Granada Trip – Day 1

“I want to see the Alhambra Palace’s” said the Lady of the Villa. Brilliant I thought a Curry Trip around all The Alhambra Palace’s in the UK. Reaching over for “Curry Houses in the UK I felt a slap around my head.
“Not those  Alhambra Palaces, but the ones in Granada, in Spain” OK I thought I reached over for the PC to get the Tom Tom up to date and get maps from www.multimap.com. SLAP!
“Don’t bother with those, I have organised the whole thing. We are going by coach!” Is she mad I thought, I haven’t been on a coach trip since I was at Secondary School and I did not think I was that old I needed a driver.
Anyway that is why I am standing at 7;30 am (yes am!) waiting at a pickup point for the coach. Nice coach, nice reclining seats, air conditioning, and only a third full and complete with driver and tour guide. And off we go stopping twice for “driver breaks” to arrive in Granada at 13:15. Once there the coach took us on a bus tour of the city centre to give us a flavour of Granada. Once at the hotel and unpacked we were off to the town to have a look around for the afternoon.

We walked around the outside of the Cathedral and walked around the Christian area and identified places that we could eat at in the evening. Then it was off to the Moorish part of the town about 5 minutes away. This was very interesting with very narrow streets and it had a bazaar and very Arabic atmosphere.
Arrived back at the hotel at 16:00 and had one of the great Spanish traditions, a siesta. Later we then went out for an evening meal. We had decided on Spanish meal that night with a Moorish meal the next night. So we ended up, after a few aperitifs, in the main square at installed ourselves in the Centro restaurant.
A really nice Spanish meal with a lovely red wine unfortunately accompanied by very poor service. We had finished our mains and were asked straight away if we wanted a sweet. We asked for a 5 minute break. Twenty minutes later we managed to find a waiter and asked for the bill (la quinta) having gone passed waiting for a sweet. Another 10 minutes went by before we stood over a waiter and insisted we paid the bill. I was all in favour of leaving no tip but was over ruled by the Lady of the Villa.
Off we went to the hotel bar only to find even worse service and it was only 23:30. After a drink we left for bed.

Taxi Permit chaos causes frustration

We do go out at least once a week and always within walking distance. Any other journey to a further venue means a dedicated driver. We cannot understand (until now) why taxis are so difficult to find. This from the local paper:
“Taxi drivers in the Orihuela municipality have called for direct action by officials at the Town Hall to ensure that their licenses are renewed quickly. Dozens of affected drivers have been left unable to work for months and in one case two years, due to red tape and bureaucracy caused by inefficiencies in the Town Hall’s administration department.
This renewed permit is not issued to drivers who have taken, for instance, a long break from taxi driving or who have perhaps been ill and must prove their driving skills are still of the required standard. This permit is required simply because they have just changed their vehicle! And more often than not for a newer and better technically equipped and more environmentally friendly model than the previous one.”

Smoking Ban in Spain: Will It Ever Happen?

The proposed smoking ban in Spain has been put back until 2011, raising some doubts over whether it will ever happen at all.
With most countries in Western Europe having brought in smoking ban several years ago, Spain stalled and put in place some half-baked legislation in the hope that that would see off any laws being imposed from on high by the European Union.
Since late 2005, small bars and cafes in Spain have been in the curious position of being allowed to choose whether to permit smoking not. Unsurprisingly (as most bar staff and their patrons smoke), they chose to allow it. Larger establishments were, in theory, asked to fit an expensive ventilated partition. Most ignored it, including Madrid airport.
Realising that the current system was doing nothing to decrease the amount of smoking in public places in Spain, the government threatened to completely ban lighting up in bars and cafes in 2010. But the law has been creeping further and further back - first until the summer and now until 2011.

What a tattoo!

A while ago I blogged about  the right to be naked in any public place in Spain is a part of the human rights of every person in Spain. This includes: publicly owned beaches, rivers, forests, lakes, even streets and town squares
Well as you can see from the picture above (taken in Barcelona) some people take it literaly. And Yes he is naked!

