Baron Storey will be one of many peers to be put into the House to help oversee the vital Parliamentary Reforms that the Houses of Parliament so desperately need.

I think all people, no matter what political persuasion, will agree that Mike is truly deserving of this honour. It was his vision and talent that helped regenerate Liverpool and brought the hugely successful Capital of Culture to our shores.

Well done Mike you are a true legend!

The Lib Dems in Government plan to see an elected second chamber which will replace the current system that favours unelected and unaccountable Parliamentarians making decisions that affect the whole Country.

This awful and undemocratic system couldn’t be better realised than in the announcement at the beginning of the week where the House of Lords defeated a Government bill that gave ministers more powers in dismantling Quangos.

So basically the formula worked like this…

An undemocratic and unaccountable body (The Lords) voted against the Government’s plans (a democratic and accountable body) to reform and modify Quangos… which are undemocratic and unaccountable…. !!!!

The bill was narrowly defeated (235 – 201) by mainly Labour Peers.

It is also worth noting that Labour have the majority of Lords in the House with 234, I’m guessing cash for honours really paid off!

The leadership result may have caught most people off guard, however the spin doctors currently scattered around Manchester have no handling on a situation that is steadily rolling out of control.

First I watched David Miliband being handbagged by the media on his entrance to the conference centre.  “I don’t know if you noticed but I came here on Saturday planning a slightly different week. I am now thinking what I am going to do instead,” he stated… you could write many novels with the subtext between the lines of this statement. For an MP who is as experienced as David Miliband to let his poker face slip (albeit only slightly), shows how much frustration, anger and shock is bubbling in his system. He’s clearly hurt, clearly angry and clearly off message. Every comment that isn’t a declaration of intent regarding his position on the shadow cabinet just fuels more media speculation and damages the fresh leadership the Party is trying to establish.

Next came the embarrassing display of Sadiq Khan being interviewed by Andrew Neil. The MP for Tooting and campaign manager for the Ed Miliband campaign squirmed and shrunk as Andrew Neil questioned him on the claims that unions ran a negative campaign against David Miliband. He had no statistics to back up his claims, no message to kill the union argument and no reasons why the majority of MPs and members voted against Ed Miliband. He hadn’t been briefed, he had no way of spinning the arguments put forward by Neil and his performance showed how slow the normally slick, Labour press machine has become. Everytime Sadiq Kahn mumbled or looked down in desperation as Neil hammered him for answers I found myself screaming, “Run! Get out of there! You’re dying in there!”

I’m the first to admit, I was in awe of the Labour Party press machine when it was at the peak of its operations. I’m a huge Alastair Campbell fan and think there is no better political communications practitioner. While he was running operations for the Blair regime, the Labour Party were a slick, efficient, PR machine. MPs, MEPs, Lords and key activists were briefed, leaks were kept to a minimum and if anyone dared go against the party line a suitable punishment generally ensued.

This week, however, the Labour MPs are briefing against a leader not even three days into his new role. Union bosses such as Charlie Whelan are bragging that he and his cronies won the leadership race and finally they have key players and cabinet members performing without a script in front of the nation’s press.

This was supposed to be the moment when they took it to the Government. This was the moment they were supposed to unleash how they would deal with the deficit they created. They were supposed to convince the British people that they were the voice for progressive politics. They were supposed to come back rejuvenated. Instead it’s been the same old Labour Party that this country has been subjected to, year after year.

The infighting remains, the finger pointing and name calling is still prevalent. The Labour Party have nothing new to offer and even their spin doctors seem to have gone off the boil.

The Labour Party need to get their act together fast, otherwise the in fighting that characterised the end of New Labour will kill off the Miliband era before it’s even started.

Heads would be rolling if Alastair was still in charge.

I agreed with all of Cllr Robinson’s motion and was glad he brought the motion forward as it gave a few of us a chance to debate something we all felt passionate about.

Voting reform is something that is very close to my heart and therefore my first speech at Council went something like this:

“Thank you Lord Mayor.

Firstly I’d like to thank Cllr Robinson for pushing this motion and giving us the opportunity to discuss this issue.

