Wednesday 27 June 2007

Henshaw and the evil cabal: JUNE 27, 2007 - IT'S THE END OF AN ERROR AS THE GREAT MAN FINALLY STEPS DOWN

IF YOU READ THIS LINK BELOW YOU WILL KNOW THAT TONY PARRISH IS ALIVE AND WELL AFTERALL!

HE'S JUST BEEN TOO DRUNK TO SEE THE COMPUTER!

IT'S BECAUSE OF ALL THE STREET PARTIES HE'S BEEN TO CELEBRATING THE FURTHER DEMISE OF SIR DAVID CUBANS HENSHAW .

HE'S GONE, HE'S GONE THE BELLS OF AIGBURTH RANG,

HE'S GONE, HE'S GONE THE REST OF LIVERPOOL ROARED!


Henshaw and the evil cabal: JUNE 27, 2007 - IT'S THE END OF AN ERROR AS THE GREAT MAN FINALLY STEPS DOWN

JUNE 27, 2007 - IT'S THE END OF AN ERROR AS THE GREAT MAN FINALLY STEPS DOWN

ONCE he strode the world like a collossus, carrying all before him.

Crowds lined the streets, open mouthed as his chauffeur-driven Jaguar sped by.

He rubbed shoulders with the great and the good, courted the glitteratti and enjoyed luxury holidays in the sun.

Some critiscised his love of the high life, his ego and his fondness for a quick and easy headline.

Even the press seemed in thrall to him.

But today, dear readers, we have witnessed the end of an error.

Sir David Henshaw has finally departed Liverpool, leaving his house at 9 Barkhill Road, Aigburth like a thief in the night.

All that is left to remind us of his evil reign of terror is an empty safe left in the attic and a huge pile of unused rubber heels found beneath the floorboards.

Sir Diddy's huge cheese plant - appropriately presented to him by an obsequious former colleague - lies forlorn and forgotten in the corner of an empty downstairs room.

His new oak and granite kitchen, paid for with his £16,000-a year expense account, is deserted. No sign of any humble pie here - of course, the beans had been spilt a long time before.

His favourite desk plaque, which he had brought from his office in the Municipal Buildings when he had been forced out, has been left discarded on the bare floor. "Sack someone today" it proclaims, underlining Sir Diddy's crude and humourless management style.

On the floor behind the letter box lies only a pile of discarded junk mail - offering homes abroad, offshore bank accounts and tax evasion strategies.

The only clue to Sir Diddy's fate is a £12,000-a-year council computer screen still left switched on. Frozen forever, for all to see, is an image of Kirk Douglas with arm raised aloft in triumph.

Neighbours were today mystified by Sir Diddy's sudden disappearance.

"We don't know where the little bastard has gone," said one neighbour, "we heard some strange sounds - like a huge pile of coins being counted - in the middle of the night and in the morning, the house was empty.

"We never liked him - he was a sanctimonious, evil little shit with a massive ego."

But official sources in the city say Henshaw has finally departed Liverpool for pastures new in mid-Wales and his luxury apartment in Manchester city centre.

"His name will be forever mud in Liverpool, "said one member of the great and the good. "No one has a good word to say about him any more - everyone knows that he was bad news for Liverpool. The evil cabal blog did him in, good style - and deservedly so."

A few miles away in a safe house, surrounded by laughing and excited friends and relatives, Tony Parrish sipped his champagne. And smiled contentedly.

Monday 25 June 2007

LIVERPOOL EVIL CABAL BLOGSPOT CREATOR HAS DISSAPPEARED

Monday, 25 June 2007

TONY PARRISH, WHERE ARE YOU?



IN THE SUMMER OF 2006, A BLOG SITE CALLED LIVERPOOL EVIL CABAL,APPEARED ON THE INTERNET AND TOOK LIVERPOOL BY STORM.


THE BLOG WAS CREATED BY THE NOW INFAMOUS TONY PARRISH.


LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL PRESSURED THE BLOG TO CLOSE DOWN.
COLIN HILTON BANNED ANY COUNCIL WORKER FROM READING THE BLOG.OR WAS IT DR DAVID MCELHINNEY?

THE LOCAL LIVERPOOL NEWSPAPERS HEADLINED THIS BAN, THE POLITICIANS FROM THE LIVERPOOL LABOUR PARTY OBJECTED TO THIS BAN AS IT INCLUDED ANY COUNCIL COMPUTER, INCLUDING THE LOCAL LIBRARIES, THIS IN EFFECT BANNED THE GENERAL LIVERPOOL PUBLIC FROM READING THIS BLOG.
GAGGING THE LIVERPOOL TAX PAYERS IS NOT A POPULAR STANCE TO TAKE.


THIS OF COURSE HAD THE OPPOSITE EFFECT AS HUNDREDS OF COUNCIL WORKERS RUSHED HOME TO READ THIS EXCITING BLOG, JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE BANNED FROM DOING SO.

WHEN PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ AND DIGESTED WHAT THIS BLOG WAS PROCLAIMING, THEY WERE SHOCKED AT THE DIRTY DEALINGS OF THE LIVERPOOL EVIL CABAL, THE VERY PEOPLE WHO WERE BANNING THEM FROM READING THE BLOG IN THE FIRST PLACE.
THE NEWS WAS OUT AND COLIN HILTON HAD HELPED IN PROMOTING THE SITE. WELL DONE COLIN!

AFTER A FEW MONTHS, THE COUNCIL SUCCEEDED IN PUTTING PRESSURE ON TONY PARRISH AND THE BLOG WAS SADLY CLOSED DOWN.

