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Rhetoric is easy. Governing isn't.

8 Feb 2012
Ian examines some unintended consequences of government action this week.
In his press article, he writes that government should not get carried away with their rhetoric and impose changes that unravel and worsen things with especial references to capping benefits.

North-East needs a strong voice

4 Feb 2012
Ian has called for a 'strong voice' for the North-East.
This come after Peter Hain said the time could now be right for the issue of North-East Assembly to be raised again.

The dog ate my homework

1 Feb 2012
Is the next excuse the government will use as the economy goes into reverse? asks Ian.
In his press column this week, he points that that despite the pain, the deficit is increasing as borrowing goes up to pay an escalating benefits bill, and argues for a change of course.

Help for Energy debt

27 Jan 2012
At a time when an increasing number of people are facing fuel poverty, Ian is recommending a website that can help.
Five Lamps is a North East based organisation that have employed 2 Energy Debt Advisors - Linda Evans and Gary Holroyd who will provide one to one specialist debt advice and prepare applications to the British Gas Energy Trust and other utility Trust.

Think again on solar panels

26 Jan 2012
Ian wants the government to think again about its appeal against a solar panels ruling.
Yesterday the Court of Appeal ruled against the government cutting the subsidies while the consultation period was still going on, but the government is to appeal against that decision so the cut can still go ahead.

Helping the young find work

25 Jan 2012
Ian writes this week of the support his Work placement Scheme has received from local firms.
He sees it as part of his job o try to persuade the Government to alleviate rather than exacerbate the problems facing young people especially looking to find work.

Fairness is the foundation of a good society

18 Jan 2012
Ian has met with Sir Richard Branson and discussed the future of the Northern Rock Foundation.
He writes in the local press that it is encouraging that some large companies seem aware that they should put something back into the community and that in tough times companies should treat people fairly.

Ray of hope for solar jobs

20 Dec 2011
Ian and Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Central, have held a meeting with Greg Barker, Minister of State (Climate Change), about the future of solar energy jobs.
This follows the government's sudden decision to cut the feed in tariffs for people who have their own solar panels. The tariff was cut from 43.3p to 21p per kilowatt hour making the installation much less attractive and causing major job losses at Carillion, formerly Eaga, in the region.

Private sector not replacing public sector jobs

14 Dec 2011
In his press article this week, Ian writes of how the North-East is suffering disproportionately.
Spending cuts will hit the north hardest and it is well documented that we are least resilient to economic shocks and he urges the government to wake up to this before things needlessly turn from bad to much worse.

Trade with the Kurds

7 Dec 2011
Ian has recently been to Kurdistan in Iraq and is convinced that it is safe and stable with some golden opportunities for companies in the North East and nationally.
North-East companies that feel they could trade with or invest in Kurdistan can contact Ian and he will connect them with the relevant authorities.

The art of homelessness

23 Nov 2011
As winter deepens, Ian asks us to spare a thought for those without a roof over their heads and support those who are doing their utmost to expose this scandal.
He writes about James McNaughton, a 20 year old social activist and former homeless person, who lives in Gateshead.

Valuing union reps

16 Nov 2011
Ian this week is praising the mostly unsung work of union reps.
He says this is one of the biggest armies of volunteers whose work saves millions by cutting working days lost to injury and illness, avoiding employment tribunal cases, encouraging the take-up of training and improving productivity.

Movember moustache for Mearns

3 Nov 2011
Ian is growing a moustache for Movember.
MPs will become 'Mo Bros' and sport moustaches this month to boost awareness of killer diseases such as Prostate Cancer. The campaign aims to raise awareness of such diseases from which too many men needlessly die for want of making sure they understand the symptoms.

The reality of the cuts

2 Nov 2011
Ian writes this week about the reality of the cuts as faced by one Gateshead woman. Ian with Anna Mace

Anna Mace who is profoundly disabled, is one of a growing number of individual disabled people who are paying a high price for the destructive behaviour of the banks and a Government who are clearly making disproportionate cuts to councils in the North.

Helping small firms grow

26 Oct 2011
Ian has shown his commitment to helping small firms by undertaking an Industry Fellowship to broaden his knowledge.
He also outlines a series of measures that would help small firms and stimulate jobs and growth in the hard hit North-East.

