Bitter pill to swallow

May 5 2008 by Jim Hancock, Liverpool Daily Post

I AM indebted to Nadia Stewart for making my forecast come true, that the Lib-Dems would cling on to control of Liverpool Council. But whether the people of Liverpool will feel so indebted, I very much doubt.

At 1.30am last Friday morning, the voters had decided that the 10 years of untrammelled Lib-Dem rule in the city should end. Then the leader of the council Warren Bradley proverbially showed two fingers to the electorate by announcing that Ms Stewart had renounced her status as an Independent councillor to give the Lib-Dems a majority.

Defections happen regularly in local government and often leave a bad taste in the mouth of voters. That’s because politicians rarely offer themselves to the electorate for endorsement in their new colours. But to defect at the very moment that the people had spoken, and potentially affect control of the council, is to confirm the cynical view that politics is a game for councillors, and the voters are an inconvenience.

I listened carefully to Cllrs Bradley and Stewart explaining that stability was necessary in Capital of Culture year, and (get this) a return to toy town politics must be avoided!

I fear they will be disappointed. A majority of two in the febrile world of Liverpool politics is nothing. And sure enough the smile has been quickly wiped from Cllr Bradley’s face. He now faces an internal leadership challenge from Paul Clein and Richard Kemp. Mike Storey has loyally declared his support for Cllr Bradley, but if the fireman should decide to slide down the pole voluntarily, it is possible the former leader could stand as well.

All this has revived the stalled campaign for an elected mayor for Liverpool. Chairman Liam Fogarty called the deal to keep the Lib-Dems in power “a shoddy scam”. He also observed that, while the turnout was under 10% in the Liverpool Central ward, 45% of Londoners had taken part in their mayoral poll.

Last week, I referred to Harold Wilson’s abysmal local government performance in 1968, little suspecting that Gordon Brown would repeat the exercise exactly 40 years on. All the more remarkable then, that, in St Helens, Labour fought back to be one short of control. Their formidable leader Marie Rimmer is calling for the end of the Lib- Dem/Conservative power-sharing arrangement.

The Conservatives have a similar claim in Wirral. Last year, they were kicked out of an all- party coalition, but following a strong performance in Wallasey they are hoping to lead the hung council.

Finally, back to political machinations. Voters in Chester, Ellesmere Port and Winsford were rushed to the polls to vote for the new council of Cheshire West and Chester. A tight timetable has been set to get the authority up and running from scratch by next April. A feeling persists that the Labour government pushed hard to split the county on the basis that they could win Cheshire West.

The Tory majority is 38.