NUMEROUS PEOPLE, INCLUDING MYSELF, HAD SAVED ENTIRE PAGES OF THE BLOG,
THE NEWS WAS OUT THERE, THE COUNCIL COULD NOT STOP THE INTERNET WORLD FROM REPRODUCING THE WORDS OF TONY PARRISH!


A FEW MONTHS LATER, ANOTHER BLOG APPEARED, THIS WAS CALLED, LIVERPOOL SUBCULTURE.


THIS BLOG HAD MORE EXCLUSIVES THAN THE ECHO HAVE EVER MANAGED!


THE SUBCULTURE SITE HAD ALL THE USUAL SCANDAL THAT WE HAD READ IN THE LIVERPOOL EVIL CABAL BLOG, INCLUDED IN THIS SITE WAS ,GOSSIP, CITY OF THE DEAD, POSTCARDS, REVIEWS OF CULTURE AND THE TONY PARRISH FRINGE.
AFTER A WHILE TONY TOOK THE POSTCARDS AND THE TONY PARRISH FRINGE OFF THE BLOG AND CONCENTRATED ON GOSSIP, FACTS OF SUBCULTURE AND THE CITY OF THE DEAD SITE.

OH WHAT FUN WE HAD READING THE EXCLUSIVES!

TONY RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE HIGH UP IN THE LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL AND EVEN HAD COPIES OF WARREN BRADLEY'S EMAILS!

TONY PARRISH HAS BECOME A NAME IN FOLK LAW AND I AM PROUD TO HAVE SUPPORTED HIM IN HIS QUEST TO OUT THE CORRUPTION OF LIVERPOOL EVIL CABAL.

NOW AS SUDDENLY AS HE APPEARED, HE HAS DISAPPEARED FROM OUR INTERNET?

WHERE ARE YOU TONY?
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?


THE LAST POST TONY PUBLISHED WAS CONCERNING AN EMAIL HE RECEIVED FROM GOOGLE, WHO ADVISED HIM THAT LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL WERE NOT REALLY HAPPY WITH HIM POINTING THE FINGER AT THEM AND SUCCEEDING IN UPSETTING A NUMBER OF THE EVIL CABAL.

LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL WERE THREATENING GOOGLE!

IS THIS THE REASON OUR HERO HAS TAKEN HIS BLOG OFF THE INTERNET?

HAVE THE EVIL CABAL GOT HIM?

DID THE BALD EAGLE FIND HIS SAFE HOUSE IN THE WIRRAL?

DID MACCA THREATEN HIM WITH HIS LUFFA?

THE FAMOUS "HENSHAWS EVIL CABAL" IS STILL ACCESSIBLE BUT SADLY THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY RECENT POSTINGS.

TONY IF YOU STILL READ THE BLOG, LET US KNOW YOU ARE SAFE?

HAVE THE EVIL CABAL MANAGED TO GAG YOU?


SOME WORDS OF WISDOM FROM OUR LIVERPOOL WHISTLE BLOWER

Tony Parrish
Posted on 15 Jun 2006 12:18 pm (Report this comment)

Tony Parrish: To anyone in Liverpool, it is absolutely amazing that Hutton has appointed Henshaw. As chief executive of the city council Henshaw mounted an attempted coup d'etat against the Leader of the Council, Mike Storey, when the city council turned down Henshaw's bid for a £360,000 pension deal. In a typical fit of pique, Henshaw announced his retirement when the council turned him down (this was in March last year) and then appears to have changed his mind. However he got rid of his media chief, Matt Finnegan (suspended on trumped up charges) because he did not like the publicity that his announcement and the council's decision had attracted. Then he got access to Finnegan's computer and used emails from the Leader of the Council, expressing his opposition to the pension deal, to try and blackmail Storey and then to try and get rid of him! Everyone in Liverpool knows Henshaw is a greedy little (literally) bully who is only interested in himself. Other MP's - former health minister Jane Kennedy - have objected to other lucrative part-time jobs that Henshaw has secured since finally retiring from Liverpool in March. Henshaw is also getting more money than the Head of the CIvil Service for this CSA job! Try icliverpool or the guardian or telegraph for more on Henshaw. It is absolutely incredible. Rumour has it that this report has been done months ago and they just want Henshaw to front it. He's an arrogant, nasty piece of work, who is full of bull.


Council leader fumes as 'evil-cabal' site is blocked

Aug 10 2006


By Larry Neild, Daily Post


LIVERPOOL council leader Warren Bradley

last night demanded to know who ordered the blocking of a controversial

internet blog set up in a war against senior council officials.


The leader's call came just hours after the council's chief executive,

Colin Hilton, revealed he had asked for a police investigation

into the so-called "Liverpool-evil-cabal" website.


Thousands of people are looking onto the site,

but council staff, councillors and visitors to internet rooms

at public libraries and one-stop shops,

have found the site has been blocked.

Last night the city council denied the site had been blocked

on the orders of Liverpool Direct,

the company jointly owned by the council and BT,

headed by former executive director David McElhinney.


A council spokesman said

the order for the blocking had been made by the city council,

and carried out by Liverpool Direct

who run the computer website servers on behalf of the council.


"The city council took the decision to block access.

Liverpool Direct runs servers for the council and the libraries

and an instruction was issued to them by the council to block it.


"

The council has a duty of care to its staff

and as a consequence took a decision

to block access to this anonymous site,

which makes allegations that would

not be printed or broadcast by the media.


"An increasing number of council staff, some relatively junior,

have been named and it has caused a considerable amount of distress

and upset to them."

But Cllr Bradley last night appeared to come to the defence

of the controversial site.

He said: "I had a meeting with the head of libraries Joyce Little,

and asked about the blocking of the website.

I was informed that it had been done by Liverpool Direct.


I want to know why we as a council are blocking access to sites

that people with their own computers can access without problem."

