Guest blog: Vicki Kellaway on why Luciana Berger should worry about more than Bill Shankly and Gerry Marsden
I'm a 27-year-old woman and until I moved to Liverpool two years ago, I'll admit I knew next to nothing about Bill Shankly.
Now, of course, I can quote Shanks verbatim. I can recite the ingredients for a pan of Scouse, I generally pronounce Kirkby correctly and most days I can tell the difference between Alex Curran and Amanda Harrington.
The report in today's ECHO (read here) suggests Labour candidate Luciana Berger would struggle to do the same.
Personally, right now, I couldn't give a jot.
The woman was selected on Sunday to attempt to represent Wavertree in Parliament come May. As if anyone needed reminding, that's little more than three months away.
She needs to do her homework and she needs to do it fast.
But should the life and times of Bill Shankly, the lyrics to Ferry Cross the Mersey and the Beatles' back catalogue really be top of her list?
Surely it's more important for her to get to grips - and quickly - with the real issues facing the people of Wavertree.
How are the schools doing? What's unemployment like? Where are the dangerous roads? What do her constituents think, feel, fear and celebrate every day?
Perhaps if she'd been more experienced she would have responded more deftly.
When asked: "How many Mersey tunnels are there?"
She should have replied: "I have no idea, but I will..." (stuff the counting, she can start by asking what people think of that ã2.80 return journey to Wirral)
I spent most of the day defending the woman - even though she is not attemping to represent my own constituency.
I know it's important to win hearts and minds. I know you need to show you're making the effort to understand the heartbeat, the lifeblood that is the city of Liverpool.
For heavens sake, you need to know how to pick Fellaini out in a crowd.
But local knowledge is gathered not crammed. Personally, I think it takes time.
Still, I can't help but notice Ms Berger told our reporter housing was one of her "top three priorities".
For reasons unknown she failed to name the other two.
Forget Gerry Marsden - that was the real faux pas.
Vicki Kellaway is an ECHO reporter and blogs HERE.
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Dale Street Associates
David Bartlett
City editor of the Post and Echo covering politics, regeneration, and urban affairs.
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Hello Vicki,
You rightly raise some important points.
My priority as a prospective MP is to listen. Listen to young people, older people, Labour party members, Labour party supporters, undecided voters. I want to engage and listen to as many residents of Wavertree as I can. I know what I believe the priorities are, having met so many people on the doorstep over the last couple of months. That would include housing, which I mentioned to your colleague yesterday. But it's only right that I listen to as many more people as possible before confirming my election pledges. I will be speaking and listening to lots more people over the next couple of weeks to ensure that the issues I will be campaigning on accurately reflect the issues that matter to all the people of Wavertree.
If any one would like to be in touch, they can contact me at luciana4wavertree@gmail.com.
Luciana Berger
Labour and Co-operative Parliamentary Candidate for Wavertree
Personally, I think Luciana is a breath of fresh air and I'm sure she'll do a great job for Wavertree.
There's alot of work to be done in the next few months and I hope she learns about our problems here in Liverpool. Unlike the Lib-Dems, I think she'll recognise whats needed and campaign hard for our residents.
We should call a halt to all this shes not from Liverpool stuff and challenge her to convince Wavertree she's the right person with the right ideas.
She's already in my good books, hey, she has already discovered the wonderful "Dale Street Blues".
But I have just one question for Luciana - What do you think of the Lib-Dem Liverpool City Council?
Dear Luciana,
perhaps you could explain why you have not already come up with your three priorities for Liverpool?
Was it only two months ago that David Cameron himself came to Liverpool and stated his priorities for the city? Considering his party have no hope of winning any election in Liverpool, don't you think you could have done better than this?
I would love to give you a chance, but it really does seem you're out of your depth here.
I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this matter
regards
Georgina
Clutching at straws, Georgina. Cameron announces his 'priorities' because they're his, not Liverpool's. He doesn't need to listen because few here listen to him. But Luciana needs to announce less, and listen more, for the time being. That's what she's said she'll be doing. Makes a healthy change, frankly. More politicians should try it.
I want Luciana to win, but she is not off to a good start and this was an own goal which will resonate with people, whatever Kennedy/Berger loyalists may claim.
It is not unreasonable for a journalist to ask her some relatively simple questions linked to the world famous city she is hoping to represent in parliament in less than six months from now. Certainly popular culture doesn't appear to be her thing.
Comments such as "you can't ask a girl a question about football" are also a bit ill advised, even in jest - Harriet Harman would be outraged!
So far, Luciana's PR has been badly handled and she's been left really exposed. If you're going to get a minister up to give her some profile, for God's sake rehearse what could happen. The comments that were in the papers today will be all over Eldridge's leaflets right up to the election.
I would also advise Luciana not to waste a second of her valuable time engaging with the small number of anoraks, saddos and bitter and twisted types who make the vast majority of contributions to Dale Street Blues (sorry David). Get out there knocking on doors and prove to the people of Wavertree why they should vote for you.
PS: I think we need more guest blogs from Vicki - she rocks!
Good for her for responding to the piece but the comment that her priority is to listen to...Labour party members, Labour party supporters, undecided voters...suggests that she won't to any resident who isn't Labour or possibly Labour.
As one of the regular posters of DSB, I suppose i should feign some offence at Gary's remarks.
I sharnt how as they are perfectly fair.
love
Victor T (bitter twisted and proud)
Don't take it to heart, Victor. He didn't have you in mind. Gary was thinking of Streetwise.
I was thinking of us all!
I meant us all!
That's cool that people are able to receive the home loans and it opens new chances.