Fireman Bradley faces court....

FIREMAN Bradley faces a public 'trial' after being found guilty of repeated breaches of the councillors' Code of Conduct.

Ethical watchdogs at the Standards Board are recommending that the Fireman is hauled in front of the Adjudication Panel for England which will then consider what action to take over the breaches.

The move is the most serious step the Standards Board can take and means that Bradley will have to appear in front of a public tribunal to answer the allegations.

He faces being suspended for up to a year or being disqualified from office for up to five years!

The same fate also awaits his partner in crime, the Storeyteller, who unaccountably appears to be going around Liverpoool telling anyone who will listen how he will escape censure.


This indicates that he has either had rather too much to drink at a Culture Company freebie, or that men in white coats are about to cart him off to the funny farm.

If Bradley is walking the plank to oblivion, the Storeyteller has already gone off the deep end and is now drowning, not waving.

The Fireman meanwhile is desperately trying to get his act together and is currently seeking legal advice from top barristers about what to do next, since kicking former Lord Mayor and barrister Paul Clark into touch after repeated poor advice.

However, anything can still happen. (Well this is Liverpool, you know, ed)

Many Lib Dems are already muttering darkly about Bradley on the specific grounds that he should resign as Leader and fight for his political life from the backbenches.

They know that if Leader Bradley appears in front of a court of law, the people of Liverpool will take an exceedingly dim view of both the Fireman and his party.

Not even Degsy dragged Liverpool so deep into the gutter.

So there are already audible Lib Dem discussions going on about Flo Clueless stepping into the breach.

Quite who will hand the Fireman the poisoned fire hose is a moot point however. Sir Trevor? Paul Clein? Kevin Firth? There are a growing number who would willingly volunteer.

You will read nothing about this, of course, in the Oldham Echo which, because they were scooped to a story by the Daily Post, then petulantly decided that they wouldn't run anything at all about the Standards Board.

They much prefer to pretend that the Leader of Liverpool city council has not been under investigation for a year, that he has not been handed a damning report which recommends a court appearance for him and that he does not face being banned from office.


They would rather tell you about the latest drugs heist instead or the imposter Pete Price's 'going nowhere' campaign against a harmless blogger, who is, obviously, the real Pete Price.

Sadly, the Oldham Echo's new 'political correspondent' got the bums rush from the Fireman when approached for a sympathetic "My personal agony and why is everyone picking on me and my family?" interview with the hapless and hopeless Fireman.

Meanwhile there are many wronged people with justifiable scores to settle against both Bradley and Storey who are waiting patiently and expectantly on the sidelines for the Standards Board to finally publish its report....

To say nothing of the Fireman's close colleague, Councillor Hurst appearing in court too. But then that's another story...

AND THEY'RE OFF!!!! THE RUNNERS AND RIDERS IN THE GREAT LIVERPOOL LIB DEM SWEEPSTAKE.....

The runners and riders are now limbering up in the paddock for the Liverpool Lib Dem Leadership Sweepstakes, 2008.
With a world record £62million debt as prize money and a world wide television audience stretching as far as Anfield in the north and Speke in the south, this year's race is expected to attract tens of eager punters.
With famous hurdles such as The Standards Board of England and Wales, Capital of Culture and General Incompetence providing formidable tests, this year's race is sure to be packed with exciting thrills and spills.
But with the going officially classed as 'the worst ever', it will be no surprise if any of the current contenders ever pass the winning post.
So, without further ado, we present our exclusive and in-depth Liverpool Subculture guide to all the declared runners and riders. And some not so declared.


Foolish Fireman, ridden by W. Bradley. Last year's winner has suffered a remarkable lack of form and has never really showed the promise forecast by his trainer, S.Toreyteller. FF has unseated his young rider several times already this year, most notably warming up in the paddock in front of a global audience for the Mathew Street stakes. Jockey Bradley is now said to be prone to Perroni, as a result. Likewise, the Fireman has never really recovered from the Mathew St setback, despite trips abroad to Las Vegas and Cannes. Temperamental and likely to veer off course at the slightest opportunity. Has been noticed foaming at the mouth recently. Did not get on with stablemate The Harbarrowboy, who disappeared to sunnier climes after winning The Pay-off Stakes. The 10-year-old Fireman is badly handicapped. Likely to be put out to stud if he falls here. Our advice: May be worth a flutter for old times sake, if you have any money left once you have paid your council tax. 2-1