One view among councillors is that the deliberate blocking of the site

has prompted people to seek it out on external computers.


Chief executive Colin Hilton finally broke his silence

on the website by issuing a message to more than 20,000 council staff,

as well as the 90 councillors.

In his communication, issued through the council Intranet

- a site closed to the general public -

Mr Hilton reveals the council has gathered evidence

which is helping to identify the mystery author of the blog.

The website,

now compulsive reading among council staff and

many of the city's key movers and shakers,


contains many intimate details about council activities that point to information being fed by town hall insiders.

The phrase "evil cabal"

first emerged in a series of e-mails between

former leader of the city council Mike Storey

and the head of the council's media department,

Matt Finnegan, currently suspended.

The council spin-doctor has been away from his office,

on full pay since April of last year

as part of an investigation into a series of e-mails

between him and Cllr Storey

in which there was evidence of a plot

to smooth the exit of

Sir David Henshaw from his post as chief executive.

Mr Finnegan is due to fight for his reinstatement

to his Dale Street office at an internal disciplinary hearing next month.

Mr Finnegan cannot comment about his situation

at the city council because of the forthcoming case,

scheduled to be heard by a panel of councillors.

Last night his solicitor, Rex Makin, said:

"There have been numerous rumours about the identity of the blogger.

There is no evidence about the authorship of the blog.

As far as I am concerned reference to a criminal investigation is futile since criminal libel was abolished some years ago.

Those who sue for defamation, as Oscar Wilde found out,

may discover that the cure is worse than the disease."


Last night a spokesman for Merseyside Police said:

"We can confirm that several complaints have been received
in relation to the website. Inquiries and an investigation are on-going."


Hilton's letter of explanation to Liverpool Council staff

"YOU will probably be aware that some weeks ago an internet blog site

was set up to run a series of libellous articles in a journalistic format.

"The initial targets for its malicious activity were senior officers of the council,

but over time references have been made to a wider number of staff,

causing both distress and anger.

"To date, I have held back from making any public comment on the matter

in order to deny the site any credibility

and to prevent further publicising its existence.

"Behind the scenes, however,

we have been working with colleagues in audit, legal services

and the executive member for Central Services, Cllr Richard Marbrow,

to put in place steps to deal with the anonymous author of this disreputable website.

"

I can now inform you that we have gathered evidence
which is helping us identify the author. Today, on my instruction,
officers have started investigations on the evidence received.

I have also formally asked the police to launch a criminal investigation.

I have received a number of requests for information

from people who intend to pursue civil action against the author

and will be taking legal advice on this.

We are also attempting to have the website removed

in order to prevent further upset to colleagues.


"You will realise that I cannot give you any further information,

but I think it is important to give all employees

reassurance that matters are in hand."





Blogger to face legal action

Aug 23 2006


EXCLUSIVE by Deborah James Daily Post Staff


More than 80,000 people are said to have logged on to the Evil Cabal website

LEADING Liverpool council officials and others named on a controversial website about town hall dealings are preparing legal action against its author, the Daily Post can reveal.

City lawyer Mark Manley confirmed he is acting for several people who want to sue the author of the Liverpool-Evil-Cabal blog for defamation.

It is understood the group include current and former council officials and other high profile city figures named on the website, which criticised and attacked the council's former management team.

The website attracted over 80,000 visitors during July and August, but was shut down amid controversy about its contents last week.

Last night Chas Cole, who runs Summer Pops operator CMP Entertainment,

confirmed he is among those who have sought legal advice

after his business was discussed on the site.

He said he was prepared to sue the mystery author of the site,

who wrote under the name "Tony Parrish", when he is unmasked.

Privately at least one council official believes the group now have

firm evidence about who wrote the blog.

Solicitor Mr Manley, of Brabners Chaffe Street, said:

"I have received a number of instructions from a number of people

which led me to take appropriate steps to close down the blog, which we did.

"The highly defamatory comments published about a number of people

on that site cannot go uncorrected.

"I anticipate that when our inquiries are complete

the author or authors of those statements will be sued."

The website, which had a humorous tone,

listed Tony Parrish's occupation as "whistleblower" and interests as "victory".

Mr Cole said: "Whoever it may be I will sue them.

I have taken legal advice, and we are prepared to take legal action.

"We are planning action against whoever the blogger was,

whether that be one person or several people.

"I have heard all the rumours.

If they prove to be correct then I will sue the author

and his associates if there are any.

"The evidence from what I hear is in the hands of the council.

I will be interested to hear the outcome of the council investigation."


The blog is named after a comment by Cllr Mike Storey

in a dossier of e-mails between

him and the council's suspended media chief Matt Finnegan,

which led to Cllr Storey standing down as council leader.

It focused on alleged conduct by three town hall officials,

former chief executive Sir David Henshaw,

resources director Phil Halsall and Dr David McElhinney,

managing director of the Liverpool Direct call centre.

Mr Halsall declined to comment last night,

and Sir David and Dr McElhinney were not available for comment.

The site also heavily criticised the council's approach to Capital of Culture,

the departure of artistic director Robyn Archer

and an investigation into council contracts with private

firms Enterprise and BT.

Earlier this month Merseyside police were called in by

council chief executive Colin Hilton,

and he blocked council employees from viewing it on municipally-owned computers.


Police said the website did not break the law, but it was taken down 10 days ago.


deborahjames@dailypost.co.uk




Was the council right to block Evil-Cabal website?

Aug 15 2006

Action to silence the website raised issues of free speech.

Larry Neild investigates

Daily Post


More than 80,000 people are said to have logged on to the Evil Cabal website

VISITORS to Liverpool's libraries were banned from visiting a controversial website spilling the beans on life at the Town Hall earlier this month.

