Mayoral consultation a sham

By Frank Mckenna on Sep 11, 09 12:18 PM

Apparently, the public of Liverpool are to be asked their view on whether to adopt an elected mayoral system for the city.
The change would see the existing arrangement of council Leader and cabinet scrapped.

A 'consultation' in the city will begin before the end of the year with as little fanfare and publicity as possible, making it easy for the council to announce in December that few people have participated in the charade - proving, therefore, that there is no local interest in changing the existing system. It is cynical and a sham.

If the city council was genuinely interested in knowing what support there was for an elected mayoral system, they would have organised a referendum of all citizens to take place on the same day as this years European elections.

This would then have given those who are pro and anti mayor the opportunity of establishing campaigns and arranging a full and comprehensive debate programme across the communities of Liverpool and through the local media. People would then be able to make an informed choice and vote accordingly.

The advantage of this process is we get a democratic decision at its end. The disadvantage, for the council at least, is the outcome is unpredictable and out of its hands.

Fortunately, the Conservatives, who will be in Government this time next year barring a miracle, have committed themselves to holding referendums on this issue in all major cities, so Liverpool will, eventually, decide on what is the best way for the city to be governed; making the announcement of a 'consultation' on the matter by Liverpool City Council this week even more absurd.

Congratulations to Michael...and Joe

Justice was finally done this week as Michael Shields won his long awaited pardon from Justice Secretary Jack Straw.

Much of the credit for the decision should go to the leader of the Liverpool Labour Party, Joe Anderson. Seldom have I seen a political leader throw themselves into a campaign with as much commitment and conviction - and with no thought of political advantage. Indeed many inside and outside the Labour Party have, on more than one occasion, advised Joe to scale down his activities on the Shields campaign.

Congratulations to Michael and his family for their eventual success; and congratulations to Joe Anderson for sticking to his guns throughout the fight for justice.