AT THE time of writing this piece, there was a great irony in the fact that LFC were the only one of the “big four” still involved in a European competition; alongside Fulham, of course.
For all the hoo-hah and big talk about big money making big clubs, another irony is that, for the first time in seven years, the so-called best league in the world, The Premiership, will not be represented in the Champions League semi-finals.
Another is that there is only one of the big four in this weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals, which, of course, includes financially strapped and relegated Portsmouth. What an ironic final that would be if they got through to face Chelsea. Portsmouth’s bankruptcy administrator sharing pre-match drinks with Chelski’s Russian Oligarch. Is that what they mean by the glamour of the FA Cup?
What a greater irony it would also be if LFC turn over Benfica and then go on to be the only British club to win a European trophy. On the other hand, it could be Fulham. And what an irony that would be!
It’s a nice thought. At the time of writing!
POSTSCRIPT:
ON FIXED terms. With all parties now suffering outbreaks of democracy by offering to “listen to mainstream Britain”, do you think we should have elections more often, say, every year?
Reform system
THE LDP rightly asserts that Merseyside seats will matter to the outcome of the General Election and is to be applauded for defending the basic democratic principle that “every vote matters” ( April 7). However, you dismiss the concerns of the Electoral Reform Society too easily.
Political parties suffer no illusions that some voters matter more than others. During the 2005 election campaign, candidates contesting ultra-safe Bootle spent £8,758 between them – equivalent to 16p per elector. In ultra-marginal Wirral West, the candidates spent a combined £31,368 – or 51p per elector. The reason? Quite simply, this constitutes rational behaviour for candidates and parties under our current electoral system.
But voters act rationally, too – 68% turned out to vote in Wirral West in 2005, where they had a realistic chance of affecting the outcome, compared to just 48% in Bootle, where the result was a foregone conclusion.
A more proportional electoral system would ensure that votes in Bootle and Wirral West would count for the same.
Dr Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Director, Democratic Audit
