Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 - A reflection

It’s December 31st 2010, time for a moment of reflection.


What were the best and the worst moments of my year (or at least those parts that are suitable for public consumption anyway, nothing intensely personal, don’t panic!)

Best

1. 2949 and 62.05% - the number of votes I received in the May 2010 local elections upon my re-election to the wonderful ward of Kensington and Fairfield in Liverpool and the share of the vote that represents. 13% - the size of the swing from LibDem to Labour. Nothing has given me as much joy as seeing those votes piling up and realising that the voters and I were thoroughly sealing our ongoing pact with each other.

2. Labour taking power in Liverpool after 12 years in opposition.

3. Luciana Berger winning Liverpool Wavertree by a big margin – and then becoming a Shadow Minister. And Stephen Twigg winning Liverpool West Derby and also becoming a Shadow Minister.

4. £494,000 the size of the Heritage Lottery Fund bid we secured for the restoration of Deane Road Jewish Cemetery.

5. Being elected the Chair of Labour North West Region

6. The first official Liverpool Pride (although of course there were others in previous decades, but none that came with the support of the council, police, fire service etc in the past)

7. Kensington Remembers 2010 – six events bringing people together from across Liverpool to commemorate the holocaust, genocide and man’s inhumanity to man, in a positive and fulfilling way.

8. Venture Housing Association gaining a star from the Audit Commission

9. Edge Lane finally sees progress in terms of both the boarded up houses and the retail park

10. My brother Robert graduated from Cambridge University with BA MSci

11. Saul and Leanne’s wedding

12. Councillor Stephanie Till elected in Croxteth, go girl!

13. New Fire Station opened on Beech Street, Fairfield

14. Ian Jobling defected to Labour

Worst

1. Labour losing the General Election

2. Karen Harold RIP

3. BSF scrapped for former Littlewoods Building for St Hildas and ArchBishop Blanch

4. Councillor Rose Bailey RIP

5. Martin Pinder and Alan Kelly and Maria Curran and Cath Taylor move on, leaving a void in Kensington and Fairfield.

6. Demolition of lovely houses on Prescot Drive and Prescot Road, one of those “tough decisions” that politicians ordinarily seem to thrive on, but just made me weep.

7. The snow in January

8. The snow in November

9. The snow in December

10. Errr, there is no tenth thing

Here’s to 2011!

1 comment:

Maria Curran said...

Hi Louise, I have only just seen your 2010 reflections. Thank you so much for the lovely words.
I still miss Kensington and many of those I worked with. I'll come back to a meeting as soon as I can to see you all.
Maria xxx