Manx Grand Prix – the future.

It appears that the Isle of Man government has completed a review of how much revenue they receive as a result of the Manx Grand Prix http://www.manxgrandprix.org/ held on the island in August/September and have concluded it’s not making enough.

They have calculated that the event sees spending by visitors of £5.9m, of which the government get £630,000 in VAT receipts, plus another £125,000 in other receipts making total revenue of £755,000 – however the government spent £815,000 staging the event. They have estimated that to become profit making the fortnight long event would need to see an increase in spending to approx £10m.

Now obviously the MGP isn’t as busy, or as revenue generating as the TT http://www.iomtt.com/ held in May/June each year but I think it’s wrong to look at these race meetings in isolation. The island is seen as a mecca by motorsports enthusiasts and as well as the TT and MGP fortnights, the Manx Rally http://www.manxrally.org/, Rally Isle of Man http://www.mir.co.im/, Southern 100 http://www.southern100.com/ all take place annually, and throughout the year various owners clubs, on both 2 and 4 wheels head across to enjoy some of the best driving roads in the British Isles. The government should take all these events and meets into account and recognise that drivers and riders see the island as a year round destination to enjoy their cars and bikes. If the accountants start peeling away individual events which they don’t see as profitable we have a real danger that the whole island starts to lose it’s hard earned identity as this mecca.

So whilst the Isle of Man government and Manx Motor Cycle Club must work together to increase the number of visitors and thus the revenue coming onto the island, the government must also step back and look at the bigger picture to ensure riders and drivers continue to be tempted onto the island throughout the year.

As for me I’ll be doing my bit again this year by attending both the TT and MGP, although I’ll be sticking to 4 wheels, and letting my Skoda Octavia vRS stretch its legs around the mountain circuit (seen in the picture here at Guthries Memorial, looking north towards Ramsey - although obviously facing the "wrong way"...)

The Mayor of Liverpool

Liverpool City Council voted this evening to create the post of elected Mayor, and the residents will be voting for this in May.  This is good news and a springboard to get this city progressing and growing.  I hope Joe Anderson gets elected as he has shown he has the vision and capability to get the job done.  But you never know perhaps someone else from the world of business will throw their hat into the ring.

I've read that Herbert the hairdresser is to stand too, well I remember Herbert from my early years on the gay scene in the city in the early 80s and he's a lovely guy, a great Liverpudlian and an ambassador that shows the world that we are loud and proud, but please Herbert, think again and leave this job for a serious politician or businessman/woman.  There's plenty for you and everyone else to do to drive our city forward, but not this job.

I always love pointing out to visitors the big gold doors in St George's Hall with their inscription "SPQL"  "Senatus PopulusQue Liverpool" - our new Mayor should adopt that as his/her motto, a big bold statement for a big bold city!

I'm back in Liverpool and everything...

It’s been a while since putting virtual pen to paper and of course I’ve finally left exile in dat der London and moved back to Liverpool.  I’m still working a couple of days a week down in the capital so plenty of Virgin train miles being clocked up for the next few weeks.

There are some exciting things happening up here at the moment and it’s those that I’ve decided to comment on in what I hope will be a more regular blog this year.

Firstly is the ongoing saga of Liverpool Waters - www.liverpoolwaters.co.uk - a massive redevelopment of the central docks area between the Pier Head and Huskisson Dock.  Since these docks were effectively (and physically in some cases) closed to shipping they have been largely abandoned and left to rot.  And ever since Peel Holdings, owner of this land, as well as the rest of the operational Port of Liverpool www.merseydocks.co.uk, put forward this redevelopment plan it has been subject to countless revisions.  The latest setback is the verdict of UNESCO who want more changes less it comprises Liverpool’s World Heritage Site (WHS) status.  The WHS badge is important but it cannot be used as a barrier to progress.  One of the highlights of the WHS is the trio of buildings (Royal Liver, Port of Liverpool and Cunard Buildings) at the waterfront, but it’s worth realising that these buildings wouldn’t exist if the city had been awarded WHS 100 years ago, and it’s exactly this Liverpool tradition of reinventing itself in pursuit of commercial gain that UNESCO, and various campaigners, are trying to stifle.  Nobody is suggesting that any new building will interfere with these jewels of our heritage, and the important buildings within the Liverpool Waters site will be kept and enhanced, it’s the wastelands around them that Peel wish to put back to use and we should support this.

