The Liverpool Times

From a printer at the Echo and Daily Post, Liverpool.

“After 130 odd years the Daily Post and Liverpool Echo will no longer be printed on Merseyside, for Merseyside, by Merseysiders.

The closure will come at a cost of 100 + printing jobs of Scouse workers.

50 jobs will go in November 2008 plus most of the titles the rest will go in November 2009 when the LIVERPOOL ECHO moves and gets printed in Oldham greater Manchester.

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One of the main hallmarks of new labours favourite borough is its obsession with media manipulation.

This has its origins in the formative years of the political and managerial stranglehold imposed by Sir David Henshaw & its then Council leader J Keight. 1989 – 1999.

Both were given carte blanche by new labour, that ensured political and local government corruption/malpractices flourished without fear of reprisal.

The murky land deals – overseen by current Council leader Round have been well publicised. While the authorities charged with enforcing and upholding standards in public life have also been neutered by new labour.

With all this in place Henshaw and Keight set about controlling and curtailing the reporting of the every day happenings of Knowsley Council.

The Councils “press and media office “ was given higher levels of funding than nearby Liverpool City Council. In recent times Knowsley’s media budget was £1.5/7 million, compared to Liverpool’s £350,000. Not a single Councillor has ever challenged this largess.

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So the decision has been made. Tesco’s controversial plans for Kirkby will be decided by the Secretary of State, following a public enquiry.

The announcement late last Thursday afternoon came despite intense last minute lobbying, on behalf of Tesco, by MP’s Howarth and Kilfoyle.

Such was the interest in the decision BBC Radio Merseyside ran a two hour phone in to take in the views of Evertonian’s and residents, who will be effected by the plans.

We had an ex chairman of the EFC shareholders – Kevin Nolan – express regret at the call in, claiming that a move to Kirkby was best for the club. What he didn’t tell the radio phone - in is that he is a resident of Formby.

Would he be as enthusiastic if his home was to be bulldozed for a stadium?

Or that the squirrel reserve was destroyed forever? Formby got a Tesco without a football stadium, why should Kirkby be any different?

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Sunday 10th August 2008

It’s a bit short notice but better late than never, eh?

The Flower Show is well worth seeing, and what’s more, it’s free. Take your flask, wrap a sarnie in silver foil (bear in mind that a stop and search might get a copper all excited unbtil they realise it’s a cheese and onion butty, not loads of gear!) and head on down.

Here’s the official chit chat on the arrangements…

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A life less worthy?

On Friday the 25th of June, a young lad was reported as being beaten up very badly on the streets of Huyton. Initial reports stated that the murderous assault might have been due to him being gay which is a factor that the police should be able determine fairly quickly.

As of yet the case has been ignored by the national media as seen by the story itself making page 26 of the Daily Mirror today. Compared to the murder of Anthony Walker, the story of the murder seems to be deemed non news-worthy, for some reason. We have seen no media camped out, grabbing any passing local for an opinion. No notable personalities, as of yet, seem to have spoken out.

Two men, James O’Connor and Gavin Alker both 19, had already been charged with grievous bodily harm, and another man, Christopher Douglas, 19 was charged with witness intimidation – something which is rife in Liverpool.

These charges were made before the death of Michael Causer.

The post-mortem examination results will now determine whether the injuries sustained led to Michael’s death. Charges should then be accordingly adjusted to take into account that the grievous assault turned out to be fatal.

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The Death of Ken Matthews, at the age of 83, has just been announced.

The Liverpool Echo have given a fitting tribute to his distinguished life in the RAF, journalism, and starting the Kirkby Cycling club at the Kirkby Stadium in 1963.

As the club secretary, and architect of the banked cycling track, he helped gain Kirby Cycling Club much success at home and abroad. The Echo has stated this.

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In a week that saw a smug thirty something cabinet member target benefit claimants, it’s been muted that MPs may be banned from claiming lucrative payments from second part time jobs. Many new labourites are bxlls deep with the corporate’s in the City of London

For the millions suffering from new labours crushing taxation policies this will cause even more to turn away from them

MPs are paid a flat salary of £65,000.00 a year. Most claim, on average £120,000 00 a year in expenses: no questions asked: no receipts required. In most cases this money is recycled and remains in the MPs circle of family and friends.

It’s been reported that G Howarth MP is paid £30,000 00 a year by the bookmaker William Hill. One has to ask what for? This is while he has rarely been seen by many of his constituents during the row over the Tesco controversy in Kirkby.

Meanwhile Frank Field MP pulls in a extra £50,000.00 on top of his £200,000 00 parliamentary payout. He however looks so pained and troubled with new labour.

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It’s the rich who have their snouts into the trough of state hand-outs!

New labour, in their mission to dismantle the British system of welfare benefits, has threatened to force unemployed people to work for their benefits. Perhaps some of the idiots up there have already missed the boat – but the fact remains that unemployed people are already forced to work for their dole.

The ‘leaked’ plans (they want us know what’s coming to see if we object) propose that incapacity benefit will be scrapped within five years and the unemployed will have to ‘work full-time after two years out of work in exchange for the dole’. American style work-projects are already being set up.

