"Professor" Redmond's off on his holidays. Well, I suppose he's earned it. After all, playing the fawning sychophant for "Dave" Cameron must be tiring. It means that we're denied his pearls of wisdom in the Daily Ghost for a few weeks. However, there's no need to fret, David Bartlett has stepped in to fill the void, as he informs us on his, erm, blog (http://blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/dalestreetblues/2010/07/daily-post-column-walking-the.html ).
The result? A seamless continuation of the exceptional prose & insight which normally graces that column.
Bartlett looks at the Liverpool Waters debacle & tries to maintain a distinctly neutral stance on the issue (the piece, after all, is titled, "Walking the World Heritage Site tight rope"). Alas, Bartlett's high wire act comes to grief when, in attempting not to upset Peel Holdings, he goes so far as to plug its case:
"Peel, one of the biggest landowners in the North West, is seen by many as the great hope for regenerating north Liverpool -- long identified as not having benefited as much as it could or should have from the city's wider renaissance."
So Peel is "seen by many" as the catalyst for north Liverpool's regeneration, is it? If "by many", Bartlett is referring to a small clump of self-important, self-appointed experts around the vicinity of Oldham Hall Street, I suppose that's fair comment. It is, however, a distortion of the reality. The risible notion that Kirkdale, Walton & other blighted areas of the north end can be transformed by a wave of Peel's magic wand should be shoved off Bartlett's tight rope immediately. In addition, "the city's wider renaissance" is a phenomenon largely confined to the city centre itself; the leafier parts of the city's south end have always been more affluent than the north end.
As Redmond recovers from his self-promoting exertions, he can be pleased to know that Bartlett's high wire act is morphing into a clown routine.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Last Stand Against Consumer Culture
Seven Streets has an interesting piece on the Last Stand festival which takes place in Crosby Village this Saturday (http://www.sevenstreets.com/filter/last-stand-festival-crosby-sainsburys/ ) in protest against the proposed Sainsbury's store in the area. It will be three times the size of the current store. Seven Streets explains:
"The festival stems from the ABetterCrosby group, which wants Sainsbury's to develop the Village more sympathetically, pointing to two Art Deco buildings it says will be demolished to make way for the new store."
Many in Liverpool will aware of Tesco's influence in planning decisions across the city, so there's a distinct sense of deja-vu here.
The Crosby group has its own website which has been up & running since April of this year (http://www.abettercrosby.com/ ).
As the group remark on their website, the Crosby Herald was keen to present Sainsbury's plans in the best possible light earlier this month (http://www.crosbyherald.co.uk/news/crosby-news/2010/07/01/crosby-sainsbury-s-would-have-positive-impact-say-consultants-68459-26760563/ ).
Not surprising when you consider that the Herald is part of the Trinity Smoking Mirrors group.
"The festival stems from the ABetterCrosby group, which wants Sainsbury's to develop the Village more sympathetically, pointing to two Art Deco buildings it says will be demolished to make way for the new store."
Many in Liverpool will aware of Tesco's influence in planning decisions across the city, so there's a distinct sense of deja-vu here.
The Crosby group has its own website which has been up & running since April of this year (http://www.abettercrosby.com/ ).
As the group remark on their website, the Crosby Herald was keen to present Sainsbury's plans in the best possible light earlier this month (http://www.crosbyherald.co.uk/news/crosby-news/2010/07/01/crosby-sainsbury-s-would-have-positive-impact-say-consultants-68459-26760563/ ).
Not surprising when you consider that the Herald is part of the Trinity Smoking Mirrors group.
When The Cuts Hit Home
A cynical view of yesterday's delegation from Liverpool to Westminster which lobbied the Tory Education Secretary Michael Gove over the local impact of the ConDem cuts in the BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme would be that it's designed to look good in the local press. As far as effective lobbying is concerned, it's a non-starter; the government is deaf to the pleas of local authorities. Now if you were a bank or an oil firm, well, that might be different.
Among yesterday's delegation was Lib Dem councillor for Cressington ward, Paula Keaveney. Cllr Keaveney has blogged about it, downplaying the fact that her own party is just as enthusiastic about the bleeding stumps approach as the Tories (http://paulakeaveney.blogspot.com/2010/07/schools-delegation-to-london.html ).
Indeed, so keen is Cllr Keaveney to put the best possible gloss on a grim situation that she trills:
"There are two new academies --one in South Liverpool-- waiting for news about their building funding situation. They are in a slightly different situation as they weren't included in the earlier BSF announcement. The minister said we should hear about this very soon. So watch this space."
Yes, watch this space, indeed. It'll be interesting to see if Cllr Keaveney blogs in response to the likely thumbs-down message from the education department over the two academies.
Cllr Keaveney unsuccessfully stood against Warren "War Zones" Bradley for the Fib Dem leadership after the local elections. Like Bradley, she, too, is aware that the ConDem coalition spells disaster for the local party (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10573767 ).
Among yesterday's delegation was Lib Dem councillor for Cressington ward, Paula Keaveney. Cllr Keaveney has blogged about it, downplaying the fact that her own party is just as enthusiastic about the bleeding stumps approach as the Tories (http://paulakeaveney.blogspot.com/2010/07/schools-delegation-to-london.html ).
Indeed, so keen is Cllr Keaveney to put the best possible gloss on a grim situation that she trills:
"There are two new academies --one in South Liverpool-- waiting for news about their building funding situation. They are in a slightly different situation as they weren't included in the earlier BSF announcement. The minister said we should hear about this very soon. So watch this space."
Yes, watch this space, indeed. It'll be interesting to see if Cllr Keaveney blogs in response to the likely thumbs-down message from the education department over the two academies.
Cllr Keaveney unsuccessfully stood against Warren "War Zones" Bradley for the Fib Dem leadership after the local elections. Like Bradley, she, too, is aware that the ConDem coalition spells disaster for the local party (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10573767 ).
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Less Of The Gimmicks, Joe
This blog was prepared to grant Joe Anderson his honeymoon period after taking the reins from Warren "War Zones" Bradley. The Fib Dem leader, whose tenure did for Liverpool what BP did for clean beaches, got his marching orders last May & it was hoped by many that a change of leadership meant a change of culture & a change of approach. However, reading this press release from the city council (http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/News/Call_for_sites.asp ), the most charitable spin you could put on it is that muddled thinking is at work on Dale Street.
After all, no one can claim ignorance of the changed situation facing local authorities in the UK since the election (http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/may/24/cuts-local-government-loses-2bn ). Yet the council release inquires ominously, "Do you know any land or premises in Liverpool that may be suitable for development or redevelopment?"
Well, yes, I do, since you ask. There's a few monstrosities in the vicinity of the Three Graces which certainly should be redeveloped...with a wrecking ball.
If the council is thinking of areas in the city where genuine, sustainable development is urgently needed, we can all think of at least a few places off the top of our heads. More to the point, we also know they are not in the city centre. However, the notion that the council wants the people of the city to volunteer such information is downright bizarre; are the city fathers so unaware of what should be priority areas in Liverpool?
Moreover, the term "(re)development" is, of course, often employed as a euphemism for retrograde planning decisions (& Liverpool is no stranger to those over the last five or six decades).
The charitable view that muddled thinking prevails could be advanced when you consider that as a consequence of the ConDem cuts, there's as much chance of Whitehall being generous with local government as there is of Sharon Green owning up over her Facebook page. The swingeing cuts imposed by Whitehall provide the context for local government over the forseeable future. To infer otherwise is disingenuous, to say the least.
Given that reality, it would be welcome for Joe Anderson to discourage juvenile scribblers in the council's PR department from asking the people of Liverpool to do what should be the council's job. Indeed, the council release all but gives the game away about the reality facing the city as the cuts bite when it mumbles apologetically at the end of the piece, "Putting a site forward does not guarantee that the council will allocate it or support its development in the future."
Perhaps it's a local manifestation of the Big Society, you know, the idea that we can all volunteer to do basic services, as Professor Redmond's mate "Dave" Cameron urged last week.
It may seem paradoxical to some, but at a time of impending cuts, the scale of which will make the 80s look like an age of enlightenment & generosity, openness & transparency is demanded of the city council leadership. Secretive & unattributable meetings with those who have already had a malign effect on the entire city (http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2010/07/liverpool-waters-english-heritage-hold.html ) merely prolong the malaise afflicting local & national politics.
What do you say, Joe?
After all, no one can claim ignorance of the changed situation facing local authorities in the UK since the election (http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/may/24/cuts-local-government-loses-2bn ). Yet the council release inquires ominously, "Do you know any land or premises in Liverpool that may be suitable for development or redevelopment?"
Well, yes, I do, since you ask. There's a few monstrosities in the vicinity of the Three Graces which certainly should be redeveloped...with a wrecking ball.
If the council is thinking of areas in the city where genuine, sustainable development is urgently needed, we can all think of at least a few places off the top of our heads. More to the point, we also know they are not in the city centre. However, the notion that the council wants the people of the city to volunteer such information is downright bizarre; are the city fathers so unaware of what should be priority areas in Liverpool?
Moreover, the term "(re)development" is, of course, often employed as a euphemism for retrograde planning decisions (& Liverpool is no stranger to those over the last five or six decades).
The charitable view that muddled thinking prevails could be advanced when you consider that as a consequence of the ConDem cuts, there's as much chance of Whitehall being generous with local government as there is of Sharon Green owning up over her Facebook page. The swingeing cuts imposed by Whitehall provide the context for local government over the forseeable future. To infer otherwise is disingenuous, to say the least.
Given that reality, it would be welcome for Joe Anderson to discourage juvenile scribblers in the council's PR department from asking the people of Liverpool to do what should be the council's job. Indeed, the council release all but gives the game away about the reality facing the city as the cuts bite when it mumbles apologetically at the end of the piece, "Putting a site forward does not guarantee that the council will allocate it or support its development in the future."
Perhaps it's a local manifestation of the Big Society, you know, the idea that we can all volunteer to do basic services, as Professor Redmond's mate "Dave" Cameron urged last week.
It may seem paradoxical to some, but at a time of impending cuts, the scale of which will make the 80s look like an age of enlightenment & generosity, openness & transparency is demanded of the city council leadership. Secretive & unattributable meetings with those who have already had a malign effect on the entire city (http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2010/07/liverpool-waters-english-heritage-hold.html ) merely prolong the malaise afflicting local & national politics.
What do you say, Joe?
Sunday, July 25, 2010
On Song
During my stay in London last week, I came across this crude, but accurate & effective ditty about London mayor Boris Johnson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2MLyV7wsAE .
After all, let's not forget his approval of comments made by Simon Heffer in a Spectator editorial about Liverpool in the wake of Ken Bigley's murder.
After all, let's not forget his approval of comments made by Simon Heffer in a Spectator editorial about Liverpool in the wake of Ken Bigley's murder.
Friday, July 23, 2010
What Would Bobby Grant Say?
"Dave" Cameron's new best mate Professor Redmond has been moved to pen what is by his standards a semi-coherent missive via the good offices of Oldham Hall Street (http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/views/liverpool-columnists/phil-redmond/2010/07/23/phil-redmond-give-the-big-society-a-chance-to-make-a-real-difference-92534-26913829 ).
Calling himself "a natural red" (in the political rather than footballing sense), Redmond claims that, contrary to a line in Cameron's speech in Liverpool on Monday, he doesn't wish "to run the museums with volunteers."
However, he contradicts himself just a couple of short paragraphs further on when he muses:
"Could, perhaps, our volunteers help extend our existing opening hours, not cut them back, nor replace staff and, if so, perhaps offer a model for other public bodies to also extend, not reduce their services?"
Could, perhaps, someone volunteer to approach Redmond & point out that such "a model" IS tantamount to "running the museums with volunteers"?
Moreover, as Redmond knows all too well, but won't admit, the ConDem cuts mean that both opening hours & staff will be cut across the board; Redmond is guilty of intellectual dishonesty.
Incidentally, Redmond really should acquaint himself with trade union history if he thinks that "the Trade Union movement itself was founded on volunteers" & continues to rely upon them. Such a reading of history is, at best, partial &, at worst, misleading.
Meanwhile, as Redmond establishes himself as Cameron's Merseyside representative (even though he doesn't live in the region), another local effect of the ConDem cuts in the Department of Transport has been signalled with the impending cancellation of the second Mersey crossing & the electrification of the Liverpool to Manchester rail link (http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/07/23/second-mersey-crossing-and-railway-electrification-schemes-on-verge-of-collapse-92534-26914297/ ).
Perhaps we could arrange an army of volunteers to ensure both projects go ahead. What do you think, Phil?
Calling himself "a natural red" (in the political rather than footballing sense), Redmond claims that, contrary to a line in Cameron's speech in Liverpool on Monday, he doesn't wish "to run the museums with volunteers."
However, he contradicts himself just a couple of short paragraphs further on when he muses:
"Could, perhaps, our volunteers help extend our existing opening hours, not cut them back, nor replace staff and, if so, perhaps offer a model for other public bodies to also extend, not reduce their services?"
Could, perhaps, someone volunteer to approach Redmond & point out that such "a model" IS tantamount to "running the museums with volunteers"?
Moreover, as Redmond knows all too well, but won't admit, the ConDem cuts mean that both opening hours & staff will be cut across the board; Redmond is guilty of intellectual dishonesty.