The Liverpool Evil-Cabal website attracted over 80,000 visitors during July and August as a mystery blogger, known as Tony Parrish, teased and attacked, for the most part, the former management team of Liverpool City Council.

The site closed down at the weekend with Mr Parrish, who has become known as the Liverpool Pimpernel, saying "we have now been promised that there will be a proper investigation into the allegations made on the blog".

Last week, Merseyside police, called in by council chief executive Colin Hilton,

announced that the website does not break the law.

Mr Hilton, recently installed as chief executive,

wrote an email message on the council's intranet,

breaking the council's silence on the issue.

He said attempts were being made to have the website removed

to prevent further upset to council staff.

Council leader Warren Bradley has demanded to know

who gave the order for the website to be blocked in the libraries.

Like many people, Cllr Bradley is concerned about censorship,

although he is no defender of the blog itself.

Council staff using municipally-owned computers

are also barred from visiting the site.

The contents of the blog indicate there is a source, or sources,
within the corridors of power,

willing to leak sensitive information to the mystery bloggers.

The big question, though, is does the council have any right to deny,

in a country that promotes the concept of free speech,

access to a blog site,

however uncomfortable the contents may be for those who feature?

Today the Daily Post asks:

Was Liverpool council right to block the Evil-Cabal website?

larryneild@dailypost.co.uk

NEXT YES: The case for >>>

Website is a slimy retailer of malicious gossip
YES SAYS Cllr Richard Kemp,

Lib-Dem representative on the Local Government Association

YES, the site should be blocked.


Free speech is one of the fundamental safeguards of democracy.

Tyrants and dictators close down means of communications

to help enforce their tyranny.

Too often in our history, those who have defended free speech

have appeared like

Frodo Baggins taking on the might of Sauron!


But the person (people?) behind this blog site is (are) no Frodo -

the character that springs to mind is Gollum,

the disreputable slimy creature that is evil, devious and disreputable,
and lurks in dank caves and slimy caverns.

The website is not a champion of democracy

but a sordid retailer of malicious gossip, spite, spleen and tittle-tattle.

Specific claims have been made against officers.

Correspondents have made a series of claims about leading councillors.

No-one has yet done the proper thing

- to report these allegations to the appropriate external

and independent authorities

to have them properly investigated.

If members or officers are on the take, then it is illegal

and they should be dealt with by the police and then by the courts.

If they have been doing things which are outside the standing orders

and regulations of the council,

they should be dealt with by the
District Audit Service and then by the courts.

If councillors have broken the code of conduct,

they can be dealt with by the Standards Board for England.

Indeed, a check has recently been done.

The Audit Commission has undertaken a governance review of the council.

I cannot believe that the things being described on the website

could be going on and not have been seen by these people.

The report will come out in the autumn, but I am sure that action

would already have been taken if 5% of the allegations had any substance whatever.

So remedies exist - yet none have been tried -

so that leaves the council with two quandaries.

The first is about telling the truth.

If you knowingly repeat a lie, then you too are a liar.

The council knows that these things are untrue.

British justice says they are untrue because every person is innocent

until proven guilty.

The second is how we care for staff.

We have a legal duty of care to our staff

(including former staff) to protect them from harm and abuse.

So, there we are then - gossip but no substance, allegation and no follow up.

The council should not assist with this for legal and moral reasons.

But, above all, bloggers - put up or shut up.

If you really think that there is any truth in what you say,

it is your duty and responsibility to go to the police NOW!

NEXT NO: The case against >>>

Mr Hilton may not like it, but it is called democracy
NO SAYS Rex Makin, lawyer

AT A time when our freedoms are under threat,

it takes either a very brave man, or a very stupid one,

to censor freedom of speech.

But the new chief executive of the city council, Colin Hilton,

is guilty of that in banning the Liverpool Evil-Cabal blog from computers

in Liverpool's public libraries.

Cllr Warren Bradley did not appoint Mr Hilton as Big Brother to the bloggers.

Nor was Mr Hilton appointed to decide what the people of Liverpool choose

to read or believe.

The council taxpayers of Liverpool pay for the

council's computers,

the public libraries

and the £190,000-a-year salary for Mr Hilton.

It is up to them what they do when they surf the web in their local library,

provided, of course, that no offence is being committed.

And certainly the blog's growing army of thousands of daily readers

are not committing any offence.

Nor I believe is the blogger himself, who goes under the name Tony Parrish.

What Mr Parrish and his associates are doing is,

arguably, providing a vital public service to the people of Liverpool.

Liverpool-evil-cabal is merely exposing a wider Liverpool audience

to startling allegations about the regime of former chief executive Sir David Henshaw

which have been circulating among the great and the good in the city for months.

The blog asks some serious questions about the awarding of council contracts

worth millions of pounds, and questions the relationships

and actions of highly-paid senior officers who,

we should remind Mr Hilton, are servants of the public.

Mr Hilton may not like this, but it is called democracy.

Along with the blog's serious purpose comes a fair amount of humour,

direct language, gossip and innuendo from Mr Parrish and his readers,

of the sort that might be heard on the number 79 bus every day of the week.

Mr Hilton's over-reaction has been to ask the police to arrest the bus driver.

The police should be after burglars, not bloggers.

Banning the blog from council computers

has predictably sent thousands of city council staff

rushing home to avidly log in for the next instalment.

As for Mr Hilton (if it was he who was really behind the ban),

he would better serve the people of Liverpool

if he investigated the allegations being made.

People will not tolerate a cover-up of past procurement irregularities.

They look to Mr Hilton to come clean and put his own house in order first.

