STANDARDS BOARD REPORT: The mystery deepens...

LIB DEMS ON TRIAL: FIRST CITIZEN STOREY FOUND GUILTY!

FORMER Lib Dem Leader Mike Storey is still set to be Lord Mayor next year, despite being found guilty of breaking council rules.

The Storeyteller was convicted by the Standards Board of leaking details of the Harbarrowboy's illness to Joe Riley at the Oldham Echo.

But they decided not to punish him, because they stupidly decided that Storey had only responded to Riley's enquiry, rather than volunteering the details.

This is, of course, total nonsense.

Storey it was who pro-actively went on the blower to Riley to dish the dirt on Jase after Fireman Bradley tipped him off in the Leader's Jag the night before.

Riley then went bumbling around telling anyone who would listen in the Municipal Buildings that Storey had told him all about Jase having a dicky ticker and being on the sick!

Apparently Riley had completely forgotten the first rule of journalism: 'protect thy source'.

In response to this, Storeyteller in his evidence to the Standards Board called Riley a liar: "I don't know why Joe, who I like and respect, should utter such a preposterous falsehood."

Pots calling kettles,wethinks.

However, the Storeyteller's leak did present the Oldham Echo with an ethical dilemma.

Given that Riley had already dropped his 'secret' source in deep doo-doo, how could they maintain their editorial integrity as a trusted newspaper, etc (sic)?

The answer they hit on, simply, was to lie.

So, in the Echo's evidence to the Standards Board, they completely manufactured another source for the story.

"Yes, Mike Storey, CBE had spoken to Joe Riley. But it was Joe who phoned him first and Storey only confiirmed what we already knew. Another source has told us all about it first."

This engaging and highly entertaining tale of the mythical leaker apparently made the Standards Board look a bit more favourably on the Storeyteller.

So they let him off.

Of course, they should have hung drawn and quartered Storey for his part in The Perroni Plot against Jase at the Fireman's house, when the wicked pair tried to lure the seriously wronged Lee Forde into their evil plan.

But our ethical arbitrators decided that it was just another social engagement for the Storeyteller to sit in Bradley's front room for two hours, talking to an ex-employee who was suing the council, two days after an official report had wrongly blamed Mr Forde for the Mathew Street debacle and questioninging to him in great and prolonged detail about the Harbarrowboy's activities.

A typical Sunday night out round at Warren's gaff for the Storeyteller, in other words.

"I was just making up the numbers, guv. Felt sorry for Mr Forde. Gave him my shoulder to cry on. Gave him a Perroni to cheer him up. Nothing at all to do with getting rid of Jase. Utmost respect for the Harbarrowboy. Fine public servant. No feelings of animosity over Mathew Street, strike me down dead this very minute. Mathew St an unforunate episode admittedly, but tiny hiccup in the fantastic regeneration which our city is undergoing. Just look at how things were 10 years ago, we were the worst council in the country, now look at us! Er, sorry, i got that bit wrong, etc, etc, etc."

Sort of thing.

So this is the man who is destined to be Liverpool's first citzen next year? Unless of course Labour, Steve Radford's Liberals and the Greens combine to thwart his ambitions to appear in the Echo nightly throughout 2009?

Meanwhile, many of the blog's commentators appear to be on the button...

LIVERPOOL SUBCULTURE REVIEW: "YELLOW" or "A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD" FOR FIREMAN BRADLEY?

OFFICIALS from the worst council in the country were out in force at the recent Coldplay gig at the Oldham Arena.

Surprisingly, despite the abundance of bureaucrats present, this was a gig that was not promoted by Chas 'Show me the money' Cole.

However, that didn't stop Chas's mate Phil Hasitall, who took a half million pound pay-off from the hard-pressed council taxpayers of Liverpool, being present in a front row seat.

Wonder who paid for his ticket?

Nor did it stop chief executive Colin CoverUp and his delightful missus getting on down with the kids from their seats.

Wonder who paid for their tickets?

Alongside CoverUp and missus, and making a rare and hugely anticipated public appearance, was a surprise special guest - none other than The Storeyteller and his delightful missus.

Wonder who paid for their tickets?

Indeed so thick (sic) on the ground were senior council officials and members of CoverUp's Executive Management Team that excited bystanders wondered if the Lib Dim Executive Board were going to be the support act.

We are told that the Christmas get-together was to celebrate all the hard work put in by senior executives in making the city council the worst in the country and taking Liverpool to the verge of bankruptcy.

The council delegation took particular delight in Coldplay front man Chris Martin's recital of the appropriate line: "Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard”.

But one civic leader (sic) was surprisingly missing from the distinguished council line-up.

Step forward, under-investigation and on his uppers, Warren 'The Fireman' Bradley.

He rang up an underling just an hour before the show to apologise and cancel his seats.

Wonder who paid for his (unused) tickets?

So, as the bureaucrats swayed to the appropriately titled "Fix You", there was mounting speculation amongst them about The Fireman's future (sic).

"He's ****ed," was the fairly constant refrain.

But it seems The Fireman too, may well have finally smelled the coffee after a series of full and frank exchanges with his ruinously expensive legal team (paid for by council taxpayers).

The legal eagles have apparently advised him, at a cost believed to be in the region of £750 a day, that he is in deep doo-doo with the Standards Board.

"You're on a sticky wicket, Warren mate," was the advice.

"It looks like curtains, sunshine."

"They've got you bang to rights."

We would not have charged him a penny - thus saving council taxpayers a small fortune - for providing exactly the same advice.

And we would have been happy to have done so. As a public service to the people of Liverpool.

Meanwhile, now that the penny has dropped with the Fireman, the Standards Board contine to consider his and the Storeyteller's response to their secret report.

It could be finally published next week, next month, next year.

Anyroadup, the Fireman's bold threats ("I'm a fighter, not a fireman") of taking out an incredibly expensive High Court injunction against the ethics watchdogs at the Standards Board have apparently come to nought.

Gone are the protestations of innocence. Gone the brave words. Gone the little boy lost look.

Gone with all the wind.

The fearless Fireman has now gone from cock of the north to cock-up.

Which made one Coldplay song all the more appropriate - 'Yellow'.

LIB DEMS ON TRIAL: " YOU CAN FOOL SOME OF THE PEOPLE, SOME OF THE TIME, BUT ...... (or, WHAT THE PAPERS SAY)

The following is a comment made by one of our loyal readers.