Incidentally, Redmond really should acquaint himself with trade union history if he thinks that "the Trade Union movement itself was founded on volunteers" & continues to rely upon them. Such a reading of history is, at best, partial &, at worst, misleading.
Meanwhile, as Redmond establishes himself as Cameron's Merseyside representative (even though he doesn't live in the region), another local effect of the ConDem cuts in the Department of Transport has been signalled with the impending cancellation of the second Mersey crossing & the electrification of the Liverpool to Manchester rail link (http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/07/23/second-mersey-crossing-and-railway-electrification-schemes-on-verge-of-collapse-92534-26914297/ ).
Perhaps we could arrange an army of volunteers to ensure both projects go ahead. What do you think, Phil?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wanted: A Budding Bigot
Some things defy satire. So it is with Roy Greenslade's observation that The Sun is looking for a new Kelvin MacKenzie (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/jul/22/sun-journalism-education ).
Yes, Murdoch's minions are on the look-out for someone who can be a natural successor to the creature who's done for journalism what King Herod did for neo-natal care. So if you happen to know an ignorant, semi-literate, obnoxious waste of space who spreads lies about tragedies, fosters xenophobia & likes the sound of his own voice, you know what to do.
Yes, Murdoch's minions are on the look-out for someone who can be a natural successor to the creature who's done for journalism what King Herod did for neo-natal care. So if you happen to know an ignorant, semi-literate, obnoxious waste of space who spreads lies about tragedies, fosters xenophobia & likes the sound of his own voice, you know what to do.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Last Stand
Reluctant to talk &, understandably, wary of individuals arriving on the scene to ask questions, the occupants of the Peace Camp in Parliament Square were monosyllabic in their answers to my queries on Saturday evening. London mayor Boris Johnson has now obtained a court order, allowing the Metropolitan Police to clear the site any day now. Though the points they make about Iraq & Afghanistan are prettty much unarguable, they've done themselves little favours with some aspects of their stay. On Saturday the camp looked a little forlorn & bedraggled, as those surviving members of the camp, set up after an anti-war demo in May, shared food with just a handful of Central London's homeless population.
A Tale Of Two Cities
As circumstances would have it, "Dave" Cameron's Big Society speech in Liverpool (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jul/19/david-cameron-big-society-launch & http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jul/19/big-society-vanguard-communities-confusion ) coincided with a short city break for me in London (just a tube station away from Notting Hill, in fact). However, I was amused to see Professor Redmond escort "Dave" & arch-Thatcherite Eric Pickles for the benefit of the cameras.
Yes, the Big Society, indeed. As someone remarked to me in the Westminster Arms pub earlier, that phrase may well go the way of Back To Basics, as even the Daily Mail readers slowly realise that the cuts will hit them, too. The irony of a Tory Prime Minister lecturing people on the need to do more for themselves & not rely on the state in a city like Liverpool is so rich as to be obscene.
Cameron's now on his way to Washington where Obama might give him, ooh, 20 minutes.
Yes, the Big Society, indeed. As someone remarked to me in the Westminster Arms pub earlier, that phrase may well go the way of Back To Basics, as even the Daily Mail readers slowly realise that the cuts will hit them, too. The irony of a Tory Prime Minister lecturing people on the need to do more for themselves & not rely on the state in a city like Liverpool is so rich as to be obscene.
Cameron's now on his way to Washington where Obama might give him, ooh, 20 minutes.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Compare & Contrast
The good & the bad of journalism have been on display this week. The good came this evening on Channel 4 News when its irrepresible & forensic anchor Jon Snow handled millionaire Tory MP Zac Goldsmith, caught fiddling his expenses, magisterially (http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/domestic_politics/expenses+zac+goldsmith+mounts+defence/3713082 ).
Goldsmith, said to be worth a handy £20m, shamelessly tried to evade the evidence against him, claiming he had been stitched up & showed his true class by warning Snow, "You want to watch it."
Well, I was watching it & it was worthy of Paxman at his best.
The bad has been provided by Trinity Smoking Mirrors (who else?!) as they sat on the story about the farce at NML. Wayne's been ahead of them all week with the story (http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com ).
David Fleming's rank mismanagement & ineptitude at one of the blots on the Liverpool waterfront has caused some red faces on Oldham Hall Street. However, if you only read the Daily Ghost & Oldham Echo, you'd be largely oblivious to the considerable charge sheet against Fleming.
Goldsmith, said to be worth a handy £20m, shamelessly tried to evade the evidence against him, claiming he had been stitched up & showed his true class by warning Snow, "You want to watch it."
Well, I was watching it & it was worthy of Paxman at his best.
The bad has been provided by Trinity Smoking Mirrors (who else?!) as they sat on the story about the farce at NML. Wayne's been ahead of them all week with the story (http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com ).
David Fleming's rank mismanagement & ineptitude at one of the blots on the Liverpool waterfront has caused some red faces on Oldham Hall Street. However, if you only read the Daily Ghost & Oldham Echo, you'd be largely oblivious to the considerable charge sheet against Fleming.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Before The Storm Breaks
That well-worn phrase, the calm before the storm inevitably comes to mind with the publication of the latest unemployment figures (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/apr/21/unemployment-claimants-constituency-data ).
Overall, the figure is down. However, the caveat to contemplate is that there has been a growth in part-time jobs at the expense of full-time employment. It is also necessary to point out that the ConDem cuts haven't yet had time to be reflected in any statistics. Factor those in to subsequent jobless figures & you'll begin to see exponential rises in unemployment. The Guardian piece has a breakdown for each parliamentary constituency.
17.30 UPDATE: By way of clarification, I should have pointed out that these were the benefit claimant figures, not the unemployment figures, per se.
Overall, the figure is down. However, the caveat to contemplate is that there has been a growth in part-time jobs at the expense of full-time employment. It is also necessary to point out that the ConDem cuts haven't yet had time to be reflected in any statistics. Factor those in to subsequent jobless figures & you'll begin to see exponential rises in unemployment. The Guardian piece has a breakdown for each parliamentary constituency.
17.30 UPDATE: By way of clarification, I should have pointed out that these were the benefit claimant figures, not the unemployment figures, per se.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Delivering The Home Truths About Tom & George
James McKenna's stirring address at the Spirit of Shankly rally outside St George's Hall last Sunday is now on the SoS website: http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Independence-Day-Rally-Videos.html .
It is worth noting, however, that James' bluntly-expressed opinion of Chris Bascombe, ex-Liverpool FC reporter on Oldham Hall Street & now hired hack for Murdoch's News of the World, didn't make the final edit. Maybe the lawyers put in a phone call. That said, James was spot-on.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Seven Streets Refuses To Be Shanghaied
About a month ago David Bartlett was belatedly alerted to the Seven Streets website & remarked how impressed he was with it (http://blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/dalestreetblues/2010/06/check-out-this-new-website.html ).
Alas, David may now rue those words, as Seven Streets has followed the good Professor's lead (http://profchucklebuttychronic.blogspot.com/2010/06/liverpool-show-and-on-show-to-world-new.html ) & taken a sensibly dispassionate & sceptical look at the city's, erm, presence at the Shanghai Expo (http://www.sevenstreets.com/features/shanghai-expo-liverpool/ ).
Seven Streets' piece couldn't be further away from the mindless cheerleading the Daily Ghost & Oldham Echo have done for this waste of money.
Alas, David may now rue those words, as Seven Streets has followed the good Professor's lead (http://profchucklebuttychronic.blogspot.com/2010/06/liverpool-show-and-on-show-to-world-new.html ) & taken a sensibly dispassionate & sceptical look at the city's, erm, presence at the Shanghai Expo (http://www.sevenstreets.com/features/shanghai-expo-liverpool/ ).
Seven Streets' piece couldn't be further away from the mindless cheerleading the Daily Ghost & Oldham Echo have done for this waste of money.
Still Got Nick's Phone Number, Warren?
As the ConDem cuts start to bite locally (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/10518497.stm ), it's worth recalling the words of Warren "War Zones" Bradley just two months ago. Responding to concerns that the Fib Dems were going to be complicit in the axe-swinging assault on the public sector, Bradley claimed that Nick Clegg had assured him that Liverpool would be spared the sort of cuts which were the hallmark of the Thatcher years. For good measure, Bradley declared, "Social justice that Liberal Democrats believe in will be a golden vein that runs through the coalition government." (http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/05/hes-still-there-you-know.html ).
If Bradley can take a moment out of his busy schedule, & inventing excuses for Sharon Green's despicable Facebook "joke", he might like to explain to parents in the city how social justice fits in to the swingeing cuts which will affect their children's education.
If Bradley can take a moment out of his busy schedule, & inventing excuses for Sharon Green's despicable Facebook "joke", he might like to explain to parents in the city how social justice fits in to the swingeing cuts which will affect their children's education.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Spirit Of Shankly Rally
Despite the sniping & jeers, particularly from those who are in no position to pontificate, yesterday's Spirit of Shankly (http://www.spiritofshankly.com/ ) rally against the ruinous reign of Hicks & Gillett (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/10501143.stm ) has to be judged a success by any criterion. A finely-balanced event, the droll one-liners from John Bishop adding to the quips from MC Neil Fitzmaurice injected typical Scouse humour into the proceedings. The musical guests couldn't be faulted, a pugnacious Pete Wylie & an amiable John "bad hair day" Power perhaps the stand-out acts.
All, however, were trumped by the appearance of Karen Gill, Bill Shankly's granddaughter. She waited a few good minutes to speak as the crowd on St George's Plateau repeatedly sang her grandfather's name.
Any qualms about the day? Well, perhaps there were a couple of instances where the anger voiced at the lying duo was couched in terms that could have been construed as anti-American. That said, I witnessed no attempts to set the Stars & Stripes ablaze, something predicted by those content to carp & sneer from the sidelines. The event was impressively handled, organised & stewarded. The address by senior Spirit of Shankly spokesman James McKenna was perfectly judged; short, punchy points about the mess Hicks & Gillett now preside over were accompanied by a recognition that SoS' message should go beyond the ownership issue, stressing the need to regenerate the entire Anfield area. He also acknowledged the mistakes SoS made in the past which hostile media elements eagerly seized upon. Candour & transparency are just as important as organisation & planning.
Spirit of Shankly's campaign took a major step forward yesterday. Liverpool FC's chief executive Christian Purslow, who has derisively called SoS "sons of strikers", needs to recognise that.
Friday, July 02, 2010
The Team Talk Is Dead
This is how every football team should prepare for a game: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8780919.stm .
However, I can't see Roy Hodgson introducing it to the Anfield dressing room next season.
However, I can't see Roy Hodgson introducing it to the Anfield dressing room next season.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
King Of America Returns
It was good to see Elvis Costello in such fine form last night at the Philharmonic Hall. Those in the audience hoping to see him deliver the sort of set he usually delivers with his backing band The Imposters were in for a surprise. The pre-concert tape of Steve Earle at his most rustic hinted at what was to come.
Backed by the Nashville-based Sugarcanes, Costello deftly mixed old & new, throwing in a couple of covers also. Mixing New Amsterdam with Hey, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Costello told the audience he'd supported "Mr McCartney" the previous day in Hyde Park) wasn't unexpected. However, the style certainly was. Indeed, most of his older material benefitted from the six-piece Sugarcanes' backing, the guitars, fiddle, dobro, mandolin, double bass & accordion drawing out extra layers from familiar material. This was at its most startling on the one song Costello professes to dislike from his back catalogue, Everyday I Write The Book.
It seems invidious to single out any member of the Sugarcanes for specific attention, they were all impressively tight. However, Jerry Douglas on dobro was, at times, mesmeric, particularly on Shipbuilding.
Compared to previous Costello shows in what he calls "the nearest thing I have to a home town", last night's performance was light on banter. However, I did enjoy his quip, "Wayne Rooney? More like Mickey Rooney."
All in all, an excellent evening, & no-one called out for Oliver's Army or Pump It Up. Perfect.
Backed by the Nashville-based Sugarcanes, Costello deftly mixed old & new, throwing in a couple of covers also. Mixing New Amsterdam with Hey, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Costello told the audience he'd supported "Mr McCartney" the previous day in Hyde Park) wasn't unexpected. However, the style certainly was. Indeed, most of his older material benefitted from the six-piece Sugarcanes' backing, the guitars, fiddle, dobro, mandolin, double bass & accordion drawing out extra layers from familiar material. This was at its most startling on the one song Costello professes to dislike from his back catalogue, Everyday I Write The Book.
It seems invidious to single out any member of the Sugarcanes for specific attention, they were all impressively tight. However, Jerry Douglas on dobro was, at times, mesmeric, particularly on Shipbuilding.
Compared to previous Costello shows in what he calls "the nearest thing I have to a home town", last night's performance was light on banter. However, I did enjoy his quip, "Wayne Rooney? More like Mickey Rooney."
All in all, an excellent evening, & no-one called out for Oliver's Army or Pump It Up. Perfect.
Shanghai Surprise
It would be remiss of me not to hail the return of the good Professor (http://profchucklebuttychronic.blogspot.com/2010/06/liverpool-show-and-on-show-to-world-new.html ).
He's been to Shanghai as part of the local delegation & is in no doubt about the mission of the trip:
"To show once and for all that Liverpool was a great, modern premier European city with far more to offer than the tired old cliches of football and the Beatles.
