Or so they say, the darkest part of night is just before dawn.
Tonight should be the last day Tom Hicks has any association with Liverpool football club, his last desperate act, a restraining order in a Texas court to the sale of LFC, the High Court has given Hicks and Gillette until 4pm tomorrow to withdraw and allow LFC to be free of the acquisition debt they leveraged on the club, and free of the £40million annual debt repayments.
Clearly, the best solution for Football clubs would be owned by their supporters ala Barcelona FC, it never ceases to amaze me, supporters will invest £80 a year on replica shirts, hundreds of pounds on tickets and even more on pre and post match lubricant (ha ha).
However, in the short term I will settle for a well run football club, that does things behind closed doors and doesn't wash it's dirty washing in public.
The finishing touches of this week would be a win, any size win over Everton on Sunday, winning the derby and freeing the club of Hicks and Gillette, it would be a very good week.
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Heart warming in Chile
Just a brief posting, but how wonderful was it to see those Chilean miners released from their days locked in their tomb hundreds of metres below the surface.
These monumental efforts by the miners surviving, the rescuers efforts to reach the miners and the courage of the miners families that believed in their rescue.
I felt their joy, wasn't it just wonderful, I guess that is what makes us human.
My family were North Somerset miners, I am happy the NCB closed those pits, I would have no desire to work under ground, but I have total respect for those men who did work in deep mining, being dropped hundreds of metres in a wire cage deep into the earth at 15 yrs old, yep, not for me!
The Renewable energy has great opportunities in the west country, we have wind and tidal power to capture, this clean energy needs capture.
These new environmental jobs should be growth here in the UK.
These monumental efforts by the miners surviving, the rescuers efforts to reach the miners and the courage of the miners families that believed in their rescue.
I felt their joy, wasn't it just wonderful, I guess that is what makes us human.
My family were North Somerset miners, I am happy the NCB closed those pits, I would have no desire to work under ground, but I have total respect for those men who did work in deep mining, being dropped hundreds of metres in a wire cage deep into the earth at 15 yrs old, yep, not for me!
The Renewable energy has great opportunities in the west country, we have wind and tidal power to capture, this clean energy needs capture.
These new environmental jobs should be growth here in the UK.
Friday, 8 October 2010
Debt, Lies and Cowboys
Anyone who knows me, will tell you of my passion for the Mighty Reds of Anfield, it is one of the great sporting institutions in this country.
Liverpool FC has a wonderful history, from that night in Rome to Istanbul, or those 18 league titles.
Sadly for the last three years this great football club, that for years was ran 'the right way', has been owned on borrowed money by Tom Hicks and George Gillette.
These two gentlemen encapsulates the sickness of modern capitalism.
They bought Liverpool FC on borrowed money, when banks borrowed to anyone and money was too cheap and the cost of repayment was also cheap, they made promises of not to place any debt on the football club, build a new stadium and money for new players. Now debt is expensive they cannot afford Liverpool Football Club.
Their first action was to place £280million of debt against the club, no stadium and the last three transfer windows LFC has delivered a profit to the Clubs owners.
We are now in the endgame.
Martin Broughton the independent chairman, who was brought in to find a buyer who claims to have undertakings to sell Liverpool FC from Hicks and Gillette along with Christian Purslow and Ian Ayre, have found a buyer.
Hicks and Gillette have tried to remove Purslow and Ayre from the Board at LFC and replace them with their own stooges.
So next week this mess will go to the High Court, if the courts back the Chairman, LFC will have new owners, if the courts backs Hicks and Gillette and they cannot refinance as they haven't managed in the previous twelve months, the club will be in administration this time next week.
LFC will then be deducted 9 points, the banks presumably would sell to the current buyers.
Football a working class game, treated as a play thing by businessmen with no interest in the beautiful game.
My advice to Tom and George is respectfully, hold your heads up high and leave this mighty proud club, the damage done will be repaired, I can end my boycott of Anfield and I will again buy the replica shirt, I can again sing about the glories around the fields of anfield road.
Debt, Lies, Cowboys Tom and George not welcome here.
Liverpool FC has a wonderful history, from that night in Rome to Istanbul, or those 18 league titles.
Sadly for the last three years this great football club, that for years was ran 'the right way', has been owned on borrowed money by Tom Hicks and George Gillette.
These two gentlemen encapsulates the sickness of modern capitalism.
They bought Liverpool FC on borrowed money, when banks borrowed to anyone and money was too cheap and the cost of repayment was also cheap, they made promises of not to place any debt on the football club, build a new stadium and money for new players. Now debt is expensive they cannot afford Liverpool Football Club.
Their first action was to place £280million of debt against the club, no stadium and the last three transfer windows LFC has delivered a profit to the Clubs owners.
We are now in the endgame.
Martin Broughton the independent chairman, who was brought in to find a buyer who claims to have undertakings to sell Liverpool FC from Hicks and Gillette along with Christian Purslow and Ian Ayre, have found a buyer.
Hicks and Gillette have tried to remove Purslow and Ayre from the Board at LFC and replace them with their own stooges.