We think it deserves a higher profile.

"Well, having read the accounts in the papers, not only is it a sad and sorry account of Liverpool politics it is a sad and sorry account of the slanted reporting of the Liverpool/Oldham Echo.

The Post Article covers mainly the facts of the case and the reaction of other local politicians.

It states that Hurst has instructed his legal team to launch an appeal against the conviction etc.

Whereas our Lib Dem a*se licking Echo, passes quickly over the guilty verdict and reprehensible actions and then gives over half of their coverage to presenting Hurst as the victim.

They even put up a photgraph captioned “STRAIN Cllr Hurst says he will appeal”.

They cite the “horrendous strain” he has endured (since getting caught methinks).

But incredibly, well not for the Echo, I suppose, we then have almost half of the article quoting Bradley, his local party leader, personal friend and fellow firefighter.

Bradley tells us, “anyone who knows Steve (Hurst) from work, life or politics knows he is a really decent guy who does not deserve this.”

I would assume the Walton’s know him, given that the real victims of this will know him from work life and politics also.

I don’t think they will share that view.

Then they further quote Bradley: “There is a concerted smear campaign against him which has been a waste of public money.”

(Well he knows all about wasting public money.)

What the hell is the fool talking about?

Is he accusing the Walton’s of launching a smear campaign against Hurst?

Who has used public money to carry this out?

The only public money involved is related to the court prosecution in which he was found guilty.

Is it the police or the courts and the judge that have carried out the campaign?

Perhaps so, since Bradley continues: “You have to start questioning the judicial system, considering he was found guilty on circumstantial evidence.”

Very serious accusations Mr Bradley.

I hope you have more than circumstantial evidence to back them up.

So what was the evidence against Hurst that left the sentencing Judge in believing, beyond all doubt, in his guilt?

He had copies of the smear leaflet, he admitted this, claimed he was collecting them to take back to Lib Dem HQ.

He was identified by one of the people in whose letterbox he posted it, wearing his baseball cap and dark glasses, (in the evening).

It spoke of being a scab firefighter, he is also a firefighter.

It mentioned the Lee Park golf club, of which he is a member.

It spoke of leaving council meetings early, he is a councillor.

His constituency is Wavertree, what was he doing out leafleting alone miles away in BelleVale in the evening?

How many other constituencies did he go out alone in order to leaflet?

Well let’s look at the character witnesses...

Storey, already disgraced and forced to resign following the standards board investigation over the Henshaw affair, but brought straight back in by Bradley to a senior position to the disgust of many.

And Bradley himself.

The man awaiting findings from the standards board also as to whether he is fit for public office or has broken the code of standards of behaviour for Councillors.

A man who was exposed as a liar in the Daily Post claiming he never had a secret meeting with the person he allowed to be the fall-guy over Mathew Street.

Claimed he had not had communications nor sent texts trying to set up the meeting he never had, until presented with copies of the emails/texts.

And finally admitting that he did send them and that a meeting took place.

In his, not a dry eye in the house, speech to council he informed them that he had lodged a grievance with the Press Complaints Commission.

Another lie - it appears since it was later confirmed that no such complaint had been received. Well,you only need go back through these pages for any more.

So this is the man who is standing up in court asking us all to believe in the honesty, integrity and decency of Cllr Hurst.

Not worth a carrot!!

One other interesting point.

Going back to the waste of public money issue.

I suspect the real strain for Hurst is losing the additional £13,300 he got for serving on the Executive Board and the worry that if he had to resign his seat as a councillor that he would also lose the additional £9,900 for that.

All of which is of course on top of his fire fighter salary.

In court his wife tearfully spoke about their plans to emigrate to Australia on his retirement.

Well for one thing, what the hell is he doing running Liverpool and making decisions about it’s future when the first chance he gets he is off to live on the other side of the world.

It is bad timing really.

If this had been a good while ago, he could have been sent there for free courtesy of her Majesty.

So let’s keep an eye out for Bradley’s campaign to change the Justice system.

He may need to do this pretty soon.

They have got away with so much that they are now shocked that they are not actually above the law and just cannot accept being exposed and found out.

Despicable."

LIB DEMS ON TRIAL: GUILTY AS CHARGED.

AND so it came to pass.

Anyone who doubted the guilt of Lib Dim councillor Steve Hurst, from the first day of his trial, must have needed their heads examining.

He was bang to rights as soon as he was caught red-handed delivering his disgusting smear leaflet.

By the same token, anyone who protested the innocence of Hurst, must have needed locking up.

Step forward then

• current Lib Dim council leader, Councillor Warren Bradley


• former Lib Dim council leader (and next year's first citizen of Liverpool, would you believe!) Councillor Mike Storey and


• would-be Lib Dim MP for Wavertree, Councillor Colin Eldridge.

All three stood in the dock as 'character witnesses' for Hurst.

So desperate was this Lib Dim high command to thwart justice that they even enlisted the slightly dotty Lady Doreen Jones, as a fourth character witness for Hurst.

What a sight it must have made - this rogues gallery traipsing in and out of the dock to protest, apparently straight-faced, that Councillor Hurst was a fine upstanding citizen.

'Couldn't possibly have been Steve. A man of the utmost integrity. A true democrat. Known him since he was a lad. Wouldn't put a foot out of line. A fine, upstanding public servant. No question about it.'

What utter hypocrites they are.

The truth, of course, is the direct opposite. Hurst is a thoroughly nasty piece of work, a vicious bully, given to threatening and malicious behaviour. He is a liar and a cheat and a fraud.

Of course, after being convincingly found guilty, he should now be instantly expelled from the Lib Dim group, chucked out of his party and suspended as a councillor. Lib Dim Leader Nick Clegg (who? ed) should disown him in the blink of an eye. Bradley should sack him. Cover Up should institute internal council proceedings. But hey, this is Liverpool, and none of that will happen.

It cannot happen because Hurst was just one member of a Gang of Four who were equally complicit. Together they hatched this despicable, sordid little episode in Liverpool's political history. Bradley, Eldridge and Storey - an evil cabal if ever there was one - were all part of the plot.

