Red Balloon need you

March 10th, 2010 by Roger Jonas

Our charity collection at Livercool this year will go to the Red Balloon, a charity that has really touched us at Downtown. Red Balloon is the only charity dedicated to help young people recover from being bullied. When we met with Red Balloon trustee, Peter Kite, he described how fragile many of the young people they work with are.

Red Balloon have now taken possession of their first house in Liverpool which is currently being refurbished and turned into a school that will initially work with 15 of their most fragile youngsters. This is where you can help. Click on the link below and take a look at the resources they URGENTLY need. It’s not an exhaustive list and many of their requirements, you may already have, surplus to your needs.

If you are able to help, please contact Tracy Doran 0n 07723573741 or email her on tracey.doran@merseyside.rblc.org.uk

It would be great if Downtown members and supporters could make a real dent in the list. Please help.

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ICONIC BRANDS HAVE TO MODERNISE TOO

March 5th, 2010 by Frank McKenna

It was with sadness, if not much surprise, that I heard the news of Lewis’ closure. The legendary Liverpool department store will be closing its doors after over 100 years of trading, with the loss of around 300 jobs.

Every Scouser has a tale to tell about the grand old retail outfit. For my part, it was the first place where I visited Santa’s Grotto. Sir Paul McCartney once worked there, John Lennon is said to have met his first wife Cynthia outside Lewis’ for their first date, no doubt underneath the statue that is ‘exceedingly bare.’

The Liverpool One development, along with the soon to be constructed Central Village scheme has, of course, contributed to Lewis’ demise. However, long before the modernisation of Liverpool city centre, Lewis’ was in difficulty, and has almost closed on at least two previous occasions during the recent past.

As with traditional names such as Woolworths and Ethel Austen, Lewis’ has failed to renew and re invent itself as a relevant retail offering for the twenty first century shopper. Discussing this with Aurora Media boss Jon Egan he amusingly, though it has to be conceded accurately, compared Lewis’ to Grace Brothers, the store from sitcom ‘Are You Being Served?’

Historical? Yes. Quaint? Yes. Fit for purpose in 2010?

As with all businesses, particularly in a sector as harsh as retail, you cannot survive on reputation and past glories alone.

Maybe that is something our city’s two football clubs need to remember before dismissing so readily, if reports in the local media this week are to be believed, the idea of a shared stadia.

Neither Liverpool nor Everton have anywhere near the resources required to build a stadium on their own. Why then such vehement opposition to even exploring the possibility of a shared home?

And for all of you died in the wool Blues and Reds who say they would rather see Torres and Arteta in a Manchester City shirt than share a ground with their rivals think on this.

Figures revealed this week that Match day revenues for Manchester United are £108.8m compared to £42.5m at Liverpool. Everton will be some way below that again. It is now a combined twenty years since either Merseyside club won a major honour (Liverpool may yet win the Europa League this season, but does anyone care). There is a very real possibility that Liverpool will fail to qualify for the Champions League for the first time. Everton’s hopes of any European competition next term look remote.

I repeat. As with all businesses, you cannot survive on reputation and past glories alone.

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A decent glass of Duck Pond!

March 3rd, 2010 by Roger Jonas

Rob Preston and his team hosted last Mondays Downtown Chairman’s Dinner at the Noble House. Guests were given the opportunity of quaffing numerous high end samples from their unique (outside of London of course) wine dispenser, with Sommelier Mat on hand to guide…he directed me to the “Duck Pond”…… !

I always struggle with the menu choice at the Noble House, because frankly, everything tickles my fancy and my experience to date has failed to choose a favourite dish.

After a starter of prawns in a half pint tankard, the Noble House team delivered a creative masterpiece of hanging skewers that made the Gardens of Babylon look withered.

Jon Egan, who some will remember from Livercool, is the chap from Aurora Media who has a grip on the meaning of existentialism, and probably reads Sartre as opposed to Nuts magazine, commented that the Fish Skewers were like “Blue Planet on a stick”!…….This man should publish his thoughts….inspiring, if not unnerving for the fish!

The evening ended for me with another dunk into the Duck Pond and an overdose of Assiette De Chocolat (which is French for “sod the diet”). I hate people who quote French, its so passé!

We will be organising a Members Reception at the Noble House in the near future, but in the meantime, click on the link below and make use of the online booking.

http://www.thenoblehouse.co.uk/

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Esther out with Iain

March 3rd, 2010 by Roger Jonas

It’s not every day one gets to lunch with an ex conservative party leader, but that is where I found myself last Friday along with a number of the Downtown massive!

Iain Duncan Smith was in Liverpool to support the beautiful and vivacious Tory candidate for Wirral West, Esther McVey, in the run up to the local elections. As part of their itinerary, Iain and Esther joined a mixture of Downtown members, party faithfuls and moi, for lunch.

The Hilton Hotel, sponsors of the lunch event, excelled in both quality of food and excellence in service, in surroundings fit for an ex-Tory party leader. Now I make no bones, that when I attended the inaugural event at the Hilton last year, I vocalised about my dislike for the curtains, (my only dislike by the way), I can now hold my hands up in submission to the Hilton, and confirm that, I WAS WRONG…. (Franks been practicing that statement for weeks now, but hasn’t quite got it yet).

The Exchange Restaurant at the Hilton Hotel gets my vote big time, as too does the Pima Bar (My meeting with Carolyn Hughes after the lunch is testament to that…hic!). I plan to explore the Hilton in much more detail and report back, but for now, investigate yourself and tell me you agree.

Top marks to the Hilton from all who attended….Thank you.

http://www.hilton.co.uk/HiWayWeb/appmanager/portals/hotel?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=hotel_dining_landing&ctyhocn=LPLHIHI

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IS CAMERON KEEGAN IN DISGUISE?

February 26th, 2010 by Frank McKenna

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that for some considerable time I have been predicting a comfortable victory for the Conservative Party at the next General Election. Not a landslide, as some polling evidence has suggested in recent times, but a win with a decent majority of between 30-40 seats.

This week I spent Wednesday in Westminster, meeting and bumping into a number of MP’s, Ministers and Lords. I arrived just as Prime Ministers Questions had finished, and by all accounts Gordon Brown had won the day. The Conservative members looked a bit glum.

In the country, it may not matter much who wins the weekly knock about between the party Leaders, but to the ‘troops’ it matters – a lot.

Despite Brown taking a bit of a media pounding this week, particularly on the issue of bullying, about which more later, his persona has seemingly improved significantly. He looks and sounds confident, and from the beaten man of 2009 he appears to have transformed into a confident politician who has a chance.

By contrast, Team Cameron appears to be going through a bit of a wobble, and just at the wrong time. It’s a bit like Newcastle United in the Premiership under Kevin Keegan. Runaway leaders until the business end of the season, he and his team lost the plot, having a go at that big bully Ferguson in the process.

The safe and sane money is still on a Tory win in a few weeks time. But even the most ardent of Conservative supporters will know that, rather unexpectedly, they have got a fight on their hands.

On the subject of bullying, I have to say, what a load of tosh. As the Editor of Insider Magazine, Michael Taylor, commented to me at a dinner in Manchester on Tuesday, have people not watched ‘The Thick of It’ on TV. If you haven’t, by the way, you should.

Westminster is not a place for feint hearts. Politics is a rough and tough profession, and you should know that when you sign up for a career in it. The Westminster village and, I imagine number ten, are the most unforgiving of working environments. I found the opposition party’s response to the ‘Brown is a Bully’ allegations rather hypocritical, and that seems to be the mood among those who I have spoken to. And as for the woman from the charity…what a Pratt!

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