Northern Lights?

And now, all the money in the world is available for furlough again. Of course, it always was. A sovereign state with its own free floating, fiat currency has as much of that currency as it chooses to issue to itself, with readily available fiscal and monetary means of controlling any inflationary effect. 

There are some very poor parts of the South, as there some very rich parts of the North. But used to it though we are, being clearly worth less to the Government is particularly galling up here when it comes from a Government that is electorally dependent on us. 

Seats such as here in North West Durham elected Labour MPs in the Blair years, but our doing so did not make the difference. Tony Blair had become the MP for Sedgefield in 1983, when Michael Foot had not become Prime Minister. Today, however, Boris Johnson has a majority of 80 because his party won seats such as Sedgefield and North West Durham. Yet what thanks do we get?

Albeit far later than there ought to have been, and therefore for twice as long, there is at least to be a national lockdown, with a return to the furlough scheme, because the South now needs them. That may go some way to halting the process, which otherwise looked to be beginning entirely in earnest, of turning England into the name of a well-supported football team only in the way that there was still a well-supported cricket team called Middlesex, which had not been the name of an administrative unit since before most people were born.

In general, though, this Government and its media are downright Thatcheresque in laughing at our accents and what have you while giving us no other thought whatever. No one imagines that Keir Starmer would be any better. I am a declared and active candidate for the parliamentary seat of North West Durham at the next General Election. Please give generously.