Robert Hampton

Heatwave conditions had Liverpool’s citizens rushing for the nearest park or beach over the weekend. Even I, not exactly known for being a sun-worshipper, ventured out into the garden (with the obligatory SPF 50 and beekeeper’s outfit, of course).

On Monday, however, the climate became increasingly oppressive and humid as the afternoon wore on. Then, around 8pm, rumbles of thunder were heard, and for the next couple of hours a spectacular storm raged over Merseyside, with torrential rain lashing down, and lightning bolts ripping across the sky.

I was holed up inside, dividing my time between exam revision and making sure all my computer equipment was correctly plugged into the surge protector. But Twitter was awash with spectacular pictures:-

Who needs TV when there's lightning outside? pic.twitter.com/8OAvX77FOE

— James Lewis (@jamesalewis) May 19, 2014

@LifeLiverpool @LivEchonews pic.twitter.com/CR05MMlsbZ

— Ste Lucas (@Ste_Lucas) May 19, 2014

Sizzling pic of tonight's storm at Crosby beach captured by @PaulMadden75 🙂 pic.twitter.com/QbVXYiZKQt

— IronMenCrosby (@IronMenCrosby) May 19, 2014

For a large-size print of that final picture, check out the photographer’s online store.

It’s been approximately five thousand years since the curtain came down (see what I did there?) on the old Everyman Theatre. The venue – which helped launch the careers of Peter Postlethwaite, Julie Walters, Matthew Kelly and Jonathan Pryce, to name but a few – closed in July 2011 for an extensive redevelopment.

Two and a half years later, and the old building has been razed to the ground and replaced by a new structure. What would it be like inside?

Well, they had an open day today to mark the official reopening. I went along with my friend Scott to check it out, and I think it’s safe to say that it’s a triumph.

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The Liverpool Echo reports on farcical scenes at a meeting to sort out arrangements for the new “super-council” to govern the whole region. The new body will see the individual councils working together to develop the area for their mutual benefit.

However, they have fallen down at the first hurdle: choosing a name. The Liverpool contingent reportedly wanted something along the lines of “Liverpool City Region”, to take advantage of the name of the city famous for giving the world the Beatles, Ken Dodd and Brookside. However, some other members were reportedly not happy about this. Personally, I suspect the Sefton lot – the sort of people who still sniffily give their address as “Southport, Lancashire“.

Anyway, the Government has stepped in to separate the fighting children and come up with an excellent compromise. As the Echo reports:

So because the councils couldn’t all agree, Whitehall chiefs have stepped in and decided on the tongue-twisting title of the Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral Combined Authority.

That’s HKLSHSWCA for short. It rolls right off the tongue. WELL DONE EVERYONE.

This very much reminds me of the first episode of every series of The Apprentice, when the teams both squabble over what name to give themselves. The whole region comes out of this looking terrible – if people can’t agree on a name, what are the chances of them managing to do anything else?

I’m annoyed, because HKLSHSWCA was my wi-fi password (I chose it because it was easy to remember), and now I’ve had to change it. Also, “HKLSHSWCArail” is going to look terrible on the side of the region’s trains.

A plague on all their houses – the councillors from the Areas of Runcorn, Southport, Edge Hill, Otterspool, Litherland, Everton and Stoneycroft should hang their heads in shame.

All IMHO of course. E&OE.

GAYS! West Ham footballer Matt Jarvis graced the cover of Attitude in just his pants, because homophobia or something. The usually soppy liberal Observer newspaper got itself embroiled in a transphobia row after a Julie Burchill column caused a Twitter storm.

The big news story of the year was, of course, the UK’s same-sex marriage bill. My old Religious Studies teacher (now MP for Southport) declared that he was voting against it. Despite massive controversy and attempts by rebel MPs to derail it, the bill received Royal Assent in July. I like to think it was my vlog on the subject that swung it.

The UK was behind the curve in many ways, as progress was being made around the world. New Zealand legalised gay marriage in April, an event celebrated by an impromptu outbreak of singing. America, as usual, was slow on the uptake, but a big Supreme Court decision in July was a landmark moment, paving the way for future victories.