For, as Mr Parrish has eloquently stated,

the genie is now out of the bottle and it can't be put back in.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ONE THING TONY?

WHERE IS THE GENIES BOTTLE?

Wednesday 20 June 2007

COME ON LIVERPOOL CITY TAX PAYERS, GET INVOLVED IN CELEBRATING OUR HERITAGE, WE PAID ENOUGH FOR IT AFTERALL!


AT A TIME WHEN LIVERPOOL RESIDENTS ARE FEELING DESPAIR AT THE RECENT POLITICAL FALL OUT BETWEEN THE CULTURE BOARD, WITH TWO TOP FIGURES RESIGNING FROM THE COMMITTEE, THE REST OF THE MEDIA SIDE OF THE COMMITTEE ARE ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING POSITIVE.

GET INVOLVED IN THE CELEBRATIONS, WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE PROUD OF OUR CITY, DON'T JUST LEAVE IT TO THE TOURISTS!





How you can join the Culture club

Jun 20 2007


by Catherine Jones, Liverpool Echo


Radio City's Iain McKenna, Radio Merseyside's Roger Phillips, Liverpool ECHO editor Alastair Machray, Phil Redmond and Radio Merseyside's Mick Ord

MERSEYSIDE’S media organisations today joined forces to encourage everyone to get involved in Capital of Culture.

The ECHO, our sister paper the Liverpool Daily Post, BBC Radio Merseyside and Radio City have come together to launch the Open Culture project.

Phil Redmond is also involved in the initiative aimed at giving Liverpudlians the chance to take part in the 2007 and 2008 celebrations.

The Mersey TV founder said: “Open Culture is for, about and drawn from the people themselves.

“It’s about simply providing platforms for people to actively take part in helping shape rather than being asked to digest culture.

“As all the projects are jointly supported by the media, as supporters of Capital of Culture. We hope it will allow anyone who wants to take part to do so – and have a bit of fun while, perhaps, helping to leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”

Open Culture starts with the BBC’s Liverpool Saga - an 800-word poem penned by Scousers to celebrate the city’s 800th birthday.

This will be followed in September by an Echo spearheaded initiative to design new benches for the city.

Radio City is launching a Liverpool song competition in November and the Daily Post a Liverpool “map” in January 2008.

ECHO editor Alastair Machray said: “As the city’s media we have the means to reach hundreds of thousands of people and we want to use that reach to encourage everyone to get involved in 2008.”

Radio City MD Iain McKenna said: “One of the reasons Liverpool got Capital of Culture was because of the support of local people.

“This is a way for us to get together and do something for the benefit of Liverpool, to really engage with people so they can quite genuinely participate and have a sense of ownership.”

BBC Merseyside managing editor Mick Ord added: “The more people involved in Capital of Culture the better.

“This is a great way of encouraging as many individuals and organisations as possible to take part.”

Sing a song

Liverpool Song: RADIO City is taking the lead in finding a Liverpool anthem, folk song or ditty for 2008.

It is calling on any budding songwriters to pen an official song for Capital of Culture.

Radio City MD Iain McKenna said: "It can be anything to do with Liverpool – if you want to take a historical stance, great, look forward, great, or purely a cultural stance. Anything and everything goes."

The songs will be judged by an independent panel of judges.

Pen a poem

Liverpool Saga: RADIO Merseyside is looking for contributions to a Liverpool Saga – 800 lines of poetry to celebrate the eight centuries of the city.

Roger McGough penned the opening and closing verses - and would-be poets can provide four lines each.

Radio Merseyside managing editor Mick Ord said: "We’ve had a fantastic response via e-mail and ‘snail mail’ and our editorial team will be meeting shortly to look at the examples of poetry that people have sent in. "Most have been related to 20th century events but the saga itself, when it’s completed in September, will be concerned with the 800 years of Liverpool’s history."

E-mail your verses to liverpoolsaga@bbc.co.uk, drop them into the BBC building in Hanover Street or post them to Liverpool Saga, BBC Radio Merseyside, PO Box 95.8, Liverpool, L69 1ZJ.

Take a seat

Cultural Bench: THE ECHO is leading the initiative to design stunning new benches for the city and is currently in talks with the Culture Company and a major sponsor.

Editor Alastair Machray said: "We want people across Merseyside to come up with ideas and designs for innovative street furniture.

"There are some very creative people out there and everyone who designs something will have their work viewed by a massive number of people."

Make a map

Liverpool Map: THE idea is to define the real Liverpool, which may not conform to regulation city boundaries.

Ideas of what makes Liverpool will be translated into a physical map which will go on show in the city.

Daily Post editor Mark Thomas said: "It will determine the real map of Liverpool which might not be the same as the geographical map. And the people of Liverpool will be the judges.

"Is Kirkby a part of the real Liverpool? How about Woolton? It’s up to Scousers to decide."

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Sunday 17 June 2007

LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL ODE TO THE ELDERLY.

 The frail old man, he staggers along, he hasn't got long to go.

He's rotting inside, he's just flesh and bones, he hasn't got much to show.

He fought in the war, for our country, so brave.

But where is his reward?

He's just left to rot in some cold dark corner,

Who cares about the shriveling man?

who cares if he should die?

We have no further use for him now,

he can't help himself, so he can't help us.

If he dies soon it will be one less pension to pay,

They cost us too much and for what?

Why should we help them?

They do nothing for us!

Their job was done so many years ago,

They should all be shot they make the world look ugly,

Have beautiful and youthful, hard working people,

And when they grow old and ugly and creased,

We'll shot them too.

I'll never get old, I'll just age a bit.

But I'll always remain youthful, straight, beautiful.

I'm too important to lose,

But you,you shriveled up smelly man!

What use are you?

Can you think of any reason why I should keep you alive?

