Vote David Lindsay

As long as you do not change anything, then please feel free to copy and paste this, print it off, and distribute it far and wide. Also, please feel free to make your own Vote David Lindsay posters for windows and so on, just so long as they have the very small print at the bottom:

Vote David Lindsay

On 14th March, I was wrongfully arrested in an attempt to intimidate me out of contesting these elections. But I have not been intimidated. On 4th May, I ask for your vote for Durham County Council in the Lanchester Ward (Lanchester, Burnhope and Castleside), and for Lanchester Parish Council.

I have been brought back into active politics as a campaigner for justice for Durham County Council’s Teaching Assistants, as a campaigner against the proposed drastic cuts to hospital services in County Durham, and as a campaigner against the cuts to the public transport on which, as a disabled person, I am reliant. I was a member of Lanchester Parish Council from 1999 until I stood down voluntarily in 2013. I was a governor of Lanchester Endowed Parochial Primary School from 1999 to 2007. I was a governor of St Bede’s from 2000 to 2008. I have lived in Lanchester since the age of 13, and before that I lived from the age of four in Burnhope.

I have supported the Teaching Assistants from the start. Among other things, I secured the endorsement of their cause by several national trade union leaders in the Northern Echo on 3rd August 2016. I secured their landmark meeting with Jeremy Corbyn on the eve of last year’s Miners’ Gala. I secured the signature of Angela Rayner on their petition. And I secured the support that George Galloway expresses for them regularly on his radio programme, and routinely to his quarter of a million followers on Twitter, as well as at least once (23rd November 2016) in a letter to the Northern Echo.

I am a strong critic of Durham County Council’s incompetence. That includes the closure of the DLI Museum, the amassing of vast reserves while services have been and are being cut, the bailing out of Durham County Cricket Club despite those cuts, the mismanagement of relations with the Regional Assembly, the selling off of care homes at discounted value, the scandal of Windlestone Hall, the circumstances that necessitated the award of enormous compensation to a teacher, the substantial additional cost of the failure to pay that compensation promptly, the lavish expense of entertainment by senior Councillors and Officers, and the waste of five thousand pounds on a bus shelter that was not on a bus route.

I regard the current Labour Leadership of Durham County Council as no better than in the 1960s. The Council has awarded irregular contracts, a Council Officer has received only a caution for gazumping on land fees, a decoy candidate has been fielded in an election (watch out for that one), Councillors have been let off for failing to pay Council Tax, Councillors have failed to declare interests, Councillors have promoted their own businesses, Freedom of Information Requests have been ignored, and Opposition candidates have been denied information.

I am already working with trade unions, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Independents, to bring the whole of the Volkswagen Group’s production for the British market to County Durham after Brexit. That would include Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT and Škoda. What a contrast with a Labour Leadership that, for 32 years and counting, has merely managed other people’s poverty.

I am honoured that my Campaign Patron is Councillor Alex Watson OBE of Consett North, who led Derwentside District Council for decades. I support the re-election of all sitting Independent, Liberal Democrat and Conservative County Councillors, and the election of whoever is best placed to defeat Labour in each Ward.

#VoteDavidLindsay

Published and promoted by, and on behalf of, David Lindsay, 13 Foxhills Crescent, Lanchester, Durham, DH7 OPW.

One Does Write In Order To Be Read

On Monday, I blogged, tweeted and posted that the Durham County Hall phone number to request Nomination Papers did not work.

This morning, those Nomination Papers arrived in the post.

Silent Echo

The following letter has managed not to make it into the Northern Echo:

Dear Sir, 

Whatever our opinion of British withdrawal from the EU, it will necessitate an enormous investment in production in the United Kingdom by the Volkswagen Group (including Audi, SEAT, Škoda and several other marques). We intend to bring Volkswagen to County Durham. 