Elsewhere, however, gay rights were being rolled back. In Russia, a wrestling coach blamed the lack of wrestling at the Olympics on a gay conspiracy. That was amusing to western ears; less funny was the law against “gay propaganda”, which was enacted amidst a wave of anti-gay violence.

On a more positive note, the events in Russia spurred Wentworth Miller into coming out. In fact, it was a notable year for coming out events: Young Apprentice candidate Harry Hitchens came out via YouTube video. Ben Whishaw confirmed tabloid rumours that he was in a civil partnership. And then there was Tom Daley.

Alan Turing was pardoned for his homosexuality convictions, but where was the sympathy for the thousands of other men who were similarly persecuted?

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A great piece on the great SevenStreets blog, about Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson’s boneheaded decision to scrap bus lanes:

Liverpool is making it just that little bit more difficult for us to use public transport – at a time when study after study shows bus lanes to be a catalyst for urban regeneration, we’re shoving things into reverse…

Read the whole thing, which makes the case for buses (and public transport in general) very well.

My own observations: some of the bus lanes seemed a bit illogical and poorly signed (the one along Lime Street between the Adelphi Hotel and the station always seemed to catch drivers out), but most of them did seem to work to help buses beat congestion. Getting rid of all of them en masse, without any proper study or consultation, is madness. It’s quiet this week due to it being half term, but I dread to think what will happen next week.

I’m more thankful than ever that I live near a Merseyrail station.

I have to admit I was worried about Liverpool Pride this year. First there was the announcement of a new security policy, whereby the festival site would be fenced off, with guards posted at the entrances to ensure no alcoholic drinks were taken in. It all sounded a bit draconian.

Then my usual partners in crime – Scott, Dave and Andrew – all backed out of attending for one reason or another.

Still, I decided to go anyway, and it turned out absolutely fine. Rather than take part in the march, as I have done in previous years, I picked a vantage point in Queen Square and let the march go past me. When I arrived at the main festival site at the Pier Head, the security personnel were friendly and easygoing. Well, they were for me, at least – I did see someone being summarily ejected from the area, presumably because he was causing trouble.

I gave the Stanley Street area a miss – I had memories of previous years when I have been squished into The Lisbon with barely enough space to breathe, let alone reach the bar. Also, it was a lovely sunny day, so better to stay outdoors where it was warm and there was plenty of space.

The atmosphere was friendly and jolly. I saw people of all ages, gay and straight, all mingling together happily. There were some frankly amazing costumes on display as well.

The performances on the main stage at the Pier Head were quite good, with enjoyable sets from the cast of Rent in Concert, Kameelion and Sam Callahan. I didn’t stick around for what must surely have been the highlight of the day – Black Lace – in fact I found myself heading home at around 5pm because I am old and feeble and felt tired.

It was an enjoyable day all round, and best of all, I got a free pen from the Northern Rail stand. Result!

More pictures from the march below. As usual it was led by the Michael Causer Foundation, with participants from unions, student groups, political parties, gay organisations and… er, Nando’s.

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Blogging has been rather light this past month, for which I apologise. I have been studying an Open University maths module which draws to a close on 3rd June with the final exam. Studying for that, and finishing my final assignment, has taken up most of my time. Hopefully, this time next week I will be free to spout nonsense as usual.

I did make time yesterday afternoon, however, to go into Liverpool city centre for the Battle of the Atlantic 70th anniversary commemorations. The Battle of the Atlantic was crucial to the Allies during the Second World War, as Merchant Navy ships carrying essential supplies attempted to outmanoeuvre the German U-Boats which were determined to sink them. Liverpool was very much at the forefront of the campaign – the city’s docks handled much of the cargo, and the command centre responsible for co-ordinating the shipping movements was located in an underground bunker just round the corner from Liverpool Town Hall. It suffered for its strategic importance, being bombed more heavily than any British city outside London.

