Film in Walton – “Manifesto”

I watched the trailer Christie and can vouch for some of the activists in the Labour Party who work tirelessly for the working class, not in the Walton Area but elsewhere in Liverpool.

It is a thankless job for them especially when they go door to door campaigning in the General Elections and trying to get people to vote for leaders like Corbyn and Stamper who fail to inspire the masses with their personalities but they carry on day after day in all types of weather.

These are the real spine of the Labour Party and they need backing by ALL working class people especially those who can’t even be bothered to vote.

I hope your film is a huge success Christie and makes people aware of the sterling work done by these solid Labour campaigners.

Just had a Liverpool fan in my house who was saying he’s not English, he’s from the peoples republica of Liverpool. I said fine, your fans sing anti-Tory songs, but then also accept the way your club ran the area down around Anfield, which helped them buy up all the houses at a much cheaper rate.

I’ve always been of the opinion that most things in life goes full circle, and as much as I think Boris Johnson is going out of his way to lose the Tories the next general election, Starmer doesn’t inspire me one little bit either, and I think that food banks are going to be around for a very long time,unfortunately.

I've always been and remain proud of my city. Always identified myself as British, not English due to my family heritage and roots.

But I despise the way they sell themselves as "Scouse not English" Tony. The Corbyn banner and the anti-Tory sentiment. The entitlement they afford themselves to the rights of our city.

And then a large percentage head back to the Tory heartlands they live in after the match. I do, but I don't make it a statement.

Watching Starmer celebrate this morning reminded me of a football club chairman who considers moderate success a triumph. It's hardly like he ripped up the political landscape, yet he was virtually Klopp-esque like fist-pumping. Yet another grey suit career politician for me. Polished and articulate but no substance. Even though I didn't like Corbyn, at least he had a view and was passionate about it.

Regardless of which party they come from, as a nation, we are void of leaders.

Danny, I never read of a constituency that had more than 30% of voters turnout on Merseyside, (I only glanced at the echo’s coverage) and I think that says a lot about politics nowadays.

Maybe it’ll change when/if we get an Evertonian - Prime Minister, (Burnham) but Politics seems to be going through a time of real disinterest and this has definitely helped an absolute clown of a man, unbelievably take control.

"Manifesto" just takes me back to the title track of Roxy's comeback album in '79:

I am for a life around the corner
That takes you by surprise
That comes, leaves, all you need
And more besides

I am for a life and time by numbers
Blast in fast ’n’ low
Add ’em up, account for luck
You never know

I am into friendship and plain sailing
Through frenzied ports of call
O shake the hand to beat the band
With love is all

Or nothing to the man
Who wants tomorrow
There’s one in every town
A crazy guy, he’d rather die
Than be tied down

I am for the man who drives the hammer
To rock you ’til the grave
His power drill
Shocks a million miles away

I am for the revolution’s coming
I don’t know where she’s been
For those who dare because it’s there
I know, I’ve seen

Now and then I’ve suffered imperfection
Studied marble flaws
And faces drawn pale and worn
By many tears

I am that I am from out of nowhere
To fight without a cause
Roots strain against the grain
With brute force

Oh you’d better
Hold out when you’re in doubt
Question what you see
And when you find an answer
Bring it home to me

They don't write 'em like that anymore, perhaps they never did.

Walton and Anfield are now just about the poorest areas in the entire country, and probably across Western Europe. So there's definitely attention needed there. but I'm not sure I'd be pinning my hopes on a political party to sort it out. Labour have been 'fighting tory cuts' for like 40 years, during which time we had a long Labour Government. It's a bit of a head scratcher. Scousers are smart as you like, and aren;'t afraid of hard work. But the culture in the city, probably since the early 80s is just pure self destructive. Prosperity wealth or profit are viewed with deep suspicion, but the net result is everyone stays skint. And of course, endemic corruption. There needs to be a total sea change in the city's attitude to wealth and business, I thought we were on our way ten years ago, but the latest revelations about the Council sets the whole thing back to square one. Ultimately, I don't think many cities have felt the loss of christianity as keenly as Liverpool. The old religious guard are still just about with us, but they remember a much more impressive city with proper communities than this one.

