Lib Dems telling "lies" in Liverpool (again).

Got this through from Liverpool Council leader Joe Anderson and though it worthy of a reprint:

"They’re at it again – but then did we ever expect anything less? Many residents have been contacting me over the last week to tell me all about the latest Lib Dem leaflet which has been going through letter boxes across the city this week.

Well, I say ‘across the city’ – its mainly been in the south of the city and in places which were once Lib Dem strongholds, where their sitting Councillors are now clinging on desperately.

Indeed, ‘desperate’ is how I’d describe their latest effort. Its such a shame, this is a bunch of councillors which could be lobbying their Government to stop hitting Liverpool with cut after cut after cut. This is a party which should be on the phone to their Ministers and MPs telling them not to slash 800 officers from Merseyside Police, or another £50million from Liverpool City Council.

But instead, they’ve taken to telling lies about how much we’re spending on taxis, trying to claim that what we’re spending in a year on taxis has been spent in six months. And here’s another thing: the vast majority of these taxis weren’t used by lazy councillors or extravagant council staff, but by adults and children to help them get to their care centres and children’s homes.

Do the Lib Dems want to make these vulnerable people walk to their care homes and children’s centres?

And here’s something else for the Lib Dems to think about from their moral high ground: Last year, 35 Lib Dem councillors claimed £2,321 in travel allowances, whilst 50 Labour councillors claimed just £303.

When the Lib Dems want to have a serious discussion about transport and care packages for vulnerable people – care packages that have to be delivered against a background of savage Lib Dem / Tory cuts – then I am ready to talk sensibly. Until then, I’m more than happy to keep embarrassing them with statistics just like these."

Pretty sneaky from the Liverpool Lib Dems but par for the course after their election fibs about weekly bin collections and the crap they through at Luciana before the general election.

Frank Green art exhibition at Liverpool Art Academy

Went to see an exhibition of Frank Green paintings last night at the Liverpool Art Academy, Seel St in Liverpool.



Am pretty sure there must a be a good percentage of home in Liverpool that have a Frank Green print in there as he specialises in the areas of Liverpool making way redevelopment.



Some superb ones in the collection and a lot more styles and subjects than you generally associate with him. Well worth a look if you are around town in the next few weeks.

Street of Liverpool

Superb website featuring old images of Liverpool

Streets of Liverpool

Seriously have been listening to the same guitar solo for 20 mniutes

If there is a finer pub in Liverpool than the Swan let me know. It is definitely one of the best.

15th April Anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster

Today is the 21st anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster...the debates, recriminations and boycotts go on but at the end of the day 96 footy fans went the match and didn't come home.

Tough time of year for a lot of people on Merseyside and a time of reflection for the rest of us.

I've no love of liverpool football club but on days like this blood is thicker than water.



And remember, don't buy The Sun

Bassong's ban...earliest St Totteringham's day ever?

So Spurs beat liverpool with a banned Bassong in the side, liverpool quite rightly cry foul, Tottenham relegated (or let off scot-free if the West Ham "media-darling London club" precedent is followed). Could be interesting though.

Sebastien Bassong is set to make his debut for Tottenham against Liverpool on Sunday despite appearing to serve only one game of a two-match ban.

Bassong, 23, was sent off for Newcastle at the end of last season and missed their final match of the campaign.

Spurs say he has completed his ban by missing Newcastle's match against West Brom on Saturday, even though he signed for the Londoners before that match.

Tottenham insist the ban continued to apply to Newcastle games.

"Sebastien Bassong will be available for selection for our Premier League season opener against Liverpool on Sunday," read a Spurs statement.

"Given he served the first game of his ban against Aston Villa on the final day of the previous campaign as a Newcastle player, it meant the suspension continued to apply to Newcastle games.

"It was therefore satisfied when his former club visited West Brom on the opening day of the Championship season on Saturday."

How can Tottenham possibly say he's available...he was a Spurs player, you buy a banned player he's banned for his next game. No doubt that slimy crook Redknapp will be on the news feigning shocked righteous indignation as usual.