You are so pathetic

You can't even go to the toilet for yourself!

Or even keep it  in until it's convenient!

You just piss in your pants!

What kind of person are you?

I hate slime, you are scum man,

Yes it's true you

were of use to us once,

But you're not now, we don't need you,

GOODBYE,

The frail old man, he staggers along, he hasn't got long to go,

He's rotting inside, he's just flesh and bones, He hasn't got much to show.

We might as well kill him off now!

JUEFIN 3rd December 1984,

Reproduced with kind permission, of JUEFIN, as it is so poignant to the crisis in care 2007  

Saturday 16 June 2007

JOINT TRADE UNIONS MESSAGE TO MEMBERS

SEE MY NEW POST BELOW FOR FULL INFORMATION OF TRADE UNIONS MESSAGE TO MEMBERS

FOR FURTHER DETAILS OF REDUNDANCIES GO TO LINK CITY OF THE DEAD BELOW
City of the Dead*: CITY COUNCIL MAKES 150 CARE WORKERS REDUNDANT


LIVERPOOL JOINT TRADE UNIONS ARE KEPT IN DARK OVER 150 MEMBERS REDUNDANCIES



LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL JOINT TRADE UNION COMMITTEE HAVE ISSUES A STATEMENT TO ALL THEIR MEMBERS ALERTING THEM TO HOW MANAGEMENT HAVE KEPT THEM IN THE DARK ABOUT THE PUBLICATION OF THE COUNCIL'S DECISION TO PUT 150 MEMBERS OF THE HOME CARE SERVICE OUT OF WORK, IRONICALLY KNOWN AS THE PREVENTATIVE SERVICE!



WHAT THIS SERVICE ACTUALLY PREVENTS IS A GREAT MYSTERY?


SUGGESTIONS ON A POSTCARD WELCOMED.


SEE BELOW FOR THE TRADE UNIONS RESPONSE TO THIS DIRTY ACTION TAKEN BY TONY HUNTER AND SUE TRAFFORD.

IF YOU THINK YOU WON'T EVER NEED TO USE A HOME CARE SERVICE ?

THEN HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PREVENT GETTING OLD?

THINK ON EVERYONE AND GET BEHIND THE CARERS OF LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL AND DEMAND A STOP TO THIS DESTRUCTION OF SERVICES.

MORE TO FOLLOW SOON ON THE REAL BEHIND THE SCENES STORY OF CARING

LIVERPOOL.......



Chair:

Bobby Daniels

GMB

Treasurer:

Arthur Moss

GMB

LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL

JOINT TRADE UNION COMMITTEE

Secretary:

Angela Blundell

UNISON

G.01 Cotton Exchange

Bixteth Street

Liverpool L3 9LQ

Tel: 0151 236 1944

15th June 2007

HOME CARE STATEMENT

The following is the Statement issued to the trade unions at 3 pm on Thurs. 14th June 2007

It is the Council’s intention to write to all potentially affected staff with offers of Voluntary Redundancy with terms consistent with the Council’s policy for early retirement of a maximum of 5 added years.

This will result in each employee – including those over the age of 50 and up to the age of 65 – having entitlement to a “one-off” redundancy payment based upon their age and length of service.

Those employees who are over the age of 50 will also, however, be entitled to the early release of their pension and lump sum based upon their accrued benefits as at the date of their redundancy.

These pension entitlements will be without actuarial reduction which would have been the case if the employees had taken early retirement.

No other details were shared with the trade unions at that time. The details would follow probably within the next week.

Management should apologise to its staff for the lack of information.

After leaving the meeting the trade unions were advised a press statement had already been given out and the Executive Director Tony Hunter would speak on local radio.

The trade unions are aware that this is an uncertain time for the Home Care Service and differing statements being issued by LCC are causing confusion.

We have asked for joint meetings with staff and as soon as there is more information we will contact our members.


Friday 15 June 2007

LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE £MILLIONS FROM GOVERNMENT?

WARREN BRADLEY AND HIS PUPPET MASTER MIKE STOREY, HAVE RECEIVED £MILLIONS FROM THE PRESENT LABOUR GOVERNMENT FOR THE FUNDING TOWARDS THE CAPITAL OF CULTURE CELEBRATIONS 2008.


ONE QUESTION???????

WHAT HAS ALL THIS MONEY BEEN SPENT ON???


LIVERPOOL CITY LABOUR LEADER, JOE ANDERSON RESIGNED THIS WEEK IN DISGUST AT THE WAY THE CULTURE COMPANY ARE WASTING MONEY LEFT RIGHT AND CENTRE.

WARREN BRADLEY WENT CAP IN HAND TO LIVERPOOL BUSINESS WORLD, DEMANDING THEY COUGH UP MONEY TO FILL THE £29 MILLION VOID THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS HAVE CREATED.

BELOW LIVERPOOL MP LOUISE ELLMAN GETS A RUN DOWN OF THE GOVERNMENT GRANTS THAT LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO FUND THE CAPITAL OF CULTURE FESTIVAL 2008.

SOMEONE MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS SHAMEFUL WASTE OF PUBLIC MONEY.


Culture Media and Sport

European Capital of Culture: Liverpool

Photo of Louise Ellman Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside, Labour) | Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) UK Government and (b) EU funding has been made available to support Liverpool's Capital of Culture festival.

Photo of David Lammy David Lammy (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport) | Hansard source

DCMS and Arts council have committed £10 million over the period 2005-09 to support Liverpool's Capital of Culture. In addition Liverpool received a grant of £1,200,000 from the Urban Cultural programme; and the North West Development Agency has approved £2 million.

