It's moving in the right direction. It was in decline under the previous administration.

In a sense, what we do with the regional development agencies is to give them resources to look at the deficiencies in the economy in the regional areas, so they can address themselves to that.

What we are beginning to witness is a whole new set of rules for economics, based on rationing resources.

If you look at Newcastle or Gateshead, even over twenty years, even with the previous administration, it has moved quite remarkably in transforming itself.

I've gone through that with my mother and father and here I was in a similar situation. I've wronged her and I've wronged the family. Because when these things happen, it doesn't just happen to you, it happens to the people around you and the family.

My roots, my background and the way I act is working class, but it would be hypsocritical to say I'm anything else than middle class now.

I can tell you I'm pretty middle-class.