No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm;
Life isn’t always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more
than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in
charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Elastoplast to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to
have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in
her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I’m A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.’

And a little extra

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 600 employees and has the following statistics?

• 29 have been accused of spouse abuse
• 7 have been arrested for fraud
• 19 have been accused of writing bad cheques
• 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
• 3 have done time for assault
• 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
• 4 have been arrested on drug-related charges
• 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
• 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
• 84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last year

Which organization is this?

It’s the 635 members of the House of Commons, the same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.

Today it seems that there is no longer a minority that do drugs but instead the majority. Indeed a drugs culture has always been commonplace on the social scene. For decades young people have, and will continue to, take drugs whilst clubbing. But the difference nowadays is how it appears to be deemed socially acceptable. No longer is there a hush hush surrounding the recreational activities of clubbers, the subject matter has seemingly lost all it’s taboo with the dawn of the 21st Century.

So what are the real ‘problems’ of this behaviour? The government constantly insists on clamping down on drugs, the media names and shames any celebrity pictured taking them and health experts continually speak out on the dangers. Yet the statistics on the 2007 NHS Drug Misuse show findings that the use of Class A drugs have increased. The RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs released a report last year stating that a lot of money was wasted trying to achieve the “impossible” goal of stopping the importation of illegal drugs, which are “demonised” by politicians and the media. So where do we stand on this long, somewhat overdue issue?

Should we believe the hype?
Only recently did a top police chief make a controversial submission suggesting that drugs should be legalised. Richard Brunstorm, the chief constable of North Wales, made the claim that:
“Ecstasy is a remarkably safe substance, far safer than aspirin. It is far less dangerous than tobacco or alcohol, both or which are freely available”.
Not surprisingly this caused a bit of an uproar, and demands for him to be sacked. But looking at what is available to purchase already, I pose the question - why? Tobacco pollutes the lungs and causes cancer, but it is left to the choice of the buyer whether they want to smoke such a harmful, addictive substance. I actually hear people moaning about smoking bans, and that they need cigarettes to get through the day. Drugs don’t harm people stood near the people using them, yet smokers are harming people around them. And smoking causes far more deaths. Alcohol is equally as harmful, causing kidney failure, depression and obesity. Is it not ironic then that there could be outrage at such a comment? It is a almost a scenario of a phrase used so fondly by my Grandma; the pot calling the kettle black.

To make this clear, before readers start crying in outrage at my blunt honesty, I am not in favour of drugs. They are illegal, dangerous and potentially life threatening. Drugs are the cause of thousands of crimes, criminal gangs and even fund terrorism. If addicted, people’s lives are drained out of them as they become helpless and deprived of every possession in order to pay for their next fix. But we have to begin drawing lines, (no pun intended). For people’s perceptions have tarred ‘druggies’ with a different brush to smokers and drinkers.

I decided to conduct my own survey, and found out some hard hitting facts. 50% of the people I asked admitted to taking drugs, with 60% of those being male. Of the 50% that hadn’t tried drugs, 80% said they didn’t think it was acceptable for anyone to try them, compared to a 90% acceptance for people to try them from those who had done so already.
55% of people who had never taken drugs were smokers, whereas only 35% of people who took drugs also smoked cigarettes.
Interestingly I found that 22.5% of all people asked thought that legislation was a good idea, with 17% saying maybe, 5% opting for unsure and 47.5% saying that they felt it was a bad idea. However, 60% of the parents asked strongly said it was a bad idea.

A massive 83% of 18-21 year olds said they took drugs, compared to only 8% of people over the age of 40.

Unsurprisingly, the results showed that 65% of persons who took drugs went to clubs that played dance music, 5% went to places that played pop music, another 5% went to places that played indie, 10% opted for rock bars and 15% said the music was mixed. 55% of those who took drugs felt that there was an acceptance of drugs nightlife.

I am a student myself and no stranger to the clubbing scene also, like any other young person my age. And I am in with that percentage of acceptance. Unsurprisingly, I have had encounters with drugs and the people who are mixed up in them. I come from a small town and when I first came to Liverpool two years ago I was shocked at the amount of people that experimented with drugs. I had heard the hype and had my own views on people who associated with illegal substances. But being a part of this environment soon had me thinking, perhaps out of naivety some might say, that drugs used recreationally is not what the government needs to be concerned about.

The Bigger issue?
Now I’m not saying it isn’t an issue, neither do I put my fellow age group on a pedestal above other drug users, smokers or drinkers. But it’s simple. Young people take drugs, go to nightclubs and dance. The only people they have a chance of causing harm to are their fellow peers and clubbers who are big enough and daft enough in the first place to be partaking in the night’s activities
The drugs advice site www.talktofrank.com states that “Ecstasy is not a drug that makes people violent”. Certainly, alcohol is the cause of far more violence in my experience, and from what I read in the newspapers. Drunken brawls kick up on streets whilst ‘druggies’ are still dancing away. These partygoers go to these clubs knowing what the score is and what to expect. Even the bouncers know what is going on – how can they not? There is a clear distinction from being drunk and people off their head on substances. Certain places, which I won’t be foolish enough to name, are known for their activities. But the bottom line is that many people who discriminate these activities are at home tucked up in bed, arising for the day when the weak and weary finally go into hibernation as the previous night eventually takes its toll. So the point I’m making is that this type of drug culture is harmless to those not involved.

Drugs being supplied to troublesome gangs, the youths of our streets that carry knives whilst missing out on an education, this is the bigger issue. The NHS statistics on Drug Misuse speak for themselves, showing that 29% of 15 year olds reported taking drugs last year. 52% told they had been offered cannabis, whilst a further 18% had been offered cocaine and ecstasy. Shockingly, 33% said they thought it would be easy to obtain illegal drugs.
A teacher, who wishes not to be named, told me how his school was currently threatened with closure. The school is gaining recognition for its positive dealings with drugs, using drama and dance classes as an informative medium to pupils. But many schools fail to deliver the much needed educational manner of combating the problems.
Then there are the people hooked on heroin and crack cocaine, so hooked that they lose everything they have to be able to pay their debts, and consequently end up with nothing but an inescapable way out. The government speaks out so confidently against anyone that takes drugs, but seems incapable in dealing with the problems. Are police tackling these child gangs that intimidate local residents? Are they arresting or even helping the addicts who wander round this city asking for 45p for a bus journey home, when clearly the only journey they are on is one to self destruction?  I question how naïve young people experimenting with drugs can be tackled. Because I put this to you; dancing until 6am seems like a minor problem in retrospect to the others I have mentioned. So without any drastic measures implemented on those more serious issues, how can a change be expected on the night scene?