Marching for Hardest Hit

24 Oct 2011
Ian has been on the march to defend people living with disabilities.
He attended the Hardest Hit Campaign rally on Saturday, where he marched with many disabled people from the Bigg Market to the Monument.

Deficit plan 'strangling our economy'

19 Oct 2011
The government's insistence on the deficit reduction plan to exclusion of all else is making the North-East suffer disproportionately, writes Ian.
He points out the discrepancies between north and south in spending cuts and says it is quite clear we are not all in this together.

Defending the community

28 Sep 2011
Ian writes he is more determined than ever to defend Gateshead against harsh austerity.
Following a visit to Palintest he stresses the importance of such businesses and after a visit to Gateshead Dementia Forum he sees how the voluntary sector is under real threat despite the 'Big Society'.

Congratulations to 'improved company'

19 Sep 2011
Ian has welcomed the news that a Gateshead company has been shortlisted in a national awards scheme.
Palintest has been shortlisted as one of the most improved companies in the UK under the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2011.

Paying for a fair and civilised society

7 Sep 2011
Ian writes this week about taxation.
He argues that there should be a balance between taxation and wealth creation, and points out the high cost of low tax.

Davey in demand

4 Feb 2012
New Energy Secretary Ed Davey is in demand from MPs, including Ian.
Ian wants Mr Davey to look again at feed in tariffs for solar power which is putting many Tyneside jobs under threat.

Scrap cash for scrap

26 Jan 2012
Ian is backing moves to stop scrap metal dealers from paying cash to people who bring them scrap metal.
The aim is to stop the epidemic of metal thefts which cause chaos on the rail system, heartbreak for families when name tablets are ripped from memorials and damage electrical equipment when the grid is attacked.

Ian tested for sweetness

25 Jan 2012
Ian joined volunteers from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Bayer and Novo Nordisk to raise awareness of the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the UK yesterday (Tuesday 24 January).
He attended a diabetes testing event in Parliament following on from the success of World Diabetes Day held last November. He had a diabetes test and met with healthcare professionals at a special event in Westminster to find out more about the disease.

Ian Mearns MP supports the International Diabetes Federation in raising awareness of diabetes in Parliament

Plain packs for tabs

18 Jan 2012
Ian has pledged his support for a campaign to protect children and young people by putting tobacco in plain, standardised packaging.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) are urging the government to put all cigarettes in plain packs with no attractive colours. Evidence shows young people find current packaging more attractive and the health warnings have less impact than on plain packs.

Ian Mearns MP poses in Westminster with a mock-up of how plain cigarette packs could look in the UK.

Work experience for young people

17 Jan 2012
Ian has taken a bold initiative trying to help young people into work.
He is now compiling a directory of employers who are taking part following a business breakfast Ian hosted at Gateshead Civic Centre on Friday.

Gary Thompson the Managing Director of C2M and Martin McDonnell from Economic Development in Gateshead Council with Ian (right)

Concern over breast implants

11 Jan 2012
Ian has tackled the Health Secretary about the the rogue French breast implants.
He said women are worried about the different attitudes taken by governments and asked about insurance for private companies that carried out these procedures.

East Coast upgrade needed

9 Jan 2012
Amid the discussions around High Speed rail, Ian says the East Coast main line should be upgraded.
He points out that the first phase of High Speed only goes as far as Birmingham, and it could be decades before the North-East sees any benefit.

Mick has experience

6 Jan 2012
Ian has said the Gateshead Council leader Mick Henry has the talent and experience required to be Northumbria's first elected police commissioner.
But he adds that this is an issue the party would need to discuss. The new commissioner would replace the current police authority and is a scheme being brought in by the coalition government.

East Coast fare rise not justified

21 Dec 2011
Ian has hit out at planned average 5.9% rail fare rises.
He says that the publicly owned East Coast already is highly profitable and is simply being told by government to hike the fares.

North-East jobless now worst in UK

15 Dec 2011
As unemployment continues to rise, Ian says he thinks it will get even worse.
In the three months to October 12,000 jobs in the North-East went and at 11.7%, the region's jobless rate is the worst in the country and the worst since John Major was PM.