Hillsborough : 96 footy fans...You'll Never Walk Alone

Frequent readers of this blog will know that I am not particularly fond of our red cousins. However rivalry is rivalry but blood is thicker than water. When it comes to things like Hillsborough and The Sun boycott then Stanley Park is barely as wide as a blade of grass. I took my scarf down to Anfield on Sunday and tied it to their gates, it was quite a strange goosepimple moment but I'm very glad I did.

96 fans who's only crime was loving their team and wanting to see them play, they never came home but they'll never walk alone.

This is what a football ground looks like

Everton's Goodison Park has appeared on Google StreetView

Goodison Park. Great stuff, lots of exploring to do there, pity they didn't put all the Beatles stuff in South Liverpool such as Strawberry Fields, Forthlin Road, Menlove Avenue in there too although Penny Lane does feature.

I also noticed some cheeky Streetview advertising by Qantas, wrote a story about for work.

Liverpool to bring Capital of Culture year to a close on the River Mersey

Liverpool is to host its biggest free event as its year as Capital of Culture comes to an end at its waterfront.

Cultural venues across the city will be open later into the night as part of a special Transition Light Night.

It will be held on 10 January 2009 - a year to the day the city officially launched its culture year.

The evening will start with a "People's Celebration" at the new-look Pier Head. The show concludes with a pyrotechnic finale fired from ships on the river.

It will use the Museum of Liverpool's waterfront window as a cinema screen, with showing also at the New Mersey Ferry terminal and at the Arena Liverpool on Kings Dock.

Ben Johnson's Capital of Culture portrait of Liverpool

I love this picture, superbly done.

Liverpool : Capital of Culture portrait

The detail is amazing both in the foreground and in the distance. Nice to see Goodison Park just lurking on the edge of it too.





On the Liverpool Museum website there is a nifty little viewer that allows you to zoom in on the various bits.

Some good images of the painting's development here too

Liverpool FC try to kidnap Liver Bird

cultural imperialists try to steal city's symbol

Oh look, liverpool fc being cultural imperialists :

The owners of Liverpool Football Club have applied to register the Liver Bird as their trademark, prompting the city council to take legal advice.

The club have applied to the UK Intellectual Property Office to register the image for £450.

Bosses hope it will stem the tide of counterfeit Liverpool merchandise bearing the famous Liver Bird emblem.

But Liverpool City Council said the club had "no right" to claim the bird as its own.

Deputy council leader Flo Clucas said the council was taking legal advice over the trademark application.

"I have some very real concerns over it," she said.

"They do already have their crest trademarked, but they have no right of ownership to claim the bird, or any version of the bird, as their own.

"The Liver Bird, not only does it appear on the Royal Charter for the council, but it is also used by local businesses and schools.

"It belongs to the city and nobody has a right to claim it exclusively as the own. It's a symbol for the city."

That is a new low from a club you used to be able to respect even though you disliked them.

Liverpool Biennial

This infinity room is part of this year's Liverpool Biennial :



Simple but brilliant stuff. If you get a chance I'd definitely check out the various installations.

Definitely need to see the Joyful Trees.

The bit of Britain near me in bloom

Well done to the good folk of Woolton for winning gold in the Britain in Bloom awards.

Because we are (infrequent) regulars at The Victoria on Quarry Street in Woolton we walk through it fairly often and it's so obvious how much the appearance of the place is a labour of love to it's residents (This year the floralness even seems to have spilt over to dear old Hunts Cross). Great to see them getting something in return.

I'd like to follow on from yesterday's Harumble for Radio 4 with a Harumble for BBC Radio in General. We are not big telly people but even without that our license fee is worth every penny. Last night on Radio 4 we had a fairly decent Comedy show with Marcus Brigstock at half six plus shows on the feasibilty of Hydrogen powered cars and then a debate about the history of miracles throughout the last 200 years. This morning we had a brilliant think tank about the US economic situation on 5Live featuring Richard D North, Alistair Milne and Sarah Churchwell. All sounds rather high-brow but it was pitched just right for fairly middling intellects like me.