So next week this mess will go to the High Court, if the courts back the Chairman, LFC will have new owners, if the courts backs Hicks and Gillette and they cannot refinance as they haven't managed in the previous twelve months, the club will be in administration this time next week.
LFC will then be deducted 9 points, the banks presumably would sell to the current buyers.
Football a working class game, treated as a play thing by businessmen with no interest in the beautiful game.
My advice to Tom and George is respectfully, hold your heads up high and leave this mighty proud club, the damage done will be repaired, I can end my boycott of Anfield and I will again buy the replica shirt, I can again sing about the glories around the fields of anfield road.
Debt, Lies, Cowboys Tom and George not welcome here.
Monday, 4 October 2010
Pay back
Whilst the media has been consuming the cut in child benefit to higher taxpayers, my eye has been taken by three inter related stories.
The first is this coalition governments plans to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board, since the first world war this has set minimum wages for farmer workers.
The second was the CBI calling for Agency workers to legally cover for striking workers.
The third is the CBI and Boris Johnson Calling for a 50% turnout for a strike ballot.
This country has the toughest anti strike laws, whilst strike action must always the absolute action taken by workers, this action is the last resort for workers.
Low skill manual workers are completely undermined by agency workers, these workers has no sick pay, no holiday pay and no other social benefit, many local companies use agency workers, these workers are like those dock workers at the turn of the last century who turned up for work to be selected, if not selected there was no work.
Last week the Labour Party debated why they lost many voters, Agency workers is one of the main ingredients why industrial employees were left feeling industrial flexibility was one way, low pay rises and many wages being forced to minimum wages, the loss of industrial muscle, as the industrial base reduced to many small employers with the loss of quality pensions and sick schemes.
It is now a year since employers can use tips in the hospitality trade to subsidise the National minimum wage.
This is why so many feel the inequality of wages between their own pay and their employers, I support the "Living Wage", the national minimum wage has it's uses, but £237 before tax is not enough to live on, the London Citizens has calculated that £7.50 is a more realistic hourly rate.
So, the forward may be a High Pay Commission to look at the top end of the pay scale and the Living Wage needs investigation.
Most people want a fair day pay for a fair day work, sadly I am not convinced if this can be said in modern Britain.
The first is this coalition governments plans to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board, since the first world war this has set minimum wages for farmer workers.
The second was the CBI calling for Agency workers to legally cover for striking workers.
The third is the CBI and Boris Johnson Calling for a 50% turnout for a strike ballot.
This country has the toughest anti strike laws, whilst strike action must always the absolute action taken by workers, this action is the last resort for workers.
Low skill manual workers are completely undermined by agency workers, these workers has no sick pay, no holiday pay and no other social benefit, many local companies use agency workers, these workers are like those dock workers at the turn of the last century who turned up for work to be selected, if not selected there was no work.
Last week the Labour Party debated why they lost many voters, Agency workers is one of the main ingredients why industrial employees were left feeling industrial flexibility was one way, low pay rises and many wages being forced to minimum wages, the loss of industrial muscle, as the industrial base reduced to many small employers with the loss of quality pensions and sick schemes.
It is now a year since employers can use tips in the hospitality trade to subsidise the National minimum wage.
This is why so many feel the inequality of wages between their own pay and their employers, I support the "Living Wage", the national minimum wage has it's uses, but £237 before tax is not enough to live on, the London Citizens has calculated that £7.50 is a more realistic hourly rate.
So, the forward may be a High Pay Commission to look at the top end of the pay scale and the Living Wage needs investigation.
Most people want a fair day pay for a fair day work, sadly I am not convinced if this can be said in modern Britain.
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Shoot them all!
Tonight I attended the most recent meeting of the community to discuss how to maximise efforts to improve our Town Centre.
There were about 30/40 people at the Salvation Hall.
Like my previous blog, I volunteered my labour to support put on events in the Town Centre.
The meeting voted to set up a Community Benefit Society, it looks like the steering group will take this forward.
My councillor colleague was irriated when a member of the meeting said "he would like to shoot all councillors", Will Dunscombe pointed out that it was everyone responsibility to lobby Mendip Council on free car parking, but the member of the meeting was not bothered to distinguish between the different tiers of government or individual councillors opinions or efforts.
Whether after 15 years my skin is a little less thick, but I felt there is a undertone of anti council/councillors at most meetings I attend, yet our interest in the Town means we still attend such meetings and volunteer our efforts.
Moreover, for example I have attended meetings on monday night, Tuesday night, this evening and will be out tomorrow evening on community activity, I've dealt with tens of emails to do with Shepton this week so far, this a typical week for a parish councillor.
The average parish councillors probably does the same.
So I can understand Will losing his temper with people whom lazy talk could be considered both ignorant and wrong, parish councillors do not receive any renumeration (nor seeks it) and have Shepton at heart.
So coming back to tonights meeting, I wish this group well.
There were about 30/40 people at the Salvation Hall.
Like my previous blog, I volunteered my labour to support put on events in the Town Centre.
The meeting voted to set up a Community Benefit Society, it looks like the steering group will take this forward.