To that end, in view of the closure of the DLI Museum, in view of the amassing of vast reserves while services have been and are being cut, in view of the bailing out of Durham County Cricket Club despite those cuts, in view of the mismanagement of relations with the Regional Assembly, in view of the selling off of care homes at discounted value, in view of the scandal of Windlestone Hall, in view of the enormous compensation awarded to a teacher and the substantial additional cost of the failure to pay it promptly, in view of the lavish expense of entertainment by senior Councillors and Officers, and in view of the appalling abuse of the Teaching Assistants, we welcome, endorse, echo and reiterate the call for the election of no Labour candidate whatever to Durham County Council on 4th May. 

We further welcome, endorse, echo and reiterate the call for a Cabinet position for every non-Labour Group and for those of no Group, with the numbers made up based on their relative size. For the same for scrutiny chairs, obviously never mirroring the portfolios of their respective partisans. And for representation on each committee and subcommittee in proportion to their numbers on the authority as a whole. 

Yours faithfully, 

David Lindsay (2017 council candidate and 2020 parliamentary candidate, Lanchester)

Councillor Ted Henderson (Durham County Council, Barnard Castle West)

As has this one:

To: echo@nne.co.uk 

Cc: general.enquiries@durham.pcc.pnn.gov.uk; PCVC.Media@durham.pcc.pnn.gov.uk; strobes@private-eye.co.uk; team@order-order.com; enquiries@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk; contact@hmic.gsi.gov.uk; inquiries@ipso.co.uk; info@palestinecampaign.org; david.blair@telegraph.co.uk; peter.oborne@dailymail.co.uk

Dear Sir, 

I am the author of Operation Israel: The Rearming of Argentina During the Dictatorship 1976-1983. That is the original and definitive account of Israel’s arming of Argentina during the war with Britain in 1982. From his base in Lanchester, County Durham, the writer and activist David Lindsay is arranging for the forthcoming second edition to be translated into English and published in the United Kingdom, with a preface or foreword by a distinguished British political figure. All of this is undoubtedly known to several Israeli and other intelligence agencies. 

On Tuesday 14th March, Mr Lindsay was arrested at his home and held all day before being questioned by the Police in relation to an incident to which he had no connection, namely the sending of a threatening letter to members of Durham County Council. He was not held overnight, and he was released unconditionally and without charge. Those responsible know who they are. Let them be in no doubt: Operation Israel will be translated into English, and it will be published in the United Kingdom, thanks to David Lindsay. 

Yours faithfully, 

Hernán Dobry

Buenos Aires, Argentina

And this one:

To: echo@nne.co.uk
Cc: strobes@private-eye.co.uk; general.enquiries@durham.pcc.pnn.gov.uk; PCVC.Media@durham.pcc.pnn.gov.uk; team@order-order.com; enquiries@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk; contact@hmic.gsi.gov.uk; inquiries@ipso.co.uk; paula.henley@rcdhn.org.uk; norcross@btconnect.com; editor.norcross@btconnect.com; lee-jasper@live.com; info@obv.org.uk; gensec@momentumblackcaucus.org.uk; peter.hitchens@mailonsunday.co.uk; afshin@afshinrattansi.com; rliddlemonkey@hotmail.com; brendan.oneill@spiked-online.com; mccarthydp@gmail.com; george@galloway.global

Dear Sir,

On Tuesday 14th March, despite having been given no opportunity to accompany the Police voluntarily, the Lanchester-based writer and activist, David Lindsay, was arrested on the “grounds” of supposed similarities between his letter published in the Northern Echo on Friday 10th March, and a threatening letter allegedly sent to Labour members of Durham County Council. When questioned by the Police, he comprehensively refuted the suggestion of any such similarity. He was released without charge and on unconditional bail.

This shameful and shameless political hit job recalls the darkest days of Northern Ireland, with no dividing line between the Police, a massively dominant local political party, and a secret society bound by oaths. It is impossible to rule out an anti-Catholic aspect to this case, and impossible to ignore the fact that David Lindsay is mixed-race.

Other than the Teaching Assistants themselves, David Lindsay is their preeminent supporter. He secured the endorsement of their cause by several national trade union leaders in the Northern Echo on 3rd August 2016. He secured their landmark meeting with Jeremy Corbyn on the eve of last year’s Miners’ Gala. And he secured the support that George Galloway expresses for them regularly on his radio programme, and routinely to his quarter of a million followers on Twitter, as well as at least once (23rd November 2016) in a letter to the Northern Echo.