Weather in Spain Week 26th April – 2nd May 2010

Monday: Misty start that the sun burnt off giving a really hot and sunny day. Temp of 27C - the hottest so far. Overnight temp of 15C.
Tuesday:Sunny and bright day. Temp of 26C. Overnight clear and bright with a temp of 16C.
Wednesday: Very warm and hot day. Temp of 27C. Overnight clear with a temp of 16C
Thursday: Another hot and sunny day with a temp of 27.5 C a new high. Again overnight it was clear and bright with a temp of 15C
Friday: Bright and Sunny staret that became overcast later in the day. Temp of 23C. Overnight cool and clear with a temp of 15C
Saturday: Sunny and warm day with a temp of 22C. Overnight temp of 17C
Sunday: Warm and sunny day. Temp of 23.5C. Overnight clear with a temp of 16C

We wont be around to record the next few weeks of weather. This blog element will continue later this month.

For an advanced forecast in the area I live in see http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/europe_forecast_7days.asp?locationID=3222 which is Mercia Airport, our nearest point on this site.

Off to the Game

I am about to go off and see Liverpool play Chelsea in a local bar. I was hoping to see it at Anfield, however, the youngest daughter has turned up and The Lady of Villa  gave me one of her looks. The one that said “Don’t Go” so I didn’t.

Instead I am off to a bar, with both of them, a bar owned and mostly populated with MANCS. (They will be playing later).
I want Liverpool to win because

1. I always do
2. To lose at home is not the Liverpool way (even if it means UTD win the Premier) and we should not “lie down”
3. The best team over 38 games should win

Come On You Red Men!

Do you Know who it is yet?

As Rolf Harris used to say ‘Do you know who it is yet?’ Who you are going to vote for that is?
In my opinion there is not a great deal to choose from, what we had before or two unknowns, who will probably give just the same old guff. ‘It wasn’t me it was the last lot made me do it!’ Whatever IT is.
Well there is not much time to go to make a decision. Lets hope it’s not a hung parliament, because not matter what deals are struck to keep one of them in power, it will all fall down in a year or two and we will go through the whole thing again.
Sometimes I wonder if the month before a General Election is worse than the whole life of a parliament. All those ‘promises’ said so unctuously, ‘all that we can get you out of this mess messages’, smiles galore until election night and then the losers party have their ‘Night of the long knives’ and the blood letting begins.

Books Read in April 2010

 At my Mothers Knee. Paul O'Grady. This is the story of Paul O'Grady, presenter TV Actor and the alter ego of the infamous Lily Savage. It tells his story from birth to him turning 18. Here he tells the story of his life, growing up in Birkenhead. He tells brilliantly all the tales of his family and the sorts of tricks that he got up to when he was pre teen, as well as the tricks he got up to when he discovered girls and boys! His experiences of school and work made me laugh out loud, and his experience with the church and Catholicism is also so philosophical and funny at the same time. It is obvious that all the female characters of his life, his mum and her sisters,the lady next door have influenced his character of Lily Savage. The stories you hear him tell are no doubt true but I am sure exaggerated for effect (as most peoples funny stories are). However they are beautifully told in the book with no malice just fun. I cant wait for the next instalment. 5 Stars.


Carra. Jamie Carragher is one of the most popular footballers in Liverpool`s history. He is worshiped by the LFC fans, and the envy of rival back fours. His popularity was proven when he was recently voted the most popular player in the entire Liverpool squad.
Carra. Jamie Carragher. The story tells how Carra came to Liverpool even though he had been brought up as a 'Blue nose' (evertonian) from an Everton family and with Everton friends. The book packed with great anecdotes and stories, and he doesn't pull any punches with his opinions and has a large helpings of scouse humour, I really enjoyed it. This book is the real McCoy straight from the horses mouth. Raw, funny and down-to-earth, this book takes you behind the scenes of all of Liverpool and some of England's triumphs and disasters in the company of a player who never fails to be intelligent, controversial or just downright hilarious.4 Stars.