They printed the leaflet at the Lib Dim HQ on Smithdown Road (they even used the same pink paper for one of their own, more conventional Lib Dim leaflets) and Hurst donned a comic book disguise of baseball cap and sunglasses to hand deliver it.

We are reliably informed, however, that some principled Lib Dem party workers refused to deliver the leaflet, after reading the shocking contents - leaving Hurst to do it on his own.

It is to their credit.

'What does it all matter?' we can hear some ask. 'It's only a bloody election leaflet - and no one reads that kind of bollocks anyway.'

Maybe not. But this is why it matters...

The Hurst case graphically illustrates a rotteness at the heart of Lib Dim politics in Liverpool. This gang of toe-rags thought nothing of producing a gratuitously offensive and nasty, lying little leaflet, because they were so desperate to win a seat. And keep their grubby little hands on the rungs of power. So they got down into the gutter. To stop at nothing.

Worse. They think its funny. And they think its clever. This is what passes for sophisticated electoral campaigning in their sad world. And they are then prepared to lie on oath about it in a court of law.

How can anyone now believe another word uttered by Hurst? Or Bradley? Or Storey? Or Eldridge? They have, ironically, discredited themselves for all time. Shooting themselves in the mouth, as it were.

By using such gutter smear tactics, the Lib Dims have shown how they have poisoned the level of political debate and political activity in the city.

And do not, for a second, let anyone cynically tell you that "they are all as bad as each other. They are all at it."'

No, they are not.

Which other councillors? From which other political party? Have been found guilty of breaking which election laws?

None.

Just the Lib Dems.

And when caught out, the cowardly Hurst then had the sickening effrontery to try and stick an assault charge on his hapless victim, fellow firefighter Keith Walton, the husband of Labour councillor Pauline Walton.

Mr Walton's only crime had been to defend his own good name and his wife's reputation. Fortunately, after investigating, the police told Hurst were exactly he could shove his assault charge.

Read the accounts in the papers tomorrow and reflect on what it all says about the sad and depressing state of Lib Dem politics in Liverpool.

And work for change.

LIB DEMS ON TRIAL: ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO!

• LIB DEM SENIOR COUNCILLOR, STEVE HURST FOUND GUILTY OF BREAKING ELECTION LAW

• FINED £500, ORDERED TO PAY £700 COSTS

• BRADLEY, STOREY AND ELDRIDGE ALL 'CHARACTER' WITNESSES FOR THE LAW-BREAKER!

• HURST NOW FACES SUSPENSION AS FIREFIGHTER AND NEW INVESTIGATION BY STANDARDS BOARD

• WAVERTREE BY-ELECTION LOOMS

• BRADLEY AND STOREY NOW AWAIT THEIR FATE...
  

More follows later!

STANDARDS BOARD LATEST: 'I'm a fighter - not a fireman!"

LIB Dim leader Warren Bradley takes the stand today as a 'character witness' for fellow fireman Steve Hurst, who is accused of breaking election law.
This is likely to provide a courtroom dress rehearsal for Bradley, who is set to be hauled in front of a separate court to face charges from the Standards Board that he repeatedly and flagrantly broke the Code of Conduct for councillors.
Both Bradley and Wavertree Lib Dim Parliamentary candidate Colin Edridge have decided to give public support to Hurst in court (see previous posts for the utterly outrageous and totally untrue explanation for their presence.)
Meanwhile the secret Standards Board report continues to exercise members of the Lib Dim group who are terrified that it will sound the death knell for their 10 years in power.
(Okay then, 10 years in office, if not in power).
Bradley has been going around in the last few days, insisting to worried Lib Dim colleagues, who have been asking what's going on: "I'm a fighter!" (Not a fireman, apparently.)
Which means, as we exclusively predicted ages ago, that he is set to resist all attempts by the Standards Board to bring him to book.
Which means also, that he will heap more shame and disgrace on the city of Liverpool with a public appearance in front of the Adjudication Panel for England.
They will hear evidence in public that the Lib Dim council leader tried to lure former Events boss, Lee Forde, into a plot against The Harbarrowboy.
The Panel will also hear evidence that he undermined the Harbarrowboy's position after the Mathew Street fiasco.
Hopefully both Mr Forde and Mr Harbarrowboy will be called as witnesses to give their side of the story.
All of which will make a fascinating spectacle as Fireman Bradley tries to wriggle off the hook.
Bradley has already hired a team of expensive lawyers to try and escape the rap - we wonder who will be footing the massive bill for this?
Meanwhile, we confidently predict that the Standards Board's long-awaited report on Bradley will be finally made public within the next few days - probably before the end of the week.
At which point, even the Oldham Echo, having sacked 43 journalists, may take a dim view of the leader of the city council.
(If there is anyone still left in the newsroom to report it.)
Quite what the judge in the Hurst trial will make today of Bradley as a 'character witness' remains to be seen.
Especially since, within just a few days, his character is likely to be roundly, comprehensively and officially condemned by the Standards Board.
With friends like this for the accused Hurst, who needs enemies?
Meanwhile Liverpool subCulture is forced to reluctantly issue an official apology to our loyal reader. (That's you in the back!)
It seems, if you believe the rumours sweeping the city, that Bradley's accomplice, The Storeyteller, may actually escape censure from the Standards Board!
We know this is difficult to believe, but please bear with us...
Seems The Storeyteller may have managed to persuade the ethics watchdogs (complete numpties) that he had nothing at all to do with leaking details of Jase's heart trouble to the Oldham Echo.
And that, similarly, he is prone to spending regular Sunday evenings sipping Peroni around at Bradley's gaff - and that his presence there had nothing at all to do with trying to get dirt from Lee Forde on the Harbarrowboy.
So even though he may have been found in the library with a dagger, a bottle of poison and a pearl-handled revolver while Jase's sun-tanned body lay face down on the carpet, it had nothing at all to do with him.
Honest guv.
We know this is laughable - but then, so is the Standards Board.
Which means that The Storeyteller may yet live to fight another day - what price a future leadership challenge to Flo Clueless?

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...

On the brink of an historic victory....

We are on the brink of an historic, once-in-a-lifetime victory after years of corruption, failure and incompetence.


Within the next few days, the values of truth, justice and democracy will triumph - and the people will witness the beginning of the end of a disastrous regime.

It is the CHANGE WE NEED.