My councillor colleague was irriated when a member of the meeting said "he would like to shoot all councillors", Will Dunscombe pointed out that it was everyone responsibility to lobby Mendip Council on free car parking, but the member of the meeting was not bothered to distinguish between the different tiers of government or individual councillors opinions or efforts.
Whether after 15 years my skin is a little less thick, but I felt there is a undertone of anti council/councillors at most meetings I attend, yet our interest in the Town means we still attend such meetings and volunteer our efforts.
Moreover, for example I have attended meetings on monday night, Tuesday night, this evening and will be out tomorrow evening on community activity, I've dealt with tens of emails to do with Shepton this week so far, this a typical week for a parish councillor.
The average parish councillors probably does the same.
So I can understand Will losing his temper with people whom lazy talk could be considered both ignorant and wrong, parish councillors do not receive any renumeration (nor seeks it) and have Shepton at heart.
So coming back to tonights meeting, I wish this group well.
Saturday, 25 September 2010
New Labour Leader
The political party I am a member has today elected Ed Miliband as leader.
I had four votes, one Labour member, one trade union and two socialist societies.
I have always been a supporter of one member one vote, the electoral college a left off from the early 1980s.
I look forward to this leadership election being the last under the electoral college where MPs, members and affiliates vote.
I look forward to Ed Miliband leading the Labour Party, from the political centre, to build a consensus around a platform around a social democratic vision for this country.
Building a mass movement against the regressive coalition government, this conservative government.
So I wish Ed Miliband good luck and hope Labour has started it's route back to government.
I had four votes, one Labour member, one trade union and two socialist societies.
I have always been a supporter of one member one vote, the electoral college a left off from the early 1980s.
I look forward to this leadership election being the last under the electoral college where MPs, members and affiliates vote.
I look forward to Ed Miliband leading the Labour Party, from the political centre, to build a consensus around a platform around a social democratic vision for this country.
Building a mass movement against the regressive coalition government, this conservative government.
So I wish Ed Miliband good luck and hope Labour has started it's route back to government.
Public Meeting
The latest public meeting to discuss the Town Centre will be held on Wednesday 29 September in the Salvation Army hall in Commercial Road at 6.30pm, I hope to attend, but I have another engagement in Taunton that afternoon, so I may not make it.
It would appear the ideas that up for discussion are;
It would appear the ideas that up for discussion are;
- A cider shop with a cider making heritage element
- A marked walked town heritage trail around the Town
- A Community run allotments in tandem with a community run shop selling local produce
- A milk bar as a focus for young people
- A centre for learning crafts and contemporary skills
- Create a series of popular events in market place.
My views on the Town Centre are there are three particular elements that need attention;
The Environment, some progress has be made in recent years with improved shop fronts, however the market place and Town Streets paving is poor, cracked paving slabs with a mish mash of paving slabs, I take the view, a road should be reintroduced into Town Street to recreate a street scene and this would allow service vehicles to use, saving the cracking of the paving slabs.
There needs better lighting within the Town Centre, access from the car parks through to the shops in Great Ostry and Regal road needs attention. The Street furniture needs upgrading, some just needs better maintenance.
The District Council has now received their Urban design statement, these issues have been highlighted.
Town Centre promotion, there are many tremendous shops in Shepton Mallet High Street area, I often wonder if the average consumer knows whats on offer in the retail area, how the retail sector is strengthened by promoting the right shop for the right business? Finally on promotion does the average consumer wants a retail centre to thrive in the High street area?
Business support, is it too simplistic to say, if your shop sells the right product at the right price with the right level of of service and consumers know what's on sale, the business is more likely to succeed?
The other issue is free convenient car parking.
I have pressed for years at the Town Council for the funding of Town Centre events, for me, these events deal with two issues, firstly they attract people into the retail area, secondly they deal with the community engagement of the Town Centre being seen as community space, a place you want to go. This to breakdown the negative atmosphere that sometimes exists around the Town.
I have seen several community led groups form and I have supported them, whether the taskforce, or the Market and Coastal Town initiative (MCTi), having met with the Regional Development Agency on the successful application for the MCTi funding, my advice to any community group would be to keep it simple.
From the MCTi public consultation the main public concerns were;
A New Indoor swimming pool
A New Community Hall
To Improve the Town Centre
Better Bus Services into and out of the Town
From those priorities a lottery bid was submitted for an indoor swimming pool at the Leisure Centre and failed. The Town Council invested £355,000 and the District Council invested £150,000 to improve the outdoor swimming pool.
The new community hall was morphed into a Community and Training Educational Centre, that grew Topsy, with an increasing number of consultants reports, the average Sheptonian wanted a basic community hall, CATEC has not been built nor has a community hall, this community aspiration not met.
Better Bus Services - Shepton has still no direct bus services to Bath or Bristol, other than National Express, so no improvements to destinations, but the Cycleway on the Strawberry line has made progress and the Milestones have been painted.
So, my advice to any community group would be to keep it simple, be very clear on whats to be achieved and keep Sheptonians informed.
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