THE government's long-awaited Rural White Paper arrived this week with one or two good things in it (notably the market towns initiative - see our front page report).

However, there was a great deal of window dressing too and a fair bit of announcing anew initiatives which have already seen the light of day.

Of course there had to be a new idea or two. In this White Paper it was the idea of a Rural Advocate, which sounds rather nice.

This person, the chairman of the Countryside Agency, will have "direct access" to the Prime Minister, whatever that means, and will be allowed to attend the Cabinet Committee on Rural Affairs.

This is the same committee which, it was revealed last month, had only met once in the course of a year. Lots of advocacy to be done there, then.

And there is to be a national Rural Sounding Board, to be complimented by Regional Rural Sounding Boards, to "bring together a wide range of rural organisations and individuals...to inform and monitor the regional and local delivery of policy." Just what the countryside needs. Another collection of talking shops.

This government loves the idea of consultation and giving everyone a chance to have their say. It is sad that when a spontaneous and genuine eruption of grass-roots public opinion is provided - in the form of the two Countryside marches, for example - it chooses to ignore it.

Brighter than ever

OUR region's enthusiasm for Christmas illuminations is undimmed. Most towns have now got their civic lights up and switched on despite, at the time of writing, it not being the end of November.

According to a colleague who travelled by coach from the South of England this week, we are out of step with the rest of the country, or certainly the Midlands' towns the coach passed through on its way North. Luton, Leicester, Nottingham and Mansfield were all bereft of festive lights. A miserable lot aren't they?

The late show

The experts tells us that the North-East is set to spend even more this Christmas than last. It was ever thus. The people at IKEA in Gateshead certainly don't want anyone to miss the opportunity to buy Christmas presents - it is staying open until 10pm.

According to one IKEA assistant we talked to this week (at the relatively civilised hour of 7pm), the final hour after the neighbouring Metro Centre closes at 9pm is now one of their busiest. We truly are a region of shopaholics.