"So, as the giant video screen showing a film of Paul McCartney making rude gestures with his thumbs welcomed the Chinese people that had got lost and ended up on the wrong side of the river, our Expo began.
"They crowded around the wallpaper paste table and deck chairs that was the Liverpool stand and gazed in awe at how much the city had to offer. This was depicted in the giant murals of John, Paul, George and Ringo, intersperced with photos of Googie the Liverpool Duck, Liverpool and Everton football players. There is even a wall-sized portrait of Liverpool FC with Bill Shankly in the middle! All of this and the Kop singing 'F*** off back to America' to a tune sounding similar to one from West Side Story.
"My word! There's a modern, forward-looking Liverpool. The entire stand almost 30 years out of date. Precious memories to many of us maybe, but a selling point to Chinese investors?
"Where were the Diddymen? Where was Arthur Askey?"
Where indeed, Professor.
He's been to Shanghai as part of the local delegation & is in no doubt about the mission of the trip:
"To show once and for all that Liverpool was a great, modern premier European city with far more to offer than the tired old cliches of football and the Beatles.
"So, as the giant video screen showing a film of Paul McCartney making rude gestures with his thumbs welcomed the Chinese people that had got lost and ended up on the wrong side of the river, our Expo began.
"They crowded around the wallpaper paste table and deck chairs that was the Liverpool stand and gazed in awe at how much the city had to offer. This was depicted in the giant murals of John, Paul, George and Ringo, intersperced with photos of Googie the Liverpool Duck, Liverpool and Everton football players. There is even a wall-sized portrait of Liverpool FC with Bill Shankly in the middle! All of this and the Kop singing 'F*** off back to America' to a tune sounding similar to one from West Side Story.
"My word! There's a modern, forward-looking Liverpool. The entire stand almost 30 years out of date. Precious memories to many of us maybe, but a selling point to Chinese investors?
"Where were the Diddymen? Where was Arthur Askey?"
Where indeed, Professor.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Hunt's "Gaffe" Goes Viral
Reaction to Jeremy Hunt's "gaffe" has been swift, even by the standards of the blogosphere & Twitterati. Polly Curtis, political correspondent on the Guardian, tweets that Cameron has "full confidence" in Hunt, rightly hinting that the phrase is ominous (http://twitter.com/pollycurtis ).
Hunt's issuing more mea culpas than a penitent at Lourdes. However, his position's looking just a little bit uncomfortable.
Hunt's issuing more mea culpas than a penitent at Lourdes. However, his position's looking just a little bit uncomfortable.
Caution: Fragile
They can be such sensitive souls on Oldham Hall Street. Just a short blast of reality & candour can result in pitiable bleatings. That being the case, Wayne's broadside against them earlier today (http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2010/06/liverpools-press-and-culcha-of-capital.html ) may induce a few panic attacks & anguished calls to the Samaritans.
Tory Repeats Hillsborough Libel
With the arrival of the ConDem cutters into government, it was, I suppose, only a matter of time before one of the Tory chinless wonders blurted out something which gives an insight into their mindset. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt was asked to say a few words about England's World Cup exit yesterday. However, Hunt then went a little further, saying how refreshing it was that there are no more major instances of crowd trouble, citing Heysel & Hillsborough (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/28/jeremy-hunt-hillsborough-apology ).
Yes, Hillsborough.
Had Hunt, as a government minister, taken just half an hour or so to peruse The Taylor Report, he would have been aware that Hillsborough had NOTHING to do with the problem of hooliganism.
Naturally, Hunt has realised that the PR fall-out from what is being charitably termed "a gaffe" has to be addressed. Hence his rushed apology. However, it's worth recalling that the cover-up over the tragedy went to the highest levels of the then Tory government (Thatcher & her poodle, sorry, I mean press secretary Bernard Ingham were aware of the decision by South Yorkshire Police to alter the notes of officers on duty that day). Moreover, it was a local Tory MP, Irvine Patnick, who was the source for The Sun's collective libel on the Liverpool supporters.
Perhaps Hunt's "gaffe" (makes it sound like a minor slip-up over arranging a dinner party, doesn't it?) should be seen in the context of his background. He's worth a cool £4.1m (http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2009/10/oxford-universitywealth-school ), &, like the best of the Nice, But Dim Tims the Tories can boast, his grasp of normal life can be, well, just a little tenuous at times; in another "gaffe" Hunt was found to have claimed 1p for a 12-second mobile phone call (http://www.politics.co.uk/interviews/legal-and-constitutional/the-top-ten-funniest-expenses-claims-$1305217.htm ).
Gaffes, eh? Jolly japes, as they like to say. Not so jolly when some chinless wonder who hasn't done a proper day's work in his sheltered life helps to perpetuate the smears that have hung around for 21 years.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Taking His Eye Off The Ball
In all the anguished talk about the working class before & after the election (taken to such an extent by some that it became voyeuristic), there was little said about the recreations & diversions enjoyed by working people. It's a pity that was the case. Otherwise we may have been spared the muddled, middle class drivel served up by "Marxist" academic Terry Eagleton for the Guardian's Comment is Free pages last week (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/15/football-socialism-crack-cocaine-people ).
It hardly requires someone of Eagleton's supposed IQ to appreciate that sport, football in particular, is often used as a distraction by those in authority. However, it is crass in the extreme to extrapolate from that the position that sport is inherently inimical to the interests of working class people.
Eagleton would do well to leave the cloistered environment of academia & actually talk to those fans, most of whom are working class, who've organised campaigns against the venal characters running their local clubs & have quickly acquainted themselves with the economics of football at a rate which would impress any tutor in the subject. Moreover, he would benefit from talking to a few colleagues of mine at work who are Liverpool fans as well as assiduous & politically-savvy union reps. I showed them Eagleton's piece. Their response? Let's just say they begged to differ.
It hardly requires someone of Eagleton's supposed IQ to appreciate that sport, football in particular, is often used as a distraction by those in authority. However, it is crass in the extreme to extrapolate from that the position that sport is inherently inimical to the interests of working class people.
Eagleton would do well to leave the cloistered environment of academia & actually talk to those fans, most of whom are working class, who've organised campaigns against the venal characters running their local clubs & have quickly acquainted themselves with the economics of football at a rate which would impress any tutor in the subject. Moreover, he would benefit from talking to a few colleagues of mine at work who are Liverpool fans as well as assiduous & politically-savvy union reps. I showed them Eagleton's piece. Their response? Let's just say they begged to differ.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Fickle Feelings
Tomorrow's Guardian carries the finding of an ICM poll which appears to show that most respondents favour cuts over tax increases in Osborne's ConDem cuts budget (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/21/budget-2010-guardian-icm-poll ). General opinion, however, will start to change when many of those most enthusiastically in favour of cuts find that their job/child's nursery/community centre/parents' home help, etc. is a casualty of the slash & burn approach deployed by the Tory-led coalition.
Laying The Blame At The Right Door
Seven Streets takes a look at the Cruise Terminal fiasco (http://www.sevenstreets.com/features/cruise-terminal-pier-head/ ), remarking on the absurdity of the current situation. Unarguable, of course. However, blame for the farce should be laid squarely at the feet of those most culpable, Warren "War Zones" Bradley & his Fib Dem regime, the Oldham Echo & Peel Holdings (http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/03/peels-press-gang-plan.html ).
Seven Streets remarks on the fact that ABP, owner of the Port of Southampton, is based in Jersey for tax evasion purposes. True. However, it should be noted that Peel's chief executive resides on the Isle of Man for...yes, you've guessed it.
Seven Streets remarks on the fact that ABP, owner of the Port of Southampton, is based in Jersey for tax evasion purposes. True. However, it should be noted that Peel's chief executive resides on the Isle of Man for...yes, you've guessed it.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
The Emperor's New Clothes Moment
Just imagine the frustration Big Al Machray must feel. There he sits, seeing to it that everyone sings from the same hymn sheet; everything in the garden is rosy & don't let any of those naysayers, you know, the type who write blogs that are "nasty and vindictive" (thank-you, Mark) tell you otherwise. Life in the Oldham Hall Street bubble is a case study in Orwellian groupthink. Grosvenor-pool is recession-proof, the Oldham Echo Arena is a safe place to visit, the city's waterfront has been transformed in such a stylish & tasteful way & the readers are just dying to read more articles about the Beatles, self-congratulatory pieces about "your" Echo & small-time hoodlums elevated to the level of Al Capone.
And then..... THUD.
On to his desk falls the latest Meldrewesque missive from Rex Makin. Big Al sighs, says nothing & approves the copy, knowing that to do otherwise would upset the prominent lawyer, bon viveur &, reportedly, Trinity Mirror shareholder.
Not content with pouring cold water on the parade of cooing & simpering Shanghai Expo articles last month (http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/05/home-truth-thats-little-too-close-to.html ), Rex was at it again last week with a corruscating piece about the Chinese junket (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/views/liverpool-columnists/rex-makin/2010/06/04/rex-makin-are-we-being-fed-chinese-whispers-about-chinese-expo-100252-26583656/ ):
"A prominent Chinese businessman from Liverpool has just returned from a trip to China (at his own expense) during which he visited Expo 2010, said to be more important for Liverpool than 2008.
"After visiting the centrepiece, the China Pavillion, he trekked across the Expo site, boarded a ship for a seven-minute journey across the river, faced another trek and eventually arrived at the pavillion containing Liverpool's offer. His verdict? Underwhelmed.
"While he was there a party of regional journos visited Expo in a visit organised by Liverpool Vision. Their collective impression of Liverpool's offer was most different than the independent businessman.
"The team of journalists were accompanied by a duo from a local spin company."
You can just hear the hiss of deflation from inside the Oldham Hall Street bubble, can't you?
As luck would have it, or maybe not, the same day's Daily Ghost carried an unsigned piece all about the dos & don'ts of PR (http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/business-local/tm_headline=opinion-when-a-little-bit-of-pr-is-a-little-too-much%26method=full%26objectid=26584433%26siteid=92534-name_page.html ). *
Of course, for those who leave the employ of the Ghost & Echo's owner, Trinity Smoking Mirrors, there is an overwhelming sense of demob-happy release. Marc Reeves used to be editor of Trinity title, the Birmingham Post. He reflected earlier this week on the changes wrought on papers generally by the web. His verdict? Underwhelmed. Warming to his theme, Reeves made an observation that will have Sly Bailey reaching for her drinks cabinet (http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-redundant-regional-editor-newspapers-getting-crushed-by-their-own-weigh/ ):
"Saddled by a shareholder base that had grown used to the cash cow returns of a monopoly, the regional newspaper industry in particular was structurally incapable of adopting the entrepreneurial approach that is the only option available when almost every aspect of your business model is rendered obsolete."
Still, I'm sure "a little bit of PR" will do the trick, eh?
* Thanks to Wayne for the link.
And then..... THUD.
On to his desk falls the latest Meldrewesque missive from Rex Makin. Big Al sighs, says nothing & approves the copy, knowing that to do otherwise would upset the prominent lawyer, bon viveur &, reportedly, Trinity Mirror shareholder.
Not content with pouring cold water on the parade of cooing & simpering Shanghai Expo articles last month (http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/05/home-truth-thats-little-too-close-to.html ), Rex was at it again last week with a corruscating piece about the Chinese junket (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/views/liverpool-columnists/rex-makin/2010/06/04/rex-makin-are-we-being-fed-chinese-whispers-about-chinese-expo-100252-26583656/ ):
"A prominent Chinese businessman from Liverpool has just returned from a trip to China (at his own expense) during which he visited Expo 2010, said to be more important for Liverpool than 2008.
"After visiting the centrepiece, the China Pavillion, he trekked across the Expo site, boarded a ship for a seven-minute journey across the river, faced another trek and eventually arrived at the pavillion containing Liverpool's offer. His verdict? Underwhelmed.
"While he was there a party of regional journos visited Expo in a visit organised by Liverpool Vision. Their collective impression of Liverpool's offer was most different than the independent businessman.
"The team of journalists were accompanied by a duo from a local spin company."
You can just hear the hiss of deflation from inside the Oldham Hall Street bubble, can't you?
As luck would have it, or maybe not, the same day's Daily Ghost carried an unsigned piece all about the dos & don'ts of PR (http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/business-local/tm_headline=opinion-when-a-little-bit-of-pr-is-a-little-too-much%26method=full%26objectid=26584433%26siteid=92534-name_page.html ). *
Of course, for those who leave the employ of the Ghost & Echo's owner, Trinity Smoking Mirrors, there is an overwhelming sense of demob-happy release. Marc Reeves used to be editor of Trinity title, the Birmingham Post. He reflected earlier this week on the changes wrought on papers generally by the web. His verdict? Underwhelmed. Warming to his theme, Reeves made an observation that will have Sly Bailey reaching for her drinks cabinet (http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-redundant-regional-editor-newspapers-getting-crushed-by-their-own-weigh/ ):
"Saddled by a shareholder base that had grown used to the cash cow returns of a monopoly, the regional newspaper industry in particular was structurally incapable of adopting the entrepreneurial approach that is the only option available when almost every aspect of your business model is rendered obsolete."
Still, I'm sure "a little bit of PR" will do the trick, eh?
* Thanks to Wayne for the link.
He Needs Your Help
Spare a thought for David Bartlett. He can't think of anything to write (http://blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/dalestreetblues/2010/06/bloggers-block.html ).