Rail boss lets the plane take the strain

11 Dec 2011
Ian has condemned the payment, ultimately by the taxpayer, for flights from Scotland to London by an East Coast rail director.
Commercial director Peter Williams was paid over £1400 for seven flights from Glasgow to London instead of using the trains he helps manage.

East Coast - not good enough for its own bosses?

Ian comes clean over prostate cancer

7 Dec 2011
Ian is once more clean shaven after backing a quirky campaign to help raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer during the month formerly known as November.
He is one of fourteen MPs from across the three main parties who have been growing and nurturing moustaches over the month to support Movember - which aims to change the face of men's health by raising awareness of prostate cancer and other men's heath issues.

Up to our necks in it

30 Nov 2011
Ian says that in the North-East the impact of the Government's failure has been, and will be, enormous.
In a Commons speech on the government's economic policy he added that while the 12 least deprived authorities in England have suffered cuts of around £5 per head of population, Gateshead has lost £88 per head, and the 12 authorities in the North-East have lost an average of £84 per head in expenditure, so no one on the Government Bench should dare to come out with the usual mantra of "We're all in this together." It is clear that if we are all in this together, some are dipping their toes and some are in up to our necks.

Solar power job losses

30 Nov 2011
Ian has hit out at the government's decision to arbitrarily and at very short notice change the feed in tariffs from solar panel installations.
He foresees the loss of hundreds of jobs in Gateshead and in excess of 10,000 jobs in the industry nationwide.

Christmas Card Competition Winner

28 Nov 2011
The winner of Ian Mearns' 2011 Christmas Card competition, Aniyra Chan, has been presented with her prize by Ian.
The presentation took place at NB GROUP, Team Valley where the cards will be printed, finished and distributed. Aniyra, from St Joseph's Primary School RCVA, was presented by Brian Waites, Managing Director of NB GROUP, with the card's first issue hot off the press, and a specially printed mug featuring Aniyra's design. Ian also handed over a voucher for Eldon Square and the Metro Centre

Ian, Aniyra Chan and Brian Waites with the winning design.

Town's impending housing crisis

21 Nov 2011
Ian has called on the Housing Minister to take action to prevent a crisis in Gateshead's housing.
In the Commons, Ian said that an estimated 6000 households will be forced to seek alternative accommodation when the housing benefit changes kick in and asked the government for more than the £68,000 new homes bonus.

Praise for role of carers

18 Nov 2011
Ian has praised the valued contribution of unpaid carers
He was guest speaker today at the Gateshead Carer's Association Annual General Meeting. It is a registered charity that supports carers living and working in Gateshead. It is estimated that there are between 21000 and 25000 carers living in Gateshead.

Call for probe into nurse's sacking

10 Nov 2011
Ian Mearns and John Mcdonnell MP are both calling for a parliamentary investigation into the actions of the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust after a judge slammed the trust after it used hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money deliberately to defy a court order.
Yunus Bakhsh, a mental health nurse with the trust, won over £100,000 from the trust for unlawful sacking, disability discrimination and their defiance of a court order to reinstate him.

Legion needed back in Gateshead

9 Nov 2011
Ian is looking for support to re-establish the Royal British Legion in central Gateshead.
As Remembrance Day approaches, Ian is urging everyone to wear a poppy and acknowledge the tremendous work of the Royal British Legion which is 90 years old and whose mission is to stand shoulder to shoulder with all who serve.

Final push to drop the Health Bill

9 Nov 2011
Ian is urging patients, professionals and the people to call a halt to a health system increasingly dominated by a postcode lottery.
He is backing a campaign to persuade the Government to drop its controversial Health and Social Care Bill which means the withdrawal of national standards and some people will have to go private or wait much longer.

Backing for Robin Hood

2 Nov 2011
Ian showed his support for the Robin Hood Tax campaign today.
He is calling on David Cameron to back a tax on financial transactions at this week's G20 summit in Cannes.

