Sussex Bylines was born at the beginning of August 2020. In the month of our fourth birthday, we thought that it would fascinating to take a walk down memory lane.
What were our authors writing about in 2020? What were some of the key concerns of our readers four years ago? So much has happened in the intervening period that it’s easy to forget the issues that were at the forefront of local and national news at that time. Sometimes it’s salutary to take a look back, which we do in this selection of articles published in our first few weeks.
Some of the anxieties that motivated writers to cover key issues at the time have, happily, faded into the background.
The storm clouds over the future of the Newhaven ferry appear to have dissipated. Bookings are up and the future of the line is safeguarded for some time ahead.
Plans for dualling the stretch of the A27 between Beddingham and Polegate that would have carved a swathe through the downland countryside, vehemently opposed by ex-MP Norman Baker, are almost certain to be shelved by the new government.
Other concerns are still very current, even though events have moved on. The damage caused by the Johnson government’s handling of Covid, for instance, or the hollowness of the claims made for trade deals that were supposedly going to replace our trading relationship with the EU after Brexit.
One positive example from the local political scene still stands. The ‘rainbow coalition’ created by Lewes District councillors from progressive left parties in 2020 has stayed in place, in spite of some inevitable setbacks. The model of working together across party lines offers a beacon of light to those who hope for a less tribal politics in the future.
In the meantime, come with us down memory lane…
By Ginny Smith
The Newhaven to Dieppe ferry, a subject close to our heart.
By Petra Kopp
“Lockdown gave me an opportunity to get creative in ways that I hadn’t been in a long time.”
By Harriett Willmoth
One of many articles on Covid, but in this case from one of our younger writers on what going back to university after lockdown might be like.
By Norman Baker
The first article Sussex Bylines published relating to plans for the A27, a subject we have returned to a number of times subsequently.
By Viv Griffiths
The first article by Viv Griffiths where the Tory government mention their “world-beating response” to Covid. Four years later and Viv writes about the Covid inquiry, which paints a very different picture.
By Ginny Smith
Local politics has always been a hit with our readers.
By Rick Dillon
The first article we published about migrants, a subject still very much in the headlines.
By Juliet Lodge
One of our first articles on the Brexit transition period and trade deals. Four years later and Brexit continues to suck the life out of the country, as we always kinda knew it would.
Here’s to another four years and maybe many more!
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