Insane
The real trouble is that nowadays the law has gone insane. There is no high standard to look upon. It is the victims that are prosecuted and the criminals compensated. How often I read in disbelief the stories of a crack smoking mother who is rewarded custody over her children because a so called judge feels it is best they are brought up with her opposed to the father. Or the young teenagers that merely have drugs confiscated by police, like a teacher taking a pupils mobile phone and then giving them it back at the end of the day. After all, the kids can get more where that came from. The best example is the likes of Pete Doherty and Amy Winehouse. It is at the point of laughable that they are constantly allowed to get away with such public displays of criminal behaviour. And what makes me confused is the big deal the press make of this! Headline news! Shock pictures! Video evidence! And their point is…? If the police are going to constantly let them get away with this behaviour, then why the surprise that they do it so freely? Only recently has the Amy Winehouse been caught sniffing various drugs in video footage, but the Back to Black singer will no doubt go Back to Crack after starry eyed police issue her little more than a telling off.

These two are meant to be role models for the younger generation. The clubbers are not dabbling in drugs because the likes of these crackpot celebs are, but impressionable kids out there are the ones at risk of following suit. Yet no example is being set. The government bleats about cutting down on drug use, but they DO have the power to stop it, or at least minimise it. ASBOS and slaps on the wrists of the hooded youths roaming our streets is nothing more than putting on a front that something is being done. Again I reiterate that I am not defending the drug nightlife, I am pointing out that this genre are but a small root of the problem.

So who is to blame?
Well, when we look at it, there are two problems – the buyers and the sellers. If the drug dealers were all found and arrested tomorrow, then the problem would be solved. But then if all users were suddenly gifted with some sense and stopped buying drugs then the dealers would be out of business.

And so it’s a catch 22 – dealers will keep supplying so long as there is a market. And there always will be. Instead, we need to focus on what can be done. And I believe that it’s getting rid of one of the two problems. The Government is fighting a losing battle, a problem that will not go away even if it is swept under the carpet. Does not the unpopular opinion of Richard Brunstorm maybe have a valid enough point behind it? Why not let clubbers have their way and party ‘til they drop (literally if they want), and go all out and make the majority of drugs available behind the counter like its sister health hazards, tobacco and alcohol.

Legislation
This way, this instantly kills off the criminal world that surrounds drugs. By making them legal, the likes of ecstasy and cocaine will lose all its taboo, becoming less appealing and rebellious to people seeking a thrill. Drugs are an escapism, but it is the forbidden appeal that draws a person to using them. A colleague suggested that if they were legalised then they could be made in factories where there is only one, safer substance being used to make the pills. And put tax on it. Stamp an age limit on buyers, as with alcohol and cigarettes, and a health warning. This might sound crazy but it will solve part of the problem. Gone will be the criminal attachments and young yobs mixed up in them. The RSA Commission report concluded that drugs were “harmless” and should no longer be “demonised”. It said: “The evidence suggests that a majority of people who use drugs are able to use them without harming themselves or others. They are able, in that sense, to ‘manage’ drug use”. Of course, this only suggests a majority. But in retrospect, the majority can smoke and drink without coming to any harm. So is this not the same situation? Or is it always going to be a case of one rule for one thing and a different for another? More importantly, if drugs were legalised then maybe there could be other ways of obtaining them for manufacture, instead of importing them from the countries that are caught up in civil wars as a result of Cocaine distribution.

What the doctor says
I needed a medical and more sensible input into this article, so I spoke to Dr. Robert Barnett from Liverpool’s Greenbank Rd Surgery. He told me how he too accepted the fact that lots of young people are experimenting and taking drugs nowadays. Referring to comments made by Police Chief Richard Brunstorm, he said:

“All drugs, prescription or medication carry a risk with them. The difference is that the manufacture controlled ones we can predict the side effects, unlike the unlicensed ones.”

This made me think about the point I earlier made, that if they were legalised then at least they would be controlled by manufacturers. I asked Dr. Barnett of the medical dangers that Class A drugs posed, and was told of the unsettling realities:

“The main problem, ultimately, is death. Patients are admitted to me with severe psychological and psychotic problems. It is not uncommon for users to get a paranoid type behaviour”.

Speaking about the promotion of the awareness of drugs, he agreed that a lot was being done, but it is never enough. He said:

“The problem is trying to get the message across to a medium of teenagers. Hard hitting adverts only reach some people, advertisers need to be smarter and aim for the facebook and youtube age. It is also beneficial to ensure that older peer groups in schools are giving the right message to youngsters”.

Finally I asked him what he thought about the drug fuelled antics of celebrities like Amy Winehouse. His immediate response was:

“I think it is exceptionally sad when celebrities, who are ultimately role models, succumb to the misuse of drugs. I hope some good comes out of the media coverage, and helps them to kick the habit and use their experience to explain the dangers to others. As talented as these people are, it’s sad to think that this is happening”.

Changed attitudes
So there we have it. I wanted to write this article because I thought it would spark an interesting debate. I never realised how many people were involved in the taking of drugs, let alone how many turn a blind eye. I began by venting my surprise at the drug culture in Liverpool and how it appears to be widely accepted. I conclude by saying that on reflection, I sadly accept it myself. Even the doctor does. Hence I made the point for a safer, more restricted way for drugs to be a part of society. For it’s about time the higher authorities realise that the only way to combat Britain’s drug culture is to adapt to it, and if that means legislation then so be it. Many readers will no doubt be outraged that I could suggest such a thing, and that I don’t know what I’m talking about just because I’ve been to a few clubs. But an example can be made of the fact that after coming to this city my morals soon evaporated. The survey I conducted may show around a 50/50 split of people that dabble with drugs, but 80% of users are the in the 18-21 year old age group, proving that this is where the main market is at, and hence suggesting what we need to adapt to. I spoke to Dr. Barnett so that his more important opinions will hopefully influence those of you out there who are either thinking about, or currently taking drugs. But my thoughts are that no matter how much awareness is raised, it sadly won’t change anything. Indeed the likes of Cocaine users should be more aware of the war and violence behind the powder they so freely sniff, but unfortunately taking away the glamour will not make a big enough difference. And in all, I wanted to make a point of my own opinions, as they highlight how critical the problems of drugs are for me to even suggest such methods of solving the issue. It is by no means just this city that has a problem, this just happened to be the one that opened my eyes to it. The sooner that Gordon Brown, and those angered readers, face the obvious – that drugs are here to stay – the sooner we move forward in minimising the issues they bring. Then maybe one day my attitude can change.

by Joe Thewlis

For example, you can’t get behind the wheel of a car. In many places, you can’t even park it. You can’t go on a day trip to Calais. You can’t switch on the telly. In fact, you can’t even  dangle a bunch of maggots in the park lake in a vain attempt to snare some unsuspecting tench.