The Standards Board are due to deliver their verdict on Fireman Bradley and his sidekick Storey before the end of the week, according to gossiping Colin CoverUp.

The pair of Perroni plotters will be given a few weeks to read the detailed verdict of the ethical watchdogs before it is then made public.

They will be found guilty of breaking all the standards of ethical behaviour expected of elected representatives.

The Fireman and Storeyteller will be given time to digest the report's detailed findings and to reflect on their contemptible behaviour which has brought shame, scorn and dishonour to the city of Liverpool.

They will probably run crying to lawyers (but not Sexy Rexy, that's for sure) and will try and do anything they can to avoid the tide of history sweeping them from power.

Both will be under extreme pressure to go quietly from within the Lib Dem's own depleted, dispirited and disheartened ranks.

There will be an appeal to them by senior figures to put Liverpool first.

But Bradley, who will literally be Wounded Badly and a Lame duck Leader, and Storey, a Dead Man Walking, will turn a deaf ear as, typically and consistently, they put themselves first.

All of which means we are in for at least a month of speculative headlines as the Oldham Echo tries to catch up with the blog. There will also be tons of gossip and rumour amongst the great and the good of Liverpool which will keep us all highly entertained in the run-up to the festive season.

Make no mistake - the days of Bradley and Storey are well and truly numbered.

Victory is within our grasp. It is an historic achievement. It will bring the dawn of a new era.

Let the celebrations start on Wednesday morning...

ETHICS WATCHDOGS HATCH 'SECRET DEAL' OVER BRADLEY AND STOREY

A 'SECRET DEAL' has been agreed between The Standards Board for England and Fireman Bradley and the Storeyteller over its investigation into the pair.

The 'ethics watchdog' has privately agreed with them that it would 'not be in Liverpool's best interests' if they found against the pair during Liverpool's Capital of Culture year.

So the Standards Board have agreed to delay publication of their findings for as long as possible during 2008.

That's why since May, the Standards (sic) Board has been telling anyone who asked that the result of its investigation would be known "in a few weeks" to try and put off damaging publicity for as long as possible.

A few weeks has now dragged on for a few months, and a few months and, er, a few months.

But this week, we can exclusively reveal that the Standards (sic) Board's findings will be made public "in a few weeks".

Or maybe not.

They will try and put off any decision for as long as they can get away with it - because it is "not in the city of Liverpool's best interests" to have its current political leader and its former political leader officially exposed in 2008 when the eyes of the world (ok, Oldham) are on us.

Meanwhile the Fireman is lording it around Liverpool One in front of gullible fools, while the Storeyteller pulls on the Deputy Mayoral chain of office and ermine in readyness for becoming 'Liverpool's First Citizen' next year.

(You really couldn't make this up could you?)

The charge sheet against both the Fireman and Storeyteller is long and varied, of course.

Aside from being weak, dishonourable, incompetent and wasting council taxpayer's money and Liverpool's best opportunity for a generation, the dozy Lib Dem pair have scaled new heights of unethical behaviour.

This includes cocking up Mathew Street and blaming everyone else but themselves, secretly plotting against The Harbarrowboy, sending dodgy emails to CoverUp, trying to lure Lee Forde into their conspiracy after publicly trying to 'do him in', drinking Peroni, lying repeatedly to the Daily Post, leaking Harbarrows' health to the Oldham Echo, etc, etc.

No doubt, when it eventually makes a public ruling on the Fireman and Storeyteller on November 24th, in the year 2047, the Standards Board will find that both have acted in accordance with the highest standards of public office.

QUESTION: Why did Colin CoverUp write this email to standards watchogs - but never send it...?

ABOVE is an email that Colin Hilton, the chief executive of Liverpool city council, wrote to the Standards Board to officially complain about the conduct of former council leader, Mike Storey.

Amazingly, and for reasons best known to himself, CoverUp NEVER SENT this email to the Standards Board.

It was written after a council investigation into the Storeyteller leaking details of The Harbarrowboy's heart condition to Joe Riley at the Oldham Echo.

The email outlines nine potential breaches of codes of conduct by the Storeyteller.

CoverUp told Jason Harbarrowboy that he had sent the letter and had made an official complaint to the Standards Board about the Storeyteller's conduct.

This was a lie. He did nothing of the kind.

The Harbarrowboy was astonished months later when he discovered that Hilton had never sent the email! He had kept it.

After a complaint by Jase, the Standards Board are now finally investigating the circumstances outlined by CoverUp's email - and how Storeyteller leaked details of the Harbarrowboy's health to the Oldham Echo.

If the Standards Board eventually find against the Storeyteller on this charge - one of several - it would also be curtains for Hilton.

It would mean that he had been complicit in a grave breach of the city council's Code of Conduct.

Yet he failed to draw it to the attention of the proper authorities.

We might also conclude that CoverUp has 'gone native' and thrown in his lot with the Lib Dims, forever compromising the last tatty remnants of his professional integrity.


The plot thickens.

Now read on...


16 July 2007




CH/KD/1607




Confidential




The Standards Board for England,
Fourth Floor,
Griffin House,
Lever Street,
Manchester.
M1 1BB

Dear Sirs,




I write to refer to you details of what I consider to be a breach of the Council’s Code of Conduct by Councillor Mike Storey CBE. I enclose a copy of my recent letter to Councillor Storey in which I set out the grounds for this referral.

As you will be aware Councillor Storey is a senior councillor and a member of the Council’s Executive Board. My Investigations have led me to conclude that he has supplied a story to the media consisting of confidential information about the health of a senior employee without any attempt to either check the particular facts or to discuss internally whether or not such information needed to be released and, if it did, what would be the best way to present such information so as to exercise care towards the employee and protect the reputation of the council.


Whilst the councillor is also a Director of the Council’s Capital of Culture Company (to whom the senior employee concerned reports directly) neither the service nor the employee comes directly within the councillor’s portfolio and the matter was not, therefore, within the responsibility of the councillor. I can think of no proper motive for the councillor having directly approached the media to disclose the information but, in any event, the councillor denies so doing. I set out below extracts from the Council’s Constitution which I believe to be relevant.
Member Officer Protocol (copy enclosed):-

Para 6.1 – must keep confidential information confidential


Para 6.3 – information about someone’s private or business affairs – will normally be confidential (in my view this must include the health of an employee and even if it were necessary to make a public announcement about the health of a senior employee that should have been done properly through the Council by the appropriate people).
Para 7.1 – personal relationships must be based on mutual respect

Para 7.3 - must strive to avoid developing antagonistic competitive relationships with each other.


