Happy Easter from the NIP!

Chag Sameach to all in the North!

🏳️‍⚧️ Happy Transgender Day of Visibility to all of our trans members and supporters! 🏳️‍⚧️

Work to start on Sunderland Spanish Civil War memorial Artist Rob MacDonald hopes the Sunderland community will help carve cobbles for the monument's base.

This project is a great way of showing international solidarity and highlighting a lesser known historical link to the Spanish Civil War.

Librarians are experts who should be trusted and supported to do their jobs, not punished just because a headmaster saw a book they don't like.

School book banning escalates in the UK as Greater Manchester secondary school censors scores of books - Index on Censorship A school librarian faced a disciplinary hearing and scores of books were removed from her school library after she stocked Laura Bates’ Men Who Hate Women

This story of over 100 books being removed from a school library is an outrageous restriction of young people's ability to access information & culture in a safe and supported environment.

🌙 Eid Mubarak to all in the North! 🌙

Why Northern Independence is necessary Should the North devolve from Westminster?

This is a great introduction to the North/South divide and why independence is the answer. Perfect for sharing with friends and family who are curious about why it's important.

For International Women's Day we want to share the work done by historians at Newcastle University to uncover the history of Northern women fighting for change throughout the UK.

Shattered dreams: Why the battle for Sunderland’s glass centre has turned into a political flashpoint Custodian University of Sunderland says renovation costs of £45m are too high and building must be pulled down. Not without a fight, say locals, who believe they’re being taken for fools

Sunderland shouldn't lose an important cultural centre because the government won't fund universities properly.

If the University of Sunderland can't keep it open, then the community should get to decide what happens.

Fantastic to see people in Gorton and Denton stand against hate and division. We're all better off for showing that hopeful politics can win.

And Muslims not voting for right wing parties that have instigated and fanned the flames of Islamophobia isn't a grand conspiracy, it's perfectly reasonable.

Advance UK - Nick Buckley

“I want local people making the decisions that affect them and their families. I suppose I want a type of devolution, but not the way we currently do it, which pits regions against each other.”

Rejoin EU - Joseph O'Meachair

“the North requires some form of regional government to access and use the regional development funds available through the EU, but only if we are members.”

Libertarian Party - Dan Clarke

“I believe that if there is significant devolution to the North, where As much devolution as possible is done, [...] then living standards, industry, jobs etc will significantly improve and be in line with standards down south.”

SDP - Sebastian Moore

“I am in favour of the greatest level of decentralisation possible because I know that the people closest to an area are best placed to make the decisions.”

We asked candidates in the Gorton & Denton by-election these questions:
1. What would you do to address the North/South divide if elected to parliament?
2. What are your views on devolution in the North?

We wanted to know what candidates in tomorrow's by-election think about the North/South divide. Here are excerpts from the responses we received, if a party or candidate isn't listed here then they didn't reply to us.

Manchester Women's Institute to fold after members quit over new trans rules 'This was not a decision taken lightly'

It was never about 'protecting women', women overwhelmingly stand with the trans community.

Now Manchester and Sheffield have lost spaces for women because the WI has imposed anti-trans rules that the membership didn't want.

Source: www.theguardian.com/money/2026/j...

Join Join the Northern Independence Party Today

The delay to the introduction of the Decent Homes Standard is more proof that Labour don't care about renters.

The North can do better than waiting around for Westminster to start caring. Join us www.freethenorth.co.uk/join

www.freethenorth.co.uk/join

A map showing NPR plans from 2017, it contains new high speed rail lines connecting Liverpool to Leeds via Bradford.

A map showing NPR plans from 2025, the only new high speed lines are between Manchester and Marsden.

So Labour's big plan for improving rail travel in the North is a watered down version of the Tories plans from 2014.

This is embarrassing, the North knows how to fix its own railways. We just need Westminster out of the way.

Ramadan Mubarak to all in the North!

Happy year of the Fire Horse to all celebrating Lunar New Year!

What is ground rent and how are leasehold rules changing? Ground rents will be capped as part of wider plans to overhaul the leasehold system in England and Wales.

Capping ground rent is a fine idea, but it does nothing to address high private rents or service charges.

We need proper rent controls and high-quality social housing, not just tinkering with a system that doesn't work.

On Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember the 6mn Jewish people and millions of others murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators.

Happy new year!

🎄 Merry Christmas to all celebrating across the North! 🎄

Further delays to the Leeds-Bradford tram are beyond farcical. How long are we supposed to wait for the kind of infrastructure the rest of Europe (and London!) takes for granted?

Lets get Westminster out of the way and sort this ourselves.

❄️ Happy Winter Solstice to all who celebrate! ❄️