We were touring England and like Bridlington, Jarrow was on my itinerary and we stayed near to this train stop. I oft say in my reviews that travelling through England is a living history. I have particular interest in social history in the western world and in the UK in particular: the working poor who subside the rich, friendly societies, co-op movements and trade unions. For those who don't know it, the trade unions begot the British Labour Party. From its creation 104 years ago to today the British Labour Party has been a government for 25% of time and the nasty party - the Conservatives - 75%. In that time, 123 years, up to 2023 the UK has had six Labour prime ministers yet the tories had five in 13 years between 2010 and 2023. l was brought up on the proletarian left, and I remain there. The fair go for the workers is fundamental to me. I don't believe the free market has a mind. On privatisation: The idea that for instance Britain's fantastic public broadcasting system, the BBC, for all its drawbacks and one of the country's greatest institutions--was bound to be improved by being subjected to the conditions of a free market: I have no difficulty in recognising that notion as politically illiterate. But for some reason a lot of people did have difficulty in realising that it was economically illiterate too. So why Jarrow. It was decimated by the Tories in employment terms (mostly shipbuilding) starting in 1933. The Tories also decimated coal mining in the 1970's and "80's. They follow dogma and they care less about destroying the social fabric of the working poor knitted into communities over 100's of years, after all it's mostly the poor that are adversely affected by their and as social history repeatedly proves, they don't matter to Tories. Jarrow was the home of the Venerable Bede, the town that first manufactured armour - plating, the first modern cargo ship, the first Iron screw collier and was the starting point of the Jarrow March to London against unemployment in 1936. Then Jarrow Member of Parliament (MP) Ellen Wilkinson wrote about these events in her book The Town That Was Murdered (1939). It was murdered alright by Tories. While some doubt has been cast by historians as to how effective events such as the Jarrow March actually were there is some evidence that they stimulated interest in regenerating 'distressed areas'. In August 2014 a group of mothers from Darlington organised a march from Jarrow to London to oppose the Tory privatisation of the NHS. The march in September 2014 saw 5,000 march to Downing Street to be ignored by the Tory government. Sadly in 2024 Jarrow is as relatively poor today as it was 88 years ago. Their supermarkets today collect food for food banks in the world's fifth richest country. Why Bridlington; well that's where the Bridlington Principles were drawn up; a set of rules aimed at resolving conflicts among trade unions. in the UK. The principles form the Trades Union Congress (TUC) code of practice that unions in England and Wales must adhere to as a condition of continued affiliation. The history is incredible. read more

Jarrow Metro station - Station - Metro Stations Near Me