Para 10.2 – members should not become personally involved in staffing matters

Employees Code of Conduct (also in Council’s Constitution)


Page 5/26 of the Constitution reproduces Paragraph 74 of the National Conditions of Service for APT&C staff:-
“Information concerning officers’ private affairs shall not be supplied to any person outside the service of the employing authority unless the consent of such officer is first obtained.”

Members Code of Conduct


Paragraph 2(b) - treat others with respect

Paragraph 2(c) – not do anything which compromises or which is likely to compromise the impartiality of those who work for or on behalf of the City Council.


Paragraph 3(c) - a Member must not disclose information which he believes is of a confidential nature without consent.

Please note that in view of the importance of this matter the Council’s Monitoring Officer has been involved in advising me and, therefore, in the expectation that you will decided to investigate this matter I would request that the investigation be carried out by one of your own Ethical Standards Officers.


Yours sincerely


Colin Hilton
Chief Executive

FAMOUS FIVE DISAPPEAR FROM TREASURE ISLAND by Enid Blyton

WHATEVER has Colin CoverUp done to the Famous Five?

His 5-man Executive Management Team (EMT) has now all but disappeared from the law-breaking city council.

The only two left are CoverUp's mate and chief 'yes' man Stuart Smith, who was last spotted hiding under a desk with his hands over his ears and regeneration boss John Kelly (who has had such an impact on the city that we had quite forgotten him, until reminded by one of our commentators below).

Its the end of an era and no more lashings of Cains ginger beer and ham-fisted sandwiches for the super-directors.

The smiling assassin Hasitall has been booted out of the Municipal Buildings with a half a million pay-off after making the council the worst in the country.

Social Services Executive Director Tony Hunter, last seen looking like death warmed up after years of bullying by the rottweiller McElhinney, has legged it to become chief exec of Cleethorpes or somewhere equally obscure.

The 'Cultural' Exec Director, otherwise known as the Harbarrowboy, has been given a £250,000 pay-off, a season ticket to Tans R Us and a hammock on the Costa del Cock Up.

As one blog contributor has aptly noted, that leaves only Cover Up and nonentities in charge of the lawbreaking city council - the worst in the country.

Difficult to get a quorum for EMT meetings then.

Good to know that the city's biggest employer is in such safe hands, if you will forgive the pun.

Never mind though.

We are sure it won't be too long before Cover Up again appoints a costly firm of headhunters (breaking all the city council's procurement rules) to scour the country looking for 'top talent'.

"We are determined to appoint the best possible leaders," said a grim-faced council spokesman "to take Liverpool forward to a bright new dawn where children play happily in sun-kissed meadows, couples skip hand in hand through the latest shopping mall and literally millions of journalists from the Washington Post visit the city to witness a huge £1.8million thing lumbering through the streets (obviously Lord Redmond's ego, eds)"explained a council spokesman.

With the post of City Solicitor now being advertised for the third time (still no takers) perhaps word has got about?

Maybe we can stand-by for a whole new team of overpaid, lacklustre bureaucrats appointed on £225,000 a year, plus Performance Related Pay, to transform the worst council in the country into a new Jerusalem.

Yeah, right.

Historical note: You will recall that it was the evil Henshaw who first appointed four yes men (and one woman) as £150,00-a-year Executive Directors soon after being named chief executive by The Storeyteller.

The Famous Five then were:

• Colin CoverUp (Education)
  
• Hasitall (Resources)
  
• The rottweiller McEhinney (specially brought by Henshaw from Knowsley to mastermind dirty tricks)
  
• Annie Shepperd (daft as a brush)
  
• Charlie Parker (cockney wide boy).

'It's not unethical' says ethics girl over probe into £75,000 Lib Dem chat for spin doctor!

ETHICS girl Paula Keaveney faces an investigation by the Standards Board after trying to stitch-up a £75,000 job for a Lib Dem spin doctor.

Councillor Keaveney, Lib Dem cabinet member for Ethical Governance, is being reported to the ethical watchdog - for 'unethical behaviour'!

Keaveney wrote to all Lib Dem councillors and her Lib Dem Party colleagues asking them to identify likely candidates for the position of Head of Communications with the worst council in the country - and offering to have a little chat.Nudge, nudge, wink-wink, knoworrameanlike?

Keaveney, a 'lecturer' in Public Relations at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, also emailed work colleagues in her desperate hunt for 'one of us'.

Keaveney has already earned her nickname as Liverpool's own Ethics Girl by resolutely failing to take any action against Fireman Bradley, the Storeyteller and Colin CoverUp for their repeated wrong-doing.

Suggestions that she has been bribed with a babycham and bag of crisps are simply not true.

Keaveney is however, by complete and utter coincidence, on the selection panel which will eventually be appointing the unlucky spin doctor on £75,000 a year.

So it could prove quite an advantage to have an intimate chat with one of the people doling out the job, if you were a Lib Dem spin doctor desperate to jump ship from Nick Clegg's Cowley Street headquarters as election disaster stares you in the face.

Legendary Liverpool solicitor, 'Sexy Rexy' Makin revealed in his craven Echo column, that Keaveney had written thus to the Lib Dems:

"If anyone wants a general chat about the "challenges" this post might involve, I am more than happy to talk to them – although I can't do a lot more than that as I will be on the panel."

What a pity. Of course we only have Councillor Keaveney's word for it that the conversation, which itself is highly inappropriate, would not stray into other areas of interest to would-be spin meisters.

But it would clearly give any candidate a distinct advantage to have a harmless chat with a member of the appointments panel in advance.

It goes without saying of course that Councillor Keaveney would never dare abuse her position

Or tell the candidate the questions likely to be asked.

Or the answers that would go down well with her Lib Dem colleagues.

Or the elephant traps to avoid when trying to seduce the panel members with spin.

No.

It would just be a general chat about the challenges which might be involved - The Fireman, Storeyteller, CoverUp, worst council the country, Capital of CockUps, lack of legacy, Hilton's civil war with the smiling assassin Hasitall, the rottweiller McElhinney's corrupt LDL, The Standards Board, The Harbarrowboy, Our Lord Redmond, to say nothing of Tony Parrish's blogging friends.

