"Labour need to ask the question, not ‘what’s a party like NIP doing eroding our vote?’ but ‘why are parties like NIP forming?’"

Raoul Walawalker is a freelance journalist.

Unheard of before October, the Northern Independence Party (NIP) morphed from what seemed a fairly light-hearted movement on social media to what’s now a genuine political presence – boosted by news that it positioned third in a poll for the Hartlepool by-election next week.

Since the Survation poll a few week ago, membership is ‘going through the roof,’ helped by a surge of media interest and news that Thelma Walker, former Labour MP for Colne Valley, is representing NIP in the by-election.

“We’ve taken some criticism because of the light-hearted approach on social media,” said Thelma Walker. “But what we’ve actually been doing is engaging with the younger generation, at first, especially.”

Walker pointed out a key aspect of NIP’s campaigning is over the imbalance in North-South spending and investment, but generational divide is another main area it wants to address.

“It’s also about what young people are being denied in terms of affordable housing and free education, and also student debt,” she said. “It’s resonated and is really getting traction.”

Reaching out to younger voters in this way is a gesture Walker contrasts with the traditional campaigning of the Conservatives and Labour, familiar PR routines she calls out as ‘staged, manufactured, dated.’

 “You know, the pointing out to sea, eating an ice cream on the front, men, predominantly in suits. It’s all very establishment,” she said. “The difference is our campaign is led by fairly youthful, fairly inexperienced activists.  It’s a fresh approach and energy. And one thing I feel is now back is ‘euphoria’ – some of which we had in 2017, with the manifesto we had with Jeremy Corbyn.”

Walker was a well-known figure on Labour’s Left until last year, and a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn. And while acknowledging that NIP’s title would imply a principally separatist agenda, she explains that it’s mainly NIP’s underlying values – its commitment to ‘democratic socialism and progressiveness’ – that she’s embraced; values she feels Labour can no longer claim to represent.

“I was genuine about wanting to support Keir Starmer when he was elected leader because it was the right thing to do,” said Walker. “And he stood on ten pledges. And one after another those pledges were broken.”

“But I’m at peace with myself,” she added. “Because each day, when I see what Labour is doing, I just think, ‘No, I did the right thing.’”

Independence – a long-term goal

Regarding independence, Walker likens aspects of the North’s drive for self-determination to that of SNP, but accepts it would be a very long-term goal.

“It’s independence from Westminster, really,” she said, “which I suppose you could say is the same as the SNP. But it can actually be a bit of a diversion. I mean, independence would be way, way along the road.

“For me, this is about federalism, regionalism and localism. What I want to do is to work to take control from Westminster, because if you look at the power that Westminster holds, it’s more than any other developed country in the world.”

She added, “If NIP does nothing else, it’s getting that message out about how the Northern regions have suffered under the lack of investment, lack of support, lack of their ability to run their own local economy.”

Democratic socialism in the North

The by-election in Hartlepool was prompted last month by the resignation of Labour MP Mike Hill following allegations of sexual harassment. The town has voted Labour for sixty years, but has more recently seen its Labour voter base eroded and seduced by Nigel Farage – as many as 70 percent voted for Brexit.

A question presented to Walker is whether NIP’s democratic socialism principles aren’t consciously sailing against these recent winds.

“Well, I think that it is true to say that many people in the North felt that their vote had been taken for granted, not just the last few years, but for decades,” she said. “And I think that’s what makes the current Labour policy of wrapping themselves in the flag and this nationalistic stuff quite insulting to people in the North.

“The rot has been setting in with Labour with the Northern vote for a number of years now. Labour have got to remember they lost four consecutive elections. We’ve had people parachuted into Northern seats, who have not in any way understood their local communities. Labour have taken for granted those Northern votes. This was played on by UKIP and the Brexiteers and the Tories.”

She added, “Many Northern people said, ‘do not take my vote for granted, look at our forgotten town, look at the lack of investment, what are you doing to change it?’ I will have a voice, I will look for alternatives.”

Splitting the vote?

With the next week’s by-election seen as a close call, with the Conservatives slightly ahead of Labour, NIP refute a not uncommon charge of possibly splitting the vote, highlighting that the chances of backing Labour have been weakened further by the politics and questionable background of Labour’s latest ‘parachuted-in’ candidate – Dr Paul Williams.

Neither Williams nor Labour support a 15 percent rise for nurses, Walker points, emphasising just how much financial pressure local nurses face and challenging his ‘centre-Left’ representation given his background details.

“[Williams] was a commissioner when Hartlepool lost its A&E a few years ago,” she added. “He’s also been part of these Integrated Care Proposals, which are based on the American health care model. He’s an apologist for the Saudi regime, and there’s the questionable social media posts. It’s all unacceptable to me.”

Little is inspiring about Labour just now, according to Walker, who said, “There’s been a political vacuum that Labour has been currently unable to fill, and people are voting their feet.”

She added: “What we’re doing is getting the voice of truth and true socialism out there and the voice of the North, and speaking out against inequality in the North-South divide. So I think Labour need to ask the question, not ‘what’s a party like NIP doing eroding our vote?’ But ‘why are parties like NIP forming?’”

Editor: In response to claims about defending Saudi Arabia, Dr Williams has previously said it was “important for MPs to hear both sides of an argument”.

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