Now I have divided opinions about Peel, and wish they’d do more doing and less talking about their projects.  For instance the Seaforth River Terminal http://www.peel.co.uk/projects/seaforthinriverterminal should have been operational by now, yet construction has still not started; however they have delivered in other areas, notably Media City and the Salford Quays developments, and more importantly they are big hitters in regeneration and therefore we need them as much as they need our land.

Some vested interests are complaining about the plans on the table, and whilst not all of the plans appeal to me either, what is the alternative?  Yes I’d love to see these docks still full of ships, but that’s firmly in the past now.  There is some scope to have modern larger ships berthing at tidal river quays, and some of the current dockland would be needed to support this, namely the proposed cruise terminal, but that still leaves an awful lot of land.  We need something special to lure commercial and residential tenants to these areas, supported by a world class transport and communications network.  After living in London for 20 years, I have seen the way Canary Wharf has grown spectacularly and what a pleasant place it is to work and live, and that’s exactly what I want to see on the banks of the Mersey – only better of course!

Another development which has emerged over the last few days is a deal thrashed out with the government by the leader of Liverpool City Council, Joe Anderson, which would see the city bypass the planned referendum on an elected Mayor and go straight to the election for one.  I totally support this.  Elected Mayors of various cities around the world are seen as a powerful force to ‘sell’ their city to investors, and despite the negative press that Liverpool still gets in this country, it has a huge international reputation, especially in the vitally important countries of China and Brazil.  This deal means we would get a good 12 month head start ahead of the other key cities planning to have Mayors.  The sooner we grab this opportunity and get our new Mayor working night and day to secure the rebirth of our city the better.

The last thing I want to spout off about today is the news that the Dept of Transport has again delayed the decision on allowing the City of Liverpool Cruise Terminal (CLCT) to be used as a turnaround facility (the original grant to build it was given for use as a berth for day calls by visiting ships rather than as a starting point for cruises).  The City Council has offered to pay back some of this grant, but other ports including Southampton are calling on a full refund to be made.  Having cruised out of Southampton I have seen how big an operation turning a modern cruise ship around is, and to be honest, although the CLCT is in a fabulous location, I can’t see how it would be able to accommodate this.  The floating stage would need to be bigger, and able to handle lorries, a terminal building would need to be built on one of the vacant plots of land at Princes Dock, and a large parking facility would have to be provided.  Even then we would only end up with one berth for one ship at a time.  A better idea in my mind would be to pay back nothing, keep the CLCT as a calling point and for Peel (yes them again) to bring forward their cruise terminal plans and get it built, a floating stage off the old Waterloo Dock with a terminal built on the former river entrance there would still be close to the Pier Head and would have more room for the necessary support services

So there you go, plenty of big things on the horizon. They need to happen.  It’s the job of everyone in this city to make sure they do. 

Existere lives on...

This weekend saw the third, and final, day of Existere performances.  The decision by http://www.jocjonjosch.com/ not to film or photograph the installation is I think the correct one, watching it on film would not be able to convey the power of the piece, either from the performer's experience or the audience's.  It was such a powerful creation, but you needed to "feel" it, not just see it.  For the couple of hundred of people taking part (and I include the audience as taking part) it will live on in our memories for a long time to come.

I've met some lovely new friends - hello Peter! http://spencertunickandme.blogspot.com/ and even had someone "come out" to me... perhaps being naked leads to everyone being honest with each other, and themselves.

