Before Liverpool can bask in the joy of hosting next week’s Eurovision Song Contest, it must first contend with tomorrow’s local elections — and the rounds of mudslinging that have come with it. Take one of Labour’s election pamphlets, pushed through the letterboxes of residents in the south of the city. Disguised under the banner of Garston Resident News, the leaflet mined old social media posts belonging to independent councillor, Sam Gorst, who had been expelled from the Labour Party in December 2021 for associating with Labour Against the Witchhunt, a group opposed to “the purge” of pro-Corbyn supporters for alleged antisemitism.
Under the headline “Sickening”, Gorst was criticised for historic posts in which he called Queen Elizabeth “a useless bitch” and the Jewish former Liverpool Wavertree MP Luciana Berger, who eventually resigned from the party, a “hideous traitor”. The pamphlet also claimed that he lived in a “leafy” area and insinuated that he had jumped the queue on social housing, although that accusation is contested.
But if the intention was to make an opponent look bad, Labour may have shot itself in the foot. A joint statement released by the Liberal Democrats, The Liverpool Community Independents, The Green Party and the Liberal Party described the leaflet as “cynical”, “dishonest” and “shameful”. Their calls for a clean fight, however, have fallen on deaf ears, not least because the mud is being thrown in all directions amid widely reported allegations of Labour corruption and incompetence.
In recent years, Liverpool has been rocked by scandals. Former mayor Joe Anderson was arrested in 2020 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation as part of what is still an ongoing police investigation into property deals in the city. Four others were also arrested as part of the same probe, including ex-Militant Tendency firebrand, Derek Hatton. While Anderson denies any wrongdoing and none of the men have faced charges, the Government felt compelled to send in an inspection team led by Max Caller in 2021 to evaluate Liverpool Council. The result was damning: his Best Value Inspection report revealed serious failings in governance, a dysfunctional culture of intimidation, poor performance and wasteful spending. As a result, much of the authority’s work is now overseen by government-appointed commissioners.
Yet even this hasn’t solved things. Last year, for instance, £5 million was thrown away over a failure to renew an electricity contract on time; in February, a Liverpool Echo investigation revealed councillors were having their parking fines cancelled on the down-low; a scandal involving alleged fraud, corruption and council-run car parks also rumbles on.
In cities with a more contested political complexion, one might expect such failures to be severely punished at the ballot box. But this is Liverpool, and ousting Labour is the toughest of political challenges. Whatever happens tomorrow, the Conservatives won’t win a single seat.
Still, as Labour’s reputation has deteriorated, new political opponents have started to emerge. Labour has run Liverpool since 2010 and boasts 60 of the city’s 90 councillors. But it once had far more. Last year, eight former Labour councillors formed a new political grouping called the Liverpool Community Independents after they were suspended by the party, the majority for refusing to vote for budget cuts. The group leans to the Left of Liverpool’s new breed of increasingly Starmerite candidates imposed by the NEC-appointed fixer, Sheila Murphy. It’s tempting to say that in the context of Liverpool’s various shades of red politics, voters are being offered only the illusion of choice — but according to the Community Independents’ acting leader, Alan Gibbons, these elections are not about Left and Right, but “about right and wrong”.
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SubscribeThe late Eric Heffer MP stated the problems. Liverpol is port city which had large wealthy population based upon ship owning, the docks, broking, insurance, cotton broking and commercial activities related to the sea. A large number of Merchant Navy, RNR and RN Officers lived in the city. There was a large un and semi skilled workforce. The skilled workforce and advanced manufacturing was comparatively small. When shipping decline so did the wealth and the professional people associated with it. What was left was very small advanced manufcaturing skilled/craft workforce and and large un and semi skilled workforce.
The Public,Direct Grant and Grammar Schools have largely closed down. The skilled professional educated in the schools and university often leave the area. There is a masive drain of talent and I do not see The Labour Party rectifying the problem.
There used to be the saying ” Lancashire Lad, Manchester Man and Liverpool Gentleman “. Liverpool used to produce the calibre of people such as Gladstone.
The late Eric Heffer MP stated the problems. Liverpol is port city which had large wealthy population based upon ship owning, the docks, broking, insurance, cotton broking and commercial activities related to the sea. A large number of Merchant Navy, RNR and RN Officers lived in the city. There was a large un and semi skilled workforce. The skilled workforce and advanced manufacturing was comparatively small. When shipping decline so did the wealth and the professional people associated with it. What was left was very small advanced manufcaturing skilled/craft workforce and and large un and semi skilled workforce.
The Public,Direct Grant and Grammar Schools have largely closed down. The skilled professional educated in the schools and university often leave the area. There is a masive drain of talent and I do not see The Labour Party rectifying the problem.
There used to be the saying ” Lancashire Lad, Manchester Man and Liverpool Gentleman “. Liverpool used to produce the calibre of people such as Gladstone.
