Conversations on Culture video

Just in case you want ot watch the Culure video here

I heart the FOI

Robyn Archer

and Mike Storey in happier times

Despite the horrible events in Parliament where the MP’s have decided to allow themsleves to side step the Freedom of Information Act 2005, I just love the FOI.

For instance I wrote to the Culture Company and in less than the statutory 20 days they repsonded to my question “How many employees does the CC employ and what will be the total wage bill up to 2009 and how many Australians work for the company (only joking about the last questions)”

Well the total bill for just the staffing costs,(this does not include any of the following, the offce rents furniture fixture and fittings, expenses, mileage allownaces,, free lunches, paper clips, soft toilet paper, acrylic bodywames made from recycled pop bottles, advertising, Pete Postlethwaite’s fee, Robyn Archer’s singing Lessons and airflights too and from Oz) comes to a staggering £18,600,000 (no the.re arent too many noughts there). Oh yeah they have 100.5 full time equivalent people in post, and only 23% are Australian (still joking there).

Stunned silence, utter outrage, manic laughter.

All I can say is “it had better be good”, and I hope they get a fixed rate interest only mortagage on the outstanding £29 million they have to borrow.

If you really want a laugh

http://www.robynarcher.com.au/

and look for any references to Liverpool Capital of Culture a period of her life she is obviously proud of….can we have yer wages back Robyn as she only describes herself as “working on the Capital OfCulture” and as “being a consultant”, so I take it she’s not taking any direct responsibility there then.

Australia land of the cultural Icon :

Bluey, (fat detective wrestler, John Prescott’s role model)
the magic boomerang,(throw the boomerang and time stands still, bit like Kenny)

Skippy, (what’s that Skip, Mike Storey’s down the well with a broken leg)

Spyforce, (ww2 drama which had white people “blacked” up to play natives)

Pamela Stephenson, (Psychiatrist my arse)

Phoenix 5 (their answer to Star Trek)

Les Patterson (a larger than life cultural Les)

The Regenerated Mike

Mike Storey in the 90’s

The search for Tony Parrish took it’s toll

Henshaw enjoys his retirement How Mike looks now after his latest regeneration

Just got back from Radio Merseyside reviewing the Newspapers on the Breakfast programme with Simon and Lucinda. One of the stories I picked up in the Daily Post was the appointment of Councillor Mike Storey has been apppointed executive member for regeneration.

This sort of begs the question “Is Mike Storey a Timelord” it’s another regeneration and he’ also in charge of it too. I suspect he is and this latest reincarnation is merely a stage to changing in to the Fireman’ s persona.

Mike is still technically barred from taking over the Leader’s role from Warren Bradley (or is it Phil Cool?) for the foreseeable future, mainly becuase of his slight misundertanding with the ex Chief Exec David “Davros” Henshaw a year or so back. The misunderstanding was about how much money the cash strapped council should donate to Davros’s retirement (it turned out to be a hefty £350,000, (Liverpool contract Care Workers please take note, how many arses would you have to wipe to earn that in a year)).

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/capitalofculture/news/tm_method=full%26objectid=19106399%26siteid=50061-name_page.html

Given the fact he is a timelord maybe he should slip into the Tardis (or the 08 place as it’s more commonly known) and go back to just after we won the Capital of Culture Award….and not taken on Robyn Archer (have you heard her sing? that should have been a dead giveaway http://www.robynarcher.com.au/400_music_room.php?id=0&audioFile=450_menstruation_blues.mp3), not set up the unaccountable Culture Company (how many people are on the payroll and how much is the wage bill) and gone out and asked real people what they really want to happen.

We did and it wasn’t rocket science.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb6XxOitPpM

http://kensingtonvisionfm.mypodcast.com

Have they managed to confirm Pete Postlethwaite to play Lear (apparently not so far)

While you are back in 2003 it might be worth emptying your Outlook saved emails and your in-box too

Liverpool Direct’s new staff uniform (take me to your leader)

Richard , Your’e Fired!

Just coming back from my mooch at Kensington Market (Ok I know I shouldnt but I do suffer from Carbootamania, recently recognised as by Unesco as a reall disease).

Just a quick word about Kensington Market 20 years ago this was a thriving popular market selling a wide range of goods, but the decline of the market mirrors the decline of the area. A fire there nearly two years ago looked like it would seal the fate of the place but the tax exile owner decided to erect numerous containers and apply for planning permission which was refused, but as he had already done it, this decision made no difference. Anyhow to cut  a long story short the council want to CPO (Compulsory Purchase Order) the site probably to build more ugly flats, but he appealed to John Prescott (the most unappealing person I can think of) and he has managed to hold the council at bay. Allegedly he has threaten to “Cover th the site with Irish Travellers” if it CPO’d. 

