Liam Byrne

Chamber POTY: Jack Dromey (sort of), by Kevin Johnson

Could any of our city MPs be POTY....next year?

By:
Published December 19, 2012, in The Chamber POTY


The city’s MPs are not often lauded for their contribution to the Birmingham brand and our economic progress. Ask Sid and Doris on Broad Street or even Colmore Row and they will struggle to name any of the city’s representatives in Parliament. The MPs have never operated successfully as a group to lobby on behalf of city/city region and seem to have no more than a fleeting involvement in the issues that go beyond their direct constituency interests.

That is changing, slowly. Elsewhere on the Files, there will be

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Birmingham rejects mayor by a decisive majority

Decisive 'no' vote puts paid to Birmingham's mayoral ambitions for forseeable future, says Paul Dale

By:
Published May 4, 2012, in Elected mayors


Birmingham’s flirtation with an elected mayor is over for the time being, after the idea was firmly rejected in a referendum.

Voters decided they would rather stick with the existing council leader and cabinet system of governance and shied away from embracing a London-style mayor.

The leader-cabinet system was supported by 120,611 voters, while the elected mayor system was backed by 88,085.

The decision by Britain’s largest local authority will come as a bitter blow to Prime Minister David Cameron, who

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Birmingham’s best opportunity for greatness in 100 years

Only a powerful elected mayor with a direct mandate can arrest Brum's sad decline, says Paul Dale

By:
Published May 2, 2012, in Opinion


When Birmingham was great

Here is a question for everyone who for one reason or another intends to vote against an elected mayor for Birmingham, or simply refuses to take part in the referendum: “When did local government last matter in this country?”

By that I mean when did town hall politics really matter?

When did national governments feel obliged to take any notice of the views of the people of, say, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Liverpool and Coventry about an issue of importance to people living in these great cities?

When did becoming a councillor amount to something in society? Were council meetings ever well attended? When did the turnout at council elections regularly exceed 40 per cent?

You probably have to go back to the 1950s to uncover such halcyon days – an era, incidentally, when major political parties recruited MPs through local business leaders and councillors, rather than relying on today’s career politicians who

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Birmingham’s appointment with history

The perils and pitfalls of an elected mayor

By:
Published April 24, 2012, in Opinion


The political scene in Birmingham could be transformed over the next six months as the city moves slowly but surely towards being governed by an elected mayor.

On the other hand, it could be a case of more of the same if voters reject the idea of having a mayor in a referendum.

Paul Dale examines the timetable, and the perils and pitfalls ahead.

May 3: One-third of Birmingham City Council seats will be contested at the local elections.

Voters will also be asked whether they wish to move from a council leader and cabinet system, which is the current arrangement, to a mayor who would be chosen once every four years directly by everyone in Birmingham who is registered to vote and bothers to do so.

May 4: At about 4am on Friday May 4,

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Byrne talks strategy while Simon gets back to basics with buses as Labour’s mayoral tussle hots up

By:
Published April 16, 2012, in Elected mayors


Labour’s internal battle to select a candidate to run for mayor of Birmingham is rapidly developing into a clash of contrasting styles, between Sion Simon’s man of the people approach and Liam Byrne’s grasp of grand strategy.

The differences were noticeable at a Vote Yes to Birmingham Mayor rally at the Town Hall, where Mr Byrne was at pains to hammer home his experience as a former West Midlands Minister and the role he played in knocking heads together to secure approval for the redevelopment of New Street Station.

The subtext here is obvious enough: “I already have the experience a mayor will require. Please select me as your candidate.”

The Hodge Hill MP went on to outline

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