Liverpool’s darkest day

Today Liverpool’s Labour Leadership has acted in the most treacherous way imaginable since the dark, dark days of Militant.

Labour is frightened to face the people with a referendum on a mayoralty and lacks the wit to work with us on better forms of governance which would bring the new powers and money for which we have fought for so long and are now delivering.

This sad move had reinvigorated our Party in the City and we will stand against him in the council chamber and then seek to unite all democrats in the city to defeat him on May 3 if those Labour members who are opposed to a mayoralty lack the guts to join with us in the council vote.

This is our exchange of e-mails this morning

Dear Cllr Anderson,

Thank you for this. I listened with interest to you squirming as you avoided several points on Radio City.

The Government has made it absolutely clear that the new powers, which my Party have fought for over many years are dependent on a change in governance of which a mayoral model is just one potential change although it is then one that your Tory friends prefer.

That is why in November we suggested that we needed to review our internal governance to be ready to make an offer to them which described how we would take up those powers.

It is still possible for us to work together to construct such a  change in governance to enable us to be ready for May.

 

In practice being ready for May is not that essential as there are still many steps that the council have to go through before those powers will eb transferred in practice rather than principle.

The offer to you is still open. Let’s work together and come up with a modern form of governance which will enable those new powers to be introduced.

On the question of honesty I would grateful if you would send all councillors a copy of the written agreement between yourself and the government which says, as you claim on the radio:

1.    That the powers are only available if there is a mayoral model;

2.    That the Government wants you to avoid the referendum in their own legislation and go for a mayoralty immediately.

This is the biggest change in the governance of Liverpool since the 1890s. Liverpool is not owned by the Labour Party or the council as a whole it is ‘owned’ by the people. It is their right to choose our system of governance not ours.

I have no doubt that the people of Liverpool would have voted No is a referendum having seen the dreadful state of affairs in Stoke, which has already removed the mayoral model and Doncaster, which will  a referendum in may to do the same.

Unfortunately they will not have the chance because you are too scared to trust the people.

Kind regards

Cllr Richard Kemp CBE,

Deputy Leader,

Liverpool Liberal Democrats

 

Tel:      07885 626913 (mobile)

 

PS you are right the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office confirmed to me this morning that everything I am saying here is correct.

 

 

Subject: deceitful Cllr Anderson

 

Dear Cllr Kemp

 

I heard with great interest your comments about deceit and underhanded behaviour from myself over the Mayoral deal.

 

Can we just cut straight to the chase and ask you to explain in real simple terms how we are going to get the estimated

 

£130 package within three months from your Government please, the Members of the Council and indeed the public

 

have a right to know. I am sure your Party Leader told you when you rang him so early this morning. I am more than happy

 

to cancel any move towards a City Mayor if you can get us the package from your Leader or if you wish I will join you in a

 

conference call to him or indeed go to Parliament to visit him with you so he can tell me he will get it for us.

 

 

 

I await your early response.

 

 

 

Joe Anderson