Tuesday, December 30, 2008

It Won't Even Make The Inside Pages Today

Ever since New Labour spindoctor Jo Moore decided to release some potentially embarrassing news on 9/11, remarking, "It's a good day to bury bad news", politicians & their entourage have quietly absorbed the lesson. When a major news story dominates the headlines & fills up the 24/7 news channels, slip out those press releases which can't be finessed or honeyed with flowery verbiage. So it was with elements within Liverpool City Council on the day of the Rhys Jones verdict, when the Standards Board for England ruled that former council leader Mike Storey had breached the local government code after briefing a journalist about the health of Jason Harborrow, former chief executive of the Liverpool Culture Company (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/1.0/-/1/hi/england/merseyside/7787776.stm ).
Along with the timing of the release, it was notable that Storey used the in-house journal of the council, the Oldham Echo, to issue a statement of defiance. Storey declared "he would urge the council to take legal action against those who he said were peddling 'wicked and evil smears and innuendos' about members, particularly on internet blog sites." (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2008/12/17/blast-at-shadowy-figures-who-plotted-revenge-100252-22495376/ ).
Tony, Professor, congratulations!

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