X Marks the Box. Daniel Blythe. This was a free e-book from Waterstones and I started to read it thinking that i would not last till the last page. I was wrong. Daniel Blythe negotiates the political maze from the voters point of view. Covers issues like Why should we vote? What do politicians do and why does it make a difference? Identifies and defines Diehards, a Bloody-Noser and a Tactical voter amongst others. What can your MP do for you? And just why do they avoid answering direct questions? Along the way, he examines the most fun general elections and the under-rated politicians; the scandals and the bizarre MP polls, the biggest political victories, the U-turns and betrayals; the issues on the street, the part played by newspaper and what manifestos really mean; how to make your vote count, how to protest, and why you should care about by-elections.Whether you are disenchanted or a ballot-box regular, an activist or a floating voter, this is a book amused, informed and entertained. 4 Stars.

Tooth and Nail. Ian Rankin, Another Inspector Rebus novel, this time based in London. Rebus helping 'The Met' track a serial killer. Good story, well written, kept me guessing who the killer was, but spoit by the 'and with a leap the killere was exposed' ending. Never saw the killer as the one unmasked at anytime. None of the clues pointed to anyone, so it seems one character was selected so thye book could end. Really fanciful car chase at the end. 3 Stars.

Drop Zone. Micheal Salazar. This has got to be the worst book I have read in a long time. Not just for the storyline but for the characterisation, the writing, the dialogue, the whole concept. It is not often, in fact I cant remember when I did it last, that I do not finish a book but I could not finish this one! Give this a big miss. -5 Stars. 

50 People who Buggered Up Britain. Quentin Letts. I liked the title so I read it, to be honest it should be titled 50 People who Let Britain Down. Not a lot, if any, of the 50 people buggered Britain (Jimmy Saville, Alex Furguson, Tony Greig, Jeffrey Archer) some buggered up more than others (Ed Balls, James Callahan, Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher) and no doubt you could add more to the list (Mark Thatcher, Prince Charles etc.) but the author has to stop his list somewhere and save another 50 for a second book! Anyway an interesting read and as each chapter was a view of one person no hardship on the brain. 2 Stars.

More of Spain in the UK

British Airways and Spanish airline Iberia have signed a deal to merge and create one of the world's biggest airline groups. The merger, which was provisionally agreed in November last year, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It is expected to save the airlines 400m euros ($533m; £350m) a year.
The new company will be called International Airlines Group, but the BA and Iberia brands will continue to operate as normal. The company will have its headquarters in London, with BA shareholders retaining 55% ownership of the company. Sounds like a take over to me!
The merger is seen as a chance for the two airlines to cut costs following two very tough years for the airline industry.  Both BA and Iberia are expected to report heavy losses this year, with BA predicted to announce its biggest annual loss since privatisation.
The airlines are also regarded as a good match, having few overlapping routes. The merger will also allow the company to compete more effectively with other European giants including Air France-KLM and Germany's Lufthansa. The airlines are expected to complete the merger by December, subject to approval from regulators and shareholders.
One stumbling block could be BA's pension problems. Its two final-salary pension schemes have a combined deficit of £3.7bn, which it needs to cut. Last month, the airline agreed plans with unions to increase pension contributions to close the deficit.
But Iberia still has the option to call off the merger if it decides that the plans are not satisfactory. Plans for a tie-up between BA and Iberia date back long before the current troubles in the airline industry. The two airlines first began working together in 1999 following the privatisation of the Spanish flag-carrier.

Exchange Plates Part 2 - Forms and Taxes

Having got through the first part of the exchange of license plates ourselves we bottled it on the subsequent parts. The amount of forms and the number of separtments together with our basic Spanish was too much for us and we had a company do it for us.
It only took ten days for them to do it and the cost was as follows:

• Trafico (1st Registration Fee) - 115.38    
• Plates                                    -   24.00
• Import Tax                            - 383.50
• Suma (Road Fund Tax)         -    79.65
• Company Charge                  -    96.00

Total 698.53. This together with the ITV (MOT) charges (206.35) brought the whole cost to 907.88 euros. Not bad.           

