Søren’s Liver Bird
“…Laugh at the world’s foolishness, you will regret it; weep over it, you will regret that too; laugh at the world’s foolishness or weep over it, you will regret both…” - Søren Kierkegaard
I sometimes wonder how many of my desires are truly mine. I’m a stubborn man. Despite being a fan of Girard and his theories on mimetic desire, I indulge in a little cognitive dissonance when it comes to thinking about why I take on burdens which were never mine to endure.
Turning 30 hasn’t given me the sudden crushing weight of responsibility and physical ageing which people semi-joke about. I’ve felt that since 25 - the deteriorating knee and shoulder joints included; But it has caused me to think in a more deductive manner about my situation in life, the thoughts that occupy my head and the things I commit energy to. One of the things I dwell on a lot is the place I live - and have lived for most of my life - and how it has been mismanaged for over a decade.
The local elections in Liverpool which take place on 4th May will see councillors elected to a totally new set of seats in new ward boundaries. I am hopeful that the incumbent Labour administration will suffer a bloody nose. I’m not naive enough to think it will be dethroned completely, or that the most culpable perpetrators behind its dirty tactics will lose their seats. Some change could happen though - and a Labour administration that is fearful of losing outright control should be more willing to engage in local democracy and conduct itself with some decorum.
In supporting this change, I am - by logic - backing people whose views I don’t necessarily agree with. I consider myself a classic liberal - but not a big fan of how the Lib Dems have behaved over the past decade. Yet, there’s wards where I hope the Lib Dems oust Labour lackeys. I’m definitely not a Green supporter - but I am a huge fan of how some of the local Green candidates - particularly in Everton - have conducted a campaign to show people there is a better, happier, healthier alternative to simply voting Labour because “that’s just how it is round here”. I’ve never been much of a ‘socialist’ [by any definition of this highly liquid, variable label] - but I’d gladly help some of the Liverpool Community Independents who have come out as the true socialist alternative in their wards where there is much discontent with the Labour kleptocracy that has gone on for many years. The Liberate Liverpool movement seems to be generating enough discussion that people across the political spectrum are focussing some energy on individuals who have appeared under their banner - but I note that it is not a political party itself, and that there are independent candidates in there of all leanings across the political spectrum. I’m definitely not a fan of the 5G-antivax-conspiracy crowd - but perhaps the existing parties should take a close look at themselves if people are so turned off by the existing options that they gravitate towards people with such fringe views. If only such self-introspection took place in the local Labour party, perhaps we wouldn’t have countless incidents of fraud, corruption, nepotism, failed property developments, sexual harassment claims and blunders which have eviscerated our reputation on a national and international stage.
I recently successfully pitched for Liverpool to host an event in partnership with a major international tech conference brand. I’ve invested more than half of my own wealth into local companies which have created jobs for local people. I’ve given thousands of hours of my time away for free because I believed in the city becoming a better place to live. I didn’t just drink the kool aid - I brewed and distributed it.
I gave my twenties to Liverpool.
I just want it to do better.