Being a Liberal and a Democrat it would be utterly absurd for me to disagree with what is written here.

I too agree that we should be cautious of rushing into a re-drawing of the electoral boundaries across Merseyside. I believe that without the appropriate action and strategy both Liverpool and Merseyside could find themselves ‘Short Changed’ by losing an elected representative as a large proportion of residents will not be on the electoral register. Therefore waiting till the census in 2011 makes perfect sense.

It is vital that the Government introduce a registration drive, especially towards the groups mentioned in the motion. Democracy has to hear every voice for it to be truly successful. In Politics, Aristotle wrote “If liberty and equality, as is thought by some are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.” This lesson is still as important today as it was then and therefore I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment in Cllr Robinson’s motion.

However…

I personally, don’t think this motion goes far enough. It is not just enough to get people on the electoral register, we also have to give people a reason to vote.

Just as the General Election was announced on April 6^th, 2010 the Electoral Reform Society produced a report stating that out of the 15 seats in Merseyside, 11 were deemed as safe.

In these ‘safe seats’ a handful of party members would select their candidate, who would then go and win the Parliamentary election by sometimes nearing 20,000 votes. Simply, this means that probably just 100 people can decide the election in one of these constituencies, behind the walls of their Party headquarters.

I feel that this system has given thousands of people a reason NOT to vote. These people see no reason to go to their polling station, they see no reason to mark an x next to their preferred candidate and they see no reason to place their ballot in the ballot box. They don’t feel that they have a voice, they don’t feel that their opinion counts.

The only way to solve this issue and in-turn increase voter turnout and political participation, is to implement full electoral reform.

Yes we need a registration drive, yes we need to educate people on why it is important to take part in the electoral system. But we also need to create a system that will truly give each person a voice that counts.

Therefore I urge this council to accept the following amendment that states “Council also urges the Government to follow the recommendations of the Jenkins Report which supports a move towards AV+ in order to increase voter turnout and proportionality throughout the UK”

Liverpool has a history of progressive and radical thought. This city has a hall of fame of progressive thinkers; Bessie Bradock, William Roscoe and William Gladstone, all of whom have inspired political interest and political participation from the banks of the River Mersey.

So let’s take on this mantle and promote a system that will not only give every person, no matter what gender, race or class, an equal voice but will also increase political participation across Merseyside.”

The addendum was passed, albeit with the ‘+’ removed from the AV. Yet that’s the nature of pluralism and democracy. Compromise and negotiation, without that, democracy would surely die.

Just Panic were first on and their set (as is always the case) was blistering. Each tune was tight and everytime I hear them the messages behind their songs just gets louder. Songs about the terrible loss of life in the middle east stir up emotions, whilst other tracks about “modern life” give everyone food for thought. I cannot say it enough, but I love these guys and their sets just get better and better. Tight, fast and powerful Just Panic are one of the best punk bands in Britain today.

We were up next and I literally have not had as much fun. Our set was sloppy and a little rusty, but the crowd’s response was so good we couldn’t help but have fun. I love my band and I love playing to the punks, ska-heads and other renegades in Liverpool. Long live The Stopouts.

Rocking the crowd

Ending the night was Chief. This is the first time I have seen the guys live. I heard their CD and it quite frankly is beautiful, but unfortunately I never got round to watching them. They took to the stage, sharing a vest between 5 of them and played the loudest, most melodic set of hardcore punk I have ever heard. They’re signed to Household Name, the UK’s most recognised and respected punk label and after watching them bound, jump and play on stage it’s hard not to see why. The vocals are tight and melodic, the message loud and clear and the guitar riffs are just sublime. They duly impressed me and I cannot wait to see them again.

So there you go, a fantastic night had by all. I think there’ll be more gigs coming soon at the Pilgrim in Liverpool, and I will make sure I advertise them on here. In the meantime please check the bands out (I’ve put their links on each name) and lend the local music scene your support!

During a meeting with residents, local businesses, Council officers, local Councillors and a representative from Tesco it was disclosed that the new Tesco store will be open between 7am and 11pm.

