T.Dan Smith - Flawed Visionary...But Was He Right?

[JKKne]

Former Trotskyist, Mr Newcastle himself and brought down by his trust in experts.

T.Dan Smith is probably the North Easts' most famous politician of all time (you can't count Blair as he isn't from the Region, and Milburn/Mandelson/Byers and Mallon are nobodies)

I did some research for a paper a few years back and spoke to a number of local people and councillors and asked them to name a visionary, an inspirational person who saw the same future for Newcastle as them...they all said T.Dan Smith

For whatever you think of him, T.Dan had a number of outlandish dreams --

1) A dedicated retail centre with full pedistrianised areas(Eldon Square/Monument/Northumberland St

2) A learning quarter of the city (Newcastle & Northumbria Universities and the new in development Great North Museum and Library)

3) A leisure and arts culture centre (The Quayside and Laing)

4) A cafe culture (achieved notably in Grey St)

5) To create a St James Park that would be a focus of the city (it is the citys most prominent building from all approaches)

6) Creation of a region or city state (Got as close to a referendum but never achieved)

7) Every north east region to have a Mayor (Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and South Tyneside have them now)

Maybe he was just guessing lucky, Smith was from an era of politics that said 'don't you worry your head, I know whats best for you' and maybe he was misguided but it would be wrong to dismiss him simply as a crook.

 

[Spion]

Was this inspired by last night's BBC3/4 documentary? I've taped it for later (exciting life I lead, I know)

 

[zoltan]

have you read the White room By Martyn Waites ? Hes done a few Newcastle based thrillers, but I think the white room is the one that delves into T Dan smith ....Im not sure whether this influenced or was influenced by "Our Friends in the North" but a good, if depressing read all the same ...........

memorable if you're a geordie

 

[Belushi]

I watched the doco last night and it did strike me from the footage they showed that T. Dan Smith for all his faults certainly did have an accurate vision of the post-industrial future, particularly of the importance of tourism and the arts for Newcastles economy.

 

[JKKne]

It was inspired by the end of Our Friends In the North and the Timeshift Doco last night.

I've friends in London, who I remember when they first came to Newcastle, around 95, at the start of the self labelled renaissance, and they were amazed at what they said was 'the pretty city'. I believe Grey St was voted Britains favourite street by Radio 4, it is very nice.

Smith did demolish a lot of Grainger Town for the eldon square development (incidentally, the rebuild of Eldon Square will be very much in Grainger style) and build some hideous concrete stuff...but thats what the style of the time was

Smith was indeed a visionary, and you can't help but think with a steady hand he could have been so much more.

Its always amazed me, the popularity of 21st Century Newcastle, and its reputation, its come from nowhere but then again, its always been there

 

[HackneyE9]

Hmmm. What was the documentary like? And, for the uninitiated, what was the crook bit to him?