The Devil Reads Pravda

Now Wirral Leaks and Eric Pickles are not natural bedfellows but we have a degree of sympathy for his directive about the prevention of the publication of what he calls “Town Hall Pravdas” – that is Councils printing nothing more than propaganda sheets funded with public money.

Now if this wasn’t Wirral Council we’d say “well what’s wrong with telling local people what’s going on ?” – but this IS Wirral Council and we believe openness and transparency will never be the motivation behind such a publication. This is the place where secrecy is the modus operandi and which has been further demonstrated this week with the forced publication of yet another secret report,

SEE HERE

The recently constituted Birkenhead Constituency Committee is proposing such a publication under the guise of “improving communication” and was included in last night’s meeting (27th March).

SEE HERE

Based on a highly dubious ” consultation ” it was claimed the publication will be the perfect vehicle for delivering the “unbiased political reporting” which apparently is so desired by the people of Birkenhead – well according to their “survey” of 250 people out of a population of 60,000 anyway! After all we can’t have those award winning pesky local newspapers and ‘disgraceful’ blogs exposing WBC’s darkest secrets. We need balance, we need happy clappy POSTIVE news. And as a good spin doctor will tell you everyday is a good day to bury bad news . Distract the bovine herd with rainbows, lollipops and the sort of inspirational stories that make Upworthy’s news model read like “The Bell Jar”. But never, EVER let them get at the truth.

SEE HERE

But don’t worry the proposed publication complies with their famous ABCD principles:
“The long term development of a community led news hub would involve community connectors to ensure the publication remains community developed and focused”.
WTF?..I don’t know about foreign language translators but we do wish Wirral Council would provide translators for bollocks such as this.

Meanwhile we at Wirral Leaks, being a much valued vehicle for disseminating Council business, have received an exclusive press release announcing the arrival of this exciting new development in the publishing world:

PRESS RELEASE :

“Birkenhead is Super-Fab” publication

Editor: The Ministry of Spin

Coming soon ! – A new super-fab magazine were we discuss how SUPER-FAB Birkenhead is….and how it’s super-fabness is all down to Frank ,Pip and the gang.
Why read those those poisonous and insulting blogs when we have the real super-fabness that’s going on in YOUR AREA ? – Our crack team of arselickers ( geddit?) will be reporting on dog crap and potholes and the environmental threat of empty crisp packets .We bring you the stuff that WE SAY matters to YOU!!!

There’ll be absolutely super-fabulous fashion spreads featuring what TOP Council executives have in their wardrobes – so you can expect plenty of pictures of customised football shirts, mayoral bling and of course Australian fashion boots typically made of twin-faced sheepskin with fleece on the inside, a tanned outer surface and a synthetic sole. 

There will also be exclusive pictures of our future first citizen and his consort opening foodbanks with FUN captions like : ” Leave those dented tins from the back of the cupboard Foulksey they’re for the poor folks NOT poor Foulkes – you cheeky scamp !!!”

There will be pictures from that golf tournament thingy with Foulksey being Wirral’s ambassador of FUN! Imagine perhaps Mr Blobby on Ketamine -with his delightful informal cheeky chappy persona he will not be making a holy show of us AT ALL!!

But there’ll be no pictures of Foulksey’s “high jinks” at Tranmere Rovers hospitality suite. NO that’s just NOT super-fab. Not super-fab AT ALL!  Because we’re all about super-fabness here as we believe that “Birkenhead is Super -Fab” ….and soon YOU WILL TOO! We don’t want bad news bears with sore heads in our petting zoo !!! – No! We want kittens and puppies and butterflies and meerkats – Super-fab FUN animals that don’t rip your fucking head off or disembowel you or other such unpleasantness.

WE believe in the words of Improvement Board member and Local Government Association official “Visionizer” Haysi Fantayzee and his SUPER-FAB affirmation : “SHINY,SHINY bad times behind me….” – so get your copy of “Birkenhead is Super Fab” NOW!

Only £48,000 from your nearest gutter !

Here is the planned presentation from the postponed Committee meeting at Birkenhead Town Hall.

Vexed Sighs And Videotape

Remember this video

http://www.wirral.gov.uk/my-services/council-and-democracy/what-really-matters/chief-executives-budget-options/transformation-and-resources/transformatio

Remember this FOI ?

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/marketing_advertising_agency_wor

Well here’s the PROOF that WBC LIED (why are we not shocked)  The information is classed as “commercially sensitive” according to our legal chap Simeon Gouchebag QC, and we have therefore removed the actual amounts, but what we can confirm is it’s a darn sight more than WBC originally suggested…..But of course it will all be a “misunderstanding”

Will they apologise ?  Erm NOPE!

“A demand for a public apology from the council for apparently misleading in an FOI response was made by Cllr Chris Blakeley this week.

His call came after it emerged the authority’s reply to the request – asking for costs associated with a video it commissioned as part of the “What Realy Matters” budget cuts consultation – revealed less than half the true amount.The reply went on to say no other funding was spent on the video project. But this also turned out to be untrue.

Councillor Blakeley stormed: “To say ‘Wirral Council can confirm no other funding was spent on contracts such as this’ is a lie. “This is not about money. It’s about honesty.”

The council’s chief executive, Graham Burgess, has subsequently emailed Cllr Blakeley saying no public apology is to be issued and no further action taken over the issue.”

http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/10124400.Information_Commissioner_puts_Wirral_Council_under_the_spotlight_over_FOI_failures/

Happy New Year

Love , Verity x

What exactly has the new Director of Wirral DASS DONE ?

The only tangible thing we can see that new Wirral Social Services director Graham “Tom Sawyer”  Hodkinson has achieved since his arrival is to completely whitewash the truth.   So yet another false dawn disappears as Mr H dances to the same old WBC tune. “Nothing to see here” “time to move on” which actually means no accountability for these overpaid fuckwits