Many of the residents at the meeting were annoyed at these proposals, fearing that these opening hours would increase traffic and noise pollution and also create even more parking problems. Local businesses obviously were angered as this would affect their trade as they could not compete with the opening times of the store.

Unfortunately the Tesco representative wasn’t helpful, in fact at one point he said residents were lucky as the store could legally be open 24 hours. Although he said he would take residents concerns back to Head Office, it seemed more like an attempt to calm the voices at the meeting down and not a genuine offer.

This sums it up... (Courtesy of You Magazine)

I’ll try desperately to stay non-partisan here.. however it was also a shame that the representative Luciana Berger MP sent to the meeting angered a few residents with his input. He stated that the complaints that “local businesses would be affected” were simply not a good enough argument. There were many voices of concern regarding this with many people worried that it was our local MP’s position on the matter. If this is so, I have a few words for her.. Yes it is enough to worry about local businesses. They are the corner-stone of our community and we care a lot about them!

Anyways.. back to the campaign! The Lib Dems, as well as local residents, are running a petition to keep Tesco from opening at the proposed times. We feel that, while we cannot stop the store from opening, we can at least restrict it’s opening times to help local businesses and residents.

You can help by signing our petition at www.ourcampaign.org.uk/tescoallerton it’s vital we get as many people signing it as possible so please pass it on to friends and family.

You can also get updates on the campaign by following the Church Ward Team on twitter

It’s all very exciting isn’t it

Although I did send a message to him regarding the move,  it was all in good fun and I do not begrudge his decision, after all I too left a Political Party after feeling that I had left the ideological path the Party was heading in. I also owe the person a lot after they were a dedicated and driven member of my campaign team in both the Wavertree and Church Ward elections. So falling out over such a democratic decision would not only be inappropriate but also completely off-key.

Now, the point of this post isn’t to talk about this one incident, but instead to talk about this matter in relation to the Party. I’m guessing that this could be the most ‘controversial’ post that I will have written so far on this blog. I also understand that other Parties may use my words out of context.. This hasn’t put me off writing this piece though as I’m a firm believer that freedom of speech shouldn’t be curtailed in the face of such matters.

As a Party, we need to get active in supporting our volunteers and activists. The Coalition Government is the most talked about, most controversial, most radical and most opinion forming administration Britain has had. Therefore people are forming opinions about this Government and therefore the Lib Dems (I’m being Liverpool specific here) quite easily without the help from various Party propaganda. It’s plain to see that the Trinity Mirror publications (The Echo and Daily Post) are not going to stay objective when discussing Governmental decisions. This means, locally, the Party not only have a battle in the realm of “ideas” to win the support of the electorate, but also without the correct communications, we have a battle to retain the support of our volunteers and activists.

It is now so very important we address both these issues, but more importantly address the final issue regarding our activists.

We need to communicate the amazing things the Lib Dems in Government have achieved in just a couple of months. We have achieved the biggest tax cut in recent history, helping lift over a million families out of tax. We have instigated amazing work with the NHS, putting decision-making into the hands of the professionals and out of the hands of bureaucrats. Recent policy announcements on the Environment should inspire all Lib Dems up and down the country whilst finally we have a chance to vote for a new, reformed, voting system. A voting system that will give people a real choice when choosing who they want to run the country. I don’t even need to mention that the Government’s main policy theme, “The Big Society” is going to be piloted in Liverpool.

Lets face it, the Post and Echo won’t be talking about these things positively, nor will the majority of the nations media. So it’s up to the Party to do so. The Party need to push these communications much harder and with much more conviction otherwise we face losing more activists due to apathy caused by an overly bias media and efficient but nasty Labour Party.

The Labour Party are going to be vitriolic about the Coalition. They need it to fail. A successful Coalition Government will not only mean more years in the wilderness for the Labour Party, but also an end to the style of campaigning that “New Politics” hopes to wipe out. Coalition Government mean consensus, post-modern thought and an end to the petty political divides of previous years. The Labour Party thrive on these divides (anyone who attended the Crewe and Nantwich by-election will have witnessed this first hand) and thrives on the fear of other Political Parties. A successful Coalition Government will mean these political tactics will become useless.

