A FEW years ago people at Thornaby produced a local history booklet. Its elegaic title, Remember Thornaby, mirrored the sad fact that the town, on the south bank of the Tees opposite Stockton, had somehow lost its identity.

The former "Stockton" Racecourse was at Thornaby. Built on reclaimed industrial land in a Thornaby bend of the Tees, the new Durham University college, was described as being in Stockton until locals kicked up a fuss.

But Stockton, part of historic Durham, still dominates Thornaby's postal address, though Thornaby's Yorkshire credentials include strong connections with the Earls of Harewood, who owned land there. Yes, Thornaby deserves to be "remembered".

Still striving for recognition, Thornaby has coupled its fight with a crusade to save another feature that perhaps qualifies for a "Remember" tag: Remember the Ridings. For tomorrow night (The Five Lamps Centre, 7.30pm) enthusiasts for Thornaby, a portal of the ancient North Riding, host a meeting aimed at putting these old boundaries back on the map.

This is a campaign that everyone proud of their birthright should wish well. For the restored Ridings - North, East and West - would surely anticipate the nationwide restoration of the traditional county boundaries, still widely mourned.

In Cleveland, however, suggestions for re-affirming the old boundaries are seen by some councillors and business leaders as challenging the district's own identity.

It's worth noting, therefore, that Lancashire County Council has just erected West Riding boundary signs in areas shunted into Lancashire under the local government changes of 1974.

Born on the Yorkshire side of the Tees, I always felt a sense of homecoming when I saw the large North Riding signs that formerly greeted travellers on the south bank of the Tees at Yarm. I can't recall a sign ever standing at Thornaby.

Now is the time to erect one: Thornaby-on-Tees, NORTH RIDING. And if it heralds the rebirth of Cumberland, Westmorland, historic Durham and the rest, who, apart from a few misguided figures on Teesside, will not cheer?

Using a so-called "arousal monitor", a device that measures electrical reaction at the fingertips, scientists have discovered that peers and MPs become more excited by pictures of Margaret Thatcher than images of scantily-clad models. Their conclusion is that Maggie is more of a turn on for the politicos.

Oh, I don't know. The monitor would register a pretty excited reaction in my fingertips, but it would have absolutely nothing to do with sex appeal.

Why do Tony Blair and Gordon Brown keep insisting Britain can't afford to fund a "living" pension? As a proportion of our national wealth, the amount spent on pensions by Britain - 5.1 per cent - is second-lowest in Europe to Ireland, and is much lower than most other nations - Belgium 9.6 per cent, Germany 10.3 per cent, Finland 12.1 per cent, Italy 14.2 per cent.

Excluding Greece and Luxembourg, for which figures aren't available, Britain is the only country planning to spend less by 2030. Justify this, Blair and Brown.

Betty Boothroyd's decision to quit the Speaker's chair just a year before the General Election, has always looked a bit odd. It looks odder with her intention to serve in the Lords.

But there's a slight snag in Betty's elevation to the Lords. Betty regards her Christian name as a trademark. She wants to be Lady Betty Boothroyd, which goes against protocol. Hang that, say I, but am also staggered by Betty's stand. Remember, she's a Labour MP. Obviously vanity, like the other deadly sins, runs across party lines.

Harry Mead: www.thisisthenortheast.co. uk/news/mead.html