Columnists

From: Tim Hunter, Farfield Avenue, Knaresborough.

AS DONCASTER and the rest of South Yorkshire remain on flood alert following a torrid week of weather, there is one glimmer of hope on the horizon – and that is the decision to back the latest expansion of the area’s airport.

THE first and toughest lesson to learn about politics is that most people have little interest in politics.

FOR the last four years, I have had the privilege of representing Richmond in the House of Commons. Being an MP – being given the chance to serve – is the honour of a lifetime.

THERE IS, believe it or not, one aspect of policy where there is a degree of unanimity in this fractious election – each of the main parties agree that the NHS is in urgent need of extra financial resources.

WHEELCHAIR racer Hannah Cockroft’s 12th world title is particularly meritorious because it eclipses the 11 world championship gold medals won by Usain Bolt – widely regarded as the greatest athlete ever.

FLOODING is something I would not wish on anyone. Having your home destroyed by a force you can do nothing to stop is one of the worst things that can happen – particularly just a month from Christmas.

FOR taxpayers across Yorkshire, this election has got off to a depressing start.

BORIS Johnson’s belated visit to the flood-stricken areas of the Don Valley yesterday was welcome, even if he struggled to convince sceptical residents that the Government had not been guilty of doing too little, too late to help them during this ‘national emergency’.

LONG-SUFFERING passengers on Northern’s rail services will not be in the least bit surprised by the latest woeful figures on punctuality. They know better than anybody the annoyance and inconvenience caused by the delays which are a feature of their daily commute.

AT this time of year, as the sun slides away by late afternoon, I often take solace in the past. I pick up my ongoing family tree research. It’s my way of connecting to the thrum of the seasons and also, reminding myself to count my blessings.

BORIS JOHNSON’S reputation in these parts had already sunk to a new low before his belated election visit to flood-hit South Yorkshire as the political and meteorological storm clouds again coalesce over the devastated Don Valley.

THE backing for HS2 revealed in the leaked initial draft of the independent report into its future is excellent news for our region, not least because it lays to rest speculation that the Yorkshire leg would be abandoned on cost grounds.

THE announcement of a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has been widely reported as a ban. It is no such thing. A moratorium imposes only a temporary halt, as the Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom made clear.

AS one privileged to pontificate in public – some would say rant – I must confess: I am a political and social liability.

THERE is a distinct sense of too little and too late about the Government’s response to the flooding in South Yorkshire which has wreaked such devastation and caused untold heartache for those affected.

WELL, Nigel Farage has listened and, whether you think he was merely bowing to the inevitable or whether this was a splendid, strategic piece of brinkmanship, he’s put country before party to save Brexit.

This week I want to tell you about Ryan. Ryan is a young man who has just started a new job. He earns £17,500 a year.

As a trained teacher, former college principal and now education director for a property development group – I have spent all my life either in or working in the education system. I’ve observed a vast number of legislative changes, initiatives and policies, but they’re rarely focused on preparing young people for careers.