Just imagine if everyone on Oldham Hall Street had the same problem. It would be terrible. Wouldn't it?
Just imagine if everyone on Oldham Hall Street had the same problem. It would be terrible. Wouldn't it?
The Joke Backfires
It appears that following the national media's coverage of Sharon Green's Facebook "joke", Lib Dem officials in London are ready to investigate matters (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/06/09/lib-dem-head-office-launches-probe-into-liverpool-facebook-disabled-joke-row-100252-26615867/ ).
Green has gone to ground since the story broke, leaving her partner Warren "War Zones" Bradley to defend her idea of humour as well as contradict Facebook itself over the way in which the site operates. Still, seeing as Bradley boasts of having a hotline to Nick Clegg, it can all be resolved by a quick phone call to Westminster, can't it?
Green has gone to ground since the story broke, leaving her partner Warren "War Zones" Bradley to defend her idea of humour as well as contradict Facebook itself over the way in which the site operates. Still, seeing as Bradley boasts of having a hotline to Nick Clegg, it can all be resolved by a quick phone call to Westminster, can't it?
Monday, June 07, 2010
Heard The One About The Joke That's Dated?
Jokes about Margaret Thatcher could well be considered old hat. She's history, many will say, move on. In that context they're right; why go on about someone who was kicked out of No. 10 by her colleagues when they saw the damage her beloved poll tax was doing to them?
However, every now & again, activists of a certain generation find it hard to resist a jibe at Thatcher. In the right setting, it goes down well. That may well account for John McDonnell's remarks at the GMB conference in Southport (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jun/07/john-mcdonnell-assassinate-thatcher-joke ).
Predictably, the Tory tabloids & the right-wing blogs are shrieking their outrage (strange how Guido Fawkes routinely refers to ex-Labour ministers as "tw*ts", implies that Gordon Brown has mental health issues & is fond of referring to female politicians as "totty", yet suddenly discovers a misplaced sense of morality with this story).
Let's get this straight: McDonnell's comments are pretty tiresome &, more woundingly, juvenile. Much as I loathe Thatcher for her record & legacy, I always knew that if someone, or some group, assassinated her, there would be no interruption of Tory policies. Another cabinet minister would have become Prime Minister & the policies would have continued apace. For all the jokes told about the 1984 Brighton bombing, most fellow activists readily accepted that; to use a good old-fashioned & clumsy phrase, the tactic of individual terrorism is inimical to socialism.
It's unfortunate that McDonnell has given the media a great big, juicy slab of red meat with his quote because he appears to be the only candidate for the Labour leadership who has a clearly thought-out alternative to the New Labour mantra of markets good, unions bad.
That McDonnell had next to no chance of getting anywhere with his leadership bid is blindingly obvious. The leadership will be fought over by three candidates (the Miliband brothers & Balls) who stand for a continuation of the New Labour "project". Enough to make any Thatcher disciple smile.
However, every now & again, activists of a certain generation find it hard to resist a jibe at Thatcher. In the right setting, it goes down well. That may well account for John McDonnell's remarks at the GMB conference in Southport (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jun/07/john-mcdonnell-assassinate-thatcher-joke ).
Predictably, the Tory tabloids & the right-wing blogs are shrieking their outrage (strange how Guido Fawkes routinely refers to ex-Labour ministers as "tw*ts", implies that Gordon Brown has mental health issues & is fond of referring to female politicians as "totty", yet suddenly discovers a misplaced sense of morality with this story).
Let's get this straight: McDonnell's comments are pretty tiresome &, more woundingly, juvenile. Much as I loathe Thatcher for her record & legacy, I always knew that if someone, or some group, assassinated her, there would be no interruption of Tory policies. Another cabinet minister would have become Prime Minister & the policies would have continued apace. For all the jokes told about the 1984 Brighton bombing, most fellow activists readily accepted that; to use a good old-fashioned & clumsy phrase, the tactic of individual terrorism is inimical to socialism.
It's unfortunate that McDonnell has given the media a great big, juicy slab of red meat with his quote because he appears to be the only candidate for the Labour leadership who has a clearly thought-out alternative to the New Labour mantra of markets good, unions bad.
That McDonnell had next to no chance of getting anywhere with his leadership bid is blindingly obvious. The leadership will be fought over by three candidates (the Miliband brothers & Balls) who stand for a continuation of the New Labour "project". Enough to make any Thatcher disciple smile.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Adios, Rafa, Gracias Por Todos
Talking to fellow Liverpool supporters today, the general feeling about Rafa Benitez' departure from Anfield (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/03/rafael-benitez-leaves-liverpool ) was one of sad & weary acceptance.
For all his faults (& they were many), there was no doubt that he enjoyed a rapport with the fans.
Hicks & Gillett have been able to use Benitez' diminishing success as a smokescren to hide their guilt & complicity in the decline of the club. No longer. The two liars are now very much in the firing line.
Their way of conducting business was typified by Benitez' departure. I have it on good authority from a source I consider reliable that Hicks instructed chief executive Christian Purslow to leak to selected hacks the overnight story (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/02/rafael-benitez-liverpoo-quit ) about the board's offer of £3m for Benitez to quit immediately while he & his agent were still deliberating over said offer. In other words, Benitez was bounced into the deal.
The Stanley Park stadium is a distant mirage of Saharan proportions & the club is saddled with a debt which will deter any potential buyers for another year at least. The damage inflicted by the two con-men is potentially irreparable.
Wider Prominence
Sharon Green's idea of humour has attracted national attention in the form of Hugh Muir's Diary column in today's Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jun/03/hugh-muirs-diary-peter-davies-doncaster ).
The "intermediary" referred to in the Diary piece is, of course, Warren "War Zones" Bradley.
The "intermediary" referred to in the Diary piece is, of course, Warren "War Zones" Bradley.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Parish Notice
Robin Brown, over at the Liverpool Culture Blog, muses on the city (http://www.liverpoolcultureblog.co.uk/2010/06/seven-streets-liverpool-culture-website-blog/ ) as he draws our attention to another site he's involved with (http://www.sevenstreets.com/ ).
There's a piece on the monstrosities squatting in front of the Three Graces at Mann Island (http://www.sevenstreets.com/features/total-eclipse-of-the-heart-mann-island/ ).
There's a piece on the monstrosities squatting in front of the Three Graces at Mann Island (http://www.sevenstreets.com/features/total-eclipse-of-the-heart-mann-island/ ).
Sharon Green's Disabled "Joke" -- The Fall-Out
David Bartlett acknowledges the gravity of the Sharon Green Facebook affair (well done, David, always up to speed, eh?) with a post on his blog today (http://blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/dalestreetblues/2010/06/a-facebook-campaign-has-been.html ).
To be fair, however, Bartlett also notes that a Facebook campaign has been launched, calling on Green to stand down as a councillor for St Michaels ward (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1217140578363735&v=wall# ).
It would be welcome if Green realised that her position is untenable & did the decent thing. Then again, decency isn't synonymous with the city's Fib Dems.
To be fair, however, Bartlett also notes that a Facebook campaign has been launched, calling on Green to stand down as a councillor for St Michaels ward (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1217140578363735&v=wall# ).
It would be welcome if Green realised that her position is untenable & did the decent thing. Then again, decency isn't synonymous with the city's Fib Dems.
Recommended
An apposite word of advice from the head of BP to the Israeli government: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-camp/leaked-bps-note-to-israel_b_595952.html .
Friday, May 28, 2010
Sick & Twisted
This blog's estimation of Warren "War Zones" Bradley has long been at gutter level. However, I now realise that was wrong, it should be sewer level (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/05/28/liverpool-lib-dem-councillor-in-internet-disabled-joke-row-100252-26538844/ ).
Bradley has rushed to the defence of Sharon Green, newly elected Lib Dem councillor for the St Michaels ward in Aigburth over a photograph of disabled people posted on Cllr Green's Facebook page, describing them in these charming words, "Hmmmm 'The Oppposition' ", referring to the Labour group on the city council. Green even went so far as to name Labour councillors below the photograph to underline her "joke".
Bradley claimed that Green "could not be held responsible" for the picture. However, as Marc Waddington pointed out, "the picture appeared to have been placed in an online 'album' called 'the opposition by Sharon Green', which could not be created or accessed by anyone but the owner of the Facebook page."
Anyone familiar with Facebook will know that to be the case. Bradley, however, displayed his customary bluster, mendacity & subterranean stupidity, yapping all too defensively, "This picture was posted via an external source to her profile by another, which subsequently downloads automatically into your photo file......
"It was completely out of her hands."
There's a pithy one-word description of Bradley's argument which is Anglo-Saxon in origin & rhymes with "wit". If he really expects us to believe "an external source" can post a picture to someone's Facebook page, Bradley truly deserves to go down as the most pathetic liar in the history of Liverpool politics, &, as we all know, there is no shortage of candidates for that dubious accolade.
Bradley remarked that he "considered the matter closed". Oh no, it isn't. This disgraceful case should be referred to the Local Government Ombudsman & disciplinary measures should be taken at that level against both Bradley & Green, who, as is commonly known in the city, are "an item". We shouldn't expect any sanctions against the contemptible couple from the city's Lib Dems, seeing as they re-elected Bradley as their leader recently.
Bradley has rushed to the defence of Sharon Green, newly elected Lib Dem councillor for the St Michaels ward in Aigburth over a photograph of disabled people posted on Cllr Green's Facebook page, describing them in these charming words, "Hmmmm 'The Oppposition' ", referring to the Labour group on the city council. Green even went so far as to name Labour councillors below the photograph to underline her "joke".
Bradley claimed that Green "could not be held responsible" for the picture. However, as Marc Waddington pointed out, "the picture appeared to have been placed in an online 'album' called 'the opposition by Sharon Green', which could not be created or accessed by anyone but the owner of the Facebook page."
Anyone familiar with Facebook will know that to be the case. Bradley, however, displayed his customary bluster, mendacity & subterranean stupidity, yapping all too defensively, "This picture was posted via an external source to her profile by another, which subsequently downloads automatically into your photo file......
"It was completely out of her hands."
There's a pithy one-word description of Bradley's argument which is Anglo-Saxon in origin & rhymes with "wit". If he really expects us to believe "an external source" can post a picture to someone's Facebook page, Bradley truly deserves to go down as the most pathetic liar in the history of Liverpool politics, &, as we all know, there is no shortage of candidates for that dubious accolade.
Bradley remarked that he "considered the matter closed". Oh no, it isn't. This disgraceful case should be referred to the Local Government Ombudsman & disciplinary measures should be taken at that level against both Bradley & Green, who, as is commonly known in the city, are "an item". We shouldn't expect any sanctions against the contemptible couple from the city's Lib Dems, seeing as they re-elected Bradley as their leader recently.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Pathetic
David Moores' bleatings to the Times about Hicks & Gillett (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8705180.stm ) are as pathetic as they are risible. Moores weeps crocodile tears over the financial mess the two liars have caused at Liverpool Football Club. It shouldn't be forgotten that Moores made £90m from the sale of the club in 2007.
Equally ridiculous is the comment feature by John Thompson, sports editor of the Oldham Echo (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/05/26/david-moores-is-a-welcome-voice-in-liverpool-fc-s-crucial-campaign-to-oust-hicks-and-gillett-comment-by-sports-editor-john-thompson-100252-26525092/ ).
Thompson does something of a PR job for Moores, arguing that he always had the club's best interests at heart. Feel free to insert your own sarcastic rejoinder here. Thompson also outrageously claims:
"Moores has joined the cries from fans' groups like the Spirit of Shankly and Share Liverpool. He has added his weight to the ECHO's continued calls for Hicks and Gillett to go."
Firstly, Moores repeatedly declined invitations from the Spirit of Shankly group to address their meetings when the true scale of the liars' intentions began to transpire. Not just that, he also refused to even acknowledge SoS's invitations.
Secondly, what's this effluence Thompson comes out with about "the ECHO's continued calls for Hicks and Gillett to go"? Continued? The reality is that Oldham Hall Street was, unsurprisingly, way behind the curve in seeing through the owners. The only thing "continued" with the Oldham Echo's coverage of the affair is its attempt to obfuscate matters for as long as possible before admitting what has long been known.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Cuts & Culture
Phil Redmond appeared on Newsnight yesterday evening in a discussion with John O'Farrell & Paxman on the cultural fall-out from the ConDem cuts. Both agreed that there was an air of Back to the 80s about the straightened times that await (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/newsnight ).
However, Redmond was almost sanguine about what it would mean; whereas O'Farrell spelt out the gruesome implications in everyday terms, Redmond waxed lyrical about culture year (irrelevant to the subject) & even ventured to suggest that a new round of cuts on Merseyside would give rise to a cultural renaissance for the area. Redmond appears to inhabit the same parallel universe as Warren "War Zones" Bradley.
The discussion takes place in the last 10 minutes or so of the programme.
However, Redmond was almost sanguine about what it would mean; whereas O'Farrell spelt out the gruesome implications in everyday terms, Redmond waxed lyrical about culture year (irrelevant to the subject) & even ventured to suggest that a new round of cuts on Merseyside would give rise to a cultural renaissance for the area. Redmond appears to inhabit the same parallel universe as Warren "War Zones" Bradley.
