TOTALLY FRANK  

CULTURE COMPANY UNDER PRESSURE

Calls for the dismantling of the Culture Company and the resignation of its Chief Executive were inevitable given the circumstances surrounding this years Mathew Street festival.

But with little over 100 days to go before our capital of culture year kicks off, is this more knee jerk reaction than positive response?

The suggestion that Liverpool City Council should take over the organisation of 08 is clearly being made by people suffering from a serious bout of amnesia! The Fourth Grace, the ‘big dig’, the Trams – need I go on?

Of course changes are required, and at the centre of any new arrangements must be a commitment for more transparency, and greater inclusiveness of the wider Liverpool community. After all, it was, we were told, the people of Liverpool who won the honour, not the ‘usual suspects’ and the great and the good who seem to sit on more committees than I have nights out!

The wonderful 800th birthday celebrations proved that we can get things right. Lets all work together to make sure this is the case in capital of culture year.

RHYS JONES

People who are far better qualified than me have expressed the outrage that all decent folk feel about the tragic death of little Rhys Jones.

As an avid Evertonian, I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to Liverpool Football Club for the tremendous way in which they paid tribute to Rhys at their Champions League game on Tuesday evening.

As someone who is old enough to remember when Blues and Reds could go to 'Derby' matches together, stand side by side at Anfield, Goodison and, very regularly in the 80's, Wembley, without anything to fear other than your football team being beaten, I hope that this fantastic gesture can be the platform that returns us to that friendly atmosphere and environment that really did make our local rivalry unique.

Now that really would be a fitting tribute to that little eleven - year old lad who has been taken from his family so senselessly.

And while we have all rightly been celebrating the renaissance of our city in recent times, this horrible tragedy was a reminder that there are still many areas of Liverpool, Croxteth included, that are still paying the price for the legacy of a dogmatic political doctrine that expressed the view that ‘there is no such thing as society.’
FOND FAREWELL TO MR MANCHESTER

I was fortunate enough to be able to count Tony Wilson as a friend. The TV presenter and music mogul famously founded the Factory record label and the Hacienda nightclub in his beloved city of Manchester. He was less known for his work in the field of regeneration and his political activism – and his genuine affection for Liverpool.

A strong advocate of a North West parliament, Tony led a campaign for devolution through an organisation called the ‘Necessary Group.’ He was also a major contributor, alongside his partner Yvette Livesey, to regeneration projects throughout the UK.

They offered our city their idea of a ‘POP’ Museum – an interactive 21st century facility that would celebrate popular culture. Mr Manchester said that only Liverpool could host such a project, because of our rich history in exporting culture to the world. Despite extensive talks with Sir Bob Scott and the then council leader Mike Storey, the initiative was never adopted, and another opportunity was missed by Liverpool’s decision-makers.

Tony was unique, bright, enthusiastic, articulate, arrogant, infuriating, consistently inconsistent and, most of all, a great mate. I’m one of many that will miss him enormously.