And that is not the reason he is not popular.
Its all about winning shiny things.
Its one of the curious aspects of our political system that an elected mayor can be deemed unpopular. That particular problem imo comes about with living in a city in which in effect a one party state (that also goes for many other places, red or blue politically).In effect all a person needs to do is work yourself up the party ranks in Liverpool then the citys residents will vote for you no matter who you are, if you are any good, or if you have shady aspects to your life.So to answer your question i would say he's unpopular but i only have anecdotal evidence of that, just from the fact ive never heard anyone say anything good about him but ive heard lots of bad opinions on him.The quality of the Labour party representatives in Liverpool is really low and sadly due to the one party state that exists in Liverpool i cant see it getting any better.
I'm not saying there is a connection at all, but we're all fully aware of what has happened repeatedly in the city when it comes to apartment construction projects. Buildings are frequently left half finished because shell companies collapse after their shady backers have creamed money from the top. I recall an Echo article covering this. Anderson has pushed for modern, luxury new builds in the city area and suburbs, such as Sefton Park Meadows, as he's said Liverpool needs more top-bracket Council Tax paying residents to help balance the books; but the destruction of certain historical buildings and the frequent collapse of building projects does beg questions over who is approving these projects and what kind of scrutiny they are receiving. Anderson himself has frequently found his political ambitions in the wider Merseyside region stymied. Pretty much all other areas - Wirral, Knowsley, Sefton and Halton - have lined up against him more than once. I seem to recall most prominently when he sought the nomination for Liverpool Metro Mayor. He also missed out on seeking to be Labour's parliamentary candidate for Steve Rotheram's seat when he took the Metro Mayor position.Clearly he is not popular amongst the local Labour parties. If he HAD become a Liverpool MP and these allegations had surfaced, it would have put the PLP in a very difficult position. It does make you wonder what has been known, by whom, and for how long?
I know many who worked at LCC over past ten years will be having a celebrity drink tonight.
Like a Martini Freeman?
Anderson has pushed for modern, luxury new builds in the city area and suburbs, such as Sefton Park Meadows, as he's said Liverpool needs more top-bracket Council Tax paying residents to help balance the books;
Thanks guys, interestingly north west news are also mentioning this stems from the enquiry into Elliot Lawless.
However if something serious happens to them I will eat my own cock.
If anyone is going to put a few fingers deep into my arse it's going to be me.
It made the ITV main news too
It sounds as though Lawless has also been arrested.
This is what I said in the other thread (but think it was deleted).Wouldn’t surprise me. He got done, along with someone else at the council, at the start of this year and his developments are all over the city so no doubt others must have been involved.
This is the issue with a one party city. If the city will vote for any fool in a red rosette, a fool will get in.There was plenty to dislike about Anderson's first term but there was never any danger of him losing power because the Lib Dems were in disgrace due to getting in bed with the Tories with the coalition.
That surprises me mate. From what I can see he's ensured there not been a single compulsory redundancy over 10 consecutive years of vicious and targeted Tory cuts and was willing to stand up to the pernicious Eric Pickles in particular. Mad isn't it?
This is the issue with a one party city. If the city will vote for any fool in a red rosette, a fool will get in.
Joe Anderson has a mate called Derek Hatton, who is 72 and lives in Aigburth.
