tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185841697425248556.post-8540983642771467132008-03-17T15:40:00.002Z2008-03-17T15:51:47.183ZGovernment minister Andy Burnham has rather crossed a line I think.<br /><br />Visiting Liverpool for various ministerial engagements -including the opening of the re vamped Bluecoat arts centre in his position as culture minister - he also spoke at a business breakfast.<br /><br />Nothing wrong with that in itself.<br /><br />But it's what he chose to say.<br /><br />The full story is on the Daily Post website -www.icliverpool.com but you can sum it up as.....<br /><br />vote for my mates in the Labour party here as the government always gives a better deal to Labour Councils.<br /><br />Whenever others have said that Manchester gets a better deal because the Government is politically partial when it comes to Cities, I have always felt a bit dubious.<br /><br />But here we have it from the horses mouth.<br /><br />Government Ministers, particularly those with involvement in funding decisions, are obliged in their official life not to be partial. So either Mr Burnham has been very poorly reported, or he was way over a line, or he was not acting as a minister (but then I suspect Liverpool business people would not turn up simply to hear an MP from Leigh)<br /><br />Either way, I do hope that he can show that his travelling to and from the event, and any speech preparatione etc, was not funded by Parliament or the ministry and did not involve his ministerial transport or staff in any way whatsoever. Perhaps someone ought to enquire.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6185841697425248556-854098364277146713?l=paulakeaveney.blogspot.com'/></div>Paula Keaveneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814842819611094232paula@garstonld.org.uk12