This afternoon I went to Tate Modern and had a look at the Taryn Simon exhibition. Whilst interesting, I'm not sure Bankside is the ideal venue, it felt as if her work deserved a smaller more intimate showcase, I was going to have 30 mins in the Miro, but the Sunday crowds had arrived so I'll leave my second visit for the Friday evening quiet(er) time.

All in all a productive and enjoyable weekend, but tinged with sadness by the appalling tragedy in Norway. I cannot begin to imagine the pain that the family and friends of all those teenagers are going through, but I hope they are able to find and draw comfort from each other, one thing Existere left me with is the sense that by coming together, and protecting each other, we can withstand whatever is thrown at us.

They are not dead,
Who leave us this great heritage
Of remembered joy.

They still live in our hearts,
In the happiness we knew,
In the dreams we shared.

They still breathe,
In the lingering fragrance windblown,
From their favourite flowers.

They still smile in the moonlight's silver
And laugh in the sunlight's sparkling gold.

They still speak in the echoes of words
We've heard them say again and again.

They still move,
In the rhythm of waving grasses,
In the dance of the tossing branches.

They are not dead;
Their memory is warm in our hearts,
Comfort in our sorrow.

They are not apart from us,
But a part of us
For love is eternal,
And those we love shall be with us
Throughout all eternity.

Anon.

Sheltering from the elements

Can't believe it’s been 8 months since Liverpool Biennial, but lots been happening in my life, went on a lovely 2 week cruise around the Mediterranean with Martin, which included first visits to Rome (fantastic, shame about the hassle from people trying to sell you crap); Ajaccio on Corsica (very beautiful) and Gibraltar (bit of a dive, can't think why Spain wants it..).  Came back to find my contract at Dept for Business wasn't being renewed after 9 years (thanks Vince) but I was overdue for a move, had just got lazy there, so took a month off which included a week on the Isle of Man with my sister for TT Race Week which was amazing, so much so that I've already booked for next year and will be signing up to do some marshalling too.  Came back and started a new contract at Dept for Education.  My flatmate has decided to retire and will be selling up and moving to Somerset, so come next spring I'll be homeless (well in London anyway), I'm looking to buy a house in Liverpool as I feel after 21 years down here my time in exile is drawing to a close and it’s time to head home for good. I've been spending more and more time up there over the last year or so, so feel the time is right to move.

Anyway back to the subject in the title.  Back in May I was surfing around t'interweb looking for art projects to get involved in and saw a call for participation for JocJonJosch - it’s the first time I'd heard of them, but after a bit of research, their work looked interesting, and as luck would have it they were having an open meeting about their House (later Existere) project the following evening. So off I went to Battersea and my first visit to Testbed1, an old industrial site full of character, surrounding by the trappings of (borrowed?) wealth in new apartments.

Meeting the team of Joc, Jon and Joschi (ah, that’s were the name came from) I got a good feel for what they were trying to achieve and immediately wanted to be part of the project (and yes OK, I fancied Joc too...) (I can't help having a thing for posh boys) (unrequited I'm afraid and I've since met his wife Tessa who is equally lovely) (Ed: can we get back to the plot please..)

Anyway a few weeks later and it was time for the first rehearsal which seemed odd at first as we worked in small groups but when it came to bringing everyone together it all seemed to fit into place with ease - JocJonJoshch and the choreographer had obviously put a lot of thought and work in beforehand, because it’s always difficult to make something look easy.  We had another rehearsal, this time in the performance venue last week and (ok I'm really condensing a lot of hard work into a paragraph here) after a few tweaks we had an almost finished product to show to the public.