In the 21st century, we accept that the pressures of life in an ever more crowded and developed society inevitably mean restraining our urges and gaining suitable qualifications before we indulge our inclinations.

One by one, the liberties previous generations took for granted are being whittled away, or at least subject to the discretion of the powers that be.

That’s fine by me. Has to be really. We may not always like coughing up the few quid required, but we see the logic and do the deed.

With one very glaring exception. Which just happens to be the single most important event in our lives.

And no, I’m not talking about buying a house. Nor even going on a Caribbean cruise.

I mean reproducing ourselves. Having children. Raising a family.

Outside of communist China, it’s a liberty we humans take for granted. A divine right bestowed by The Almighty. Indeed, we’ve followed Our Lord’s famous biblical instruction to the letter. We have gone forth and multiplied. So much so that our population has ballooned to the extent that we now threaten the habitat of every other creature on the planet. At least, the ones that can neither fetch our slippers nor live off our leftovers.

Yet in this age of ever retreating freedoms and ever expanding environmental awareness, should this be the case?
I – in tandem with one or two of our other more far-sighted commentators (no false modesty here) – are starting to think, maybe not.
What’s more, I would go so far as to venture our own fair land as the ideal place to pioneer a new approach.

Darwin was wrong!
Survival of the fittest? When it comes to 21st century Britain, Darwin could not be wider off the mark. Those most suited to life in a sophisticated post-industrial economy breed least, if at all. While the Homer Simpsons of our society tend to multiply like bacteria on a dirty dishcloth. And, to be fair, Homer and Marge represent a pretty sanitised version of the reality.

How many blokes utterly unsuited to having a family go round siring kids left right and centre and don’t give a monkey’s? How many women think that men are just a device for spreading fertiliser? How many chavvy teenage girls think that a baby is just a fast track to a council flat?

And it’s not just a class thing. What about the professional women who think that having a child is an item on one of those Channel 4 filler programs – ‘Ten Things You Must Do Before They’re Forty’? They then go and farm it out to some childminder to plonk in front of the TellyTubbies. Listen, the child/career decision is an ‘either/or’. Not an ‘and’. Two full time jobs is one too many.

Of course, there are those who think they may give this marriage lark a shot, and if it turns out not quite a bed of roses, well, at least I’ve got his house, his car and his pension. He can keep the tropical fish tank. ‘Families need fathers’ is more than a slogan, as the Tories seem to have belatedly discovered.

In truth, letting nature take its course is not working at all. We’re so far removed from the natural life that laws like Darwin’s no longer apply.

And, as I’ve hinted, we in Britain seem to be suffering more than anyone. This country is fast becoming the armpit of Europe. Don’t believe it? Email me. I’ve got enough statistics to sink an aircraft carrier. All the tables you want to come bottom of, like teenage pregnancy and binge drinking, we’re top of. And all the ones you’d like to be top of, like curing cancer, we’re bottom. It may be the price we’re paying for being the first industrial – and post-industrial - nation. Who knows.

We could carry on as we are. We could let it get even worse. Or, for the sake of our country’s future, we could take some fairly drastic action.

Cut off crime. At the roots
Before civil liberties freaks have apoplexy – and let’s face it, they will anyway when they get a whiff of this stuff – let me say that I fully appreciate what a big deal it all is. As a (now single) parent myself, I’m well aware that having children can be the major joy in life. Yet it’s also the biggest responsibility. And maybe a privilege that should be earned rather than a right that’s taken for granted.

In any population, human or animal, the individuals who reproduce themselves and pass on their genes – and their attitudes - are the greatest influence on the future generation. Having said that, look around. Do you reckon that our laissez faire approach is doing our future any favours?

Open any redtop – or your local freesheet - any day, any week. What do you see? I’ll tell you. Crime, crime and more crime.

Never mind the all-too-frequent horrendous incidents such as the Gary Newlove case. It will be packed cover to cover with every kind of petty and not-so-petty nastiness you could imagine. Old grannies mugged for the price of a bag of chips. Young girls groped walking home through the park. Somebody’s pet puppy chucked on a bonfire. Some poor swan bereaved of their partner by half a house brick. Dubious young men shot in the head as they wait at the traffic lights. Flashers. Paedo’s. Conmen. All human life is there. Pond life, that is. It’s a litany so familiar we accept it. Yet we shouldn’t.

Let’s face it, there are some pretty vile scum about. Hundreds of thousands of them, in fact. And in spite of some recent – and one suspects much-massaged crime figures - I’m not convinced it will get better any time soon.

Yet for every member of the ‘bring back the birch’ brigade, there’s another voice protesting about an unfortunate upbringing, a broken home, not had any chances in life etc etc. Boo hoo.

Of course, this is not a black and white issue (can we still say that?) In truth, there is merit in both arguments. Many of these yobs deserve to get on very personal terms with the business end of a baseball bat. At the same time, some are indeed the product of a very unpromising background.

The old nature v. nurture debate is far from settled. Yet having said that, whatever factors have made these people as they are, they are as they are! That is, uncivilised, feral, and generally not fit to breathe God’s air.

They are the finished article, and they’re not going to change, unless it’s to get even worse. There’s no therapy I’ve heard of that will turn them round. While the received wisdom is that a long stretch in the nick just turns enthusiastic amateurs into accomplished pro’s.

What to do?
Wring your hands and wish you were still allowed to wring their necks?
Say how sad it all is and hope some new therapy will kiss it all better?

By the time young thugs are making your life a misery and getting their dirty deeds in the papers, it’s often too late. They’re already being fast-tracked onto a life of ASBO’s.

Somewhere along the line we’ll have to dream up some better ways to deal with these feral youths (who the media, incredibly, like to refer to as ‘children’!). In the meantime, we don’t have to let them reproduce themselves and literally sow the seeds for an even more grisly future.

And I for one think the loss of freedom may be worth it.

Tick the right boxes
This somewhat drastic approach to crime prevention is just one facet of the licence to breed concept. It deserves better than just to be seen as a negative, reactive measure.

If introduced, such a licence should be seen as something to be prized, to aim at, to achieve. A badge of honour, which, of course, it is.