And unethical ethics girls.

A new hit parade for Liverpool subCulture...

WE are delighted to officially announce that the Liverpool subCulture blog, banned by the Lib Dim city council, has now attracted more than 100,000 readers.
We thank you all.
Our most sincere thanks of course, must go to all those who have made Liverpool subCulture a small, but such a beautifully formed, footnote in the proud history of the blogosphere.
We mean of course, our rich cast of characters:

• The evil Sir Diddy (first and foremost)
• The rottweiller McElhinney (still in our sights)
• The smiling assassin Hasitall (who has undergone several reincarnations, but who has now turned history on its head by conspiring against the current chief executive - my how times do change!)
• Chas 'show me the money' Cole (still raking in forests of cash from the city)
• The Storeyteller (still unable to hold his own water)
• Fireman Bradley (wounded badly, but limping to meet his coup de grace at the Standards Board)
• Colin CoverUp (seriously unimpressive and comprehensively discredited after going native)
  The Harbarrowboy (more brass neck than gold medallions)
• Our Lord Redmond (rampant egotism and fake celebrity of a true phoney)
• Donald Bullshitter (cocking up on a daily basis, but still taking the money)

We know them all so well now.
And so, thankfully, does Liverpool.
And there are a whole host of supporting extras - Mr Bumble, Randy Newman, Sexy Rexy, the craven Echo, Clare McCogloose, etc, etc, who have all added to the fun and games.
But most of all, we wish to thank and congratulate some 'real' Liverpool stars - Tori Blare, Prof Chucklebutty (and his missus) and Pete Price - without whom Liverpool subCulture would never have continued.
Good on you.
We hope that we may also take a little credit for encouraging these great new voices in the Liverpool blogosphere - long may they continue.
Meanwhile the city council continues to protest to Google in an attempt to ban the blog - demonstrating their daily contempt for the city council's taxpayers.
And, of course, their total contempt for truth, justice and democracy.
Which is were it all started...

The Harbarrowboy's health: Did Mr Bumble shop the Storeyteller?

TRANSLATION: Did the Liverpool Echo's Joe Riley reveal that the source of an exclusive story about the poor health of the Culture Company chief executive, Jason Harbrow (sic) was the former Leader of the city council, Councillor Mike Storey, CBE?

That is the rather convoluted question we ask following mounting (sic, ed) allegations about the conduct of Mr Riley, Councillor Storey and the city council.

Readers will remember that the Storeyteller is well and truly for the high jump by the Standards Board when they eventually blow the cobwebs off their quills, loosen their starched wing-tip collars and finally give their verdict on their interminably long-running, long-awaited, long anticipated investigation into Bradley and Storey.

The Harbarrowboy, who pocketed £250,000 as a reward from the Lib Dim city council after cocking up Mathew Street, is now hell-bent on exacting his revenge on Storey, the Fireman and Colin CoverUp.

The Harbarrowboy has alleged to the Standards Board that, as well as being buillied by Bradley, the Storyteller told the Echo that poor Jase had suffered a heart attack when in charge of the Culture Co.

This was clearly contrary to Rule 37, Paragraph 47, Sub Clause 34, of the city council's Rules Which We Dream Up But Which We Only Ever Follow When It Suits Us, Otherwise We Tend To Quietly Forget About Them Because We Are In Charge You Know, Buster.

In other words, Storey broke all the rules by talking about a council employees health to the world's press. And the craven Echo.

This is what actually happened.

Bradley was riding in the city council Jaguar with the Storeyteller who was having a go at Jase and the Culture Company cock-ups, when Bradley told him told him that Jase had taken a powder and was in hospital with a dodgy ticker .

The Harbarrowboy had gone off work from the Fun Palace to have tests.

Bradley and Storey, thick as thieves in the Jag, then went into a huddle and began plotting what to do with such useful information. This was on Thursday night (28th June, 2007 - pre the Mathew Street debacle)

On Friday morning, on his way to the Executive Board meeting at the Town Hall, the Storeyteller (not untypically, ed) immediately rang Joe Riley to spill all the beans.

The Storeyteller told Riley that he and Warren did not want to be quoted in the Echo (not untypically, ed) but poor old Jase was on sick leave and looked to be on the way out.

Riley, not known in unholy Trinity Mirror as Mr Bumble for no reason, then set about trying to 'stand the story up' for Page One.

Like a true investigative journalist, Riley immediately rang the city council's newscentre for the truth (sic, ed) and told them something along the lines of: 'Warren and Mike have told me that Jase has taken a sicky with stress. Can you give us a quote?'

This was all news to the newscentre staff (not untypically, ed) and there was much huffing and puffing and phoning around by various functionaries. (Randy Newman was uncontactable in the morning for some strange reason.)

Uncle Tom Cobbley and all were involved and it was all hands to the pump as the city council leapt into action (well, stumbled about a bit, ed).

Mr Bumble phoned various council functionairies literally a dozen times, telling all who cared to listen that 'Mike' had told him off the record that poor Jase was on his last legs and could he have an official statement in response from someone who was vaguely in officialdom.

Apparently Mr Bumble, the Echo's longest-serving and most experienced journalist, did not realise that to all and sundry at the Municipal Buildings he was cheerfully and repeatedly breaking the First Rule of Journalism: Thou Shalt Not Reveal Thy Source.

Quite what the journalists union, the NUJ would make of all this is an interesting question.

Even more interestingly, CoverUp himself then woke up, lurched about a bit and then phoned the Echo, begging them not to publish the story because Jason was only just a bit off colour and would be returning to work soon. (Cover Up is not, surprisingly, a qualified doctor, but then he is paid £250,000 a year, plus Performance Related Pay, so he does know the health status of all 19,500 city council employees.)

Thus the story did not appear.

But poor Jase was forced - against a genuine doctor's orders - to return to work the next week to avoid shock horror headlines in the craven Echo.

The Harbarrowboy went bananas when he discovered the Storeyteller's role.

A huge internal investigation was launched into precisely who said what, when, to whom, and why, which involved interrogating anyone found holding a biro in their hands at 8.30 am on the morning in question.

Even the Jag's poor chauffeur was quizzed as a torch from the pound shop was shone in his eyes and Ken Unworthy wound up the rack.

