THE HARBARROWBOY IS BEING SENT BACK TO SCHOOL...!

ISN'T IT A BIT LATE FOR THAT?
News reaches us that Jason Harbarrowboy, self-styled chief executive of the Liverpool Culture Company, is being sent back to school.
But not for him a typical Liverpool inner city comp.
Oh no, our ex-rugby league player 'Jase' is being sent across the pond, to the American ivy league university, Harvard where he will be taught how to brush up on his management skills (sic) .
'Jase' will spend at least six weeks in the summer trying to find out how to manage an organisation, how to enlist the support of the local community it serves, how to spend money wisely and how to ensure creativity is at the centre of all that it does.

The cost of this course has not yet been made known publicly (you do surprise me, ed)

But estimates start at £6,000.

However, in the course of our research and examining the Harvard Business School Personal Development programme, we find, for example, that the 'High Potentials Leadership Program' costs $10,500 for just a five day course.

So sending the Harbarrowboy, (£180,000-plus salary) across the Atlantic for 6 weeks is likely to cost a small fortune in course fees alone.

That doesn't take into account the cost of the Harbarrowboy's accomodation across the pond, or his sustenance during the six weeks in the Big Apple - hamburgers, cheeseburgers, Big Macs, pizzas, french fries, coke, coca-cola, etc, etc.

No doubt, the council taxpayers of Liverpool will be subsidising his trip.

Now, although we are obviously in favour of the Harbarrowboy's continuous development, we have a number of questions about this management course:

1) Isn't it a bit late to be doing this?

2) Shouldn't the Harbarrowboy be spending all his time in Liverpool ensuring that 2008 is not a complete disaster?

3) Haven't we spent enough public money already on global jaunts for the Culture Company? (and exactly how much council taxpayers money has gone on those, ed?)

4) Haven't we got better things to spend public money on?

5) Does this mean the city council's £50 million cash crisis is now over then?

6) Who authorised this Harvard expenditure - Drummond Bone-Head, Colin 'Cover Up' or Bradley?

7) Will we get our money back, when 'Jase' cocks up Culture next year?

8) Will he be taking anyone else with him?

9) Can he take anyone else with him?

Suggestions on a postcard....

REVEALED: The secret email from millionaire pop promoter, Chas Cole to council leader Warren Bradley, which secured the Summer Pops.

BELOW IS A VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT OF AN EMAIL FROM CHAS COLE TO WARREN BRADLEY AND COLIN HILTON. THIS IS NOT A HOAX. WE REPRODUCE THE EMAIL HERE IN FULL, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IT IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND HAS GRAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CITY OF LIVERPOOL. THE DAY AFTER THIS EMAIL WAS SENT, THE CITY COUNCIL SUDDENLY ANNOUNCED THAT THE SUMMER POPS WAS GOING TO MR COLE.

---------Original Message------------------------
From: Chas Cole
To: Bradley, Warren (Leader of the City Council)
Cc: Hilton, Colin (Chief Executive)
Sent: Thu Feb 15 12:27:00 2007
Subject: Summer Pops 2007

Dear Warren

I am coming under increasing pressure from the Liverpool Echo to go public on the planned rescue of the Summer Pops. They confirmed some days ago their commitment to provide a value in kind contribution and they are aware that I am waiting for the Council and the Capital of Culture's commitment to provide 100K sponsorship for the event.

I had hoped that you would have been able to provide a confirmation by now, so that it could be announced this week.

Time is running out, another week passes by and the agents/acts are making their final plans for summer tours and, frankly, I fear they are losing patience with Liverpool.

In an ideal world, you would be able to provide the requested commitment and a positive quote by mid afternoon today. This would allow me to confirm with acts during the rest of today and tomorrow that Liverpool is back in the game for this summer.

In addition, we can run a positive joint story in tomorrow's Echo of how yourself, the Council and the Echo have saved the event.

If you are not able to provide the confirmation, it will be helpful to at least have a telephone conversation to gain an understanding of the decision making process and timescale.

Please give me a call on my mobile (deleted at the author's request, ed)

Kind Regards.

Chas


Chas Cole

--------------------------------------------------------------------

THE ON/OFF SUMMER POPS IS BACK ON - BUT NOT IN LIVERPOOL!

WHAT A SHAMBLES!

Chas 'show me the money' Cole has ridden to the rescue and is bringing the Summer Pops back this year - but to Aintree racecourse!

The council taxpayers of Liverpool will now be paying £100,000 for an event which will be held outside the city's boundaries in Sefton.

(Isn't it illegal for the council taxpayers of one local authority to subsidise events outside its own boundaries? ed)

All the claims that Liverpool's economy benefits from the Pops now fall at the first fence. Concert goers will simply drive to Aintree, watch the gig, and get in the car or coach home.

Result: virtually zero benefit to Liverpool's economy, bars, clubs and hotels.

Millionaire Cole's CMP Entertainment, which has taken more than £3million from council taxpayers so far, is taking another £50 grand from the city council and £50 grand from the Culture Company to stage the slimmed down event this year.

The event will be held this summer in a new equestrian centre at Aintree which, amazingly, has still not been built and which has no other customers. ( Groooaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn, ed)

But what this sorry little saga demonstrates most of all is how completely shambolic the city council now is.

First the Pops was on, then it was off, now it's back on again.

But not in Liverpool!

Who exactly is supposed to be in charge and what do they think they are doing?

As we have said before (about the Culture Company,ed) they couldn't run a piss-up in a brewery.

What has been the tender process that has been observed in this process, which is costing us the city £100,000?