We must create a whole range of criteria to be satisfied. And make sure that would be parents – and I mean parents – can tick all the right boxes. It could cut off the ever-increasing supply of pond life at a stroke.

These ‘criteria’ could be the result of extensive public consultation – ie. a measure that works from the bottom up rather than imposed by any government in Westminster. It would be democratic. We would get the population we want.

And the beauty is that it’s not in the least affected by the nurture/nature thing. If genetics are the cause of criminality, then people who may well have bad DNA will not be passing it on. On the other hand, if it’s environmental, then they’re not going to be allowed to create any bad parental environments for the simple reason that they’re not going to be allowed to be parents! In other words, they’re not going to be able to repeat all the mistakes that made them what they are. Neat solution or what?

Of course, the cry will go up about the perceived dubious morality of such a measure.
‘This is Brave New World revisited’. ‘This guy’s a Crypto fascist’. ‘He’s advocating some kind of 3rd Reich type social engineering’. Or ‘he’s simply off his trolley’.

Bring them on! To these people, I simply say – open your eyes, and open that newspaper again. Things are that bad. Believe it.

This is an idea whose time will come. And maybe sooner than you think.

It’s a numbers game
So much for the quality of the future population. What about that other ‘Q-ty’ word? Quantity? Even if we were all a nation of plaster saints, there’d still be far too many of us for comfort.

The opportunity to control the population is another massive benefit of licensed breeding. Figures have been bandied about suggesting that the population of the UK is set to soar by tens of millions over the coming century. It’s trumpeted by the government as a good thing. We’ll need them to pay for our pensions, they say. Or the NHS. Yeah, right. This is to simply mask one absurdity with another. Soon we’ll be the most densely populated country in the whole of Europe. We simply have too many people for such a small island.

For me, population growth spells disaster with a capital ‘D’. Have you sat down and thought what all these extra bodies will do to your quality of life?
It will turn our motorways into elongated car parks. You’ll be greeted with queues of hikers waiting to get onto Striding Edge. You’ll have to apply in advance to shop in Chester. You’ll need a permit to visit Prestatyn.

Let’s face it. There just aren’t enough nice places to go now, let alone with 10 million more people to keep you company.

Where will it all stop? When we’re all assigned our own square metre to squat on? Bliss! Quality of life is one of those mysterious commodities that just seem to go on without you realising it. Until it’s too late.

And all this is before we get into the really meaty stuff. According to James Lovelock, until recently the government’s chief advisor, overpopulation is the most important contributor to our impending environmental catastrophe. Stands to reason, really.
If one person = X pollution, then surely 2 people = 2X pollution.

Sooner or later, we’re going to have to get a grip on our population. Before it gets one on us. Round the throat.

It won’t be easy. We’ll be dragged there kicking and screaming. It may well take a disaster to get us to act – sadly, it usually does. But a Licence to Breed is coming. To a country near you.

He trained at East 15 Acting School, London. Probably best known for playing the lead role, as Johnny Ho in the BBC drama The Chinese Detective (1981). He also played Michael Choi in Brookside (1981-1990).

Further guest appearances in Doctor Who (1979 Destiny of the Daleks) and Casualty, shadow more prestigious roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as his character Wu Han in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and CIA liaison agent Chuck Lee in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill.

Speaking to David whilst filming his most recent character in Act of Grace he spoke about his acting career to date.

How do you choose which films/ projects to be involved in?

If I like the script. The writing has to be creative and I have to believe in the character. I have turned down many roles in what I perceive to be stereotypical triad films. Act of Grace wasn’t like that.

What attracted you to Act of Grace?
Basically meeting Alan and Noreen. I knew them anyway. I was in a play in Oxfordshire that they had come to see. We met and I read the script. I liked the character. He is powerful and liked the story.

What research did you carry out for the character?
My character is powerful. For characters such as this I look to powerful people. I’ve met Tony Blair and experienced the influence he has on a room with his presence. That’s what I pay attention to. The ora of a powerful person and how an entourage follows. I have been in the presence of ‘gangster’s’ in the past and the effect they have on entering a public place where they are known is so evident. Almost charismatic.
When at the Capital of Culture launch in the Echo Arena, I was privileged to meet Kenny Dalglish. In the presence of well known film and pop stars we were somewhat ‘starstruck’ as he is an iconic figure for me. It’s that presence that is important to replicate with this character, almost Tony Soprano.

What do you regard as the pinnacle of your career so far?
35 years in the business! It’s always an achievement to be acting. To act for so long and be paid (sometimes!) for something I love to do. I’ve been a Buddhist for the last 10 years and that is important to me.

What have you not achieved so far you wish to?
The wrap party after Indiana Jones was significant for me. Meeting Steven Spielberg. He was so humble with nothing grand about him. In this industry you never know what you’re doing so I’m happy to just be working.
In this country today, many ethnic backgrounds have moved forward and developed with the times. Chinese communities and immigrants have become very successful in business. The Chinese have great business acumen, but the communities do not seem to develop and move forward, becoming more integral. I would like to see that happen. Compared with Asian communities I would like to see more Chinese writers and directors.
I spend a lot of time when I can with my brother, Stephen, and do as much as I can for his charity K.I.N.D. Other than that I just like to each day as it comes.

What is your personal favorite film?
Godfather, Jonnie Darko, 7 Samurai

Express your preference?
Elvis or The Beatles - The Beatles
Bond or Dr Jones - Dr Jones
Harrison Ford or Roger Moore - Harrison
Favorite Dr Who - David Tennant
Bruce Lee or Jet Li - Bruce Lee
DeNiro or Pacino - De Niro
Red or Blue - Red

You were involved with The Inventor of Fireworks (by Benjamin Yeoh) in 2004 on BBC R3. Do you enjoy Radio work?
Yes, Radio is more for the love of it. The pay is lousy! But it opens up new challenges. I have to be more creative with my voice. Also in Radio there are obviously no limits to budget really, which can open up new avenues for writing opportunities.

What other jobs did you do before your acting career began?

Not many! As I said, I’ve been quite fortunate in that way. I’ve been acting for most of my adult life though I was shipping clerk for a short while at Edge Hill at which point I left and moved into thearte. Before that I had occasional work as a painter/decorator and some part time work in a factory.

Thanks to David for spending the time to speak to us

Picture features - David Yip and Ozzie Yue (Act of Grace)

Act of Grace is sure to become one of Liverpool’s blockbusters and stars a number of home grown actors.
Written by Alan Field and Marc Pye, Act of Grace tells the story of how a family’s code of honour is under threat, and an ancient way of life is knocked off its axis by one small boy…..