The rewards for those involved in running the companies and agencies which will oversee the destruction of the welfare state are colossal, but the actual rate of return for the tax-payer, will be of little significance. Like most of the privatisation schemes – the actual loss is staggering when we see the massive rewards handed out to the various chairmen and chief executives and other chiefs at the top. Bonuses of a million pounds are not unusual – and the disparity of wealth is surely going to lead to the poor, the working class, being reduced to peasant status.

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Parish Priest of St Mary Mother of God 1958 – 1968

This last weekend marks the 40th Anniversary of the passing of Dean Patrick Spain the founder of the Parish of St Mary Mother of God in Northwood Kirkby.

He passed away suddenly on the 19th July 1968, at the relatively early age of 54.

Father Patrick Spain arrived in Northwood in 1957 moving into a house in Retford Road. He said the first ever mass in Northwood in Quarry Green School Hall, Christmas Eve midnight 1957.

To the many Catholics who lived in Northwood during this time Fr Spain evoked many stories of his impact on our community. He personally oversaw the building of the new Churches, and schools including the biggest and most modern Comprehensive School in the country, St Kevin’s.

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In a further twist in the “war” of attrition being waged by the pro Tesco camp over their plans for Kirby, the Walton MP Peter Kilfoyle has gone public to throw his weight behind the move to urge the Government to rubber stamp the Tesco plans for Kirkby.

This unprecedented and unusual move by Kilfoyle is out of character for man whose is normally outspoken against new labours extreme right wing agenda.

It is also a breach of a long standing parliamentary protocol that MPs don’t poke their noses into Constituencies they are unconnected to. Kilfoyle is politically too savvy not to know this. Which raises concerns as to why this act of desperation took place.

His claim the Everton FC are in his constituency, and therefore allows him to comment, simply doesn’t hold water.

It will not be his constituents whose lives and community’s will be permanently ruined by the impact of a stadium on their doorsteps.

There are not 77 families in Walton whose Homes will demolished to make way for a stadium. (and possible hundreds more Homes along County road that have the Council dared not reveal)

His local environment will not be decimated to accommodate the thousands of cars for the journey to Kirkby on roads without the capacity to handle these levels of traffic on match days.

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Protests planned along route also!

Plans have been announced to line up for Maggie Thatcher a public funded state funeral to see her off to Hell. The old witch, it seems, is happy to have the ultimate welfare state funeral – all costs paid, courtesy of the British taxpayer.

This final ‘F-Off’ to the poor.

To actually qualify for funeral payments in the U.K., you need to prove that close relatives are in receipt of some state benefit. You need to be poor.

But for some, of course, handouts are given out freely.

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Unconfirmed reports have come in to say the Ministerial decision on whether to “Call In” the Everton/ Tesco Plan is likely to be announced next Monday 21 July 2008.

It is also understood that George Howarth MP, and Council leader Ron Round, were involved in some last ditch intense lobbying of Secretary of State Hazel Blears last week on behalf of Tesco.

One can only speculate on the details of the decision. For anybody who has been on the Planet Mars during the last two years these are the rudimentary facts that are being chewed upon

The plan itself is in conflict with the Councils Statutory Unitary Development Plan, (UDP). This alone would normally mean an inquiry.

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“Kirkby is a ghetto that people are forced into and have to leave to look for jobs, shops or entertainment.”

Heres the link here .Paragraph 11

The outrageous comments of the Knowsley Councils Chief Executive in describing Kirkby as a ghetto must be based on pure ignorance on an area that produced so many people who reached to top in so many walks of life.

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Welcome to Kirkby.

At a meeting of the Quarry Green Tenants group tonight, a matter was raised which needs reporting.

The matter concerns an incident in which police were called out to Old Rough Wood on Sunday afternoon. The person who called the police reported that young trees planted a few years back, were being chopped down with what sounded like an axe.

It was stipulated to the police that no axe could be seen, but the unmistakable sound of trees being cut and trees-a-falling, seemed to suggest that local kids had gotten hold of an axe.

Rather than burn the trees down, it seemed that they had decided to chop some down with an axe.

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The Liverpool Times should have received a well deserved accolade, when it first highlighted the cosy deal between BT and Liverpool City Council back in 2003.

As others kept quiet, the Liverpool Times exposed the deal that netted BT £31million pounds a year in management fees from the City Council to run their entire telecommunication systems and its workforce.

We were the first to identify the man who drew together the Privatisation plan, whilst a City Council employee, and who later left with a Council payoff, to work for, err… BT

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In an interview posted on the local government website here The Chief Executive of Knowsley Council Sheena Ramsey talks about the proposed Everton/ Tesco plans for Kirkby.

“Kirkby is a ghetto that people are forced into and have to leave to look for jobs, shops or entertainment.”

She repeats the mantras that have been the stock in trade during debates about Kirkby since it was tragically lumped into the artificial edifice known as Knowsley in 1974

Knowsley Council should be put in the dock for taking the Council workforce from Kirkby by stealth, and by privatising thousands of Clerical, Technical, and Manual Council jobs- to Kings Construction- Parkman – BT and Vertex that once provided diverse work opportunities for Kirkby people.

Why were Kirkby’s law courts allowed to close? This caused legal firms to the pull out of Kirkby town centre. The Kirkby residents who have to use the Court Services now face a seven mile hike to Huyton which is not served by a regular bus service or rail link. Would Huyton residents do the reverse journey ? Is Gordon Brown “ Santa”

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