The basic premise is to form a human shelter which we hold together against the elements, thus protecting those within. Testbed1 is a very effective venue, being an old derelict and dark space, but with one corner lit from above by a skylight under which we would build our structure.  So on Saturday I arrived in the rain and met some of the people I'd met at rehearsal, and some new faces and we split into teams (or columns), which in turn would combine to form the structure.  We did 5 performances to different sizes of audience, with the middle performance the most memorable.  As we entered the space the rain was falling on the skylight, but as the structure came together, it seemed like the monsoon season had arrived, the sound of the torrential rain and the darkness which descended over the room, meant that all you wanted to do was hold everyone closer together, you became so aware that 60 people, all naked, were at their most vulnerable and the group needed to protect each other, it only lasted for a few minutes, but the emotion of that moment, and the elation when we got back to changing rooms of having performed at just the right moment was a profoundly moving experience.

We performed again on Sunday, a few of the faces were different and we had another mixture of sunshine and rain during the 5 performances.  The only problem with being the structure is you can't see the structure as the audience sees it.  Existere is only being performed over 3 dates, so just 1 left, next Saturday (23rd July), it’s not being filmed or photographed so the only way to experience it is to get yourself along to Testbed1 to, not just see it, but be part of it.  It’s free, just go to www.jocjonjosch.com and print yourself a ticket.  This is a once (literally now) in a lifetime experience which you shouldn't miss.

As with all the projects I've been involved in, I've met some amazing people, from all walks of life. And hopefully will be working with some of them again after Existere becomes just a memory (but what a memory!) for all those involved.

Liverpool, Expo 2010, and a disinterested Tory minister

I thought I’d use my blog this time to highlight an exchange with the government minister Damian Green.  Whilst I’m glad to receive a reply to my letter, I’m not altogether surprised that he completely disregarded the points that I made and instead chose to make another generalising statement with no factual basis behind it.  So much for the Tories listening powers.

Damian Green was on BBC Question Time on 3^rd February, and in my letter to him I took issue with a comment he made about overseas trips made by Liverpool City councillors.

My letter on 4^th February read:

During the BBC Question Time programme last night, 3^rd February 2011, whilst answering a question regarding the decision by Liverpool City Council to withdraw from its participation in the “Big Society”, you made a somewhat throw-away comment that Liverpool councillors had made visits to China, which could have led members of the audience to conclude that those councillors had been wasting tax-payers money on such trips.

You should be aware that Liverpool was the only UK city to have a dedicated pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.  This was a major coup for the city which came about because of Liverpool’s long standing relationship with China generally, and the city of Shanghai in particular, and the city’s heightened profile during its tenure as the 2008 European Capital of Culture.

Liverpool’s presence at Expo 2010 was led by Liverpool Vision in partnership with the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool Shanghai Partnership.  The NWDA committed £1.25m to support Liverpool’s presence, whilst Liverpool City Council committed £300,000.

The event was regarded in Liverpool as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to consolidate existing and forge new relationships in the world’s emerging markets and to showcase Liverpool’s track record of urban regeneration under the Expo theme of Better City, Better Life.

During the 6 months of Expo 2010 over 770,000 visits were made to the Liverpool Pavilion and the city council estimates that over £50M of inward investment will come to the city as a direct result of those visits.

The pavilion’s main sponsor was Peel Holdings, which has interests in ports, airports, renewable energy, media and property development across the North West.   It is hoped that further Chinese investment will be made in the region and particularly in Peel Holding’s Wirral Waters and Liverpool Waters developments, and representatives from Shanghai have already made reciprocal visits to Liverpool to develop that process.   During a visit to the Liverpool Pavilion Mike Taylor, Deputy CEO of Liverpool Vision remarked; “Undoubtedly the Peel Group offer some of the most significant, impressive and attractive investment opportunities being promoted at World Expo in Shanghai. The scale and potential of what will be the UK’s largest regeneration scheme is of huge interest to potential investors at home and overseas and with Peel and Liverpool City Council united behind a shared vision and ambition for the City we are on the right track in promoting economic growth and the creation of jobs on a massive scale”.

On 18^th February Damian Green wrote back to me:

Thank you for your letter about Liverpool.

I am as convinced as ever that Liverpool City Council’s decision to pull out of the Big Society project was indeed politically motivated, and that the main victims of this will be the people of Liverpool.

