Tony Blair is on the rise and, among the dyed-in-the-wool socialists of the north-east, things can only get bitter. The New Labour values of moderation, delivered with a metropolitan PR sheen, sit uneasily with the ex-miners who manned the picket lines in defiance of Thatcherism. To the working-class campaigners, this new brand of leadership looks pallid and suspiciously southern.
But it is not all bad news. On the football field, Newcastle United stand a serious chance of Premier League victory under the management of Kevin Keegan. While politics are in flux, King Kev brings the promise of triumph.
