ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Trams and Stadia

I read with interest that the Merseytram scheme is back on the agenda.

I was more than disappointed when the icliverpool site stated that Line 1's business case had improved to 2:1 because of the Kirkby Stadium development. As a former consultant to the project when I was UK-based, I think it's unwise to use a development that still may be called in, and has so much oposition to it.

I'm not provoking a pro- or anti-Kirkby debate ? merely pointing out to the good tax payers of Liverpool that this is your money. The original Merseytram scheme had a positive cost-benefit ratio. It was screwed by Government. To use a potential stadium development as a case for justifying ridership / revenue merely weakens, rather than strengthens the case, in my opinion.
Matt Traynor, Singaopore Posted 19/02/2008 at 01:47:01

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Andy Callan
1 Posted 19/02/2008 at 11:30:57

I wouldn’t worry about your tax going to pay for a tram system lad; worry more about all the horrible bastards on the sick who shouldn’t be, others claiming benefits coz they can’t be arsed to work and the likes of Northern Rock.

More prevalent issues I do believe.

Barry Scott
2 Posted 19/02/2008 at 12:31:37

Merseytravel could have paid for the reopening of the Waterloo tunnel with the money wasted and had enough to spare for two stations on the line.

If Everton were not considering moving to Kirkby I do not believe that the Evertonian Chairman of Merseytravel would even be considering it. He obviously beleives he is acting in the best interests of the club.

Ajamu Mutumwa
3 Posted 19/02/2008 at 14:36:17

I am for the Kirkby project, and the only way that I would go against it would be issues around transport.

Given that the Government have wasted £55bn of OUR money propping up one failed business, whatever they are going to spent on Merseyrail will be small beer.

Also, if it provides a proper transport infrastructure for fans to get to a from the match in a speedy fashion, it has my vote.

Chris James
4 Posted 19/02/2008 at 16:21:46

Ajamu, we are getting off topic a bit here but the Government haven’t wasted £55 billion on Northern Rock. They have lent the bank that amount (at a high interest rate, thereby ensuring the Government (aka us) will actually make a tidy profit when it is paid back).

Eileen Roberts
5 Posted 19/02/2008 at 18:36:38

Chris James

Will ?aka us? all get a share of the tidy profit when Northern Rock ( ?aka lots of us?) pay the loan back?

In fact, the Government haven?t lent Northern Rock anything. They (aka us) have bought all the shares of aks lots of us for practically nowt and Nationalised the bugger!

Stuart Atherton
6 Posted 19/02/2008 at 18:56:49

Peter Pickles: Perfectly put!!

Chris James
7 Posted 20/02/2008 at 10:52:10

Erm Eileen, I’ll be honest I didn’t entirely understand your post (too many akas for me - I know I started that!). But I assume you are a NR shareholder who stands to be paid peanuts when the Government nationalise the business?

The Government, via the Bank of England HAVE loaned Northern Rock lots of money at a punitive interest rate to allow improve its cash flow to help it continue. The rate had to be punitive to prevent the Governemnt illegally providing state aid to a bank and disadvantaging other, better run, businesses.

Northern Rock is now in the process of making its new mortgage loans so expensive they are unattractive and thereby massively reducing its new loans, whilst simultaneously topping the best buy tables for investments (to get more cash in so they don’t have to borrow so much money from the BoE).

They haven’t nationalised the company yet. The only reason the company hasn’t gone bust (leaving all the shares worthless) is that the Government have bailed them out with loans when no-one other lender would touch them with a barge pole.

Anthony Newell
8 Posted 20/02/2008 at 21:01:15

Was in the city yesterday and walked around the new Echo Arena, precisely where Everton’s new stadium should have been - what a missed opportunity that was, felt sickening to be honest. That aside, there was a vibrancy in the centre of the city due to the influx of Milan fans for the shite game. Pubs, cafe’s, Albert Dock all buzzing and leveraging off this. City centre hotels no doubt chocca as well with football visitors who want to do things other than just go to the game. Everton needs close proxmity to Liverpool city centre and and vice versa. Forget trams and Kirkby - KEIOC