When government ministers themselves are busy making trips to China, India, Brazil and other emerging and enlarging markets, I’m saddened that the efforts from the leaders of one of our largest cities to bring much needed foreign investment should be denigrated in this way.

Indeed Green’s fellow minister Mark Prisk, Minister of State at the Department for Business said "I hope the success of the British contribution to the Shanghai Expo will become a symbol which embodies the determination that the UK and China have to become partners devoted to economic growth."

This success was recognised recently when Liverpool Vision won the China Recognition Award, The accolade was to celebrate the successful delivery of the Liverpool Pavilion.

Runner up was The Peel Group.  Chairman of The Peel Group, John Whittaker, also attended David Cameron’s Trade Mission to Beijing in November 2010 as part of a large delegation of prominent UK businesses, and last month Mr Whittaker met China’s Executive Vice Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to the UK.

The Recognition award, sponsored by UK Trade and Investment and the Northwest Development Agency, is given in recognition of named individuals or organisations that have made a significant contribution to developing links with Greater China during 2010.

Philomena Chen, Head of Asia Pacific Development for UK Trade & Investment, said: “There was an outstanding level of entries for the North West region this year, and our winners of the China Recognition Awards are the individuals who have shown the greatest commitment to forging links with mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan.

“Liverpool’s involvement in the Shanghai World Expo, and the success of the Pavilion were key to demonstrating Liverpool’s commitment to Shanghai and China, positioning the city well with key decision makers and Chinese businesses.

"It put the city and the North West on the map as a future investment destination and Liverpool Vision is a worthy winner of the China Recognition Award.

"In addition, The Peel Group’s role as lead sponsors was instrumental in encouraging engagement with China with a view to securing inward investment into the North West region."

Clive Drinkwater, International Trade Director for UK Trade & Investment North West, said: "This year’s North West England Greater China Recognition Awards recognise Liverpool Vision and The Peel Group as two organisations which have done the most to strengthen the links between our countries and businesses in the region.

"We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to these extremely worthy winners, who have worked closely with UK Trade and Investment and been of invaluable help in allowing us to offer assistance to North West companies hoping to do business in this exciting market."

Biennial 2010, the end, almost

Last weekend saw my last visit to Biennial 2010, and two more sessions in Daniel Knoor's Naked Corner.  Saturday I chose a fun slogan with "Snap, Crackle and Pop", and on Sunday I decided to finish with the more serious and, to my mind, thought provoking "Capitalist Tool" 

The hours spent in the window watching Liverpool pass by allow you plenty of time to study your fellow humans.  I made two observations in particular: firstly the city is still the capital of live music, it seemed that every other lad who walked past was carrying a guitar.  And secondly it was interested to watch couples as they passed in cars; where the girl was driving, the lad was more likely to be looking at the shops and pointing me out; but where the lad was driving, the girls tended to be texting - all this was a totally unscientific study but amused me anyway…

Before my session on Saturday, I visited the Walker for the Wolfgang Tillmans' exhibit.  It was interesting that the artist and curator had chosen to display the works intermixed with the existing artworks in the gallery which gave you a different insight into some of the "old masters" that I normally tend to speed past.

Sunday afternoon I took in the Biennial pieces in FACT, and had a hot chocolate and cake with the ever lovely Anna (twitter @thespyglass) before heading over to Renshaw Street.

The journey back to London was productive, I got chatting to the young guy sat next to me, who was looking for a rugby team to play for having just moved south, so I talked about our team www.kxsrfc.com and he played for us this weekend, he's a very talented and enthusiastic flanker, and should be an asset to the team as we enter the second half of the season.
 
2010 Biennial has been amazing, I've done 5 visits and still didn't get around everything.  It’s a worrying time for the arts as the government wields its spending axe, but knowing the people involved in Biennial and knowing the people of Liverpool, they won't let a bit of petty penny pinching in Whitehall spoil the party.  Roll on 2012!