The discussion takes place in the last 10 minutes or so of the programme.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
What Took You So Long?
The Oldham Echo has finally realised that the ruinous reign of the two lying shysters at Anfield has resulted in terminal decline for Liverpool Football Club (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/05/22/voice-of-the-echo-liverpool-fc-owners-george-gillett-and-tom-hicks-must-leave-now-100252-26497332/ ).
Well done, guys, but, as more than a few commenters pointedly ask, what took you so long?
It'll be interesting to see whether the paper still enjoys "access" to players at Anfield next season. Indeed, it may just be that Hicks & Gillett retaliate by barring Oldham Hall Street from Anfield on match days.
Still, at least the Oldham Echo has seen through the liars....long after everyone else.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A Home Truth That's A Little Too Close To Home
Not everyone's been singing from the same hymn sheet on Oldham Hall Street about the Shanghai Expo & the city's presence there. Rex Makin, widely believed to own shares in Trinity Mirror (http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2010/05/liverpools-liberal-democrats-destroyed.html ), was anxious to get things off his chest in his regular Friday column. Oh to have been a fly on the wall as Big Al Machray scanned the piece prior to publication (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/views/liverpool-columnists/rex-makin/2010/05/14/we-deserve-to-be-told-truth-about-shanghai-expo-100252-26442790/ ):
"Put aside for a moment the Chinese Whispers. Some people will find Expo is a vanity fair mainly for ordinary Chinese folk, it's not a business fair at all. Liverpool does not have its own pavilion, but has its own corner in a pavilion dealing with urban matters.
"It's also on the wrong side of the river - away from the big national and international pavilions.
"Expo opened last week and within days Liverpool Vision was forced to reassess expected visitor numbers. Only around 2,000 a day or less. People here deserve to be told this and how many people actually visited the Liverpool stand at Expo.
"At any rate, don't expect a full page feature extolling the wonders of Liverpool to appear any time soon in that leading Chinese newspaper The People's Daily."
To which one can only add, don't expect a full page feature admitting the reality of Liverpool's presence at Expo any time soon in that leading "local" paper, the Oldham Echo.
"Put aside for a moment the Chinese Whispers. Some people will find Expo is a vanity fair mainly for ordinary Chinese folk, it's not a business fair at all. Liverpool does not have its own pavilion, but has its own corner in a pavilion dealing with urban matters.
"It's also on the wrong side of the river - away from the big national and international pavilions.
"Expo opened last week and within days Liverpool Vision was forced to reassess expected visitor numbers. Only around 2,000 a day or less. People here deserve to be told this and how many people actually visited the Liverpool stand at Expo.
"At any rate, don't expect a full page feature extolling the wonders of Liverpool to appear any time soon in that leading Chinese newspaper The People's Daily."
To which one can only add, don't expect a full page feature admitting the reality of Liverpool's presence at Expo any time soon in that leading "local" paper, the Oldham Echo.
The Toxic Legacy Of Hicks & Gillett
It wasn't until last week that the Oldham Echo finally confirmed what most other national media outlets have long said about the finances at Liverpool Football Club. Indeed, some comments on the Echo website made that point in no uncertain terms. David Conn, whose work on the general subject of football clubs' finances has been exemplary, & who was one of the first journalists to notice the black hole that Hicks & Gillett had created in the Anfield accounts, took a cold, hard look at each Premier League club in today's Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/may/19/premier-league-finances ).
Conn had a one-word description for Liverpool's position, "Appalling."
Conn had a one-word description for Liverpool's position, "Appalling."
About That Assurance, Warren
The local ramifications of the ConDem cuts are starting to sink in (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/05/19/coalition-threat-to-2bn-on-major-projects-in-liverpool-and-merseyside-100252-26474161/ ), leading Joe Anderson to declare that a concerted lobbying campaign is needed for the city to avoid the axe.
However, he need look no further than Warren "War Zones" Bradley after his claim that Nick Clegg had given him assurances about the city's prospects.
Yet it seems there may be a slight problem. Should Warren pick up the phone, he may find the line engaged, or his call unanswered, as Jonathan Freedland disclosed on the Guardian's Comment is Free website yesterday (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/18/cameron-clegg-labour-opening-chapter ): "[The Lib Dems] have won the right to share the blame for the coming cuts, dipping their hands in all that spilled blood. More than that, Lib Dem David Laws has, as chief secretary to the Treasury, been cast as the public face of the cuts, a role the millionaire ex-banker seems oddly eager to take on. As the first flush of their new intimacy fades, Clegg may wonder if he's signed a deal that gives him the worst of both worlds: not much power but a hell of a lot of responsibility. For Cameron, it's a win-win. He gets some pleasant Lib Dem window dressing, buffing up his image as a new, kinder, gentler Tory - and ensures that when the public gets angry, it won't be the Conservatives alone who are in their sights. Nice work."
Don't bother making that phone call, Warren.
However, he need look no further than Warren "War Zones" Bradley after his claim that Nick Clegg had given him assurances about the city's prospects.
Yet it seems there may be a slight problem. Should Warren pick up the phone, he may find the line engaged, or his call unanswered, as Jonathan Freedland disclosed on the Guardian's Comment is Free website yesterday (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/18/cameron-clegg-labour-opening-chapter ): "[The Lib Dems] have won the right to share the blame for the coming cuts, dipping their hands in all that spilled blood. More than that, Lib Dem David Laws has, as chief secretary to the Treasury, been cast as the public face of the cuts, a role the millionaire ex-banker seems oddly eager to take on. As the first flush of their new intimacy fades, Clegg may wonder if he's signed a deal that gives him the worst of both worlds: not much power but a hell of a lot of responsibility. For Cameron, it's a win-win. He gets some pleasant Lib Dem window dressing, buffing up his image as a new, kinder, gentler Tory - and ensures that when the public gets angry, it won't be the Conservatives alone who are in their sights. Nice work."
Don't bother making that phone call, Warren.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Making A Stand
Elvis Costello returns to what he calls "the nearest thing I have to a home town" late next month for a sell-out concert at the Phil. It's part of his world tour, although two dates have already been deleted from the itinerary, two concerts he was due to play in Israel (http://www.elviscostello.com/news/it-is-after-considerable-contemplation/44 ).
"It is a matter of instinct and conscience," Costello asserts in explaining that the situation in the Palestinian territories makes it impossible for him to perform in Israel.
It's encouraging to see Costello resume his willingness to speak out on contentious & controversial subjects. The reality in the Palestinian territories is that a state of de facto apartheid exists, imposed & enforced by the Israeli authorities; the chasm in living standards, health & education provision, unrestricted travel & many other aspects of daily life between the Palestinians & the Israeli settlers is grotesquely reminiscent of South Africa before institutional racism bit the dust.
"It is a matter of instinct and conscience," Costello asserts in explaining that the situation in the Palestinian territories makes it impossible for him to perform in Israel.
It's encouraging to see Costello resume his willingness to speak out on contentious & controversial subjects. The reality in the Palestinian territories is that a state of de facto apartheid exists, imposed & enforced by the Israeli authorities; the chasm in living standards, health & education provision, unrestricted travel & many other aspects of daily life between the Palestinians & the Israeli settlers is grotesquely reminiscent of South Africa before institutional racism bit the dust.
He's Still There, You Know
Warren "War Zones" Bradley won't take the hint, nor, it seems, will just over half of the remaining Fib Dem councillors in Liverpool (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/05/18/warren-bradley-survives-leadership-challenge-100252-26466584/ ).
Bradley survived a leadership challenge from Grassendale councillor Paula Keaveney by 20 votes to 17 & Cllr Keaveney was anxious to put a brave face on her defeat this morning (http://paulakeaveney.blogspot.com/2010/05/why-i-stood-for-lib-dem-leader.html ).
As for the Fib Dem leader himself, he was in bullish mood after the vote, supplying the pliant Echo hack with a few gems:
"[Bradley] said it was important the party got back to basics.
"He said he had been encouraged to carry on as leader not just by members of the Lib Dem group but also by others outside."
Somewhere down the corridor Joe Anderson could be heard sniggering like a schoolboy.
However, that laughter will stop before long. Oh yes, it will; you see, Warren has friends in high places, despite the city's verdict on his reign of ruin, & he's determined to use such friendships in the interests of the city:
"He said Liverpool should not expect savage cuts from the Tories like it suffered in the 1980s. And he added: '(Deputy Prime Minister) Nick Clegg has given me assurances that will not happen.
" 'Social justice that Liberal Democrats believe in will be a golden vein that runs through the coalition government.' "
So there we have it. In contrast to the rest of the UK, Liverpool will be spared the swingeing cuts that Cameron & his mate Clegg have lined up. Nick's told him.
And if Warren claims that Nick's told him, we believe it. Don't we?
Bradley survived a leadership challenge from Grassendale councillor Paula Keaveney by 20 votes to 17 & Cllr Keaveney was anxious to put a brave face on her defeat this morning (http://paulakeaveney.blogspot.com/2010/05/why-i-stood-for-lib-dem-leader.html ).
As for the Fib Dem leader himself, he was in bullish mood after the vote, supplying the pliant Echo hack with a few gems:
"[Bradley] said it was important the party got back to basics.
"He said he had been encouraged to carry on as leader not just by members of the Lib Dem group but also by others outside."
Somewhere down the corridor Joe Anderson could be heard sniggering like a schoolboy.
However, that laughter will stop before long. Oh yes, it will; you see, Warren has friends in high places, despite the city's verdict on his reign of ruin, & he's determined to use such friendships in the interests of the city:
"He said Liverpool should not expect savage cuts from the Tories like it suffered in the 1980s. And he added: '(Deputy Prime Minister) Nick Clegg has given me assurances that will not happen.
" 'Social justice that Liberal Democrats believe in will be a golden vein that runs through the coalition government.' "
So there we have it. In contrast to the rest of the UK, Liverpool will be spared the swingeing cuts that Cameron & his mate Clegg have lined up. Nick's told him.
And if Warren claims that Nick's told him, we believe it. Don't we?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Trinity Mirror's Idea Of Success
Life at the Oldham Echo isn't a barrel of laughs for those hacks instructed to churn out the bilge that masquerades as journalism. Indeed, it can't be made any easier when they're aware of the good life enjoyed by Sly Bailey, chief executive of Trinity "Smoking Mirrors", as the Grey Cardigan column in the Press Gazette yesterday revealed (http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/greycardigan/2010/05/grey-cardigan-snouts-in-the-corporate-trough/ ):
"At Trinity Mirror, chief executive Sly Bailey received a 'package' of £1.68 million in 2009, an increase of 66 per cent compared with the previous year. And yet in 2009 Trinity Mirror reported a 41 per cent fall in pre-tax profits while sacking 1,700 people and closing or selling 30 newspapers. One can only envy such success."
Indeed, one can only marvel at the business-savvy technique employed by Ms Bailey, guaranteeing this novel form of "success" as it percolates down to the harmonious offices patrolled by Big Al Machray & his minion Mark.
"At Trinity Mirror, chief executive Sly Bailey received a 'package' of £1.68 million in 2009, an increase of 66 per cent compared with the previous year. And yet in 2009 Trinity Mirror reported a 41 per cent fall in pre-tax profits while sacking 1,700 people and closing or selling 30 newspapers. One can only envy such success."
Indeed, one can only marvel at the business-savvy technique employed by Ms Bailey, guaranteeing this novel form of "success" as it percolates down to the harmonious offices patrolled by Big Al Machray & his minion Mark.
In Passing
There's an interesting piece on the US-based Daily Beast website about Gillian Tett, who has moved from a senior editorial position with the Financial Times in London to take up the post of the FT's US editor (http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-05-16/the-most-powerful-woman-in-newspapers/ ).
Tett spoke at the Bluecoat in October, last year at the launch of her book about the banking crisis, Fool's Gold (Little, Brown, 2009) (http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/10/anatomy-of-meltdown.html ). Despite its complex subject, the book provided a lucid & accessible account of the steps that led to the crisis, & an insight into the mindset of the bankers who considered themselves to be brave pioneers on the international markets.
Unlike many financial journalists, Tett demonstrated her knowledge of the key developments in the crash as well as an ability to tell it as simply as possible, something reflected in the Daily Beast's piece: "Tett, who talks with her hands and a lisp, covet the attention. She dismisses honors, like being named Journalist of the Year by the British press in 2009 and winning the Spears Award for Financial Book of the Year for Fool's Gold, as 'guilt awards' bestowed on her by a discredited media trying to clear its collective conscience for missing the financial crisis' warning signs."
Tett spoke at the Bluecoat in October, last year at the launch of her book about the banking crisis, Fool's Gold (Little, Brown, 2009) (http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/10/anatomy-of-meltdown.html ). Despite its complex subject, the book provided a lucid & accessible account of the steps that led to the crisis, & an insight into the mindset of the bankers who considered themselves to be brave pioneers on the international markets.
Unlike many financial journalists, Tett demonstrated her knowledge of the key developments in the crash as well as an ability to tell it as simply as possible, something reflected in the Daily Beast's piece: "Tett, who talks with her hands and a lisp, covet the attention. She dismisses honors, like being named Journalist of the Year by the British press in 2009 and winning the Spears Award for Financial Book of the Year for Fool's Gold, as 'guilt awards' bestowed on her by a discredited media trying to clear its collective conscience for missing the financial crisis' warning signs."