Dezzie needs respect more than he needs his father’s love and a reprieve from the beatings dished out to him on a daily basis. But Dezzie is a skinny snot-nosed kid from the back streets of Salford and like hundreds of others before him his life is already mapped out….and it’s not looking good.

Yasin needs an identity. Unexpectedly orphaned and plucked from the stability of life in Hong Kong he now finds himself in an alien environment, a world full of hostile strangers, where the only links to his culture lie hidden amongst the hundreds of fourth generation faces in Manchester’s Chinatown.

Ringo Tsang wants it all. As lieutenant of the new wave of hard-edged Hong Kong immigrants he believes the Chang family have gone soft, lost their edge, lost their identity…lost their respect. The time is right for a takeover and he’s set his sights on becoming Grand Dragon. No one, but no one is going to stand in his way.

Kai Chang wants to protect his Godson; the only remaining boy in the Chang dynasty. Ensuri ng the child’s protection above all else is paramount. Will Manchester provide him with the shelter he needs or will the tentacles of the rising Lau family squeeze the life not only from the boy, but also from a code of honour that goes back for centuries?

The Story
When Dezzie befriends new boy Yasin at his school, little does he know his life will take an unexpected turn that will ultimately shape his future. Having witnessed the perpetual racist taunts and bullying to the quiet Chinese newcomer, Dezzie, no stranger to beatings himself, stands up to Yasin’s persecutors and wins the respect, not only of his tormentors, but more importantly of Yasin. Dezzie takes Yasin under his protective wing and they become firm and loyal friends until Yasin’s Godfather Kai Ching arrives to take the teenage Yasin back to Hong Kong. Ten years pass without a word until Yasin, aged twenty five, comes back to Manchester to find his friend Dezzie and offer him a lucrative position at his side within the family firm. But this is a firm with a difference: Dezzie, the only white man to do so this side of the Atlantic, is to be a Triad member and run the family business in Manchester, Liverpool and the rest of the UK.

And here the story begins, just as Yasin was once thrust into the weird and wonderful culture of Manchester, Dezzie quickly rises through the ranks to become a linchpin in the world of the Chinese Triads, a world of family values and feuds, legal and illegal activities of the underworld, but also a world of beauty, love and above all…respect. But as the friend’s journey progresses side by side a firm wedge of hate and betrayal is soon to drive them apart…and against each other.

Act Of Grace stars:
Leo Gregory (Octane 2003, Green Street 2005, Stoned 2005, Reverb 2007, Class 2007 pre-production, Daylight Robbery post-production)

Jodie Latham (Ruby Blue 2007, Shameless, The Street, Holby City)

Jennifer Lim (Hostel 2006, Rogue Trader 1999, Dirty Sexy Money 2007, Code 46 2003, Pizza Girl 2005) and

David Yip (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1984, View to a Kill 1985, Hamlet 1996, Entrapment 1999, Doctor Who, The Chinese Detective, Brookside, Arabian Nights, The Bill, Casualty)

Writer-Producer Alan Field
Directed by Noreen Kershaw
Producer Bob Cullen
Writer Marc Pye

Supporting Actors Chrissy Rock, David Schofield, Ciaron Griffiths, Christine Tremarco

We met Alan Fielding, Writer/Producer, during filming at Liverpool’s Chinatown. Sitting with Alan and Bob Cullen (Producer) the atmosphere is so laid back. I got the impression Alan, Bob and Noreen Kershaw (Director) are friend’s first, colleagues second.

Bob has previous experience writing for The Everyman, turned restaurateur he met Alan in his restaurant and coincidentally are both from Cantrel Farm (Stockbridge Village for the younger generation). ‘A lot of investment has come from friends and family, contacts and friends of friends’ says Bob. The whole project will complete for less than £200k. A real achievement as the final production will be taken to Cannes!

Alan is a modest individual. His passion for writing is simply about creating a story, and seeing it acted out on screen. His inspiration for this project came from reading a fictional novel that transpired to be true.
Accolades from The BAFTA’s and an Emmy to boot from his award winning The Street (2007) which Alan co-wrote with Jimmy McGovern ‘It’s not about the awards, though they recognize what we achieved, a local backstreet award means just as much’ and he really means it. Talking about script writing ‘I think more discipline would be required for writing a book’ says Alan ‘with my work I have the benefit of seeing it acted on the screen. The visual aspect is the final product’.

‘When I’m writing I have an idea about the characters. But they develop constantly as the story develops. I don’t have a full insight into the character at the start. Even the actors I choose or hope to play the characters, doesn’t happen until the script is finished’.
He goes on to explain how Leo Gregory thought the part was his when first hearing about the film, before it was even offered.

Alan is a true Liverpudlian, with real values. Act of Grace is not a stereotypical ‘Triad Gangster’ movie. ‘The trailer helped develop the characters and we were careful not to turn it into a gangster movie. We wanted to stay true to Chinese culture, no guns, but knifes for the violent scenes. Even then we concentrate on faces and expressions, not a violent act itself, not all blood. In essence it’s a love story. Not just in a conventional sense but also about a close friendship of two boys, and how they look out for each other’

‘All the trades have brought so much to this film. It’s not unusual for certain trades on film sets to down tools specifically at contracted times, no matter what’s going on. It hasn’t happened on Act of Grace. Even the ‘sparks’ stayed late if we ran over time!’

‘I already have my next project in mind, but prefer to see a current script through to the end before starting work on the next one. Some writers will work on 2 or 3 projects together in case one falls through, but I’d rather one not to affect the other. My personal vision of how a scene should look is important and sometimes a Director’s eye can take over. Working closely with Noreen has been brilliant. If we imagine a scene differently I have to accept Director’s may see it different but it always works well in the end’.

Act of Grace is being taken to Cannes Film Festival in May this year and should prove to be a blockbuster. Keep a look out for it this spring.

We would like to thank Alan and Bob for their time and wish them success with Act of Grace.

As a player he achieved First Division Championship 1972/73, 1975/76, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82 and 1982/83, FA Cup 1974, League/Milk Cup 181 and 1982, European Cup 1978 and 1981, UEFA Cup 1973 and 1976, Charity Shield 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1982 and The European Super Cup 1977.

Totaling 477 1st team games with Liverpool and 41 international caps while at the club, Thompson left Liverpool finally in 1985 for Sheffield United, before coming back to Anfield a year later as reserve team manager.

We caught up with Thommo and asked his views on the game today.