Ian with John Hemming MP and Ronnie Campbell MP with 'Robin Hoods' at Westminster

Walking for Heroes

31 Oct 2011
Ian has gone the extra mile - ten in fact - to help raise money for our heroes.
On Saturday, he joined a 10 mile walk along the Tyne from Baltic Square to Scotswood Bridge on the Gateshead side and then over Scotswood bridge and back to Baltic square walking on the Newcastle side (but finishing in Gateshead).

Ian (left), Phil Wilson MP and Kevan Jones MP (right) after the walk, suitably attired.

Screaming at greed

31 Oct 2011
Ian has vowed to scream when he hears the words "we are all in this together" from the government benches.
This comes in a letter to The Guardian in which he attacks the 'eye watering' 50% pay rises of top directors while others see pay frozen and reducing in real terms.

Making a difference with Marie

29 Oct 2011
Ian spent this morning helping out at the Marie Curie shop in Low Fell.
He volunteered as part of the Marie Curie Cancer Care 'Making a Difference Day' at the shop in Durham Road where he dressed two mannequins, served customers and chatted to the volunteers in the store.

Ian with volunteers at the Low Fell Marie Curie shop

Brave Anna takes action

24 Oct 2011
Anna Mace, who lives in Gateshead, has taken her own action against cutbacks to disability benefits.
On Friday Anna, who is profoundly disabled, got a visit from Ian because she produced a petition which due to her efforts gained over 350 signatures.

Gateshead people 'willing to work'

19 Oct 2011
Ian has said that people in Gateshead and the North-East are willing to work but are being prevented by government spending cuts.
He was speaking after the shock announcement that Allied Bakeries was to close their Kingsmill plant on Team Valley with the loss of 100 jobs.

North-East paying the price

12 Oct 2011
Ian has hit out at the way in which government policy is unfairly impacting the North-East.
He pointed out in a Commons speech that we have yet to see a single penny of the regional growth fund being spent in any company in the North-East of England and that the spending cuts were sucking money, spending power and potential demand out of the economies of regions such as the North-East.

Economic 'perfect storm'

12 Oct 2011
Good government doesn't stand aside but uses its powers to unlock our people's talents and encourage private and public organisations to work together.
So writes Ian in this week's press article, in which he states his fears that a further recession plus the effect of the Euro's problems and the lack of credit for business are all adding up to a 'perfect storm' in the economy.

Cities, service and soldiers

5 Oct 2011
In his press article this week, Ian touches on all these subjects.
Having been in Liverpool for the party conference, he notes the regeneration of many cities in recent years, Ed Miliband's support of consumer rights and the better investigation of military deaths.

Clear blue water

27 Sep 2011
Ian has praised Ed Miliband's speech to the Labour conference.
He said that the ideas that the leader had set out would resonate with voters and showed there was 'clear blue water' between Labour and the Tories.

Ministers must make Metro move

26 Sep 2011
Ian has urged ministers to make a move to prevent a strike on the Metro.
The RMT union is to ballot its members over strike action over pensions and talks are to be held this week, but Ian thinks the government should help bring about a settlement.

Women bearing the brunt

21 Sep 2011
Ian writes this week of how women are bearing a disproportionate share of the hardships.
He says it makes a mockery of the government's claim that 'we are all in this together' and what is needed is an economic strategy that can make a real difference rather than gimmicks that make marginal differences.

Recognise Palestine

16 Sep 2011
Palestine should be recognised and admitted to the UN according to a cross-party group of MPs including Ian.
He said that Northern Ireland has shown us that deep seated political differences can be subject to compromise and reconciliation.

Health Service no longer National

14 Sep 2011
Ian writes this week of his grave concerns about the break-up of the National Health Service.
He says the loss of governmental control on standards and treatments will lead to the service no longer being national but hands control to hundreds of local commissioning groups and cannot guarantee patients a universal service.

It's up to the voters

13 Sep 2011
Ian has commented on the proposals for a radical redrawing of constituency boundaries.
He was heavily critical of the Boundary Commission for England which drew up the plans but would not comment on his personal situation.

Blocking illegal methadone sales

7 Sep 2011
Ian is taking action to stop the illegal sale of prescribed methadone.
He is tabling a commons motion and seeking a meeting with the Health Minister to stop the problem which arises because those on the programme are supervised during the week but not at weekends and some users have been selling the prescribed drug with fatal consequences for some.

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