Therefore we (The Lib Dems) need to stay focused on our message. We need to talk about the great success stories of the Government, talk about the millions of people who will benefit from the Coalition’s decisions. We cannot be drawn into attacking decisions that the Labour Party are going to attack anyway, this will not only reinforce their message but also weaken our position locally.

If we stick to our messages, successes and good news stories and stay focused on our mission, then I’m certain that, not only will we retain an enthusiastic and motivated membership, we’ll increase our base substantially.

For those that don’t know, I have been in Mexico for the past month (it was originally only going to be three weeks) visiting Carla. However I stayed an extra week due to my appendix bursting on me… the most painful experience of my life. 

Mexico was brilliant though and one of the most welcoming Countries I have ever visited. The people are warm, friendly and proud whilst the culture and art is just amazing. I visited the Pyramids, went to Chapultepec (with it’s beautiful gardens and stunning castle), attended a Mexican Wrestling match (I bought my brother a mask) and even had time to spend in Acapulco for a weekend. 

It was brilliant seeing Carla as well, I really miss her back in England. During the run up to the election campaign she was a complete rock for me and I find it very hard without her advice and support here. 

Anyways the appendix are now out and I am recovering very well. Originally I thought it was just a stomach bug, as did Carla and her mum (a trained Nurse no less). However it turned out to be much more serious and whilst having an X-Ray my appendix burst and gave me a 24 clock on my head. Scary stuff. 

Muchas gracias to Carla, her mum Lydia, The Doc and my Nurse Natalie for basically saving my life. Big plus points to all from my mother back in Stratford. 

Good times with Carla (Changuito) in Mexico

So anyways, I’m back and healthy and looking forward to some political discourse back in England. Which is very lucky as the Guardian released their Afghanistan War Logs. 

These series of leaked memos, reports and briefings have documented the chaos, confusion and utter anarchy that has characterised the war in Afghanistan. Now I don’t believe anyone reading these will be surprised by the reports contained in the logs. It has been widely known for sometime that the war effort is in chaos. 

The soldiers out there are doing a fantastic job under the directions they have been given, however it is the leaders (both militarily and political) that have lost the plot. 

What these logs do however is offer the decision-makers no escape from the horrible mess that they have led our forces into. The public can now see first hand, the evidence that proves the war effort is not going smoothly and an end is nowhere in sight. 

One former cabinet officer described it as a “game-changer” and I think this is a perfect description. As members of the public we rarely get a glimpse of the raw data that politicians and civil servants re-work in order to produce the story they want us to read. But now the ball of twine has been presented to us unwound and with its bare facts on show. 

These logs haven’t raised many new questions, but they may have forced the Government to review previously given answers..

And with that Wayne Rooney managed to brand the fans in South Africa disloyal, slamming one more nail in the coffin that holds my already fading faith in English Football.

I understand that the players were mad, angry and frustrated. However there is no excuse for a player to round against the fans, the majority of whom will have paid way beyond their means to support the national team.

England fans want to win and see a passionate performance. We’re not fussed if the team lacks flair, we’re not fussed if the team doesn’t embarrass the other side, but what does annoy us is when the team looks like they couldn’t care less about the game. We want Terry Butcher with his bandage covered in blood, not someone simply shrugging off a half-hearted 90 minutes.

Rooney didn’t get it. In fact if he had shown the passion he showed in the small clip above.. perhaps the boos wouldn’t have been so loud.

The fans out there deserve better. They have all spent good money to support the team out there, the least they can be shown is a bit of respect, even if their views aren’t what is wanted or needed at the time.

And now to my second rant.. John Prescott.

Politics is a partisan game. I can be one of the worst culprits as I enjoy the political banter between parties more than most. However his recent comments attacking John Hutton and Frank Field as “collaborators” is un-needed and whats more, last century.