Politicians Lie – The proof

Yesterday’s spat between Brown and Mrs Duffy is classic. In the discussion between the two the irony is that I thought Brown had actually managed to talk Gillian Duffy round. She'd said she was planning to vote Labour at the end of their conversation and was satisfied with the prime minister's answers.

He'd inquired about her family, told her he was pleased to see her, chatted about her grandchildren and even said that she had a "good family". So, what was Mrs Duffy's sin that allowed the PM to describe her as a "bigoted woman" once he thought he was out of ear-shot in the privacy of his own car?

She asked him how he planned to reduce the deficit; she asked him about her grandchildren's chances of going to university and how they'd pay for it; and she raised the question of immigration from Eastern Europe and what that could mean for jobs in her area.

In other words, not trivial, not irrelevant, but core political issues.

All smiles to her face and behind her back really what her thought. Did he then think, “I have misaligned the woman I should apologise”, I don’t think so. He later apologised because he was still ‘miked up’. If no mic was on he would have carried on and nobody would be wise to his real thoughts. In my mind he still thinks she is bigoted.

Hence the lying politician. Say what the public want you to say, but think differently and of course act differently. Apologise after, if necessary.

Mrs Duffy and people like her are core to Labour staving off a meltdown at this election. There is a good chance that Labour supporters may feel tempted to return the contempt with which Gordon Brown appears to have treated one voter.

The end of The Bill

Police drama The Bill is to be by ITV and I am not at all surprised. I did watch The Bill for many years and found it interesting and entertaining. However, when it turned itself into a soap opera it definitely lost its interest for me.
However, the number of ‘stars’ that made guest appearances over the years is very long:
· Paul O'Grady, who played drag queen Roxanne in several episodes between 1988 and 1990.
· David Tennant, recently retired as the most popular Doctor Who. He appeared, in a single episode of The Bill in 1995.
· Robert Carlyle, celebrated for his performances in Trainspotting and The Full Monty, guest-starred in a 1991 episode.
· Former EastEnder and one-time chart star Martine McCutcheon also had an early taste of TV when she joined the world of police drama in 1991.
· Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton turned up in 1993, aged 17, playing a troubled teenager.
· One-hit-wonder Chesney Hawkes also had a Sun Hill role
· In 1984, Lord of the Rings and Sharpe star Sean Bean appeared in a single episode of The Bill.
· Michelle Collins, also appeared just the once
· In 1995 Pirates of the Caribbean star Keira Knightley got a break on the show. She played 10-year-old Sheena Rose in 1995.
· Knightley's Atonement movie co-star James McAvoy, also had one of his first TV appearances on The Bill two years later.
· Russell Brand appeared in the show, aged 18, in 1994.
· David Walliams landed a role in 2002, a year before Little Britain appeared on our screens.
· Roger Daltrey of The Who also appeared
The writing was on the wall when they changed The Bill from its successful drama series to a twice a week, half-hourly soap format. Old school Sun Hill veterans like Reg, June and Tony were replaced by babes and hunks. Burnside and Tosh Lines's days were over and so was the Bill’s.

Chasing voters in Spain

Up until I read about it in the English press I did not believe it, but all the Brits abroad are being chased to vote at the next election, not only in Spain but Australia too.
Conservative Spanish branches are trying to persuade some of the hundreds of thousands of Britons resident in Spain to register as voters, emulating the efforts of the prominent US political groups.
In terms of numbers of British residents abroad, Spain lies fourth after Canada, Australia and the US. It is home to many Britons who maintain close ties with the UK, and Conservatives Abroad has more branches in Spain than anywhere else.
Spanish statistics show that just under 700,000 Britons have registered with the authorities as residents, although the real number is thought to be higher. Many UK pensioners live on the Mediterranean, especially on the Costa del Sol, the Costa Blanca and the Costa Brava.
I really do not know how this works, the Lady of the Villa and I are registered with HMRC as living abroad and registered in Spain as resident and able to vote. So can I vote in the UK and Spain? I will look into this

Iranian cleric blames quakes on promiscuous women OR Did the earth move for You?