What other tenders have been received?

Where was the tender process advertised?

And what role did elected members have in choosing the successfull contractor?

You have been well and truly stuffed again, Councillor Bradley, haven't you?

Outwitted at every turn.

Convenient that Chas finally got it, isn't it?

And what role has the smiling assassin Halsall had in all this?

WHAT A SHAMBLES!

THE SUMMER POPS: JIM FIXED IT FOR THEM!!!!

Sir Jimmy Fixit ABE said...

Now then, now then, goodness gracious me, guys and gals.

Not owwwnly Top of the Pops, but now the Summa pops, you see.

Gone! Oh! Oeeh, oeeh, oohh!

When I was running the marathon with Chas and Dave, who appeared with me many times you see, both of them more rabbit than Sainsbury's.I asked them to try and get Sho-waddy-waddy, for this years event,top billing!

but no they had other ideas, Sonny and Cher tribute band singing " I got you a gig, Abe"

Now I have been in this business menny-menny years ladies and gentlemen and I have been round the block.

You cannot have a tribute band as top of the bill. So my suggestion was, Pinky and Perky to be brought on as top of the bill but apparrently they had done a runner to France when they heard that The Scaffold may be on stage.

So if you are reading this boys, the scaffold in question is the one with Roger McGough, the limerick writer, although I thought he was from Liverpool, Martin Boermann..no, that's not right,no, John Gorman, who invented the bucket of water, and the brother of Lonnie Donnegan, Mike MeCamera.

Just imagine the crowds singing along at the end of the Pops to Thank you very much for the Aintree Iron. Oh yes! you see....

Thankyou very much for the sunken pier head

thank you very much
thank you very very very much.
Thank you very much for the traffic chaos,
the line 1 tram scheme,
The Iconic fourth grace,
the massive pension,
the office shower,
the Status Quo gig,
The Kensington One Stop,
The free car parking,
the half price child fares,
The robbing Archer.........thank you very very very much!

Actually it's quite a long song, maybe that's why they pulled the plug.

Never mind there's always next year...and the Phil Harmonica Orchestra are free to perform outside of the new met centre. Just a few coppers and a bottle of Thunderbird is all that would cost.

Monday, February 12, 2007 12:50:00 AM

ON SECOND THOUGHTS...WE DO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THE AXING OF THE SUMMER POPS

SMILING ASSASSIN STRIKES AGAIN

Two media matters have come to our attention about the city council's decision to scrap the Summer Pops:

Media Matter No 1)
At 3pm yesterday, two hours before the city council officially announced it was axing the Summer Pops, a press release fluttered onto the desk of news outlets in the city.
The press release sensationally broke the exclusive news to stunned journalists that the Summer Pops would not be taking place this year.
Who was this well-informed media missive from you may well ask? (good question, ed.)
Step forward Chas Cole, millionaire boss of CMP Entertainment and one-time marathon runner.
Chas 'show me the money' Cole, you will recall, is the man who has so far cost the city council more than £3million of council taxpayers money to subsidise the Pops.
Yes it was Chas, dear reader, who managed to break this exclusive story first.
But who tipped him off?
As CMP were just one of three private companies who were all bidding for the Pops, Chas should have had no inside and exclusive track on the news of the council's decision.
The finger points at Phil Halsall, aka the smiling assassin, and the father of young Liam (whose band 'Abe' appeared as support to Status Quo at the Summer Pops in 2005 and then promptly disappeared back into obscurity, you will remember, ed).
The highly paid Executive Director Halsall, (you will be well aware of this too, ed) is the man who is single-handedly responsible for the city's finances, which this year have ended up in a £50million cuts crisis.
And Halsall it was, of course, who signed the cheques for the last six years to pay his mate Chas for the Summer Pops.
Media Matter No2)
James Barton of Cream was appearing today on Radio Merseyside to talk about the Pops and ways in which Cream might still work with the city council to save the event this year.
But before he arrived an email suddenly appeared at the Radio Merseyside news desk.
And this media missive, marked NOT FOR PUBLICATION systematically, and highly selectively, rubbished Cream's tender proposal.
It revealed all kinds of highly confidential details about the Cream tender in a highly selective, prejudiced and partial manner.
Radio Merseyside was given permission to use part of this email as unattributable 'background' information.
(This means they could use the information in their report, but not say where it came from, ed)
Who was this media missive from? you may ask (another good question, ed)
Step forward the city council's newscentre.
For, astonishingly, the email was sent by an un-named press officer.
But who put the press officer up to it?
(As we know, they don't do things without being instructed to do so, ed)
And why did the council issue this wholly irregular email which, as well as being inaccurate, also broke all council rules of commercial confidentiality.
Just who authorised this flagrant breach of all council rules and procedures? (a terrifically good question, ed)
The finger points at the smiling assassin, Mr Phil Halsall, again. (Also now known as 'the weasel' as in Pop goes, geddit? ed)
Of course it could also have been some other council employee. Perhaps Dr McElhinney then?

An observer writes: Both these incidents reveal just how fundamentally corrupt the city council now is. Highly placed officials can give the inside track to their mates and then abuse their positions as public servants to try and damage their mates' business rival. It is utterly disgusting, cynical and shows the contempt they now have for democracy and public accountability. But will anyone do anything about it? Certainly not Colin 'Cover Up'.

ANOTHER CULTURE COCK-UP - POPS GOES, THE WEASEL!

Summer Pops axed....

Do we need to say anything at all about this utter shambles?But here's the picture gallery of the guilty men...