What are your thoughts on the current Liverpool squad?
“I think Rafa has built a terrific squad. At the moment the way we play, I don’t think the squad is big enough though. Although the first team is squad is strong I think the rotation system is putting too much faith in the second team. We have 14-15 strong players at the moment compared to the likes of Man Utd who have maybe 19. I think Rafa needs the backing of the owners and with the right cash we can get another 3-4 players, which is what the team needs. It’s the minor details that have cost us vital points. The squad are still able to put good runs together but we can’t afford to lose another 2 games.”

Do you think Benitez’ priority is The Premiership or The Champions League?
“All the right noises have been made by the camp and I think The Premiership is important to Rafa, but I think the Reading game shown his priorities lay with The Champions League. We basically surrended that game with 20 minutes to go. Bringing Gerrard and Torres off shown they were being protected for the Marseille game.
I know Rafa wants to win The Premiership, but not as much as the fans do.”

If Benitez was not the Manager who would you choose? Mourhino ?
“ I wouldn’t want to see Rafa go. He’s a top class manager and has a big impact on the club. Even though he has lot’s of experience he is still learning. You can never know it all. He has had a big impact with Liverpool this season and I think next season will bring titles. No doubt Mourhino is also a great manager.”

What are your thoughts of Everton’s proposals to move to Kirkby?
“ As a Kirkby lad I’m passionate about my town. The majority of Everton fans are against the move because they think it’s out of the city. I find that embarrassing, no doubt they’d tell me to keep my nose out! But growing up in Kirkby and as a lad I’ve always regarded Kirkby as being in Liverpool?, it’s only 10 minutes from Goodison.
However, as a resident I would be against it. There’s been a lot of comments about how it will bring a lot to the town. I think it will have a massive impact, but not all good. Kirkby is only a small town and I wonder how it would cope with a huge number of people on match days and the aftermath following a game. It will also have a bad effect on residents, especially the new build housing estates on what used to be Brookfield. Some residents could face losing sixty or seventy thousand on there house, its not right”

What are your thoughts on Liverpool, Everton and groundshare?
“Definitely not. Liverpool has a lot of tradition and a lot of history. I was brought up being proud of my team. There has been many changes to the game which the fans have had no control of, match days, kick off times, all seater stadiums…but groundsharing doesn’t work. A pitch can’t take a game every week, you only have to look at Santero”

When you brought the European Cup back in 1981, it apparently went missing, and it was your fault. Where did it go?
“ Back to The Falcon in Kirkby! Before we went I promised the lads in the pub I’d bring it back if we won. When we got back we did the bus tour around Liverpool and afterwards I put the cup in the back of my Ford Capri! Not a Baby Bentley, or Maserati! My 3 litre Capri was luxury then! I took it The Falcon that night and everyone had there photos took with the cup, and we celebrated to the early hours. Before I left that night I’d promised everyone I’d bring the cup back on Monday morning so the kids could have there photo took aswell.
At the time Peter Robinson was the Chairman. He called me the next morning, I was suffering with the worst hangover, and he asked me did I know where the cup was? Apparently, he thought it had been left on the back of the bus when it went back the depot! Being manager at the time is was my responsibility to take of it! Peter told me to make sure it was back at Anfield by 9:00 am on the Monday, the press would be there for photo’s.
11:00 am Monday morning I remember I was still in The Falcon! I’d promised everyone? Obviously in them days mobile phones weren’t out. There was a massive queue at the pay phone while everyone was calling around Kirkby to say  ‘the cup is in the falcon!”
I eventually got back to Anfield at 12, with the cup, the world press had been waiting for 3 hours….they weren’t pleased”

When you were banging your hands on the window in Istanbul, did you stop because your hands hurt !?
“ That was a very proud moment for me. I remember I was in the Sky Box with Ray Wilkins and Luca at the time. I’d got my sons tickets for the game, and ironically they were sat right outside the box window. I just lost it shouting. Afterwards I had to apologise to Ray and Luca. Only Liverpool could have done what they did that day, especially in European football. A very proud moment”

Do you think it’s healthy having foreign owners?
“ No I don’t. I think you have to understand the culture of the club. The way it was. I know David Moores and English shareholders did that. Though in the modern game investment is important if you don’t want to lag behind, so you have to keep up. I think the new owners have to believe in the culture, heritage and history of the club. Not just win but understand it will be here in a 100 years from now. The owners are only the custodians there to serve. Liverpool Football Club will always belong to the fans.”

Which ex players do you still keep in contact with?
“ Most of them, really, though I do see Sammy Lee a lot”

Any who you don’t speak to? Why?
“ Graeme Souness. Being sacked as coach was an upsetting time, having that taken away from me. Especially for my sons. That decision was personal and not professional. If he had come to me and told me I was no good at my job, fair enough. But he didn’t. I was sacked because of a rumour”

Is it true Robbie Fowler kicked a ball at your head? If so Why?
“ Me and Robbie get on well, still do. There was no hard feelings. It was at the training ground. We used to have 4 large nets with about 10 balls in each. They get kicked around everywhere, but after training the players would leave them all over the place for the staff to pick up. It was a discipline thing, more out of respect. At the end of traing the players were asked to put the balls in the back of the net, they were all kicking them in and one just hit me, that’s all. It could have hit anyone. We know Robbie can be a bit hot headed and wouldn’t apologise. It was sorted out though, we still get on well now”

Choose from the following…Flames or The Living Room? Gerrard or Dalglish? Sky or BBC?
“ Flames, Dalglish and Sky”

Well, perhaps that’s why I love Liverpool so much. Everyone loves to talk.

It’s the only city in the world where everyone in the audience is funnier than me. Mind you!! It’s the way I tell em’. Ha Ha..

Anyway, I have to keep talking so everyone knows I’m still alive.

A lot of people who visit Liverpool talk about the beautiful buildings, the architecture and the history of the place, but for me, what makes Liverpool unique is the people.

The humour, the friendliness and the generosity of the people of Liverpool is second to none.

Walk into any bar in the town and within seconds you are in a conversation with someone. Within minutes they are your best friend and telling everyone around that they have known you for years.

About twenty years ago I was doing a gig for a Charity here in Liverpool. (Come to think of it, most of my gigs in Liverpool are for Charity. Must speak to the agent).
Anyway, this was an amateur boxing show and I was there to present trophies, and tell a few gags.
The top table was full of local business people and I was duly introduced to each one in turn. The last man I met was a chap called Bobby. He was a painter and decorator who had done very well and now had a large number of staff working for him.
He was very talkative, even for a Scouser, and we chatted away all evening.  By about the fourth fight we had got to know quite a bit about each other. He not only talked more than me, he drank a lot more too.