Women who wear revealing clothing and behave promiscuously are to blame for earthquakes, an Iranian cleric says. Hojjat ol-eslam Kazem Sediqi, the acting Friday prayer leader in Tehran, said women should stick to strict codes of modesty to protect themselves.
"Many women who do not dress modestly lead young men astray and spread adultery in society which increases earthquakes," he explained. Mr Sediqi was delivering a televised sermon at the Tehran University campus mosque last Friday.
"What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble? There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes," he said. “Now if a natural earthquake hits Tehran, no one will be able to confront such a calamity but God's power, only God's power. So lets not disappoint God."
You could not make this up! If this was a priest or vicar in England or even Spain you would have him put away!

You Could not make it Up – Playboy on TV

TV bosses in the US have apologised after preview clips of the Playboy channel were accidentally played out on two children's channels.
A Time Warner Cable (TWC) spokesman said a "technical glitch" was to blame for the mistake, which lasted two hours.
The company was made aware of the error after parents called in to report it.
TWC said it had procedures in place to catch errors, but it was not picked up as it affected only a small area.

Weather in Spain Week 19th April – 25th April 2010

Monday: Sunny and warm day at long last, temp of 20C. Overnight clear and warm with a temp of 13C.
Tuesday:Overcast day. Temp of 20C. Overnight temp of 16C
Wednesday: Sunny morning and afternoon with a Temp of 25C. Overnight clear woth a temp of 18C
Thursday: Sunny start but clouding over by mid afternoon. temp of 25C. Evening thunderstorms of high intensity. Overnight temp of 14C
Friday:  Sunny start and apart from a few dark clouds the sun shone all day. Temp 24C.Overnight clear and bright with a temp of 14C.
Saturday: Misty start that cleared up to give a sunny and warm day with a temp of 25C. Overnight temp of 12C.

Sunday: Warm and sunny day with a temp of 23C. Overnight clear with a temp of 13C.

For an advanced forecast in the area I live in see http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/europe_forecast_7days.asp?locationID=3222 which is Mercia Airport, our nearest point on this site.

St Georges Day

The 23rd April was St Georges Day and my grandson who is at Junior School in the UK  wrote a St Georges story and it won him a prize at the school. He used a computer to type the words in and also to illustrate the story.

Here is the story:-

In a large, tattered Viking village, burned by a ferocious, vile dragon that had attacked without warning that night, there was pandemonium. There were Vikings everywhere either gathering weapons or treating the wounded, or putting out still flaming huts.

The chief Stoik the Vast (hear his name and tremble, ug-ug) looked out on his village in despair.

“Curse that dragon and its powerful flame, it’s scorched our huts and killed so many!” he raged murderously. “We must sacrifice our sheep to it so that it will not attack the village any more.”

Just then, Astrid walked in. She was the daughter of Stoik, she had flame red hair and muscles like a gorilla. She could take three enemy Vikings on at a time with one hand tied behind her back.

“Father, the people are panicking, we must do something and fast,” she said worriedly.

“My dear, I have already decided what we shall do,” he replied,” we will give our sheep to the dragon to stop it from attacking us.”

So, once all the farm animals were gone, the Chief ordered his council to help.

“We must do something, we must think of something else to give the dragon for it shall not be long until its next attack,” he shouted.

“We could give him our fruit,” suggested Gobber the belch, leader of the village army.

“Dragons don’t eat fruit you old nutcase!” replied Old Wrinkly the dragon expert.

“We should give them our cats and dogs,” said Speedfist the Brains.

