Defending maidens

Apr 8 2008 by Mr Brocklebank, Liverpool Daily Post

A BASTION of fairness is the Grand National’s official starter. This Aintree grandee happily dispensed interviews with the press, except to one particular Fleet Street print which had gleefully printed many Ladies’ Day photographs of Merseyside’s maidens in a fashion obviously intended to expose them to derision and ridicule by southerners. Understandably, his ban did extend to this venerable organ that you, dear readers, are currently perusing.

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PERHAPS the newspaper in question was goaded into publication by the sign over Aintree Race Course’s entrance which says: “No fancy dress”?

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FANCY that! Stung by countless times that English Heritage activities (or lack of them) in Liverpool have been heavily criticised in national satirical magazine Private Eye, the organisation made an official complaint. The Eye took no time in firing a counterblast, reminding English Heritage that, if it got its act together, then there would be no criticisms. Forget CCTV, English Heritage should remember that the eyes are always watching . . .

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APPARENTLY, when the current Private Eye edition featuring Liverpool’s dire redevelopment controversies was shown to Cllr David Irving, Liverpool City planning committee chairman, he replied: “Many thanks for your concern, to put it in the words of Catherine Tate, ‘Am I bovvered?’.” Is this the same Cllr Irving who was a committee member during the controversial demolition of 6 Sir Thomas Street and the even more controversial Pier Head – Mann Island redevelopment which took Liverpool to the brink of being stripped of World Heritage Site status? Nothing to bother about there, then.

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IS IT true that when a developer aboard Liverpool council’s luxury floating gin palace at MIPIM, the Nice property convention, was told about these shenanigans, he replied: “Am I bevvied”?

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AT LEAST business-friendly Liverpool finally got its act together. A bus in Dale Street carried a message for a city centre autumn business fair. But closer inspection revealed the ad was for a fair happening last October. As comedian Jim Bowen says: “Let’s see what you could have learned.”

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THE Manchester-based AEW Architects, chosen by National Museums Liverpool to replace sacked award-winning Danish architects 3XN on the new Museum of Liverpool Mann Island project, lists major clients McDonald’s Restaurants and Total Fitness Centres on its website. Can we look forward to Big Macs, fries and a free top-up tan at the gala opening?

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LIVERPOOL’S economic upturn was confirmed by the sight of a Bugatti Veron, the world’s fastest production car, parked in Moorfields. Not fast enough, though, to stop our fleet-footed traffic attendants crowning it with a ticket. One for the national parking awards!