While the not-in- my-backyard brigade are often out in force at council planning meetings, the concerns emanating from within the kaftans of the objecting 50-somethings of Garston were seemingly a backyard too far for planning chair John Mackintosh, who in his own inimitable way tried to steer business back to more local issues.

At the point at which the lady objector warned that "what is happening in Israel could happen in Garston" (not, sadly for some, the building of a large wall around the district, but questionable waste disposal policies and their health risks), Big John felt compelled to remind her and the committee that "We're talking about Garston here, not Gaza" - although his Everton drawl did make the two places sound indistinct, if only in name.

Development control manager Mark Loughran perhaps summed it up most succinctly when reminding the committee that "morality, ethics and human rights" were not really considerations for planners - without doubt a view that many of those present at the meeting to unsuccessfully oppose developments in their own backyards would ruefully concur with.

IT SEEMS that the government is willing to put more trust in the people of Scotland to carry out its wishes than those of Liverpool.

They hint it's prepared to give the people of Scotland a referendum on staying in the UK, but is trying to woo them with new powers if they say no to independence.

Look to Liverpool, and the situation is slightly different - namely that they are offering a raft of new powers ... on the condition we don't have a referendum on creating an elected mayor.

Why a government that was never truly elected by the people should be so mistrustful of democracy south of the border is anyone's guess.

A BIT of shameless electioneering by that other woeful coalition, Wirral council, this week.

Having cut millions of pounds from its budget and spent £15m on redundancies, the Tories and Lib-Dems of the peninsular have decided to offer a three per cent council tax cut.

Mr B has two thoughts: firstly, this should be a welcome break at least for the 800-plus staff laid off by the council since its cuts programme started; and secondly, the move smacks of the national coalition's policy on the Liverpool elected mayor deal - that being, take millions of pounds away, give a fraction of it back on your terms and expect to be treated like you're in some way doing us all a favour.