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) has approved £10 million funding and in addition provided Phase 1—£946,000 ERDF pre 2008 approval and Phase 2—£2.63 million ERDF post approval.

Thursday 14 June 2007

LIVERPOOL COUNCIL LEADERS ,JOIN FORCES TO MEET GORDON BROWN IN PLEA FOR CAPATILISATION

DESPITE THE FALLOUT FROM JOE ANDERSON RESIGNING FROM THE CAPITAL OF CULTURE BOARD, JOE HAS AGREED TO PUT HIS NAME TO A LETTER ADDRESSED TO GORDON BROWN REQUESTING A MEETING TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE AGREEMENT FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO ALLOW LIVERPOOL COUNCIL TO FUND THE CULTURE EVENTS FROM THE SALE OF BROWN LAND AND THE CITIES FAMILY SILVER.

This is a situation caused by the Liberal Democrats, as they have not prepared for the funding of the celebrations.
If Gordon Brown does not agree to this proposal then Liverpool City Council Tax payers will have to foot the bill on top of the usual payments for services.


Other suggestions for the funding have been proclaimed,
examples are;


Senior managers and chief executive to take a pay cut, this would fund the whole of the years celebrations!
Get Henshaw to repay his blackmail money back to the city.

Sack Phil Halsall


Stop payments from the city council to Liverpool Directrobbery Limited.


USE YOUR VOTE IN MAY 2008 AND GET RID OF THE BUMBLING IDIOTS WHO ARE RUNNING THE CITY!


SEE BELOW FOR ECHO REPORT

Polictical rivals in joint appeal for Culture cash

Jun 14 2007


by Larry Neild


LIVERPOOL’S two political leaders are to head a delegation to make a joint plea to Chancellor Gordon Brown to help plug the £22m gap in the city’s culture year funding.

Council leader Warren Bradley and Cllr Joe Anderson buried the hatchet following a stormy 24 hours during which the Labour leader sensationally resigned from the culture company board.

The fall-out over the funding of the city’s 2008 European Capital of Culture year continued in the town hall council chamber last night.

A special meeting of Liverpool City Council was called to debate a controversial funding package which would mean Liverpool raising the £22m by borrowing the money over five years.

The strategy will collapse if the government refuses to bend the rules to agree the funding formula.

So after political foes battled it out in a debate over the money shortage, Cllr Bradley threw down the gauntlet to the opposition leader.

He challenged him to sign a joint letter to Gordon Brown to help give the plea for help cross chamber support.

Cllr Anderson studied the letter and agreed to his name being placed alongside the leader’s, but on the basis that they ask for a meeting with the Chancellor and Treasury officials.

The move comes more than 20 years after the then city council sent a delegation, headed by John Hamilton and Derek Hatton, to make a plea to the Margaret Thatcher government to help bail out the city from a financial crisis.

Cllr Anderson said: “I have made my feelings known about the way the culture programme is being handled, but we all want to see our Capital of Culture year succeed.”

Cllr Bradley, who sprang the surprise letter during the heated funding debate, said: “I am delighted we can approach the Chancellor as a united front on behalf of the people of Liverpool.”

The plea to Mr Brown is not seeking extra Government cash. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell made it clear in Liverpool last month that there would be no extra money from Westminster for Liverpool’s culture year.

An escape route, devised by resources director Phil Halsall, would involve the council borrowing the money and repaying it over five years. If money earned from the sale of brownfield sites is used it could mean there will be no impact on council taxpayers.

In the letter the two councillors say they are asking for help and support to complete the last phase of the culture year funding package.

They want permission to use a mechanism known as capitalis- ation, which means borrowing money and spending it as a one-off on the cultural programme.

Government rules normally mean that cash raised in this way cannot be used to pay for festivals and events, but the two councillors stress that an exception should be made.

They tell Mr Brown: “Put simply, future generations will all benefit from 2008 and therefore it feels unfair to expect the current generation to pay for the event in a single year.”

Earlier Labour councillors complained that the ruling Lib-Dems should have been putting money aside for the past four years to pay for the celebrations.

But Cllr Bradley insisted: “Capital of Culture will be our springboard for a bright future for our city.”

larryneild


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NADIA GETS TO USE MACCAS GOLDEN SHOWER

NADIA GETS TO USE MACCAS GOLDEN SHOWER

QUOTE OF THE YEAR 2007

Council leader Warren Bradley said that some individual councillors’ behaviour was “appalling” and not fitting of a democratic society.

