The Beatles came from Liverpool, you know

After the not-entirely-successful attempt of Capital Of Culture year to prove there's more to Liverpool than The Beatles, the City Council returns to business as usual:

John Lennon's son Julian and Liverpool's Lord Mayor are teaming up for a global peace initiative tomorrow (Tuesday, June 16).

They will light a white candle at the Beatles Story museum in the Albert Dock urging people to think of peace.

Are they going to light it together? Isn't that a marriage ceremony type of thing?

Candles will be sent to all cities across the globe for civic leaders to do the same in memory of John Lennon's struggle for peace and understanding, and Julian's continuing efforts.

All cities? I'd love to know where Liverpool got a definitive list of cities from. And the money to buy tens of thousands of candles. If you live in an urban area and don't get a candle, you might feel a bit slighted, so let's hope that it's watertight.

Interestingly, that "Lord Mayor" is none other than Mike Storey. Somehow, the civic leader of the city is a man who had to resign as leader of the city council after leaking information; it's ironic that a man who got himself into such a position over a big council row is now offering to send out candles of peace to the world.

Anyway, it's not really about peace, is it?

The event coincides with the opening of an exhibition at the new Beatles Story branch at the Pier Head on Wednesday (June 17) called White Feather - The Spirit of Lennon.

The exhibition offers an introspective view of Lennon's personal life including his rise in fame and fortune.

Ah. So world peace is being used as a way of marketing a tourist sideshow, then? Classy.

Julian is happy to be involved:

Julian Lennon said: "The white feather is so prevalent in my life. One thing for sure is that it's always represented peace to me. One of the things my father said to me was that should he pass away, if there was some way of letting me know he was going to be ok, or that we were all going to be ok, it was by in some way, shape or form presenting me with a white feather.

"I hope this exhibition lets people see another aspect of his life and our time together as a family. This collection represents something of great importance to us as it is part of our history.''

That's quite touching, isn't it? It does, though, sit awkwardly with the way Julian used to speak about his pa before he abandoned a solo career in favour of being John Lennon's Official Child:

Well it’s difficult when people come up to you and say ‘I loved your father so much’ y’know coz it tugs at my heart in two ways. Yes, as an artist in his solo work and with the Beatles- he was fantastic..but as a father I don’t have much respect for him coz he wasn’t there and he didn’t take the time to be.

Mike Storey, meanwhile, wants to remind you about something important about John Lennon. He came from Liverpool, you know:

"John Lennon, and indeed the Beatles are a huge part of the history of the city. As a city we will never forget the contribution John Lennon made not only to music but towards a more peaceful world.

"The candles represent a white feather which was a symbolic part of both John and Julian's life. We are hoping that all major cities will take part and help create a more peaceful world."

Oh, it's just the major cities now, is it? Sorry, Aurora, if you didn't get one; you're just not major enough.

You've got to love the "and indeed The Beatles", haven't you?

As James M (to whom, thanks for the link) sums it up:

So heartening to see the civic leaders championing new, unsigned acts from Liverpool & not falling back on tired old stereotypes as well as a band that split up 40 years back in order to have easy PR stunts, eh?

Capital of Culture update: The year's highlight approaches

The Standards Board for England inquiry into the tussle between Liverpool City Council's Warren Bradley and Mike Storey, and Jason Harborow of the Culture Company has been completed. The central figures have been delivered a draft of the findings; oddly, the Standards Board thinks they should get a chance to comment on them before the people who have paid their wages do. Still, not long now before we should all find out what really happened, or an official approximation thereof.

Ringo takes shine off City of Culture

Whoops.

The grand opening of the Capital of Culture had gone well, what with Ringo turning up - and, after all, he was a Beatle. Even although part of the original idea of the Capital of Culture was to try and remind people there's more to Liverpool than The Beatles.

And Ringo said nice things about the city, and everyone was very happy:

Ringo sang “Liverpool I left you but I never let you down” from the top of St George’s Hall during the People’s Opening.

In front of a capacity crowd at the new ECHO Arena Ringo said he was “this close” to moving back.

A week later, he turns up on Friday night with Jonathan Ross and is asked what he misses about the city:

Ross: “What do you miss about Liverpool when you’re not there.”

Ringo: (laughter)

Ross: “I didn’t know that would get laughter . . . Is there anything you miss about Liverpool?”

Ringo: “Er, no. . . Look I love Liverpool. I was a child in Liverpool. I grew up in Liverpool. My family members are in Liverpool. But you know. . . .

I had to tell the audience as it was so excited that I was this close to coming back. But I had a great time up there at the weekend [during the opening ceremony]. I did.”

Council Leader Warren Bradley is outraged - he took time out of trying to bury the Mathew Street Festival screw-up to try and spin the story:

Cllr Bradley, deputy chairman of Liverpool Culture Company, said: “It’s not helpful on national TV.