The mayor of Liverpool has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation as part of a corruption investigation into property deals.Joe Anderson, 62, was questioned by officers from Merseyside police yesterday afternoon, The Times has learnt. Labour sources also said his membership had been suspended until proceedings concluded.Four other men have also been arrested in connection with bribery and witness intimidation allegations.They include Derek Hatton, 72, the former deputy leader of Liverpool city council and firebrand former member of the Trotskyist Militant Tendency, on suspicion of witness intimidation. Andy Barr, 46, the council’s assistant director of highways and planning, and the mayor’s son David Anderson, 33, were also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. A 25-year-old man from Ormskirk was also arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation.The police investigation, Operation Aloft, was opened last year to scrutinise a string of deals between Liverpool city council and property developers amid allegations of corruption.Mr Anderson chairs the council’s cabinet and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation, including building investor confidence.He has pioneered the council’s “invest to earn” strategy, which has included significant investments in property projects to create jobs, support regeneration and generate income.Mr Anderson is a former seafarer with the merchant navy turned pub landlord who became a Labour councillor in Liverpool in 1998. He went on to become the first directly elected mayor of Liverpool in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016.He has gained national prominence in recent months when Liverpool has been struggling with high levels of the coronavirus infection.He criticised the Westminster government for failing to secure agreement with local leaders before putting the city into the highest tier of restrictions in October. He branded the tiering system, introduced before the second lockdown, “a shambles”.Since then, however, he has been praised by both Matt Hancock, the health secretary, and Fuckwitted Pob lookalike Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, for the city’s efforts to bring down infections. It saw the first trial of mass testing of asymptomatic people.Writing in The Times last week, Mr Gove said: “In Liverpool, the mayor Joe Anderson bravely adopted measures above and beyond the old basic Tier 3 and championed mass testing. The result: falling infections, reduced hospitalisations and a smooth transfer to the new Tier 2.”Neighbours of Mr Anderson said they had not seen him being arrested, but many had seen police vehicles on his street yesterday morning.“I saw a lot of commotion but I don’t know what it was about,” a woman living opposite said last night. “There were a couple of police cars parked outside but I didn’t come out to try and find out what was going on.”A woman who lives a few houses away said that the road “was covered with police this morning”. Another man added: “There was a van parked at one point that I noticed a few times. I’m not sure what they were doing but it wasn’t anything that piqued our interest.”Nick Kavanagh, the council’s regeneration chief, was arrested last year on suspicion of taking bribes to facilitate fraud in connection to the sale of two council-owned sites to Elliot Lawless, a local developer. Both men were released on bail and an application by Merseyside police to extend bail was refused in court earlier this year.Separately, the council began an internal investigation this year into how £4.2 million was spent on land for a construction training academy and an asphalt plant when only £3.5 million was approved by the cabinet.Grant Thornton, the council’s auditor, has warned it does not expect to be able to sign off the council’s latest financial accounts because the police have two ongoing investigations into the council.A spokesman for the council said: “Liverpool city council is co-operating with Merseyside police in relation to its investigation. We do not comment on matters relating to individuals.”
Times confirming all but one of the names of those arrested. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/liverpool-mayor-joe-anderson-arrested-by-police-in-bribery-inquiry-m2m85zdb8Spoiler[close]
I've long said you could stick a red rosette on a chicken in Liverpool and odds are it could get elected. As much as I love the city's independence, it often seems to cut its nose off to spite it's face when it comes to politics.
You can't blame the city of Liverpool for voting LabourIt's the local Labour support for him that is the problem and is why he was the candidate and maintains support
Anderson is now on bail pending further enquiries according to Merseyside Police..
Really not sure this thread is a good idea at all
Why? Is he on here as a spy from GOT?
Just thinking of the legal consequences for the site if anyone says anything they shouldn't (Even for a laugh)
The directly-elected executive city mayor Joe Anderson was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation on Friday, along with four other men. It is understood that this year-long police investigation into building and development contracts is just one of three major probes linked to planning and regeneration issues in the city. This is only the beginning of the matter, sources say, with one remarking that there will be “a lot of squealing going on” now. Anderson released a statement on Saturday saying he was interviewed for six hours and has been bailed to return in one month.Anderson has been suspended from the party, but many questions remain. What does Labour, the city council and the government make of this development? After all, Anderson has a direct mandate. There are rumours that Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick will announce an intervention tomorrow and send in commissioners. It has been pointed out, however, that Tory Lancashire council leader Geoff Driver was arrested in relation to the BT One Connect scandal in 2017, as part of the long-running Operation Sheridan that has since been widened to include Liverpool. He was not suspended by his party or subject to such an intervention. Driver is currently suing the Crown Prosecution Service.Efforts will be made by Labour representatives today, including threats of council cabinet resignations, to persuade Anderson to allow his deputy to step up. There was first talk of rescinding the directly-elected mayoral model, but this idea is now out of favour according to LabourList sources, as Labour’s ruling body could manage the selection process if it is retained (and not swapped for the more localised leader/cabinet model). We’ll be keeping a close eye on how this situation unfolds.