At these Charity functions there is almost always an auction and this one was no exception. Being a boxing night, the items for sale had a sporting flavour.
The bidding, as usual at these dos in Liverpool, was fast and furious.  The generosity of Liverpool never ceases to impress me. There was hundreds being bid for some quite obscure items.
Then came the top item, a signed and authenticated pair of shorts worn in a World title fight by the great Muhammad Ali.

The bidding went on and on until a final winning bid was made of £8000:00 and the buyer was none other than my new found friend, Bobby.

As the auction was coming to a close I said, more as a joke than anything else, that I would put up an old string vest and a signed letter of authentication. The next thing I know is the auctioneer is announcing a late edition to the auction.
A vest worn by the Great Frank Carson in a fight many years ago when he sneaked over and knocked out ‘Spud Murphy’ just before the first bell.  Well, everyone laughed and the bidding started.
I sat back in amazement as the bids came in. £50– — £60 — –£100. Then, at last the final price a staggering £500.
And then I saw who had bought my old vest. Yes!!  Bobby the painter!!

At the end of the evening, Bobby turned to me and said that he would pay the Charity, but did not want the vest. (who could blame him). He told me to put it back into the next Charity auction I attended.
Over the last twenty years that vest has made thousands of pounds for various Charities and to my knowledge, Bobby the painter has bought it at least five times.
That for me typifies the generosity of the Scousers.

Now, let me congratulate Liverpool on its 800th birthday and its Capital of Culture year.
I also wish Jason and all involved in the ‘Liverpool The Magazine’ venture the very best of luck for the New Year. I hope ‘It’s a cracker’
Frank Carson KSG.

For people that don’t know me I am a Liverpool based designer, I actually design manufacture and retail women’s clothing. I have been in the fashion business for the past 24years and as you can imagine dressed many, many women.

Liverpool is probably one of the most fashion conscious cities on the planet, so I’m proud to be a part of it. When, my clientele have a popular event or important occasion to attend they will come along to us, with a clear interest and keen to look their best. We take them in and working with them, help produce that outfit. Be it for an 18th, 21st, wedding or even the races. Having been in the business for many years I believe we must be doing something right.

My background to my career is quite varied. After leaving school I trained and qualified as a chef, then moved on and became an engineer. All the time I always had a great interest in fashion, eventually I began experimenting and taught myself how to make clothes and it slowly went on from there.

I have learnt with the experience I’ve had over that period of time, what will suit every type of woman, from young to mature from slimmer to fuller figure.

In recent years I feel the way we dress has been hijacked by those self appointed style gurus who in my opinion don’t really have a clue what they are going on about. They do tend to be very text book and that cannot work. Some women are starting to take note to what they are being told to dress like to disastrous consequences. They are losing their personal identities. Have you ever watched one of these make-over programmes and thought they looked better before all that work. I would like to see a revisited make-over show, one or two years on and see the results. A lot of the people seem confused by the end result it’s as if it takes away the person they are instead of ‘’polishing’’ the true person they actually are.

There is a saying which can apply to fashion, don’t take anything as gospel. Choosing our clothes is a matter of taste, personal taste and as we all know this can change. Some days we can feel more confident about ourselves and wear louder and more elaborate outfit’s. Other days we may feel less secure and just want to blend in with comfort.

Here are a couple of tips everyone should benefit from;

1. Don’t be told what you should or shouldn’t be wearing.
2. We were all born will a sense of how we should look so use it, by all means listen to advice but use you own natural instinct.
3. Keep the individuality of the European look, its much more interesting, we ain’t Americans.

I have had many highs in my career but I’m not one to court publicity, so I don’t blow them all out of proportion. If you’re good at what you do the word of the people gets around, they’re not soft. This is all the advertising you need, in its natural form.

Celebrity, celebrity, celebrity where do I start? Is it just me or is everyone and anyone hanging on to someone who is a so called celebrity to sell something. Find your own wave and stop riding on the crest of others. Saying that I find it terribly hard to digest that some of those people are celebrities, by association maybe, couldn’t we give them a new name ‘’asscelebs.’’ Anyway rant over.

In this column, I will try to encourage what I perceive will look good, now. There will be no ‘must haves!’ None of that. They are the sayings of the stylists and they will change them on a weekly basis. You wouldn’t go into a restaurant and have someone choose your meal; no it’s all a matter of taste. A little advice in the right direction or enhancement of what you already know is fine.

My outlook for the spring. At this time of year I try to make my garments as crisp and fresh as possible. I can achieve this with clean colours, black & white, stripes, dots always with a splash of a primary colour thrown in, also navy & white, checks again with a primary colour. I tend to use more natural fabrics, silks, linen blends at this time of year. Looking forward to the smell of daffodils, not that they smell great but they are spring.

I will be introducing big shoulders for the months ahead, all the forecasts are pointing to this strong look.

In the dress side roundness through shoulders and hips are key to a good look. Short minis with jackets of the same length, and yet again trousers and skirts with the high waists are on the menu!

I will be using smooth and simple lines in the dress section with one overpowering detail thrown in for artistic measure. Not my department, but shoes are to be a large platform, elevation a must.

A next big British designer to look out for is a guy called Giles Deacon. He has only had his own label for 2 years but his vision of highly crafted mixes with a wonderful sense of wit, looking good.

At the moment I love to watch Roisin Murphy, ex-lead singer with Moloko, her dress sense is so intriguing she takes shapes and textures to the extreme, her music’s not bad either!

Go on, you’re having a laugh. Independence for Liverpool? The Democratic Republic of Merseyside? As if! Take that tongue out of your cheek and get back in the real world. This Capital of Culture thing’s gone to your head.

I can hear the reactions already. But bear with me. I’ve never been more serious in my life.

Right now, at the start of our much trumpeted Euro Cultural extravaganza, one must say how nice it is to have some overdue appreciation of the positive attributes of our fair city. But note the prefix to the Capital of Culture title. European Capital of Culture. It’s highly appropriate.

Until their compliance in this award, the English establishment had been nothing if not diligent in its studied ignorance of the city. And by establishment I mean the term in its widest sense - elected bodies, central government departments, quango’s, corporate boards – you name them, we’ve been blanked by them. Indeed, if you look at the latest web site of the UK met office, the city does not exist at all! 500,000 people have disappeared overnight! (Don’t believe me? Check it out yourself – www.met-office.gov.uk)
The efforts of the odd Michael Heseltine notwithstanding, our long decline from the eminence of Empire went unchecked until Objective One. Our current economic revival – such as it is - has only been kick-started by EU funding. Even there, Iron Chancellor Brown wanted to get his grubby paws on it, presumably to redirect it to something more worthwhile such as an illegal war in the Middle East.