The UK is facing massive cuts in next week’s budget. Hearing George Osbourne on the Andrew Marr show even made me start to feel pretty uneasy. However I trust my party and it’s leader, Nick Clegg, enough to know that they wouldn’t be going with these tough decisions unless there was no other option (or if the “other” option was even worse!)

Also the idea that Frank Field will be charged with overseeing anti-poverty legislation from the Conservatives fills me with great confidence.

Call me silly, but surely we want someone like Frank Field influencing this kind of policy? Surely he’s the man to keep people like Eric Pickles in check?

John Prescott sums up everything I dislike about “old politics”. The national interest dictates that we need a Government that will cut sensibly, and honestly. The mess caused by years of overspending and poor economic management has left our country in a terrible situation. George Osbourne, Danny Alexander and the rest of the treasury team have no option but to make cuts to keep our economy from spiralling further into chaos.

However John feels it right to slate Labour Party politicians choosing to influencing Government policy in order to score a few points against the “bad old ConDems.”

Sad and pathetic..

Unfortunately Prescott won’t be gone from public life since he has been made a peer.. I’ll look forward to his educated and statesman like contributions in the House of Lords in the near future.

In the meantime lets enjoy this…

John prescott demonstrates his statesman like approach

For those that do not know what he has said please read this

Here Ed Milliband has suggested that Lib Dem voters have been betrayed by the party as we have formed a Government with the Conservatives. He also says we are pushing an ideology that moves the State away from the individual.

Firstly, the coalition agreement was distinctly set on Liberal principles. I would agree that not everyone likes the idea of the party forming a Government with the Conservatives. However I would also agree there are many people out there who would equally be angry if the Lib Dems had backed a Labour administration.

Liberalism isn’t about appeasement, it is a radical and progressive ideology that centres the personal freedom AND progression of the country at the heart of it’s doctrine.

To quote the fantastic David Laws, “Liberalism has always stood against narrow class interests, sectional interests, purely national interests, and in favour of the general interest.” (Orange Book, P21)

Therefore to suggest that the Lib Dems betrayed Liberal voters by supporting one particular party is just plain incorrect at best. At worst is was cheap and cynical ploy to score political points.

We stood away from party interests and to some extent, class interest, to put the general interest first. Britain had been left in a mess by a previous administration that over spent so greatly that they had lost the support of the Civil Service. Therefore a strong Government was needed to take decisive and immediate action on the economy.

The Labour Party refused to work in a coalition Government. It is well documented that the Labour Party negotiators met with the Lib Dem team and refused to back not only a deal on Heathrow, but even removed a referendum on AV from their manifesto.

This worked for them in two ways. Firstly it allowed them to move into opposition and regroup following a disastrous regime under Gordon Brown.

Secondly, and more importantly, it manoeuvred the Lib Dems into a coalition with the Conservatives under the illusion of “having a choice”.

The media reported that the Lib Dems had met both Labour and Conservative representatives and then formed a coalition with the latter, even though the Labour Party negotiators had simply turned up to meetings with their arms folded.

Milliband’s second point regarding the distancing of the state from the individual is also a good example of the Lib Dems initiating a truly Liberal doctrine while in Government.

Liberal thought believes that the individual should live his or her life without fear of over influence from the State. Therefore scrapping the ID Card scheme and raising the tax threshold to £10,000 are two fine examples of the Coalition Government pushing a Liberal agenda. The first took the over-bearing “big brother” nanny state, left by the Labour administration and cut its needless surveillance on each individual citizen.

(I’m now reminded of a fantastic King Blues lyric: “They made them carry ID cards to state where they’re from, as if by being born they had done something wrong”)

The second proposal gives each individual a chance to take the money from the tax cut (around £700) and spend it how they see fit, whilst encouraging those that would normally be on state benefits (as it pays more than many jobs after tax) to go to work.

How much more Liberal can you get?!

Ed Millband is, in fact, the Labour candidate I would most like to see as Leader of the Opposition.  He seems articulate and intelligent enough to be a good leader, as well as having the charm and strength of character to do the job.

But his lack of knowledge of Liberal thought says to me he may need to do a little bit more revision first!