Saturday, May 15, 2010
A Little Candour Over The Airwaves
One of the founding producers at CNN, Ed Madison, has penned a thought-provoking & welcome piece on the Huffington Post website about the need for every US town & city to have its own Jon Stewart contributing a few less than respectful thoughts on the local TV stations, given the dire output of the US broadcast media (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-madison/we-need-a-jon-stewart-in_b_577335.html ).
It would be nice to extend the idea to this side of the pond. Just imagine having someone on, say, Radio Merseyside or Radio City really telling it like it is about Warren's War Zones, or the Bread & Circus debacle that was culture year. How about it, Professor?
It would be nice to extend the idea to this side of the pond. Just imagine having someone on, say, Radio Merseyside or Radio City really telling it like it is about Warren's War Zones, or the Bread & Circus debacle that was culture year. How about it, Professor?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
From Bad To Worse For Local Lib Dems
Long faces displayed by Liverpool's Liberal Democrats this evening. Why? You'd think they'd be cock-a-hoop at Clegg becoming deputy Prime Minister imminently (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8675265.stm ).
At least you'd think that if you knew nothing about the general view in the city on Cameron's party. Local Lib Dems, currently trying to contact Warren "War Zones" Bradley in order to dump him, know all too well the contempt felt by most voters in Liverpool for the Tories. Hence their despair this evening, despite hoping yesterday that Clegg could be dissuaded from supporting Cameron (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/05/11/liverpool-s-liberal-democrats-warn-tory-coalition-could-wipe-them-out-100252-26419419/ ).
The local Lib Dems said a Lib Dem/Tory coalition was "inconceivable", given that the Tories "decimated the city". It's not inconceivable now. They should prepare for electoral nemesis.
10.30 BST UPDATE: Lib Dem councillor for Grassendale Paula Keaveney dissents from her colleagues & signs up to electoral wipe-out for the Lib Dems in Liverpool next year (http://paulakeaveney.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-have-to-disagree.html ).
At least you'd think that if you knew nothing about the general view in the city on Cameron's party. Local Lib Dems, currently trying to contact Warren "War Zones" Bradley in order to dump him, know all too well the contempt felt by most voters in Liverpool for the Tories. Hence their despair this evening, despite hoping yesterday that Clegg could be dissuaded from supporting Cameron (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/05/11/liverpool-s-liberal-democrats-warn-tory-coalition-could-wipe-them-out-100252-26419419/ ).
The local Lib Dems said a Lib Dem/Tory coalition was "inconceivable", given that the Tories "decimated the city". It's not inconceivable now. They should prepare for electoral nemesis.
10.30 BST UPDATE: Lib Dem councillor for Grassendale Paula Keaveney dissents from her colleagues & signs up to electoral wipe-out for the Lib Dems in Liverpool next year (http://paulakeaveney.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-have-to-disagree.html ).
Monday, May 10, 2010
Rebuilding The War Zones
As Wayne noted earlier today (http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2010/05/liverpools-joe-anderson-we-will-scrap.html ), Joe Anderson has made the right noises about Warren Bradley's ruinous reign in Liverpool; he is spot-on in observing that certain areas benefited from the Fib Dems' rule while others, Warren's War Zones, were left to rot. It's a point that Wayne, the Professor & myself have consistently made & it's nice to see Cllr Anderson repeat it. However, you're judged by deeds, not words, & his comment that he won't shirk from "difficult decisions" sounds ominous. We'll be watching, Joe.
Bradley, of course, retained power by one vote after the 2008 local elections after the last-minute defection of Croxteth Labour councillor Nadia Stewart (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7397631.stm ), prompting him to declare, "It's onward and upward" to anyone who would listen. Alas, if anything, the city went backward & downward as the Bread & Circus model of running a major UK city intensified.
In the hours after Bradley's rejection by the voters, he unwittingly provided his own political epitaph with the remark, "My four and a half year record speaks for itself." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/england/8668630.stm ).
Yes, Warren it certainly does.
Bradley, of course, retained power by one vote after the 2008 local elections after the last-minute defection of Croxteth Labour councillor Nadia Stewart (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7397631.stm ), prompting him to declare, "It's onward and upward" to anyone who would listen. Alas, if anything, the city went backward & downward as the Bread & Circus model of running a major UK city intensified.
In the hours after Bradley's rejection by the voters, he unwittingly provided his own political epitaph with the remark, "My four and a half year record speaks for itself." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/england/8668630.stm ).
Yes, Warren it certainly does.
Murdoch Minion Has Meltdown
I hold no brief for Alastair Campbell. In fact, I once crossed swords with him back in the 80s. That he became New Labour's supreme spin doctor didn't surprise me. However, his appearance on Sky News earlier this evening (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gkHwU4DRA8 ) tells us far more about its political editor Adam Boulton. For most of the six-minute clip, it's routine, robust stuff. However, four-and-a-half minutes into the clip, Boulton loses it completely, ranting in such a way that you suspect he had a rather good lunch, as they say.
Owned by Murdoch, Sky News was itching for a Cameron-led government to neuter Ofcom & allow the network to emulate Fox News, its sister network in the US. The hung parliament has clearly infuriated Murdoch's empire & perhaps that fury finally broke cover in tonight's spat.
Owned by Murdoch, Sky News was itching for a Cameron-led government to neuter Ofcom & allow the network to emulate Fox News, its sister network in the US. The hung parliament has clearly infuriated Murdoch's empire & perhaps that fury finally broke cover in tonight's spat.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Cognitive Dissonance
On a morning when proper journalism is almost entirely replaced by spin, guesswork, what-ifs & soundbites, it's difficult to dig out from the political manure heap any nuggets. However, Paul Owen provides one with the observation he made at 11.38 this morning on the Guardian's live election blog (http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2010/may/09/general-election-2010-hung-parliament ):
"The deficit is a lose-lose issue: the public wants you to deal with it, but they won't thank you when the measures meant to do that affect their own jobs or taxes. Cameron will probably never be more popular than he is now -- and he's not even that popular now."
Precisely. Last week I had a conversation with an acquaintance who works in the civil service. He endorsed Cameron's aim to make deep cuts in the public sector. When I pointed out to him that this meant his job would be on the line he looked bewildered.
"The deficit is a lose-lose issue: the public wants you to deal with it, but they won't thank you when the measures meant to do that affect their own jobs or taxes. Cameron will probably never be more popular than he is now -- and he's not even that popular now."
Precisely. Last week I had a conversation with an acquaintance who works in the civil service. He endorsed Cameron's aim to make deep cuts in the public sector. When I pointed out to him that this meant his job would be on the line he looked bewildered.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
The Perils Of Predictions
As the smoke-filled rooms of Westminster bear witness to horse-trading, ego-massaging, discarded pledges & furtive text messages (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/07/uk-election-results-clegg-deal ), it's worth revisiting what was predicted or posited during the election campaign.
A week and a half prior to polling day Ian Hernon rushed off a piece for the Oldham Echo, claiming that the Tories hoped to do well in a handful of local seats (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/04/26/election-2010-conservatives-set-to-target-labour-seats-in-liverpool-and-merseyside-100252-26319944/ ).
To be fair, Hernon didn't claim that the Tories realistically expected to win the seats mentioned (Liverpool Riverside, Sefton Central, Wallasey & Garston & Halewood). However, the piece talked-up Tory prospects without any supporting quotes or statistics.
For the record:
Riverside:- Labour: 22,998, Lib Dem: 8,825, Tory: 4,243, Green: 1,355, BNP: 706, UKIP: 674.
Sefton Central:- Labour: 20,307, Tory: 16,445, Lib Dem: 9,656, UKIP: 2,055.
Wallasey:-Labour: 21,578, Tory: 13,071, Lib Dem: 5,693, UKIP: 1,205, Independent: 107.
Garston & Halewood:- Labour: 25,493, Lib Dem: 8,616, Tory: 6,908, UKIP: 1,540, Respect: 268.
A week and a half prior to polling day Ian Hernon rushed off a piece for the Oldham Echo, claiming that the Tories hoped to do well in a handful of local seats (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/04/26/election-2010-conservatives-set-to-target-labour-seats-in-liverpool-and-merseyside-100252-26319944/ ).
To be fair, Hernon didn't claim that the Tories realistically expected to win the seats mentioned (Liverpool Riverside, Sefton Central, Wallasey & Garston & Halewood). However, the piece talked-up Tory prospects without any supporting quotes or statistics.
For the record:
Riverside:- Labour: 22,998, Lib Dem: 8,825, Tory: 4,243, Green: 1,355, BNP: 706, UKIP: 674.
Sefton Central:- Labour: 20,307, Tory: 16,445, Lib Dem: 9,656, UKIP: 2,055.
Wallasey:-Labour: 21,578, Tory: 13,071, Lib Dem: 5,693, UKIP: 1,205, Independent: 107.
Garston & Halewood:- Labour: 25,493, Lib Dem: 8,616, Tory: 6,908, UKIP: 1,540, Respect: 268.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Out
Liverpool has delivered its verdict on Warren's War Zones (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/council/html/3714.stm ).
Thursday, May 06, 2010
He's Usually Such A Sweet Thing, You Know
It's a frenetic time for candidates right now, knocking on doors, arranging lifts to the polling station for elderly & housebound voters, anxiously scanning partially ticked-off lists.
My commiserations, therefore, to Joe Benton, Labour candidate & long-serving MP for Bootle, who had the tip of a finger bitten off by a dog as he pushed a leaflet through a letterbox earlier today (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8665560.stm ).
The injuries he sustained in the incident prevent him from attending tonight's count in the constituency.
Rumours that the dog is a reader of this blog (http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/05/taken-for-granted.html ) have not yet been confirmed.
My commiserations, therefore, to Joe Benton, Labour candidate & long-serving MP for Bootle, who had the tip of a finger bitten off by a dog as he pushed a leaflet through a letterbox earlier today (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8665560.stm ).
The injuries he sustained in the incident prevent him from attending tonight's count in the constituency.
Rumours that the dog is a reader of this blog (http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/05/taken-for-granted.html ) have not yet been confirmed.
A Wrong Turn At Switch Island
In today's Daily Ghost, David Bartlett breathlessly relates an account of Brown's flying visit to Skelmersdale yesterday. All very dutiful, all very fawning. Just one snag, though: Skelmersdale is NOT in Merseyside (http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/05/06/gordon-brown-s-final-push-for-votes-in-merseyside-92534-26387028/ ).
Haven't you got an A-Z, David?
Haven't you got an A-Z, David?
Vote For Change?
So anxious have the Tories been to de-toxify their brand that they've appointed their very own Shadow minister for Merseyside, Chris Grayling. However, the term "brand" is telling. Cameron is a former public relations executive &, in that context, the spin is transparent. Don't forget the comment made by the then Tory Chancellor Geoffrey Howe in the wake of the Toxteth riots that the policy on areas such as Merseyside should be one of "managed decline". A leopard doesn't change its spots. Neither do the Tories.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Party Political
If you're in the city centre tomorrow evening, you could do worse than wander up to Hannah's Bar on Leece Street. The upstairs section of Hannah's will host an election party night. They even promise wi-fi access to tempt any bloggers in the vicinity (http://liverpoolblogs.blogspot.com/2010/05/election-night-party-in-liverpool.html ).
Might be worth a visit, especially if any scribes from Oldham Hall Street turn up.
Might be worth a visit, especially if any scribes from Oldham Hall Street turn up.
Taken For Granted
Almost all the areas visited by Brown, Cameron & Clegg during the election campaign have been marginal constituencies. The safer seats have been left undisturbed. The rock-solid seats have been treated like embarrassing relatives; it's already been noted elsewhere that the Liverpool Walton seat, bequeathed by Peter Kilfoyle to Steve Rotheram, has seen vitually no leaflets or posters. Apathy goes both ways. The parties can be just as dismissive of the whole business as the voters.
Another seat long taken for granted is neighbouring Bootle. A solid Labour seat since anyone can remember, the local party assumes nothing will change tomorrow, as does its MP, Joe Benton. Which may explain his decision not to attend a meeting of the candidates called in the constituency on Tuesday of last week (http://icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk/icbootle/news/tm_headline=joe-benton-does-not-attend-sefton-tuc-hustings-meeting%26method=full%26objectid=26338475%26siteid=60252-name_page.html ).
Also absent was the Tory candidate, Sohail Quershi. However, given that the Tories' chances in Bootle are minimal, his decision not to turn up could be understood.
Benton knows that as Labour MP for the seat (Cherie Blair was approached about succeeding Benton last year, but turned it down), his position won't be seriously challenged by any other party. Such certainty morphed into arrogance long ago & it goes some way to explaining why he presumably felt a public meeting in the seat he's supposed to represent was beneath him.
Walton, Bootle & other such constituencies are the 21st century versions of rotten boroughs.
Another seat long taken for granted is neighbouring Bootle. A solid Labour seat since anyone can remember, the local party assumes nothing will change tomorrow, as does its MP, Joe Benton. Which may explain his decision not to attend a meeting of the candidates called in the constituency on Tuesday of last week (http://icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk/icbootle/news/tm_headline=joe-benton-does-not-attend-sefton-tuc-hustings-meeting%26method=full%26objectid=26338475%26siteid=60252-name_page.html ).