Using my less than faultless logic this looks like it might be the time to resassess the situation and try and make it into a bone fide market, as it does actually provide a service and bring people into the area.

Maybe the owner should be encouraged and even given grants to make the place a real market and more attractive and appealing as at the moment it looks a like a cross between the Sarajevo siege of ‘93 and the Khyber Pass Smugglers Market.

Well on te way back I noticed a crowd gathering on the MacDonalds Car Park, people were gathering around Car Boots and picking up things, so I trolled over only to find myself in the middle of a Lib Dem Focus distribution, they were all there, Frank, Coucnillor Kendricks and RM.

The phrase too little too late came to mind as quickly left the area. I’m watching my door slot now for the Focus as I cant wait to read how they explain last week away, blip, hiccup or we were robbed……….

Think local-Act local-no more no less

As a long time Labour voter ( and not wanting to send my long Dead Dad into a spin) mydilemma over the past few years of inparticular  being totally dumb struck by the way New Labour as a “socialist”government has been acting.

For the love of me I cannot fathom its’ almost mindless reliance on IT systems (£600 million on a faulty CSA computer £16 billion on the health service computer and so on), how a lot of other policies such as PFI just seem to make the fat cats even fatter and then of course there is Iraq.

About 18 months ago I did stop my membership and shortly after recieved a phone call from the Labour Party asking me why I had resigned, with the inevitable  two word answer “Tony Blair”. We all had so much hope pinned on the guy and there was a general feeling that something would happen, this government would be really be open and honest.

The Openess and honesty soon gave way a feeling that  governments/politicians are the all the same, and that the pursuit of power seems to overwhelm any credibility or honesty.

As someone who worked in local authorities for a long time too my opinion on councillors was no better. Some of  the labour councillors in Knowsley (where I worked) reminded me of the pigs in Animal Farm but far far greedier.

My local councillors in Kensington and Fairfield seemed seemed no better. The area is very run down and the subject of a regeneration scheme which although making small changes, doesnt seem to have ignited any real revival. I wont go into detail about all of this now.

Being a good local councillor is not rocket science, and I can probably sum it up as “Speaking to local people about local issues and doing your best to solve them”  I think what happens is this focus can easily be shifted and the big political or city picture becomes more important than a seemingly trivial problems of the locals (i.e. the poeple who keep you in the job).

A very small local problem (in m case flytipping) can be so socially corrosive and the lack of interest from the council officers and from councillors in making the council do thier job properly with issues like this is very frustrating.

The new councillor Louise Baldock has over the past 12 months, and against my great cynicism, managed,by keeping it local etc etc to inginite my idealism and belief, although I’m still waiting for TB to go before I consider reneweing my LP membership.

Richard, don’t forget to hand the Council laptop in on the way out!

I woke up to the news that Wendy Simon has beaten Richard Marbrow in the local council election,I also found a scribbled note pushed through my letter box with the following written in a fine copperplate hand: 

Ode to R.Marbrow 

So farewell Richard your time has come and you are gone,

Your Jolly demeanour and your Soap Star looks (Barry from Eastenders),

Did not help you convince Kenny and his friends

To keep you in the lifestyle you have grown accustomed to;

No more laptops, no more large allowances,free lunches or bottled water,

You managed to escape the Franeys and their wrath

But not the displeasure of the local electo-rat

You are no longer able to watch and scratch Frank’s back

So who will do it now,

Not Wendy 

Not Louise,

At least not without

A barge pole of approximately 3 metres in length.

The masked floating voter After E.J.Thribb

I can only say this brought a large tears to my eye and equally large lump to my throat.

Freshfields Animal Rescue raided by the Police

Apparently early this morning the rescue centre where I go to walk the dogs and do home checks for, was raided.

It’s alleged that there are links with Animal Rights Activists and the centre. Ive been going there for over four years and although they are all Vegans (any friend of Mr Spock is OK by me) I’ve never noticed anything untoward there and I htink I would have, as I find the whole animal liberation arguments as being a bit on the wacky and naive side.

I remember a few years ago on Newsnight and old Paxman laying into them because they had released thousands of captive mink into the Britiah countryside, thereby signing the deaths warrants of the local Water Rats. The ALF rep. didnt have a cogent argument for this the stupid act.

There have also been a few documentaries investigating the more hardened activists and they dot tend to have this steely eyed look of the fanantic,  and refuse to embrace counter arguments.

I suppose eating dead animals does cloud my judgement butI do think that human life is higher in the food chain than animal life, so I’m more prag than dog.

If they have been involved (and at this stage the only arrests were ones of resistance against the Police and not for AR offences) it won’t put me off going to the centre as they do such a sterling job with all the animals there.