The chauffeur 'didn't hear a sausage about Jase taking a sicky', of course.

Meanwhile the Harbarrow demanded that Cover Up take serious action against Storey and immediately report him to the Standards Board.

And guess what happened then?

Colin CoverUp wrote a formal letter of complaint about Councillor Storey to the Standards Board.

But he never sent it.

He put it carefully in his bottom drawer (shades of the Rottweiller McElhinney) and kept schtum.

And Cover Up never admitted he had never sent the letter to the Standards Board until confronted by the suspicious Harbarrowboy six weeks later when all the fuss had died down.

By which stage, poor old Jase was busily cancelling Mathew Street (in revenge? ed) and planning his lucrative exit.

The smiling assassin Hasitall has been dining out for the last three months on this story, telling anyone who will listen all the intricate and interesting details and highlighting both the actions of the Storeyteller and the complicity of Cover Up.

The Fireman appears to have got off the hook, so far - no doubt the Standards Board will be more interested in his email to Hilton calling for Jason's neck and the Perroni plot in the front room of his home in Wavertree.

Meanwhile Labour's Joe Anderson has well and truly fingered Cover Up for, er, 'covering up' for the Storeyteller and thus sealing his own death warrant.

So what lessons do we learn from this interesting city council saga?

1) Don't trust Storey.

2) Don't trust Bradley.

3) Don't trust Cover Up.

4) Be careful talking 'off the record' to Riley.

5) Don't go on the sick.

6) Always look after the chauffeur.

The voice of the people - we could not say it better.....

Dr X. Laughing Sandwich has left a new comment on your post:

This behaviour is endemic within the Executive Board of the council and that of LDL.

It has been cultivated and necessitated by a conspiracy of covering up greed, incompetence and the unbelievable criminal squandering of public monies.

The reality is that a group of controlling officers in Liverpool who are on salaries way out of proportion to other Local Authority Executive officers or even Executives of private companies, or for that matter, the parliamentary cabinet and the prime minister himself.

It is a group who have awarded themselves huge bonuses and performance related pay and a group will do anything that they need to do in oder to protect their positions and hide their incompetence and deceit.

A group who upon realising how big a salary gap they had created between themselves and the next level of management beneath them, set about inventing two or three entirely new management tiers in the 75k to 195k income brackets.

Under cover of making fit the council management fit for purpose, the real objective was to justify their own salary levels by creating a visible rising structure. The result of this new tier? Their Achievements?

Well we only have to look at each consecutive appalling and damning judgement of each and every audit and the resulting laughingstock that is Liberal-democrat run Liverpool.

This group who were complicit in renewing contracts that had clearly been shown to be at worst totally corrupt and at best a mockery of the concept of Best Value, who spoon-fed misleading and falsified information about services to either stupid or completely gullible councillors to convince them that this was the way forward aided and abetted by a few Elected Members with their own agendas and who were in the pockets of LDL.

All set about driving this forward and treating the backbenchers like fools.

To achieve this, they deliberately ran services into the ground disposing of key jobs through a voluntary severance scheme that had no proper funding, refusing to fill vacant posts and starving key services of finances with the aim being to make the remaining staff look incompetent or incapable and therefore ripe for absorbing into Liverpool Direct.

Then LDL set about recharging the council at least three times the original cost of providing the same services and a call centre service more interested in external lucrative contracts than doing the job they were supposed to do.

A wonderful new service, who took on and then bullied untrained young people to work from scripts dealing with the jobs once done by qualified experienced staff that had deserted in their droves unable to stomach any more.

And the line they were given was to keep the public away from getting the help they needed if it was likely to be one that would involve a cost.

A group that initially under Henshaw but also to everyones genuine and deep sorrowful dismay under Hilton, with the support of Storey and Bradleys cabinet allowed the sinister Team Liverpool to drive these changes through, tolerating no opposition or questioning of how this would improve services, bullying staff into submission.

Using the Big Lie technique presenting lies masquerading as reports. and presenting financial projections and alleged savings that did not add up from day one.

Anyone who questioned this found their life was made hell and they either shut up or left.

They allowed Team Liverpool to play a never ending game of relocation with staff teams and services so that they could charge the council tens of thousands of pounds for each and every unnecessary but highly lucrative move.

No questions asked or reasons given and any challenge seen as not being a team player or not being progressive.

For over four years they shifted and moved often the same teams and staff around form building to building, floor to floor and crammed people into hot desk offices, where they often had to wait 2 hours of a morning to access a computer.

They have given the council rooms in buildings which the city council own and charged them for the use of their own premises, the list could go on and on.

Enough has already been written about the financial joke that is the IT service and cost of personal computers and IT equipment.

This is the group that has at the same time presided over the worst financially controlled council in Britain.

The group who still take their performance related pay and bonuses and massive golden handshake or silencing deals when they have become either so incompetent that they cannot be maintained in post or that they threaten blackmail.

The group who to get themselves out of the financial mess they have created, and still maintain their high earnings, look each and every time to cutting back services to the most vulnerable need groups and front line staff.

They would never consider cutting the stranglehold and financial abyss that is Liverpool Direct because without them, they would never have achieved this level of pay, self importance and the idea that they can do as they damn well want, when they want because nobody is able to or prepared to stop them or challenge them.

Joe Anderson, if you don't see this then you must be blind.

If the decent Lib-Dem back benchers who have been treated with contempt by their own party leaders don't see this then you will be tarnished for years to come with the accusations, rightly or wrongly of corruption or incompetence or both.

So of course they would go to these extremes to protect themselves, and it is about time everybody woke up to the fact that this council has become a disgrace to public office and public services and the decent hard working staff with any sense of the reality must be sickened and ashamed, and would probably be ready to comply with any genuine public enquiry.

We have seen the result of whistle blowing and handing over dossiers of evidence.

Nothing!

Because those called to or expected to investigate it are a part of the problem.

The demand should be made now to central government for a full public enquiry into the political and officer led management of this city and immediate intervention powers used to take control.

Without this, there is no current credible way forward.

PREMONITION OF AN UNCIVIL WAR or BATTLE OF THE GIANTS: the smiling assassin versus CoverUp

UNCIVIL WAR has broken out between the smiling assassin Hasitall and Colin CoverUp.