Tonight Sport on 5 comes from Liverpool ahead of tomorrow's derby. Not looking good for The People's Club. We are just incapable of keeping a clean sheet. Most of the blues I know are fairly fearful but you never know.

City prepares for culture party

Liverpool prepares for Capital of culture party

Liverpool 08 : Grand opening

Here we go...

Liverpool is preparing to twist and shout about its Capital of Culture title with acrobats, pupils and a former Beatle at the official opening.

The People's Opening event will take place in front and on top of St George's Hall in the city centre.

It will kick start a year-long programme of more than 350 events, which are set to attract an extra two million visitors to the city.

The ceremony starts at 2008 GMT and is expected to attract 30,000 people.

More than 600 performers will take to the stage during the event.

The show's centrepiece will be a rooftop performance by Ringo Starr who will be premiering a new song.

Sheff Utd/West Ham

BBC SPORT | Sheff Utd

BBC SPORT | West Ham Utd

Interesting that their fixture list seems interchangable for the weekends when they are both playing.

While you are here check this out. Turning the Place Over :



Biennial

BBC report

Seems to be at Cross Keys House down by Moorfields station...can't wait to see it in the flesh. I love weird things like that. People seem to be moaning about it being pointless but what's the point of any art installation? It seems to be here. Aiming to get down there ASAP.

The International Olympic Commission have delivered a glowing report on London's progress so far towards 2012. Great to hear...Us Brits are a fairly cynical bunch and the media gather round failure and scandal like packs of Jackals or vultures (Take your pick but it's difficult to disagree with Tony Blair's "Feral beast" comments the other day). Apparently those cockernees are ahead of target. Hope this is a sign of things to come 'cause even the most hardened of jaded of misery guts must agree that the games could be something truly, truly fantastic.

London on time and on track.

Everton hit back at Benitez jibe

Everton hit back at Benitez jibe

Well done Everton for calling them out on it...Nice to see them lot showing thier true colours on a national stage.

Stubbs is characteristically languid in his reaction

This season we’ve beaten them 3-0 and got a draw here

Personally I think we should treat the comments in a sensible, measured way by driving Keith Wyness to Anfield wearing a bobble hat in order to shout "How would you like to suck my balls Mr Benitez!" through a megaphone.



That'd just about cover it I think.

Derby day moaning from the rednoses

And so we finish the derbies with 2 clean sheets and 4 points. Not too bad.

BBC Match Report

The reaction from the rednoses has been gratifyingly petulant. Classles no-marks, can't wait to see Bascombe's column. A point is neither here nor there really but the whining makes it tonnes better...No doubt they'll apply for dispensation to the FA and get the game replayed.



Benitez pitched in with some petty jibes after the game

Spaniard talks nonsense

IOL: Benitez aims 'small team' jibe at Everton

Well in to our Irish pals to calling him to account and to Moyes for rebutting the nonsense. Who was trying to win at Goodison when he rested some of his best players? He fits right in over their the arrogant, fat, shit Spanish prick. It no longer matters where you are in the league. From now on you'll always be Benathus.

Replacing one myth with another

Hmmm?

Well then, the friendly derby is a thing of the past, fair enough but just making it out to be 'cause Everton fans are jealous and resentful over Heysel is pretty over simplistic.

For me what really poisoned it was when in May 94 we were heading into the game that could have seen us relegated. They were like pigs in shit over it. Crowing and gloating. Parties planned, coffins draped in Everton flags at the ready (or at least they told us they had these things plannned). On the day of the game cars were screeching to a halt and abuse was being hurled at anyone wearing a blue scarf. I remember thinking that they'd obviously been waiting a long time for this and now they were showing their true colours.

The low level of smug crowing that Evertonians had always endured at the hands of our more illustrious neighbours was ratcheted up but after that it was never just friendly banter. I don't despise Liverpool Football Club...I merely loathe their smug, deluded, arrogant fans and the myths they self-perpetuate that they are somehow a cut above everyone else.

Anyway today is derby day...I am fearful of a pasting.