So, all the cats and dogs were taken out one by one until there were no more, and they had all gone. So the chief once again called his council.

“Speedfist, do you have any ideas?” asked Stoik anxiously.

“I can honestly say I don’t,” he replied.

“Old Wrinkly?” asked Stoik, hopefully.

“No, not a one,” he replied.

“I have an idea,” said Tuffent Junior, the leader of the farms.

“What is your idea?” asked Stoik, suspiciously, for Tuffent never had good ideas.

“We should get a bag, put as many stones in as there are people who are in the village at a time. Whoever picks out the black stone will be taken to the dragon.”

Stoik felt terrified. He did not want to go through with this plan, but he knew he had no choice to prevent the dragon from attacking the village again.

Many days passed. Weeping mothers lost their children, children lost fathers, fathers lost wives, women lost husbands, until one day, when Astrid picked the black stone out of the bag. Stoik pleaded with the people not to take her.

“Why shouldn’t we,” they replied, “whilst we have lost family, you have not. It is time you felt the sadness of losing a loved one.”

Astrid was a brave girl and said “Father, do not worry, I shall die with the honour of a Viking warrior.”

As all this was going on a brave young Viking named Georvik the Great was trotting down the path to the village on his white stallion. He heard a girl crying. He looked to his left and saw Astrid crying tied to a post with ropes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Oh go, before you are eaten by this beast as well as me,” she sobbed.

“Beast?” Georvik asked curiously. “You mean as in a dragon beast?”

“Yes,” said Astrid.

“Do not worry, for I shall slay this dragon and save you, my dear,” he shouted. Georvik unsheathed his sword, Stormblade, and sliced through the ropes as if he were cutting through string.

“Thank you, my brave sir,” said Astrid. Just then, the dragon rose out of the lake. Its scales were shining black, its eyes were red with hate and its claws looked like they could slice through a man in full battle armour. Suddenly Georvik had an idea.

“Here, here dragon,” he called, shaking the rope at it, like a ball of wool to a cat. The dragon opened its eyes large and started to smile somehow. It pounced forward.

“Look out!” called Astrid, but the dragon wasn’t aiming for Georvik, it was aiming for the ball of wool in his hand. It snatched it up and started playing with it. Georvik jumped onto its back suddenly the dragon stopped playing with the ball of wool but it didn’t struggle. It knew it had lost. It waited for the death strike but none came. It looked up at Georvik. Kindness was in the young man’s eyes.

“If you promise not to terrorise the people of this village then I shall spare you.”

The dragon nodded, and Saint Georvik let go of the ropes and jumped off, and the dragon sank back into the lake. Astrid and Georvik walked away happily like nothing had happened at all. When the chief saw his daughter coming home he ran up to her, then he asked

“What of the dragon?”

Astrid smiled. “The dragon shall no longer bother us anymore.” All the Vikings cheered. Then she turned towards Georvik. “All thanks to this man.”

Stoik beamed. “Young man, anything you ask for you will get.”

Georvik said “All I ask for is a meal. A hero takes nothing and lives in happiness. Some alone, some married. I do not know which I am destined to be.”

And with that, he jumped off onto his stallion and rode off into the distance.

And that is the tale of georvik and the dragon georvik is now the patron saint of England and the Brazilian football team.

ShareLiverpoolfc Latest

I received this very recently from the ShareLiverpoolFC group. The email is headed New Hope in Our Hearts‏.

“Dear Spenner,
The long-awaited declaration that Liverpool FC is for sale is tremendous news. As soon as we heard it, ShareLiverpoolFC contacted the Club to reaffirm our commitment to getting involved in negotiations. After all, any potential owners must realise by now the value and importance of getting Liverpool fans on board, regardless of possible future regulations on fan representation.
The responsibility to find the right owner for our Club is a heavy one and we call on the current regime to make the right decision - and what can be better than to give those who care most about the Club - us, the fans - a real stake in its future? We would not just own the Club, we would be the Club.
We will email those of you who are registered on our database as soon as we have any concrete update on our negotiations.
ShareLiverpoolFC supports the democratic ownership of Liverpool FC by its fans. If you would like to become involved with ShareLiverpoolFC and wish to register your interest please register here.
Many thanks.
ShareLiverpoolFC”.
I do hope this is more than words and something comes of it. Liverpool owned by the fans. Oh I wish!