Tony - remember “they” accepted and supported Robinson’s move towards catering for EuroTouristFans -to challenge MU’s Financial muscle - so when anyone says they can’t afford it I say “your fault”.

Interesting post Kevin @6.

I'm glad you said Western Europe. We are rightfully self-critical in this country but I do sometimes disagree with the definition of poverty. Like many, if you've been to countries where there is real poverty, we over-use the word to describe hardship or hard times as I knew them. I know, it's all relative and as a nation we have minimum standards we should strive to have for our people. So many areas of Liverpool are deprived, but then so are areas down here in west London where I live. Every city in the world has them in my experience. For every Woolton there is a Speke, that at one point had a 40% unemployment rate. 2 miles apart, worlds apart.

Your mention of a sea change in attitude to wealth and prosperity makes me repeat a point I've made many times. We need look no further than 35 miles away. A similar city, in a similar area. Once in our shadow, but now Manchester is the defacto 2nd city of the UK regardless of Birmingham claiming it on population. It reinvented itself in character and culture as much as in construction and regeneration initiatives.

I'm not saying he is a standout, but Burnham is a good shout Tony. Perhaps a bit too much of a Blair-ite for many Labour voters, but I thought they made a mistake when they didn't make him party leader personally. Likewise when they picked the wrong Milliband brother.

By the way, whilst we're on the subject, Goodison Park; Walton or Kirkdale? Always Kirkdale for me but need clarification from the north-enders.

I've always been a bit of a geography geek so look at things like that. I don't know how many people scrutinise things like I do, but technically the opposite side of Walton Breck Road across from the Kop is L5, therefore in the district of Everton?

Normally I try to steer clear of politics on TW as I’ve probably annoyed enough people already with my views on how our club is run, but at the risk of alienating myself even further from some TW readers I’ll just state my position on this trailer and the comments so far.

I’m with Danny; I’m British because that is my heritage. I’m also European because I’m an internationalist. The city of Liverpool voted by majority to stay in the EU probably because we know that the EU did more for us than any politician of any party ever did with the exception of Heseltine.

I’m with Dave in backing the foot soldiers who go door to door trying to persuade people to vote for leaders they know are uninspiring. Tony is right: get Burnham back into the Commons and make him leader of the Labour Party and de facto our next Prime Minister.

Kevin, while I agree with much of what you say, especially regarding the endemic corruption, your analysis of what was going on in 1980’s Liverpool is occasionally flawed in my humble opinion. Militant did not view wealth and profit with suspicion; how many of the people pulling the strings for Militant in those days became very comfortably wealthy on the back of it?

Yes we need a sea change in attitude but most of all we need honest politicians who put the city first. Manchester is leaving us behind. How did we let an Evertonian and an honest man true to his roots go and run their city?

Danny
yes, it's a tricky definition. For instance, you look at those films of Britain in the 40s and 50s and everyone is skint, dirt poor. But, there was a discipline and sense of community which kept them respectable. Now, there seems a lawlessness abroad which rings a much bigger alarm bell, even if technically they don't go hungry or cold as previously.

Gerard

good point, yes Sir Derek can never be accused of not being able to spot a business opportunity. I'm not as sold on Burnham, can't really say why. I'm sick of pols to a large extent. I remember Tony Blair interviewed in 95 and being excited with him saying 'I can't imagine not having a profound effect if we get into government'. they did have a profound effect, but not in a good way.

Danny... I always considered Goodison to be in Walton. I stand to be corrected but I always thought Kirkdale to be on the other side of County / Walton Road

Kevin... don't have too romantic a view of the forties. Propaganda would have us believe it was a golden age of all "pulling together" in the face of a common foe. Crime, especially violent and gun crime, was endemic in those years.

Alan,

That's interesting. And yes, no doubt propaganda did influence the films on view!

Kevin...after the war, and demobilisation, there were countless handguns in circulation, guns smuggled back into the country by returning soldiers.