Flo Clueless. Dependable old nag. A familiar filly who is fast becoming a regular at this event. Once notably fleet of foot and able to literally dance around the course - she was a particular favourite at the Irish Centre sweepstakes - she has now become a bit of a plodder. According to most commentators, she was lucky to survive a stewards inquiry into the recent Irish meeting and somehow escaped censure, after being accused of trying to rig the race. An unspectacular performer, she is likely to finish the course without any unfortunate mishaps. However, she will struggle to succeed ahead of her younger rivals on this surface - she is more used to the richer European turf and is carrying extra weight. Her backers tend to over-rate her abilities and she has done little to impress in the last four years. Last time out, finished a long way behind the leaders. This is probably her last chance to be first past the winning post. Our advice: 100-1 outsider. Not a hope in hell.

Education Boy, ridden by the only woman jockey in the race, Pam Clein. Hugely erratic performer, has been pulled up several times already this year and is well known for his tendency to refuse at some fences. Has had a good schooling, is technically accomplished and very experienced but lacks any credible support from punters, who dislike his wayward temperament. His jockey is even less popular, with the pair being effectively ostracised by other runners and riders. A free spirit who will go his own way unless he can be strictly disciplined. Wears blinkers. Victory for him would be very unpopular amongst his own racing fraternity. May even switch stables if he fails to romp home first here. Our advice: Only if you are desperate. 12-1.

Arch Hypocrite, ridden by Richard Kemp. Mean and gangly stallion, who once forged a doomed partnership with the notorious banned jockey, Sir Diddy. The only grey in the race, he is now returning from lucrative exile in the south where he has been out at stud and a show horse. Carries more baggage than any other rider in the race. His Boots are packed full of lead weights which will slow him down and prevent him surmounting many of the course hurdles. Has a habit of leaving a lot of shit behind him. Has never ridden the Liverpool race before. He also has a confusing tendency to look one way while running in another direction. Likes to preen himself in front of spectators in the paddock. Fond of loud whinnying, stamping his hooves, swishing his tail and flaring his nostrils, which has made him a favourite with impressionable punters. Backed by seasoned punters Sir Trevor Jones and Roger Johnson and may carry the backing of the establishment - he is the strongest rival to the Foolish Fireman. Our advice: Could go the distance - but don't give him any of your money, you won't get it back! 5-4

The Wavertree Lurch, ridden by C.Eldridge. Young rank outsider who may be persuaded to run if it looks as though the Fireman is faltering. Unknown quantity, unlikely to stay the course. Our advice: Waste of money. 250-1

Kilfoyle hammers Fireman Bradley and the Lib Dims over the murder of Croxteth schoolboy Rhys Jones...

Fireman Bradley has put his foot in it again - this time over the tragic death of Rhys Jones.
You won't have read about this in the papers, but back in September, the city council debated the way it should officially respond to Rhys's murder.
According to witnesses, the Fireman completely misjudged the generally all-party mood of the council meeting and the non-political tone of the discussion.
For some unexplicable reason, he went off on one of his hysterical shouting-match rants in which he genuinely appears not to know what will be the next sentence to emerge from his open mouth.
Incredibly, Bradley offered the view - delivered at 190 million rabble-rousing decibels - that if Britain was not at war with Iraq, or had not won the Olympic bid in 2012 (???? eds) then there would be more money for the police and there would be no crime of this sort in Liverpool.
His colleagues coughed and shifted with embarrassment in their seats at this deranged outburst, while Labour were left scratching their heads in total bemusement.
But now the Lib Dims have made matters even worse - Kensington Lib Dim councillor Frank Doran has issued a leaflet which re-iterates Bradley's bizarre claims.
No wonder then, that the former 'hammer of Militant', Walton Labour MP Peter Kilfoyle, has decided to 'out' the Lib Dims in the House of Commons for daring to make a political football out of the tragic death of a young boy.
Here is the Early Day motion he has tabled, which has so far had the support of 35 Labour and Conservative MPs.
Ask your local MP to support it too - and send the Lib Dims a very clear message about their disgusting tactics.
They are beneath contempt...

