of last year. He would have been better informed about it earlier and his support would have counted for more.
The Select Committee has discussed these developments in detail with the Minister for the North, Nick Brown and other movers including Kevin Rowan, the TUC representative in the region.
As a result we advocate the development of a domestic offshore wind farm industry especially on the north banks of the Tyne, with a very credible partner in Clipper.
We have managed, despite the LibDems and the Conservatives, to do valuable work in pressing the government to make use of the old shipyards. Mr Clegg should allow his colleagues to join us. After all, it's better than a sinner repents late than not at all.
It's also a shame that the Conservatives fail to understand that the regional development agency, One North East (ONE) plays a vital role in nurturing the green industrial rebirth.
We could become a global magnet for the development of electric cars and green industries but that won't be done by the market alone and requires strategic regional intervention.
ONE bridges the gap between aspiration and action by bringing together the key players. Sadly, it looks like the Conservatives want to chop it and make the different parts of the North East compete with each other rather than co-operate for the common good of our distinctive region.
This would be a great shame and I hope that all parties see sense and work together for the interests of the North East.
Newcastle Chronicle and Journal
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