Also absent was the Tory candidate, Sohail Quershi. However, given that the Tories' chances in Bootle are minimal, his decision not to turn up could be understood.
Benton knows that as Labour MP for the seat (Cherie Blair was approached about succeeding Benton last year, but turned it down), his position won't be seriously challenged by any other party. Such certainty morphed into arrogance long ago & it goes some way to explaining why he presumably felt a public meeting in the seat he's supposed to represent was beneath him.
Walton, Bootle & other such constituencies are the 21st century versions of rotten boroughs.
Gremlins
There must be a glitch in the system, as the Cameron video doesn't appear to be loading. Tip: go to the YouTube homepage & type "Common People-David Cameron".
An Upper Class Hero Is Something To Be
Anyone who tells you that class doesn't matter anymore should be treated with the disdain they warrant; as the comfortably-off middle class entrench their position, social mobility is consigned to the history books. In the context of this sour, yet salient fact, it's to be welcomed that some enterprising scamps on YouTube have adopted the Pulp classic Common People & used it to highlight the privileges & opportunities accorded to Tory leader David Cameron (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKFTtYx2Oc )
"What chance have you got against a tie and a crest?" Paul Weller, Eton Rifles.
"What chance have you got against a tie and a crest?" Paul Weller, Eton Rifles.
Friday, April 30, 2010
A View From Across The Pond
Tory blogger Iain Dale doesn't normally feature on this blog, but he's highlighted Jon Stewart's inimitable take on "Bigotgate" (http://tv.gawker.com/5528164/jon-stewart-mocks-the-laughable-tameness-of-british-political-scandals ).
US observers are often crassly out of the loop on European politics, but Stewart's look at the moment when Gordon Brown's ignorance of live microphone syndrome confirmed Labour's hapless state is acute & well-judged. The only jarring note is the use of subtitles to accompany not just Brown's comments, but those of Gillian Duffy. Are they really so unfamiliar with regional accents in the States?
US observers are often crassly out of the loop on European politics, but Stewart's look at the moment when Gordon Brown's ignorance of live microphone syndrome confirmed Labour's hapless state is acute & well-judged. The only jarring note is the use of subtitles to accompany not just Brown's comments, but those of Gillian Duffy. Are they really so unfamiliar with regional accents in the States?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tearing At The Bonds Of Tribal Loyalty
Around lunchtime today I Tweeted that this was the most dispiriting election campaign I could remember. It remains so, although a spark of life has been injected with what's already become known as Bigot-gate (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/28/gordon-brown-bigoted-woman ).
[It would make a great storyline for The Thick of It; just think what Malcolm Tucker would make of it.]
The uncomfortable reality in most areas of Merseyside is that immigration & the use of migrant labour has been ignored as an issue by Labour & the Lib Dems (we all know the Tories' irrelevance in the region), allowing the BNP to raise it at every opportunity. Speaking the other day to a couple of acquaintances in the white, working-class constituency of Bootle, it was clear that their hostility to Cameron's privileged upbringing & the banks' culpability over the global financial crisis was tempered by a confused & aggrieved take on the immigration issue, the result of a silence from the parties, mainly Labour, it must be said, allowing the myths peddled by the BNP to take hold.
Gary Younge penned a finely-balanced piece at the beginning of the week on the issue (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/26/we-need-an-honest-immigration-debate ). However, John Harris' take on Brown's microphone moment also makes for instructive reading (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/28/bigot-gordon-brown-gillian-duffy ):
"The incident perfectly captures a plotline that I've observed time and again, not least as we've been travelling round the country during the campaign: millions of people who are confused, unsettled, and often ragingly angry, faced with a political class that affects to feel their pain, but too often holds them in borderline contempt. What with the rise in support for the BNP -- and that great chasm that divides too much of the country from richer corners of the capital -- the metropolitan media is part of the same problem. It tends to portray them as latter-day Alf Garnetts, nostalgic for a world long gone, and fired up by the sort of prejudices that have no place in London W1 or W11."
Harris concludes with a point which helps explain the dislocation between such voters & the party to which they once pledged largely unconditional allegiance:
"This may sound tangential, but I'm rather reminded of a passage from a Tony Blair conference speech that both sets out New Labour's credo, and captured its essential pathology. ' The character of this changing world is indifferent to tradition, ' he said. ' Unforgiving of frailty. No respecter of past reputations. It has no custom and practice. It is replete with opportunities, but they only go to those swift to adapt, slow to complain, open, willing and able to change. ' That doesn't describe Gillian Duffy [the woman who confronted Brown], nor millions and millions of other people. And in this awful episode, here are the wages of that ever-festering disconnection."
There is a tendency for middle-class liberals to dismiss & disparage what are still called Labour's heartlands ( disgraced ex-Cabinet minister Geoff Hoon referred to them as "metal bashers"). Countering such lazy aspersions are the people in these areas standing up to the BNP.
[It would make a great storyline for The Thick of It; just think what Malcolm Tucker would make of it.]
The uncomfortable reality in most areas of Merseyside is that immigration & the use of migrant labour has been ignored as an issue by Labour & the Lib Dems (we all know the Tories' irrelevance in the region), allowing the BNP to raise it at every opportunity. Speaking the other day to a couple of acquaintances in the white, working-class constituency of Bootle, it was clear that their hostility to Cameron's privileged upbringing & the banks' culpability over the global financial crisis was tempered by a confused & aggrieved take on the immigration issue, the result of a silence from the parties, mainly Labour, it must be said, allowing the myths peddled by the BNP to take hold.
Gary Younge penned a finely-balanced piece at the beginning of the week on the issue (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/26/we-need-an-honest-immigration-debate ). However, John Harris' take on Brown's microphone moment also makes for instructive reading (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/28/bigot-gordon-brown-gillian-duffy ):
"The incident perfectly captures a plotline that I've observed time and again, not least as we've been travelling round the country during the campaign: millions of people who are confused, unsettled, and often ragingly angry, faced with a political class that affects to feel their pain, but too often holds them in borderline contempt. What with the rise in support for the BNP -- and that great chasm that divides too much of the country from richer corners of the capital -- the metropolitan media is part of the same problem. It tends to portray them as latter-day Alf Garnetts, nostalgic for a world long gone, and fired up by the sort of prejudices that have no place in London W1 or W11."
Harris concludes with a point which helps explain the dislocation between such voters & the party to which they once pledged largely unconditional allegiance:
"This may sound tangential, but I'm rather reminded of a passage from a Tony Blair conference speech that both sets out New Labour's credo, and captured its essential pathology. ' The character of this changing world is indifferent to tradition, ' he said. ' Unforgiving of frailty. No respecter of past reputations. It has no custom and practice. It is replete with opportunities, but they only go to those swift to adapt, slow to complain, open, willing and able to change. ' That doesn't describe Gillian Duffy [the woman who confronted Brown], nor millions and millions of other people. And in this awful episode, here are the wages of that ever-festering disconnection."
There is a tendency for middle-class liberals to dismiss & disparage what are still called Labour's heartlands ( disgraced ex-Cabinet minister Geoff Hoon referred to them as "metal bashers"). Countering such lazy aspersions are the people in these areas standing up to the BNP.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Warren's War Zones
Election campaigning continues apace. Yet amidst the bombast, bluster & bullshit, there are disconcerting sounds of, well, not contrition or remorse exactly, more like an embarrassed clearing of the throat, a muffled sigh, a sotto voce aside.
Home truths are beginning to be acknowledged by those whose state of denial has been so deep as to be subterranean. Wayne has long pointed out how, inter alia, the disfigurement of the city's waterfront blocks the view of the Three Graces. The response until now has varied from an embarrassed silence to an exercise in juvenile name-calling. However, the pretence is starting to slip & Wayne expertly dissected its threadbare nature earlier today (http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2010/04/mann-island-is-penny-finally-dropping.html ).
Another area where the Fib Dem council is inching dangerously close to a mea culpa concerns housing. Warren Bradley blurts out the obvious to David Bartlett in this morning's Oldham Echo (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/04/26/council-leader-warren-bradley-we-ripped-heart-out-of-liverpool-communities-100252-26317085/ ).
Bartlett is moved to observe that Bradley's comments are "frank". Well, yes & no. It certainly puts the Fib Dems' Bread & Circus approach to the city in a stark context hitherto ignored by Oldham Hall Street. However, it also seeks to deflect at least some of the blame onto Whitehall & the quangocracy: "The council, national government and (regeneration agency) English Partnerships probably bit off more than we could chew.
"We announced six renewal areas, and in hindsight we should have done it one by one. Completing one area and then moving onto the next."
Bradley's tactic is totally transparent, admit mistakes, but imply that Labour & English Partnerships are at least equally culpable. This is election time, don't forget.
The man who is to local history what Jeremy Clarkson is to cycling goes on to deliver some choice comments which act as incriminating evidence in the case against the Fib Dems' reign of misrule in the city:
"You can't rip the heart out of the community and promise them something in 15 years time.
"I just don't think it is correct, but we are where we are. We have now got the job of rebuilding communities and giving them reassurance.........
"We should have landscaped areas so that people didn't feel they were living in a war zone".
That's some self-confessed record of ruin to play at the voters, isn't it? As well as the civic vandalism of what's still mystifyingly called a World Heritage Site & inflicting Grovesnor-pool in the process, Bradley & his cohorts have neglected whole neighbourhoods not fortunate enough to live in the city centre or in Fib Dem wards. The war zones have been left to fester.
Home truths are beginning to be acknowledged by those whose state of denial has been so deep as to be subterranean. Wayne has long pointed out how, inter alia, the disfigurement of the city's waterfront blocks the view of the Three Graces. The response until now has varied from an embarrassed silence to an exercise in juvenile name-calling. However, the pretence is starting to slip & Wayne expertly dissected its threadbare nature earlier today (http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2010/04/mann-island-is-penny-finally-dropping.html ).
Another area where the Fib Dem council is inching dangerously close to a mea culpa concerns housing. Warren Bradley blurts out the obvious to David Bartlett in this morning's Oldham Echo (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/04/26/council-leader-warren-bradley-we-ripped-heart-out-of-liverpool-communities-100252-26317085/ ).
Bartlett is moved to observe that Bradley's comments are "frank". Well, yes & no. It certainly puts the Fib Dems' Bread & Circus approach to the city in a stark context hitherto ignored by Oldham Hall Street. However, it also seeks to deflect at least some of the blame onto Whitehall & the quangocracy: "The council, national government and (regeneration agency) English Partnerships probably bit off more than we could chew.
"We announced six renewal areas, and in hindsight we should have done it one by one. Completing one area and then moving onto the next."
Bradley's tactic is totally transparent, admit mistakes, but imply that Labour & English Partnerships are at least equally culpable. This is election time, don't forget.
The man who is to local history what Jeremy Clarkson is to cycling goes on to deliver some choice comments which act as incriminating evidence in the case against the Fib Dems' reign of misrule in the city:
"You can't rip the heart out of the community and promise them something in 15 years time.
"I just don't think it is correct, but we are where we are. We have now got the job of rebuilding communities and giving them reassurance.........
"We should have landscaped areas so that people didn't feel they were living in a war zone".
That's some self-confessed record of ruin to play at the voters, isn't it? As well as the civic vandalism of what's still mystifyingly called a World Heritage Site & inflicting Grovesnor-pool in the process, Bradley & his cohorts have neglected whole neighbourhoods not fortunate enough to live in the city centre or in Fib Dem wards. The war zones have been left to fester.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
He Said What?!
"Look, you've punished us enough about Iraq, right?"
Foreign Secretary, David Miliband (http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/apr/23/david-miliband-interview-labour ).
No, David, we haven't. Right?
Foreign Secretary, David Miliband (http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/apr/23/david-miliband-interview-labour ).
No, David, we haven't. Right?
Read All About It? Already Done So
Murdoch's titles are still rightly reviled on Merseyside. However, it's possible that some, at least, will sneak a glance at the front page of tomorrow's News of the World. It has the story everyone who follows Liverpool Football Club has been talking, texting & emailing about in the last 24 hours (if you don't know the story to which I refer, you'll have to wait, as the lawyers are still involved apparently).
It'll also be interesting to see how the Oldham Echo handles the story; its coverage of the local football clubs rarely veers from the adulatory, fawning & sychophantic. This is because it gets "access" in return, ie., an anodyne, cliched quote from one of the players or the manager which can be filed under the "stating the bloody obvious" category.
At least Murdoch's rag can't claim the story as an "exclusive", even though it'll slap that tired tag across the page. The story has been all over the web like a rash since yesterday afternoon.
It'll also be interesting to see how the Oldham Echo handles the story; its coverage of the local football clubs rarely veers from the adulatory, fawning & sychophantic. This is because it gets "access" in return, ie., an anodyne, cliched quote from one of the players or the manager which can be filed under the "stating the bloody obvious" category.
At least Murdoch's rag can't claim the story as an "exclusive", even though it'll slap that tired tag across the page. The story has been all over the web like a rash since yesterday afternoon.
An Irrelevant Issue
Given the change in the Lib Dems' poll ratings since Nick Clegg's performance in the first TV debate (& the paranoid reaction of Murdoch's minions as they barged into the Independent's offices the other day), it seems strange that one of their spokesmen should revisit a tired & dated topic.