I worked for a couple of years in Liverpool and I found it strange. There is an image of a certain ‘cuteness’ or ‘streetwise’ behaviour of people from that city and everyone seemed to be trying hard to keep up with the image. To summarise, I found that my workmates had a lot of self-esteem; they seemed to be able to handle every emergency or predicament with ease. But the reality was that they were just the same as everybody else.
When I read about extreme attitudes in Liverpool I always think about this. You can imagine people complaining very loudly, knowing what is right or wrong, being aware of their rights, trying the odd trick to get by, acting as if they know everything, etc. In reality, this supreme over-confidence is causing them problems because they can’t admit to mistakes and they can’t change direction. So the city drifts into nothing and can’t be in anyway compared to its glorious past.
I realise that that the above applies to everybody but it seems to be magnified in Liverpool.
A bit of a wild over generalisation; even if there are some who do like to live up to the professional Scouser stereotype.There is no “they”.
I don’t profess to be an expert on Liverpudlians. But there does seem to be something different about them.
I’m from Liverpool – and there is no ” them” as singular entity. It is full of people from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures. What is an issue, though, is the effectively one party state in the city and the generally very low quality of council candidates.
I would suggest that it is worse than that; an absence of a critical mass of professional middle class people. The professional middle class have been leaving Liverpool since the 1960s and the trend accelerated in 70s, 80s and 90S.
What helped Manchester was the Machester Grammar School educated many people who ran companies. When London offices were closed due to high cost they made sure they were moved back to Manchester. When the wool industry declined a few Leeds business people decided Leeds was to be the centre of the financial services between London and Edinburgh and East of the Pennines and that the NHS moved it’s admin head office to the city.
By the 1990s the top schools in Liverpool were closed and the professional middle classes who ran companies had migrated out of the city.
Whether it was Bruges of the Middle Ages, Florence post 1348 or Britain post 1660 and Silicon Valley in the 1960s, there needs to be critical mass of skilled, enterprisng, hardworking and honest middle class to create economic growth.
I would suggest that it is worse than that; an absence of a critical mass of professional middle class people. The professional middle class have been leaving Liverpool since the 1960s and the trend accelerated in 70s, 80s and 90S.
What helped Manchester was the Machester Grammar School educated many people who ran companies. When London offices were closed due to high cost they made sure they were moved back to Manchester. When the wool industry declined a few Leeds business people decided Leeds was to be the centre of the financial services between London and Edinburgh and East of the Pennines and that the NHS moved it’s admin head office to the city.
By the 1990s the top schools in Liverpool were closed and the professional middle classes who ran companies had migrated out of the city.
Whether it was Bruges of the Middle Ages, Florence post 1348 or Britain post 1660 and Silicon Valley in the 1960s, there needs to be critical mass of skilled, enterprisng, hardworking and honest middle class to create economic growth.
I’m from Liverpool – and there is no ” them” as singular entity. It is full of people from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures. What is an issue, though, is the effectively one party state in the city and the generally very low quality of council candidates.
Clearly there is or They would have done something about it at the elections
lets see what happens tomorrow
I don’t profess to be an expert on Liverpudlians. But there does seem to be something different about them.
Clearly there is or They would have done something about it at the elections
lets see what happens tomorrow
A bit of a wild over generalisation; even if there are some who do like to live up to the professional Scouser stereotype.There is no “they”.
I worked for a couple of years in Liverpool and I found it strange. There is an image of a certain ‘cuteness’ or ‘streetwise’ behaviour of people from that city and everyone seemed to be trying hard to keep up with the image. To summarise, I found that my workmates had a lot of self-esteem; they seemed to be able to handle every emergency or predicament with ease. But the reality was that they were just the same as everybody else.
When I read about extreme attitudes in Liverpool I always think about this. You can imagine people complaining very loudly, knowing what is right or wrong, being aware of their rights, trying the odd trick to get by, acting as if they know everything, etc. In reality, this supreme over-confidence is causing them problems because they can’t admit to mistakes and they can’t change direction. So the city drifts into nothing and can’t be in anyway compared to its glorious past.
I realise that that the above applies to everybody but it seems to be magnified in Liverpool.
Liverpool politics has always been corrupt.
Liverpool politics has always been corrupt.
When I worked in London in the 1990s, my widely-travelled English lawyer colleagues usually joked about never having been North of Watford, and ‘needing a passport’ etc. They seemed proud of their ignorance of / alienation from the North of England. As a blow-in who loved my time living in Yorkshire, I said nothing, but found it odd.
When I worked in London in the 1990s, my widely-travelled English lawyer colleagues usually joked about never having been North of Watford, and ‘needing a passport’ etc. They seemed proud of their ignorance of / alienation from the North of England. As a blow-in who loved my time living in Yorkshire, I said nothing, but found it odd.
