Jul 23, 2022·edited Jul 23, 2022Liked by Jack Dulhanty, The Post, Jack Walton
So this is, I think, a remarkable piece of journalism. That was my gut feeling when I read it anyway. My sense is that it's to do with the fact that there is real political substance to it, combined with the quality of the writing. Politics is so often a messy and even dirty business but the way this piece is put together makes it rise above that and, in spite of the gloomy subject matter gives me hope for the future of our local democracy.
Yesterday I attended a debate in Lark Lane and the motion was "This House Believes that Liberal Democracies have Become Much More Fragile" (which was, incidentally, attended by one of the prominent councillors mentioned in Jack's preceding article on local politics, fresh from a bruising council meeting). The motion was carried 10-4, with some abstentions. After reading this article it could have been that I would become even more depressed about the future of democracy but, curiously, I felt more hopeful. I think it was because good journalism, holding people to account and speaking truth to power, is also an integral part of our democratic system.
Seasoned observers of local and national politics would know, ever since the the majority of Liverpool voters decided to put their support behind the Labour party no matter what all those years ago, the city council has been operation like some syndicate with a law unto itself with tendrils of undesirable elements (that is putting it mildly) reaching into every part of its machinery. Neil Kinnoch did not do a proper job by just booting out the top layer of the militants leaving all the roots and side shoots untouched allowing the degeneration to continue to this day. Max Caller, Jennerick and co. either do not really know what they are up against or too afraid to dig deeper into the dirt to root out the real causes of the problem. The tax payers of this city should demand to know the real truth since it is their money that is funding this lot.
Hmm, quite an interesting read, and the longer this runs, the less of a favourable light it shines on Tony Reeves, was he really sidetracked, or did he simply choose to ignore warnings, because they never suited his agenda?
I always wonder in politics, if there is some kind of ulterior motive behind moves like this (Cue X Files Music), and you do have too wonder how white are the Government themselves in all of this? It's well established that they have long been antagonised by Liverpool City Council, because they won't do what they see as the Government's own dirty work (Cuts to various Council Services) and defying them as much as possible, so of course the very fact that they decided to send in their "Bouncers" in order to tell Liverpool how to behave, in many ways, looked like a good move for Westminster (show any other Council thinking of doing the same, what exactly will happen to you if you dare), but even they seem to have realised just how much of a mess things are, and that it's going to take more than "Simple Political Gestures" to sort this out properly.
Interesting as well, that Robert Jenrick is/was involved in this too, the Same Robert Jenrick whose last act as Minister for housing, was to push through a property deal for former publishing magnate Richard "Dirty" Desmond, Former owner of Express Newspapers, Various Top Shelf publications, Television X, and of course, a Major tory party donor. he managed to purchase property "just" a day before new laws came to pass,, which would have more than tripled the price
So this is, I think, a remarkable piece of journalism. That was my gut feeling when I read it anyway. My sense is that it's to do with the fact that there is real political substance to it, combined with the quality of the writing. Politics is so often a messy and even dirty business but the way this piece is put together makes it rise above that and, in spite of the gloomy subject matter gives me hope for the future of our local democracy.
Yesterday I attended a debate in Lark Lane and the motion was "This House Believes that Liberal Democracies have Become Much More Fragile" (which was, incidentally, attended by one of the prominent councillors mentioned in Jack's preceding article on local politics, fresh from a bruising council meeting). The motion was carried 10-4, with some abstentions. After reading this article it could have been that I would become even more depressed about the future of democracy but, curiously, I felt more hopeful. I think it was because good journalism, holding people to account and speaking truth to power, is also an integral part of our democratic system.
Keep up the good work!
Seasoned observers of local and national politics would know, ever since the the majority of Liverpool voters decided to put their support behind the Labour party no matter what all those years ago, the city council has been operation like some syndicate with a law unto itself with tendrils of undesirable elements (that is putting it mildly) reaching into every part of its machinery. Neil Kinnoch did not do a proper job by just booting out the top layer of the militants leaving all the roots and side shoots untouched allowing the degeneration to continue to this day. Max Caller, Jennerick and co. either do not really know what they are up against or too afraid to dig deeper into the dirt to root out the real causes of the problem. The tax payers of this city should demand to know the real truth since it is their money that is funding this lot.
Very informative. Thank you.
Hmm, quite an interesting read, and the longer this runs, the less of a favourable light it shines on Tony Reeves, was he really sidetracked, or did he simply choose to ignore warnings, because they never suited his agenda?
I always wonder in politics, if there is some kind of ulterior motive behind moves like this (Cue X Files Music), and you do have too wonder how white are the Government themselves in all of this? It's well established that they have long been antagonised by Liverpool City Council, because they won't do what they see as the Government's own dirty work (Cuts to various Council Services) and defying them as much as possible, so of course the very fact that they decided to send in their "Bouncers" in order to tell Liverpool how to behave, in many ways, looked like a good move for Westminster (show any other Council thinking of doing the same, what exactly will happen to you if you dare), but even they seem to have realised just how much of a mess things are, and that it's going to take more than "Simple Political Gestures" to sort this out properly.
Interesting as well, that Robert Jenrick is/was involved in this too, the Same Robert Jenrick whose last act as Minister for housing, was to push through a property deal for former publishing magnate Richard "Dirty" Desmond, Former owner of Express Newspapers, Various Top Shelf publications, Television X, and of course, a Major tory party donor. he managed to purchase property "just" a day before new laws came to pass,, which would have more than tripled the price