EARLY DAY MOTION REGARDING CONDUCT OF THE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PARTY IN LIVERPOOL
by Kilfoyle, Peter

"That this House deplores the distribution of Liberal Democrat leaflets in Liverpool which politicise the tragic death of Rhys Jones; further condemns the inaccurate and misleading statements in those leaflets which malign the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and distort the budget for the Merseyside Police Service; notes that the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service has reported Liverpool Liberal Democrat councillors to the Standards Board (oh aye? eds) for their increasing tendency to misrepresent important information; and in the name of the recently espoused new politics, calls upon the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (new boy Clegg, eds) to discipline his councillors who act so unethically."

Kilfoyle, Peter
Evans, Nigel
Ellman, Louise
Benton, Joe
Howarth, George
Cunningham, Jim
Purchase, Ken
Havard, Dai
Hepburn, Stephen
Hood, Jim
Hoyle, Lindsay
Martlew, Eric
Morley, Elliot
Connarty, Michael
Crausby, David
Dobbin, Jim
Francis, Hywel
Ainger, Nick
Wright, Anthony D
Skinner, Dennis
Hopkins, Kelvin
Cohen, Harry
Bottomley, Peter
Williams, Betty
Prentice, Gordon
Clapham, Michael
Corbyn, Jeremy
Flynn, Paul
Stringer, Graham
Clelland, David
Anderson, Janet
Wareing, Robert N
McDonnell, John
Cryer, Ann
Turner, Desmond

FLO, FLO, QUICK-QUICK, FLO!

AN inquiry has been demanded into the conduct of Lib Dem Executive Member Flo Clucas over the future of the former Irish centre on Mount Pleasant.
See also City of the Dead for even more shocking details!

Councillor Clucas used her position on the council to promote a hair-brained scheme by Dance Liverpool, of which she is Chairman, to take over the derelict Wellington Rooms.

She repeatedly explored with council officials different ways to put pressure on the owner of the Grade 2* listed building which would force him to surrender his leasehold.

She was also behind a bid by the city council to issue a Compulsory Purchase Order on the building so that Dance Liverpool could then happily waltz in.

Amazingly, Clucas promised planning officials that the city council would fund the £50,000 cost of a public inquiry into the CPO (although it's not her money, ed)

When the problems of a lengthy CPO were pointed out, Clucas then argued it would be better for the city council to quickly buy the building for at least £200,000 - and then hand it over to her own organisation! (shurely some conflict of interest here? ed)

Her £200,000 bid came despite the District Valuer valuing the extremely dilapidated building at just £1, with an extra £3million to renovate it!

Clucas, who is a Director of Dance Liverpool, also had planning officials running around like headless chickens pursuing European money for her madcap one-woman scheme.

Clucas strongly urged officials to submit a bid for Euro money to allow the scheme to go-ahead. By complete co-incidence, she also Chairs the European Objective 1 Funding Committee which doles out huge amounts of public money. (what an incredibly strange co-incidence, ed)

There is no record that Clucas declared her interest as a Director of Dance Liverpool at the extraordinary meeting with the city council's Planning Service on 19th December last year.

Official notes of the meeting reveal that Clucas lobbied hard for the organisation, despite serious questions about whether Dance Liverpool had a credible Business Plan (they did not, ed) or whether they had a realistic timetable to convert the Wellington Rooms (ermmmm, it was all to be miraculously completed next year!, ed)

Cynical observers might conclude that wearing her Dance Liverpool hat, Councillor Clucas seems to have managed to bully weak council officials, including Planning chief Nigel Lee and Conservation chief Steve Corbett, into agreeing a series of action points from the meeting which would all benefit her own organisation.

Nothing could be further from the truth of course.

They might have agreed to everything she wanted, without her having to "lobby" them so persuasively at all. Such as

• prepare a CPO timetable and report for the Exec Board


• contact other council officers about bidding for Euro money


• try to get legal action taken against the current owner


• review the council's plans for the city centre to make sure the Dance Liverpool scheme fitted in


• even get an invite for Clucas to a 'Stop the Rot' meeting so she could promote Dance Liverpool's plan.

(We wonder if any other member of the public would be able to get the council's planners to do all this work for them? ed)Councillor Clucas has still not declared her interest in Dance Liverpool on the city council's Register of Member's Interests. We shall be returning to this story again..........