Violent crime was cracked down on by the authorities. Capital punishment was the ultimate threat and this lead to the disgraceful execution of Derek (?) Bentley in the early 50s. A lad of eighteen with learning difficulties. " Pour encourager les autres ".

This began the campaign to abolish the noose.

Alan

That may be where we first went wrong. Bring back the noose! Not for all crimes of course. start with driving offences in say Manchester and see if it has any impact. Then it can rolled out nationwide if successful.

Alan(15), you could add George Kelly to the list, he was hung over the death at The Cameo cinema in the late forties even though he played no part in the crime but found guilty on the evidence of witnesses urged on by a bent detective.

Kelly was later found to be not guilty along with his partner Charles Connolly who served 10 years for a murder he didn't commit. He was saved from being hung by being persuaded by his barrister to plead guilty; otherwise, he would have been executed along with the innocent George Kelly.

In fact, Connolly and Kelly were not partners – they never even knew each other.

I'm a bit of a hypocrite tbh. I oppose the use of the death penalty but have lost count of the times that I have called for certain sectors of the community to be topped on the banks of the royal blue Mersey.

I’ve always considered Goodison to be in Walton, Danny, but it won’t be long until we are on our way to Vauxhall, and hopefully to better days🙏

They all constantly deny they have less than 6000 season tickets with a Merseyside post code George, but I’m old enough to remember when they couldn’t handle their long term success suddenly stopping under Souness, and I can still raise a smile at the outrage when this happened, from those self-proclaimed best supporters in the world👍

Goodison definitely in Walton but I live less than a mile away on Westminster Road and that is classed as Kirkdale although still L4

The consensus seems to be Walton then! All those years I thought Kirkdale. I've always thought we should have embraced the Greater Manchester concept much earlier. We kind of have done now with the Liverpool City Region and collaboration, but both culturally and politically, we remain Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton and Wirral etc.

George, you highlight an ironic point. The politician you call who done good for the city was a Conservative. The majority (all parties) have largely failed our city. A city that has more potential than any outside of London in the country. We need to look beyond politics and unite as a city region. In my opinion.

On the post code thing (sorry - geography geek alert), As I've mentioned previous, my Grandfather in later life lived with his 2nd wife on Arkles Lane. She used to take me to the shops and I always remember a butcher's shop almost directly opposite the Kop. Near to the programme seller I used to love going to. The owner used to make me throw money in a bucket - that's how you paid him for the meat. I always used to tell him and my Grandad's wife we were in Everton (L5). Both were massive reds and used to tell me to shut up and get out!!

Just a few thoughts.

There have been a number of reasons for the decline of Labour in the UK. But the most damaging has been the rise of the SNP and collapse in support for Labour north of the border.
To form government, Labour has always needed those Scottish seats. Johnson may well act the fool but he's far from one. Scottish independence would see England turn Tory for ever more - which is why Johnson has allowed the union to be in such a parlous state.

Andy Burnham has as much chance of becoming PM as Kermit The Frog. The accent alone rules him out sadly; the "home counties" would never elect a northerner as PM, let alone a lad from Liverpool. Let alone one stained with the Blairite brush.

There are pieces of rubbish floating down the Mersey with more charisma than Starmer. That he's been unable to cut through against the appalling Boris Johnson should well and truly have the alarm bells ringing.

The Tories, sadly, have a sound strategy. Johnson is a slimy, lazy weasel of a man. But unlike Starmer, he does have charisma. With a commitment to the NHS and net zero emissions he has also stolen the best policies of the Labour party anyway.
What reason would you have to vote Labour if the incumbent is committed to the NHS anyway? Especially as the Labour leader comes across as rather stiff and unlikeable?

I always found it incredible that Trump - a billionaire born into his wealth - was so able to connect with the ordinary, common man. He was certainly able to communicate with his base far more effectively than his opponents.
It's a similar position with Johnson. An old Etonian, and a tosser who has never held a real job in his life, yet he is much more in tune with Joe Lunchpail than Starmer is. It's a quite incredible turn of events, and a huge reason why I think the next Labour Prime Minister is probably not even in the parliament yet.