“But we saw at the press conference he did in Liverpool that’s Ringo’s style, to be flippant.

“He came to Liverpool and did a PR job for himself. And what we got from him being home paid dividends for us here and abroad.

“I’m not going to get hung up on it.”

Cllr Mike Storey, executive member for regeneration, said: “It’s hugely disappointing and sad.

“It’s disappointing someone who came to lead Capital of Culture year should go away and be so negative about it.”

And Ringo got VIP treatment when he was in the city - imagine what the people who turn up and pick their way through a series of building sites must go away thinking.

Capital of Culture year: turmoil kicks in before it even starts

The omens for Liverpool's year as the European Capital of Culture aren't looking good.

The worries that visitors would be greeted by an enormous building site - rejected as scaremongering back when the planning was underway - have been borne out by experience; last week, plans were announced to cover some derelict buildings, like teenagers hiding unwashed pants behind the curtains; unfortunately, little can be done about the numerous building sites cluttering the city centre - especially with four sites being closed down following the collapse of the Livesey Building Company.

Meanwhile, funding for the year has turned into a nightmare, with the council suddenly realising it's about twenty million quid short for its plans. Before the year even begins. Like a drunk flogging his kidney for a bottle of booze, the council is now considering flogging off property owned by the people of the city to try and avoid the place going all Northern Rock.

They might wind up having to flog the Town Hall at the rate they're burning through the cash: Jason Harbarrow is due to be canned from his role running the year (and what better time to lose your pilot than, erm, nine days from the start?); he could be due up to a quarter of a million quid in severance pay, to say nothing of the costs of recruiting a replacement at short notice.

There's still the question of what exactly happened with the late cancellation of the Mathew Street Festival, as well: "Independent" council appointee Standards Board chairman Howard Winik has compared the two versions of the report on the event - one produced by the non-independent-at-all internal enquiry and one after it had been revised by council leader Warren Bradley, and declared there was no funny business:

“I have read and compared the report in the form originally handed to the leader of the council with the published report.

“I have ascertained and read each amendment. A few of the amendments were corrections of factual errors and some were typographical and grammatical corrections.

“Some amendments went to the emphasis put on certain matters by the interpretation of the investigating officers.

“I am satisfied that none of the amendments affect the substance of the findings. The recommendations of the two reports remained the same.”

Which makes you wonder why Bradley was so terse about anyone not from his team looking at the original version: are we really expected to believe that a document was considered so sensitive it could only be read by a Labour councillor under supervision and on the strict understanding that he not divulge the contents to a living soul simply because it contained a smattering of typos?

Oh, and Bradley and Mike Storey are to be investigated by the nation standards board for England and Wales over claims relating to the treatment of Jason Harborow. Storey has previously been censured by the board for bringing the council into disrepute over his struggles with David Henshaw, former Liverpool City Council Chief Executive.

Strangely, none of this found its way into the Liverpool nativity/

Fly swatting

Of course, it's not a victimless crime, is it? Walls get all sticky. But you have to clear a small space on your desk, preferably one with a support strut underneath, and bring your skull repeatedly down onto it when you hear that Liverpool City Council are wasting money putting together a "hit squad" to target flyposters.

Now, in this city, the flyposters are pretty fair - they don't post in inappropriate places (normally), sticking to places where it usually adds to the bustle of the city. It helps develop small events, and small promoters, which you would have thought would be a key aim of a place bidding to be Capital of Culture with a straight face. But, no, for some reason they've decided to crack down.

Our favourite flyposting crackdown was when Leeds Council painted over any poster on the walls - thereby meaning instead of nice designed advertising, the city was covered with large black squares, making it like a three dimensional version of a porn mag in 60's Ireland.

Why are Liverpool pouring money into a problem that doesn't exist, when illegal parking - which is dangerous and causes wasted time and money for everyone - is rife, and when, frankly, the streets of the town are covered in shit and wrappers blowing in the wind?

More to the point, wannabe mayor Mike Storey believes:

"Fly posting is becoming a real problem in the city with the situation getting worse all the time."

His administration has some gall, since they actually auctioned off the city's skyline, allowing CocaCola to hang a giant flypost from the top of St John's Tower - luckily, everyone involved was so crap the thing blew down the first time the wind puffed. Meanwhile, they're about to close the Neptune theatre to make way for some shops and seek to Ozymandisise themselves by inflicting a dim new building on the waterfront. Compared to the horrors Storey and his crew are vandalising our home with, a couple of A5 ads for a Tribute To Nothing gig is chickenfeed.

There's more - if you want it - on the Liverpool Waterfront, plus BBC Bashing examined, and the link between the Butler and Shayler - over on the colour supplement.