It has been agreed by all concerned that the 70th anniversary will be the last large-scale commemoration, and tens of thousands of visitors poured into Liverpool over the bank holiday weekend to see the events, which included visiting ships from the countries involved, military displays on the waterfront and a service of remembrance at Liverpool Cathedral.

I arrived at the Albert Dock on Sunday afternoon in glorious sunshine, which had certainly brought out the crowds. Even getting around the dock was slow, due to the sheer number of people.

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Last August I criticised the Mathew Street Festival, saying that the increasingly vomit-stained event needed an urgent overhaul:-

This really is a case where smaller is better. Take the event back to its roots – a celebration of Merseybeat music that the whole family can enjoy, rather than an excuse to emulate the decadence of ancient Rome. Hell, if they do that I might even go next year.

I’m pleased to report that Liverpool City Council have listened to my counsel and have axed the event, replacing it with a smaller and, I hope, less chaotic shindig.

The Liverpool Echo’s reporting tried to put the worst possible spin on the news, but elsewhere the consensus was that this is a good move. As Sevenstreets’ “Autopsy” put it: “How can it be right for a festival to spend £900,000 to set up, with 80% of that cost going to policing and stewardship, sick-cleaning and staging, and only 20% going on the music? How can it be right for us to constantly be looking back fifty years, or wallowing in the parallel universe of tribute acts, when we’re a city that’s known for its creativity?”

The scrapping of the festival (or “Fezzie” as my mum insisted on calling it, even when no-one else did) is only bad news for yobs and alcoholics. Some bar and pub owners in the city centre are upset, but frankly if they were so interested in the Mathew Street Festival, they should have put their hands in their pockets to support it, rather than relying on the Council to subsidise the binge-drinking.

For the first time in quite a while, I will not be looking to flee the city this August Bank Holiday, and I look forward to seeing music other than naff tribute bands on the streets of Liverpool.

Genuine sadness in Liverpool this week, as respected independent retailer Rapid Hardware has gone into administration. The store has been shut since Thursday and it appears increasingly likely that it will never reopen.

The company employs over 100 people – or, as they will soon be known to the Sun and Daily Mail, 100 lazy benefit scroungers.

The one sentiment that has been expressed over and over again by observers is that the shop should never have moved from Renshaw Street. Their old site had ample space outside to load bulky items into waiting cars or taxis – something not possible at their current home in George Henry Lee building, surrounded by pedestrianised streets. Also, the old shop – occupying the entire length of Renshaw Street from the junction with Bold Street all the way down to Lewis’s – was genuinely impressive. I remember being on an open-top bus tour where the guide pointed it out to the tourists – that’s how much of a landmark it was. Here’s an episode of the Apprentice from 2009 in which the shop was featured.

I’m genuinely going to miss Rapid. The city centre location was ideal for office workers like me who needed the odd DIY item. I would often pop in on my lunch break to pick up odds and sods. My last purchase there was just a few weeks ago – a desk lamp from their electrical department. And in December I made my annual trip to their Christmas decorations department, to see what lights I could buy to make my home visible from space over the festive season.

So, that’s another independent retailer to the wall, and the day draws closer when there will only be three organisations selling stuff in the whole world: Tesco, Amazon and Starbucks. I for one welcome our vast corporate monolith overlords. Mine’s a Caramel Macchiato, thanks.

Continuing on from yesterday’s review of the year-type thing.

July (actually, the end of June, but I wrote the blog post on 1st July) saw me make a trip to the legendary BBC Television Centre to watch a recording of Pointless. It was a most enjoyable experience, even if the Central African Republic didn’t come up as an answer. I’m seriously tempted to go back as a contestant.

Liverpool’s Festival Gardens reopened after many years of dereliction. The government announced a whole load of railway improvement schemes, coupled with further plans to price-gouge passengers. I bemoaned the tendency for reviews to oversimplify things with a simple score.

I fretted about Global Warming (and now, after experiencing a week of unseasonably mild weather, I’m even more worried). Heat of a different kind in Liverpool city centre, as preachers continued to claim everyone was going to Hell.

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