Don Foster, Lib Dem spokesman for culture, media & sport, has made some approving noises about the return of terraces to football stadia (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/poll/2010/apr/22/1 ). This is despite the fact that all-seater stadia was a key feature of the Taylor Report in the wake of Hillsborough.
This subject is of little or no relevance at a time when the bigger issue of football club ownership is one that Foster & his colleagues should consider.
Don Foster, Lib Dem spokesman for culture, media & sport, has made some approving noises about the return of terraces to football stadia (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/poll/2010/apr/22/1 ). This is despite the fact that all-seater stadia was a key feature of the Taylor Report in the wake of Hillsborough.
This subject is of little or no relevance at a time when the bigger issue of football club ownership is one that Foster & his colleagues should consider.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
On Board The Overland Odyssey
Andy Hunter's blogging about Liverpool FC's trek to Madrid (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/apr/20/liverpool-atletico-madrid-travel ). Seems like the media are enjoying the leisurely journey across the continent more than the manager & players. Thanks to an Icelandic volcano, highly paid (& underachieving) footballers are experiencing the novel sensation of travelling by public transport.
It seems strange that the long journey began at Runcorn; I know that Lime Street can be soulless & crowded, but Runcorn?! Rafa, Stevie G, Carra, et al could have stopped off at the Yankee Bar on Lime Street for a pint before departure. Then again, knowing the Yankee Bar, maybe it wouldn't have been a good idea.
It seems strange that the long journey began at Runcorn; I know that Lime Street can be soulless & crowded, but Runcorn?! Rafa, Stevie G, Carra, et al could have stopped off at the Yankee Bar on Lime Street for a pint before departure. Then again, knowing the Yankee Bar, maybe it wouldn't have been a good idea.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The Dame Of Dereliction's Domain *
With the possible exception of Liverpool Wavertree, the city's constituencies are, as ever, devoid of debate & canvassers in this election campaign. It's hardly surprising, given the city's political make-up over the last 30 years or so; rock-solid Labour seats are taken for granted by both the parties & local media. After all, what's the point of speculating on the Tories' chances in Walton?
It's a trend of thought discerned earlier this month by the Electoral Reform Society in a sarcastic missive, as David Bartlett observed (http://blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/dalestreetblues/2010/04/electoral-reform-society-says.html ).
However, in the wake of Thursday's televised election debate, the Guardian's Jon Henley decided to visit the Liverpool Riverside seat, hoping for some deviation from the apathy which has now become the seat's striking feature (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/17/nick-clegg-debate-liverpool-voters ).
Despite the sub editor's headline for Henley's piece ("Britain's most apathetic voters enlivened by challenge to Labour hegemony"), there was little enthusiasm for Nick Clegg or anyone else for that matter. Moreover, while Henley clearly attempted to sketch a representative image of the seat, there were a couple of howlers:
"Riverside is a mixed constituency. To the north is the city centre, and some of Liverpool's most famous sights: the Royal Liver building, the Albert docks. Billions have been pumped into a regenerated waterfront, a fine new arena, a conference and exhibition centre, a shopping mall, even a cruise terminal.
"In the south, there are well-to-do wards like leafy Aigburth. In the middle is Toxteth, scene of the 1981 riots and now a depressed and depressing place, whole swaths of its streets slated for demolition. Unemployment in the constituency stands at 12%, with pockets far higher; a 2007 study found half the children in Liverpool Riverside living in poverty."
Leaving aside Henley's use of the euphemism "regenerated" for the waterfront, the "fine new arena" which still regards stewarding as an optional extra at the concerts it hosts, & the cruise terminal (another time, another blog post altogether), his grasp of the constituency's layout is incomplete. Certainly, the seat is "mixed", something touched upon by John Harris when he visited the constituency (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2010/mar/01/labour-liverpool-harris ).
However, while Aigburth, one of the few middle class enclaves in the city, is in the south of the seat, Toxteth is not in "the middle". Nor is the city centre the northern-most point in the seat; Henley fails to mention that north of the city centre are the Vauxhall & Kirkdale areas, where the levels of deprivation match those of Toxteth. Apart from Aigburth & the city centre, the constituency stands as a sobering indictment of New Labour's inability & unwillingness to transform such areas over the last 13 years.
Perhaps the muted response that Henley encountered in relation to Nick Clegg can be explained by the record of Clegg's mates in the Town Hall; what greater disincentive to engage with local politics could there be than Warren Bradley's antics over the last few years. Prior to Bradley, Mike Storey & Trevor Jones' record similarly induced disillusion. When a locally elected representative such as Bradley can declare brazenly: "The [city] council is now seen more as a company than as a local authority, and we have conducted ourselves in a way that is appropriate to a major development" (http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/02/putting-con-into-confidence.html ), you realise why so many are apathetic on the streets of Toxteth & Kirkdale.
* Wayne's affectionate description for Riverside's Labour MP, Louise Ellman.
It's a trend of thought discerned earlier this month by the Electoral Reform Society in a sarcastic missive, as David Bartlett observed (http://blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/dalestreetblues/2010/04/electoral-reform-society-says.html ).
However, in the wake of Thursday's televised election debate, the Guardian's Jon Henley decided to visit the Liverpool Riverside seat, hoping for some deviation from the apathy which has now become the seat's striking feature (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/17/nick-clegg-debate-liverpool-voters ).
Despite the sub editor's headline for Henley's piece ("Britain's most apathetic voters enlivened by challenge to Labour hegemony"), there was little enthusiasm for Nick Clegg or anyone else for that matter. Moreover, while Henley clearly attempted to sketch a representative image of the seat, there were a couple of howlers:
"Riverside is a mixed constituency. To the north is the city centre, and some of Liverpool's most famous sights: the Royal Liver building, the Albert docks. Billions have been pumped into a regenerated waterfront, a fine new arena, a conference and exhibition centre, a shopping mall, even a cruise terminal.
"In the south, there are well-to-do wards like leafy Aigburth. In the middle is Toxteth, scene of the 1981 riots and now a depressed and depressing place, whole swaths of its streets slated for demolition. Unemployment in the constituency stands at 12%, with pockets far higher; a 2007 study found half the children in Liverpool Riverside living in poverty."
Leaving aside Henley's use of the euphemism "regenerated" for the waterfront, the "fine new arena" which still regards stewarding as an optional extra at the concerts it hosts, & the cruise terminal (another time, another blog post altogether), his grasp of the constituency's layout is incomplete. Certainly, the seat is "mixed", something touched upon by John Harris when he visited the constituency (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2010/mar/01/labour-liverpool-harris ).
However, while Aigburth, one of the few middle class enclaves in the city, is in the south of the seat, Toxteth is not in "the middle". Nor is the city centre the northern-most point in the seat; Henley fails to mention that north of the city centre are the Vauxhall & Kirkdale areas, where the levels of deprivation match those of Toxteth. Apart from Aigburth & the city centre, the constituency stands as a sobering indictment of New Labour's inability & unwillingness to transform such areas over the last 13 years.
Perhaps the muted response that Henley encountered in relation to Nick Clegg can be explained by the record of Clegg's mates in the Town Hall; what greater disincentive to engage with local politics could there be than Warren Bradley's antics over the last few years. Prior to Bradley, Mike Storey & Trevor Jones' record similarly induced disillusion. When a locally elected representative such as Bradley can declare brazenly: "The [city] council is now seen more as a company than as a local authority, and we have conducted ourselves in a way that is appropriate to a major development" (http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/02/putting-con-into-confidence.html ), you realise why so many are apathetic on the streets of Toxteth & Kirkdale.
* Wayne's affectionate description for Riverside's Labour MP, Louise Ellman.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Marking The Anniversary
Unlike last year the world's media weren't at Anfield in significant numbers on today's Hillsborough anniversary. This year's memorial service was more low-key, less political in nature. The attendance, too, was down on last year. However, the attendance of 30,000 twelve months ago was in many ways a one-off.
Credit to the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani for a perceptive & measured appraisal of today's service (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/apr/15/hillsborough-disaster-liverpool-memorial-service ).
Credit to the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani for a perceptive & measured appraisal of today's service (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/apr/15/hillsborough-disaster-liverpool-memorial-service ).
Monday, April 12, 2010
Potholes & Promises
Long before the freezing temperatures in January worsened the state of many roads the situation in Liverpool was pretty dire; as a cyclist I've often thought of Rice Lane, Great Homer Street & a few other thoroughfares as downright dangerous, if not potentially lethal for anybody on two wheels.
The cycling organisation CTC has compiled a list of UK local authorities' records on dealing with hazards caused by potholes (http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/league-table ). It shows that Liverpool is ranked 145th out of 212 local councils, with just 24% of reported hazards dealt with.
It isn't just a matter of concern to those on two wheels, but to motorists generally & pedestrians too.
Next time Warren Bradley or any of his cohorts rhapsodise about their record, bear that statistic in mind.
The cycling organisation CTC has compiled a list of UK local authorities' records on dealing with hazards caused by potholes (http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/league-table ). It shows that Liverpool is ranked 145th out of 212 local councils, with just 24% of reported hazards dealt with.
It isn't just a matter of concern to those on two wheels, but to motorists generally & pedestrians too.
Next time Warren Bradley or any of his cohorts rhapsodise about their record, bear that statistic in mind.
Allegiance & Alienation
Recommended reading: Marina Hyde's look at the situation surrounding both Liverpool & Everton football clubs & how it has affected the Walton area (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/apr/12/football-supporters-election-votes ).
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Desecration Row
So you thought it couldn't be that bad. Maybe, you mused, all the objections to the building work at Mann Island have been alarmist. Well, here's the vision which will be foisted upon us. Grotesque is the first word that comes to mind. Wayne's already delivered an appropriate verdict on the monstrosities which will help further deface the waterfront (http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2010/04/mann-island-artists-impression.html ).The bureaucrats at Unesco should discreetly check down the front of their trousers, for it seems they didn't have the balls to oppose what has happened on what is laughably described as a World Heritage Site.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
When Truth Isn't The Only Casualty Of War
Anguished hand-wringing has been the predominant response of most people to the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan. However, there are moments when it should be replaced by a righteous rage & anger; Bush's war for oil in Iraq was notable for having a pliant mainstream media, eagerly lapping up the official line in return for the juvenile thrill of being "embedded". The culprits weren't just the usual suspects, but the BBC & New York Times, too.
Over the Easter weekend Wikileaks (www.wikileaks.org ) posted a video online showing a horrific incident in Baghdad in June 2007. Two Reuters journalists were spotted by a US Apache helicopter. Convinced that the cameras the two journalists wore around their shoulders were weapons, the order was given to kill. In the last few days the Pentagon has gone into full smear mode, accusing Wikileaks of being hostile to the US & implying that it's little better than a terrorist website. Such desperation is contemptible, yet understandable when you view the video; what you see in the video is a war crime, the US personnel delighting in their bloodlust & ignorance. Even when it transpires that there are two children badly injured, one US official remarks that the "terrorists" shouldn't have brought their children with them.
The video is, naturally, sickening. However, the anger it generates should be channelled at the US for sitting on it for so long while lying about its details:
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0405/video-shows-forces-firing-killing-reporters/ .
Over the Easter weekend Wikileaks (www.wikileaks.org ) posted a video online showing a horrific incident in Baghdad in June 2007. Two Reuters journalists were spotted by a US Apache helicopter. Convinced that the cameras the two journalists wore around their shoulders were weapons, the order was given to kill. In the last few days the Pentagon has gone into full smear mode, accusing Wikileaks of being hostile to the US & implying that it's little better than a terrorist website. Such desperation is contemptible, yet understandable when you view the video; what you see in the video is a war crime, the US personnel delighting in their bloodlust & ignorance. Even when it transpires that there are two children badly injured, one US official remarks that the "terrorists" shouldn't have brought their children with them.
The video is, naturally, sickening. However, the anger it generates should be channelled at the US for sitting on it for so long while lying about its details:
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0405/video-shows-forces-firing-killing-reporters/ .
Monday, April 05, 2010
Adios, Rafa
A litany of promises, excuses & hard luck tales since the start of the season. Too many points dropped. It won't wash anymore. If Benfica win on Thursday (& I expect them to), watch the Kop turn on Rafa; the scales will drop like rain. The manager has long since lost the dressing room. Further proof of this came yesterday when Torres was substituted (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTbN1ksDTds ).
Mid-table mediocrity beckons for Liverpool Football Club.
Mid-table mediocrity beckons for Liverpool Football Club.
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Four Wheels Good, Two Wheels Bad
The blogging postal worker Roy Mayall gave his own dry take on proposals by Royal Mail to end deliveries by bicycle on the Guardian's Comment is Free pages last Wednesday (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/31/postal-service-cycling-environment ).
Fossil fuels are energy's version of analogue TVs, peak oil yield is imminent & Obama made real investment in green technology a precondition for the US administration's bail-out of the auto industry. However, Royal Mail wishes to dispense with bicycles, viewing them as archaic, & replace them with more vans. Inspired thinking, wouldn't you say?
Roy Mayall's blog: http://roymayall.wordpress.com .
Fossil fuels are energy's version of analogue TVs, peak oil yield is imminent & Obama made real investment in green technology a precondition for the US administration's bail-out of the auto industry. However, Royal Mail wishes to dispense with bicycles, viewing them as archaic, & replace them with more vans. Inspired thinking, wouldn't you say?
Roy Mayall's blog: http://roymayall.wordpress.com .
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