At stake is Hasitall's £220,000-a-year (plus 15 per cent Performance Related Pay) position as Executive Director (Resources) which Hilton wants to scrap.

Hasitall was behind the publication of the council's Blankety-Blank report into Tony Parrish's liverpool-evil-cabal blog.

The secret report, which had most of the names blanked out, fingered the Storeyteller as the source of info on the blog and recommended that he should be reported to the Standards Board.

But Colin CoverUp, in the time honoured traditional fashion, refused to take any action against the former council leader.

CoverUp decided another Standards Board investigation into Storey would sound the death knell for the Lib Dims and expose them as complicit in blackmailer Sir Diddy Henshaw's corrupt rule.

So Hilton quietly buried the report in his bottom drawer - until Labour's Joe Anderson rattled his cage and finally got his hands on it last week.

Hence the not-very shock headlines...

Painting Title: Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War), 1936 Salvador Dali

For the last year, Hasitall has been quietly simmering away in fury at Hilton's refusal to take action against Storey.

He wanted revenge because his own corruption had been comprehensively exposed by the legendary blog - his relationship with Chas 'show me the money' Cole; the New York marathon; his son's band Abe appearing with Status Quo at Chas's Summer Pops; free parking for Chas; the spiralling cost of the O8 Place to fit out Chas with an office, etc, etc.

So when it became clear that Hilton, at the Fireman's insistence, was now lining up Hasitall for the chop, the smiling assassin decided to act.
He wanted to get his revenge in first after it became clear that he was soon going to be the 'scapegoat' for Liverpool being named the worst financially run council in the country by the Audit Commission.

(Not so much the scapegoat really though - he is the city's Treasurer after all! eds)


So Hasitall, who leaked the first Tony Parrish report to the Echo a year ago, made sure the final report - produced by his own internal audit staff, of course - got into the hands of Labour's Joe Anderson.

The smiling assassin was quite happy for the Storeyteller to be fingered, but his real target was Hilton - for failing to refer the whole issue to the Standards Board.

In doing so, he scored a direct hit!

The report exposes CoverUp as politically biased, in protecting the Lib Dims and letting the Storeyteller off the hook.

It also reveals that CoverUp ignored an official recommendation and publically raised huge questions marks about his own professional integrity as £225,000-a-year chief executive, (plus 15 per cent Performance Related Pay).

(Not that we were in any doubt about that, anyway! eds)

CoverUp decided to cover-up for the Lib Dims.

So another everyday story of Liverpool politics!


Meanwhile, as the civil war between the smiling assassin and Hilton now rages, stay tuned for more instalments!!!!

It ain't over yet by a long way.....

To readers of the Liverpool Daily Post......

WELCOME - to the Liverpool subCulture blog.

• Legal




• Decent




• Honest




• Truthful

(Unlike the city council)....

LIB DEM LEADERSHIP RESULT: "Infamy, infamy - they've all got it in for me!" Ooooooooh, what a Carry On!

So here's the result:
Bungling Fireman - 26 votes
Hypocrite Kemp - 13 votes
Paul Clein - 7 votes

Almost half the Lib Dem group of 46 councillors refused to vote for the bloke who has been their Leader for the last two miserable years.
Hardly a vote of confidence in Bradley's Carry On leadership then.

(Maybe it will end up being one of them there Pilchard victories? ed)
No wonder Labour were rubbing their hands with glee at the apparent blind stupidity (you promised never ever to use that phrase ever, ever again, so help you God, eds) of the Lib Dim group.
As sure as eggs is eggs, Bradley is for the high jump from the Standards Board when it finally gets its act together and starts moving a bit quicker than a snail in quick-setting concrete.
What a Carry On this will all be in Capital of Culture year.
Bradley is banking, however, on the opening of Liverpool One and the McCartney concert bringing him some much needed summer joy and respite.
We suspect that Grovenor will be moving heaven and earth to keep a distance from the discredited regime.
And Macca will continue to marginalise the city council and Culture Company from any involvement at Anfield (won by Labour on May 1st, eds).

This won't stop gullible journalists from the craven Echo and CityTalks-but-no-one-listens giving Bradley the opportunity to stand in front of something stupid and say: "What a fantastic day this is for Liverpool! Ten years ago we were...etc, etc."
More discerning scribes - such as those now working on a Radio 4 investigation into the missing milions and especially the role played by the Rottweiller's Liverpool Direct Limited, Chas Cole and the smiling assassin - may take a slightly more rigorous perpective.
We live in hope.
But then there is the trial of Counclllor Hurst in late July, which should also be worth a seat in the public gallery.
And so on and so forth.
Meanwhile the old nag Clucas, who refused at the last minute in the paddock, has reserved the right to stand in any future Lib Dem leadership contest.
(She's a wily old filly, isn't she? eds)
And the Leader-in-waiting, the Arch Hypocrite Kemp will be busily working behind the scenes in the next few months to try and win friends and influence people and shore up more support amongst the Lib Dims.
By which stage Uncle Joe should have his hands on the Boot Estate report.
Meanwhile God knows what Paul Clein will do - he's capable of anything.
And a substantial rump of Lib Dims, led by the ga-ga Sir Trevor will be wringing their hands in despair as the Fireman tries to bluff his way out of the Standards Board.

• Bradley's first test will come this week when he announces his new Cabinet and reveals whether he has kept a place for the Storeyteller.He was promising anyone who would listen in the last week that he would be sacking the Storeyteller. We shall see.
  

No wonder Labour were grinning like cats that got the cream after tonight's result.

What a Carry On!

LIB DEM LEADERSHIP RESULT: Oh what a carry-on! Bungling Bradley blunders on!!!!

STOP PRESS: Labour supporters were jubilant tonight after the Lib Dims voted to carry on cocking it up - with the Fireman in charge.
Blundering Badly romped home in the first ballot with 26 votes in favour of his continuing as Leader of the city council.
Labour supporters broke out the champagne and back-slapped the bewildered Lib Dims in joyful celebration.
Now the Fireman and the Storeyteller can look forward to months of turmoil, civil war and chaos as the Standards Board investigate allegations that both brought their office into disrepute.
And Bradley took a leaf from the impressive and dynamic John Major's little grey book by immediately promising to 'get back to basics'.
More follows, after we crack open a bottle!