David Lindsay is also a powerful critic of the closure of the DLI Museum, of the amassing of vast reserves while services have been and are being cut, of the bailing out of Durham County Cricket Club despite those cuts, of the mismanagement of relations with the Regional Assembly, of the selling off of care homes at discounted value, of the scandal of Windlestone Hall, of the circumstances that necessitated the award of enormous compensation to a teacher, of the substantial additional cost of the failure to pay that compensation promptly, and of the lavish expense of entertainment by senior Councillors and Officers.

And David Lindsay is the originator of the proposal that unites the trade unions with Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Independents, to bring the whole of the Volkswagen Corporation’s production for the British market to County Durham after Brexit.

David Lindsay is the natural and obvious Leader of Durham County Council. We look forward to that happy day. Racist, sectarian and partisan hit jobs must not be permitted to prevent it.

Yours faithfully,

Adam J. Young
James Draper
Sean Caden
John Mooney
Krystyna Koseda

Accept No Imitations

As the Notice of Poll goes out, beware of decoy candidates fielded by County Durham Labour Party, the embarrassing relative that the national Labour Party pretends does not exist. The fielding of decoy candidates is one of its several dirty tricks.

Others include the award of irregular contracts, the issuing of a mere caution to a Council Officer who gazumped land fees, the letting off of Councillors who failed to pay Council Tax, the failure of Councillors to declare interests, the promotion of their own businesses, the refusal to respond to Freedom of Information Requests, and the refusal to provide information to non-Labour candidates. Indeed, the telephone number listed on the Council's website for requesting nomination papers does not in fact exist.

It is easy to laugh at the waste of five thousand pounds on a bus shelter that was not on a bus route, and that kind of thing. But the overall picture is very nasty indeed. Such are Jeremy Corbyn's Labour enemies when they are in power.

Cohen’s Assertion Is Laughable

The Observer did not print my letter, or anyone else’s, in response to Nick Cohen, preferring this. But here it is:

The fact that Jeremy Corbyn is the Leader of the Labour Party and the Leader of the Opposition is the reason why Theresa May is even talking about workers’ and consumers’ representation in corporate governance, shareholders’ control over executive pay, restrictions on pay differentials within companies, an investment-based Industrial Strategy and infrastructure programme, greatly increased housebuilding, action against tax avoidance, a ban on public contracts for tax-avoiding companies, a cap on energy prices, banning or greatly restricting foreign takeovers, and banning unpaid internships. 

Two years ago, the only politicians advocating all but one of those were Corbyn and John McDonnell, while the energy price cap, proposed by Ed Miliband, was being screamed down by the people whom Nick Cohen wishes were now running the Labour Party. Those people, including most Labour MPs, are well to the right of the Prime Minister. Cohen’s assertion is laughable that an unnamed Cabinet Minister “and George Osborne used to worry about how Ed Balls and Chuka Umunna would strike back against their austerity programme.” 

Corbyn has won two Leadership Elections as the only candidate to the left of May, opposing the austerity programme while having also opposed every British military intervention of the last 20 years, that period’s privatisation of the NHS and other public services, its persecution of the disabled, its assaults on civil liberties, its prostration to Saudi Arabia, and its demonisation of Russia. All of those have happened continuously since 1997, under the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and New Labour alike.

A Game of Fives

Here's a fun fact from the Durham Teaching Assistants' Solidarity March and Rally. Such is the distribution of the TAs by ward, and so small (contrary to what is often assumed) are so many of the Labour majorities these days, that if each TA and four others voted against Labour, then Labour would lose over 50 seats. Frankly, we can deliver those votes in far larger numbers than that. We can. We must. And we will.

Roar of the Lions

Over a thousand at the Durham Teaching Assistants' Solidarity March and Rally. Superb speakers. A promise from Ken Loach to attend the showing of I, Daniel Blake on 27th April. And a message of "unconditional support for your inspirational campaign" from John McDonnell. That raises the serious question of the precise sense in which the Labour Group on Durham County Council still purports to be anything to do with the Labour Party.