Say it loud. We’re black and proud

Remember that brilliant movie The Commitments? The bit where the Irish were described as ‘The Blacks of Europe? No racism intended, but Merseysiders are often regarded like that. The country treats us with either indifference or outright contempt. Except when the football is on, when we’re suddenly English, and national treasures to boot. It’s a bit like the way the USA used to consider its ‘Negroes’ – ‘our boys’ when they ‘re on the Olympic podium, somewhat less so in the queue at the local diner.

Of course, there are counter arguments, usually running along the line of ‘they’re paranoid, they’re imagining it, it’s all their own fault, whingeing scousers, strike-happy, work shy bastards’ and other such gems of balanced, joined-up thinking. Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’ve neither space nor inclination to deal with this stuff here, it’s been done before and better anyway.

In truth, though, even the rest of the North does not seem to like us very much. Maybe the real issue is that we’re not quite English. We’re different. Hybrids. Part English, but just as much Irish. And no small part Welsh. Not to mention a smattering of Norwegian, a soupcon of Nigerian and a pinch of practically everywhere else around the globe. It means we have some weaknesses others don’t have. An alarming tendency to never tug the forelock. A marked aversion to ‘Yes sir, no sir, three bags full Mr. Arkwright, sir’. A penchant for making a joke out of everything, often sailing over more heads than Graf Zeppelin. Plus, of course, a nasal twang that’s not to everyone’s taste, and bears about as much resemblance to the usual northern ‘woollyback’ speak as Anne Widdecombe does to Ann Margaret.

Yet putting these issues to one side, ask yourself, what does the Westminster government do for us? Indeed, for any provincial centre with aspirations, from Birmingham to Bradford? About two per cent of what they should be doing, that’s what. And about 1,000th of what it does for our wonderful capital city.

Let’s hear it for Londonland

The Independent’ newspaper recently hailed London as the cultural and economic powerhouse of the entire world. Apparently, by comparison with our mighty metropolis it’s now more a case of The Little Apple and Grim Paree. From Boris Johnson to Rod Liddle, the great and the good were wheeled out in some great London LoveFest.

And what of us provincial Plebs? We should rejoice, of course, as our erstwhile PM once famously declared. It’s great news for everybody. Presumably, the thinking here is based on the trickle down theory. If the master’s table is packed with a better class of victual, the dogs who feed off the crumbs he sweeps onto the floor will benefit too. How apt.

On reflection, maybe we should all try to get in on the act, and rename the entire country ‘Londonland’. Might as well. It seems we hardly exist anyway.

In truth, London’s triumphs are tragedies for the rest of us. They’re almost entirely at the expense of cities like Liverpool. One place takes a grotesquely disproportionate slice of our national cake and spends it all on themselves - in our name! All the investment, all the focus, all the jobs, all the power, all the talent, all the culture, all the dosh. Nice.

And if we complain, we’re just jealous. After all, we can always come down and look at the galleries, can’t we? They are national. Just the 250 odd miles of wall-to-wall traffic to negotiate, or £300 a pop on our highly efficient railway network. (By the way, you didn’t really want that silly tram thing, did you? You wouldn’t believe the mess it would have made!)

If you’re looking for an analogy, consider a family with, say, eight children. They’re all sat expectantly round the table for dinner, waiting for mum to come and dish up the grub. Yet when she does, the big, fat, overbearing kid at the head of the table gets five times as much as anybody else. And not just the food. Think the Dursleys in Harry Potter and you won’t be far off.

Except we’ve no magic wand to get us out of there. Or have we?

The Irish Eyes have it

So what are the alternatives? Here are some starters for ten:

1. Secede from the Union, and create an independent city state within the EU, a la medieval Venice or Florence. My favoured route. Look what it’s done for Ireland – from Banana Republic without the sunshine to Celtic Tiger in a generation.
2. Go back to our roots and join the Irish Republic ourselves. For the justification, see above. It would get rid of the Queen, if nothing else. They like us a bit more than the English, too. With folk heroes with names like Gerrard, Rooney and Carragher it’s hardly surprising, really.
3. Cosy up to Welsh. Makes geographic sense if nothing else, and the colonisation process is well under way already. Of course, this would necessitate the break-up of the UK first, but we need not cry too much over that. Things are going that way anyway. Plus it would keep all the Evertonians happy.

Of course, by Liverpool I mean not just the city itself but Greater Liverpool, otherwise known as Merseyside. None of your absurd Wirralian parochialism here, please.

And the benefits? They’d be legion. With a following wind and a bit more EU dosh behind us, we’d be facing a future a damn sight more inspiring than the one we’re looking at right now.

For a start, we could rediscover our identity, and show ourselves in our best light, rather than the negative spin we always seem to get from the London or Manchester-based media. We could create jobs, in both private and public sector - not necessarily more government, but government with teeth. We could offer tax concessions like the Freeport on a much bigger scale, and become a kind of mainland Isle of Man. This city was built on trade – so let’s have some again, it would be nice. We might also attract a dynamic new breed of Merseysider, and recover the social mix we’ve largely lost. What’s more, we could carry on the good work of Capital of Culture and become the real cultural powerhouse we aspire to.

All in all, Brussels may prove a more appealing mistress than London ever was. There are smaller countries in Europe than Merseyside, who seem to be doing just fine. And if Andorra can give England a game at football, just think what an ‘Independent Merseyside X1’ would do.

Viva la revolution!

During our conversation we discussed various holiday destinations, all of which he and his wife had never visited. With the exception of Benidorm. A frequent visitor he was an authority on anything and everything to do with the resort after holidaying there for over 10 years. He could quite literally direct me from any hotel I cared to mention to a host of eateries, shops and amenities. Knew the names of major routes into the resort and which ones to avoid at certain times of the year….impressive, all from a front gate in Huyton!

Whilst chatting about what was going on in the City Centre a mention of the ACC drawn a blank expression. “the new arena?” “at Kings Dock?” the penny did eventually drop but unbelievably he had never seen the construction in progress and furthermore wasn’t exactly sure where it was!

He had lived in Liverpool for almost 50 years, was unsure of a significant development in the City Centre, but could direct you using the fastest route possible to the nearest Sayers Bakery on the Costa Del Sol!

Read more in this months issue of Liverpool the Magazine or send us your comments and feedback