FULL STORY

BUMBLING BRADLEY

FIREMAN'S INTERVIEW WITH ROGER PHILLIPS, AFTER COUNCIL RANKED THE WORST FINANCIALLY RUN

Roger: This is not a good report for us is it Warren?
Fireman:Well Roger we’ve got to put it into perspective really haven’t we and remember where Liverpool was and that’s not thinking back 10 years. Liverpool has come an awful long way. The people of Liverpool were asking for lower Council Tax and the Liberal Democrats have delivered that and they also wanted better services and you look at the services that are now delivered by Liverpool City Council. If we look at the most vulnerable either elderly or the Children’s Services the social care we are now delivering at a level that Liverpool has never delivered before. We also look at the bread and butter your schools, your sports centres, your libraries, One Stop Shops in communities, our parks, we’ve got 13 green flag parks. It’s like a new home to me when you get an old dilapidated derelict building you’ve got to bring it up to a standard and I think Liverpool City Council under the Liberal Democrats have certainly done that and I am certain if we did a survey of people in the City do you want Liverpool City Council to sit on £20m worth of reserves or do you want the City Council delivering front line services that affect the most vulnerable and people’s lives in the City. I think that they would vote with their feet and say that we support the policies of Liverpool City Council. We’ve got to look at the financial regulations put in by Government and if you want my opinion about this Roger it is purely political.
Roger: Well come on, you know the Audit Commission is not a political body
Fireman: Well with respect Roger and I would beg to differ on that
Roger: Well how can it be a political, it’s an independent organisation?
Fireman: We can say everything is independent to a certain extent but you know you look at what we’ve got at the moment in Liverpool and we’re delivering top quality services.
Roger: But the problem with this is that you’ve got an overall score rating of 2 which was adequate performance into 05, overall score in 06 was 2 which is adequate performance.
This year it is down to 1 below minimum requirements inadequate performance.
Fireman: Based around financial regulations…
Roger: Yes I’m talking about the financial…..
Fireman: Laid down by government. I mean that’s what you’ve got to remember. Don’t try and muddy the waters and say oh this is about Liverpool City Council and their overall performance. It’s not. You look at the issue that we’ve done about achievements. Liverpool scoring 3-4 on achievement at the moment through the Audit Commission.
Roger: I didn’t know that.
(EDs: Pitiful, just pitiful.)
Fireman: And we do seem to always go to the negatives when we’re looking for something like this.
Roger: The District Auditor was pretty negative about you wasn’t he and…
Fireman: No, I have got to say Roger I would love to have £50m in reserves. I would also love not to have to put additions of £7m into adult social care and £2-3m into children’s social care. The facts are we have got to do that because of the pressures that are on Liverpool at the moment.
Roger: So are other Councils….
Fireman: I’m not willing as Leader of this Council to take away care to the most vulnerable to allow it to sit in reserve. I am not willing to do that and I will go to the stake on that the people of the City. Liverpool now is only one of a handful of Councils up and down the country that is providing moderate care to the most vulnerable people in the City. Now to give people an idea of what moderate care is that is home care. These people who’ve got no family to support them and require a visit in the morning or a visit in the evening to make sure they’re ok to help them to take the pills, to make sure that they’ve got the food. Most Councils up and down this country have removed that care. Liverpool City Council is still allowing our most vulnerable people our sort of care. Now is that wrong, is that wrong?
Roger: Now no one would argue that’s wrong but everyone. But many people are affected by housing. Housing is really poor isn’t it. I mean you are so poor you’ve had to hand it over to a different group to run it.
Fireman: Well with respect Roger, with respect, you’ve got to know what the Housing Corporation have done and in partnership with the Government again it’s easy to say it’s the Council, in partnership with the Government we’ve tackled head on through the Pathfinder areas of the inner core of the City some of the housing inefficiencies of the City. That hasn’t happened over the last five years that’s happened over 30 or 40 years. The problems in Norris Green in housing were prevalent 30 or 40 years ago and weren’t tackled. As an Authority we’ve challenged what wasn’t tackled and we’ve challenged it head on and I opened a couple of weeks ago with Flo Clucas and Marilyn Fielding with Cobalt Housing the first phase of Norris Green. We’ve transformed that area and its got houses for sale and social housing in Norris Green that people are seeking to live in now. We’ve got in a core Edge Hill, Kensington, Kirkdale the same issues that have been there for 30 or 40 years that we’re tackling now hand in hand with the Government. I’m not taking the credit for it and the Government isn’t. We’ve got a schools’ programme that is second to none. Liverpool’s young people are now achieving at the national average. I want it higher than national average to give new opportunity but again I’ll say I’m not going to suit accountants’ financial regulations in London and leave £millions sitting in reserve while we have still got the challenges Liverpool has got and I think people you know.
Roger: Do you think it was a mistake to keep Council Tax down or freeze it over the past few years?
Fireman: Well isn’t it ironic Roger how last week John Healey said how Liverpool is charging £101 a head...
Roger: Because its inefficiencies….
Fireman: Well we have taken £150m worth of inefficiencies out of our budget over the last 10 years. We’ve kept Council tax down which is exactly what Government policy is and is exactly what John Healey is saying. Councillor Joe Anderson is saying something completely different to the people of Liverpool that he will put taxes up to build reserves to put in reserve well again this administration this Lib Dem administration is not going to tax for the sake of taxing to leave money sitting in reserve. We will build up the reserves over a period of years and then we will be able to tackle some of the other issues that we’ve got to do. We recognise the health inequalities. To improve health inequalities we’ve got to have a real stable economy offering real opportunity and raising the aspirations in them poorer communities. You cannot do that leaving millions and millions of pounds laying in reserves and this administration will continue the robust financial management that we’ve done. We’ll carry on delivering…
Roger: If it was that robust we wouldn’t have this problem of £20m overdrawn on Capital of Culture.
Fireman: Roger, lets put things into hindsight. We are still delivering front line services. We are still…
Roger: It’s about £20m overall that we’re short this year – now that’s not robust management
Fireman: But Roger we are going through a budget setting process. Every Local Authority up and down the country is in the same process as us. I remember reading about Wirral being £50m short. Other Local Authorities. I meet the core city leaders who are £40-£50m short exactly the same as Liverpool . And let’s not forget I haven’t come on here to knock the Government I’ve come on here to say that I believe we’ve got a robust financial programme in place that is going to deal with the shortfall. We’ve delivered year on year but I’ll say again I am not going to allow millions and millions of pounds to lay in reserve. Cut front line services to the most vulnerable and then say that’s acceptable. Nor as Leader of this Council am I going to allow Council Tax to go through the roof again which will drive the inability to bring further investment into this City. While the Lib Dems have been in control we’ve brought Council Tax down, we’ve brought renewed confidence and we’ve brought real investment that will bring opportunities to the most vulnerable and I think that is the most important and I think the people of this City will stand full square with us on that. I’m proud of what we’ve delivered in this City over the last 10 years and Capital of Culture is part of that."