Reform have no candidates standing where i live Tameside Manchester and from this article it appears Reform are not much of a presence on Merseyside, How can Reform hope to break through if it cannot get enough candidates on the ballot? Ever since it became clear that the Tories have just become another green socialist party in practice there has been a huge opportunity for an alternative to emerge.Unfortunately it seems it is not going to happen.
Reform have no candidates standing where i live Tameside Manchester and from this article it appears Reform are not much of a presence on Merseyside, How can Reform hope to break through if it cannot get enough candidates on the ballot? Ever since it became clear that the Tories have just become another green socialist party in practice there has been a huge opportunity for an alternative to emerge.Unfortunately it seems it is not going to happen.
Whenever I’ve been in Liverpool I’ve had a great time. The Scousers certainly know how to have fun. Nevertheless, Boris was right – they are a bunch of whingers.
Whenever I’ve been in Liverpool I’ve had a great time. The Scousers certainly know how to have fun. Nevertheless, Boris was right – they are a bunch of whingers.
I haven’t kept up with these shenanigans, but I can’t wait for the TV series. It would be a cracker. Presuming, of course, that this article isn’t actually a review of an existing TV series, which I’ve unaccountably missed on Brit Box.
I haven’t kept up with these shenanigans, but I can’t wait for the TV series. It would be a cracker. Presuming, of course, that this article isn’t actually a review of an existing TV series, which I’ve unaccountably missed on Brit Box.
What is that in the middle of the photo? Serious question.
What is that in the middle of the photo? Serious question.
Liverpudlians do not see the public money being stolen or wasted as their money. It is money that the rest of the country raises and pays in order to maintain Liverpool. That is why they do not punish the politicians who steal and squander. The rest of the country can just pay Liverpool more. It wasn’t always like this but it has been since the 1980s. It will remain the case until the political structure of England changes so that regions and cities are responsible for supporting themselves.
Liverpudlians do not see the public money being stolen or wasted as their money. It is money that the rest of the country raises and pays in order to maintain Liverpool. That is why they do not punish the politicians who steal and squander. The rest of the country can just pay Liverpool more. It wasn’t always like this but it has been since the 1980s. It will remain the case until the political structure of England changes so that regions and cities are responsible for supporting themselves.
Who cares about Liverpool? They’ve always been an enclave barely relevant to the UK as a whole, dining out on grievance, permed hair, the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers for six decades. It’s the idiots running Greater Manchester and London we should be worried about.
I’ve tended to associate Unherd with far more knowledegable and nuanced discussion and comment.
If the Greater Manchester Labour party had been running the Labour party during the last 3 elections instead of London then Labour would have won the last 3 elections.You may not agree with Labours idealogy but in the 30 years prior to Covid Manchester’s Labour party really transformed the City for the better.Anyone who visited Manchester in 1990 and visited it today would amazed at the difference.The same is true of Prestons Labour Council up the road. Of course if the Tories had been running Manchester then the same might have happened.
I’ve tended to associate Unherd with far more knowledegable and nuanced discussion and comment.
If the Greater Manchester Labour party had been running the Labour party during the last 3 elections instead of London then Labour would have won the last 3 elections.You may not agree with Labours idealogy but in the 30 years prior to Covid Manchester’s Labour party really transformed the City for the better.Anyone who visited Manchester in 1990 and visited it today would amazed at the difference.The same is true of Prestons Labour Council up the road. Of course if the Tories had been running Manchester then the same might have happened.
Who cares about Liverpool? They’ve always been an enclave barely relevant to the UK as a whole, dining out on grievance, permed hair, the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers for six decades. It’s the idiots running Greater Manchester and London we should be worried about.
What do you expect from a city that declined due to Britain joining the EU and then voted against Brexit?
What do you expect from a city that declined due to Britain joining the EU and then voted against Brexit?
Horrible city full of whinging scousers, complaining about hard done by they are while stood there with their hand out
Here we go…….it was inevitable!
There is a one syllable word often used in the the city when faced with someone whose opinion is not worth considering. Uncannily it rhymes with Billy Bob.
Scouse not English….until it’s giro day obviously
I refer you to the reply I gave earlier.
I refer you to the reply I gave earlier.
Scouse not English….until it’s giro day obviously
Here we go…….it was inevitable!
There is a one syllable word often used in the the city when faced with someone whose opinion is not worth considering. Uncannily it rhymes with Billy Bob.
Horrible city full of whinging scousers, complaining about hard done by they are while stood there with their hand out
Sounds like things are sorting themselves out. A Labour council restrained by a Lib Dem presence, with not a single Conservative. What’s not to like?
Sounds like things are sorting themselves out. A Labour council restrained by a Lib Dem presence, with not a single Conservative. What’s not to like?