Yours and Mine

Robert Jenrick's dodgy deal with Richard Desmond is bad, but his dithering over Highthorn is bordering on treasonable. Although deep-mining is better than open-casting. It employs more people, and it does not despoil the landscape anything like as much.

Also, Druridge Bay is not on the Red Wall. It is in the Berwick parliamentary constituency, which was Conservative until Alan Beith's long Liberal Democrat tenure, and which has been Conservative again ever since.

Britain stands on vast reserves of coal, and its steel and cement sectors need five million tonnes of coal every year. There is no environmental benefit to importing coal. Is the importation process carbon neutral? Is the extraction process abroad?

It would have been the Durham Miners' Gala on Saturday. Boris Johnson should take that opportunity to announce, both the approval of Highthorn, and the inquiry into Orgreave. 

An online Eve of Gala Rally, which in itself looks very good, is nevertheless being hosted by Thieving Laura Pidcock, who was also approved by the Official Left last night as a candidate for the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. Perhaps we are the Provisional Left? But of that, another time.

Boris Johnson should give the job of making that double announcement to Richard Holden. He will be here in Lanchester on Saturday to discuss a controversial planning application, and this is where Thieving Laura intends to stand for the Council next year. The ideal venue, then.