You could not make it Up - Titanic

A panicking sailor whose ship was sinking in the Caribbean phoned the only number he could remember – his best friend back in Britain.
Thankfully the friend, Alex Evans, is a life boatman. He calmly used his mobile phone to co-ordinate a dramatic rescue operation for Mark Corbett and two other crewmen aboard a motor yacht with the unfortunate name of Titanic near the island of St Kitts.
And he did it all without leaving the DIY store where he was shopping with his mother.

Mark was part of a skeleton crew taking the yacht from Grenada to Puerto Rico for a refit.
He told Alex: ‘I’m on a ship in the Caribbean, we’re taking on water and we’re sinking. ‘We’ve lost all power so we can’t use the long-range radio. We’re too far from shore to use the VHF radio so I’m using the satellite phone – and yours is the only number I could remember off the top of my head. The ship is the Motor Yacht Titanic.’
Mr Evans jotted down the ship’s latitude and longitude on a till receipt then called Milford Haven Coastguard and asked to be passed to the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Falmouth, Cornwall, which deals with all international incidents.
He told them the Titanic’s position – and stressed the boat was taking on water.
A major rescue operation was then launched for the 1,700-ton yacht owned by a company called White Star Ltd, the same name as the cruise line which owned the ill-fated original Titanic.
Three hours later spotter planes found it barely above water, and it was towed by U.S. coastguards to safety in St Kitts.

Liverpool FC Share Scheme

This post is all about the proposed buy out by Liverpool Fans. The proposal  has been around for a year or so now. The whole concept can be found on www.shareliverpoolfc.com.
Summary

• The concept of fan ownership of professional football clubs is widely supported (not least by the UK Government and Uefa). However, to achieve a successful takeover / buyout of the club, the bankers and the current owners have to be persuaded that what is being proposed by the fans is a viable option in the current circumstances. ShareLiverpoolFC with Spirit of Shankly – and the support of Supporters Direct – have such a proposal.
• The combined financial resources of tens of thousands of Liverpool fans can deliver a buyout for the Club.
• ShareLiverpoolFC (an Industrial and Provident Society Company) has been structured specifically to act in this role and has a high level of public / fan awareness as a possible fan buy out vehicle, with a database of thousands of fans prepared to subscribe funds towards a buy out. Also, its Constitution is designed to allow for a high level of democratic control by the fans.

HOW DOES THE NEW PLAN WORK?

• Our detailed proposal (which you can download at http://www.shareliverpoolfc.com/ ) focuses solely on a possible new group structure and a re-financing of the existing bank debt of some £350 million; its ongoing servicing and repayment, based on the current financial performance of LFC.
• The plan only intends to set out the broad principles behind a possible structure which enables fans to participate in the ownership of the Club. As such it is meant to start a discussion with the Club’s bankers and owners, and is not intended as a fully developed proposal.
• We set out the current capital of LFC and then how the capital structure of a new holding company (formed to acquire LFC) would look under our proposal. Initially, through the new holding company, ShareLiverpoolFC (SLFC) would have a 60% equity interest in LFC.  This would rise to 71% on acquisition and conversion of the LFC loan stock it is proposed the banks would acquire in exchange for £100 million of their current debt. It is also proposed that the banks’ loan stock would be acquired by SLFC in equal annual instalments over about twenty years, being funded by dividends from LFC.
• This would deliver ‘fan ownership’ of Liverpool FC to a broad base – and at the same time offer sound returns to investors.

WHERE WILL THE MONEY COME FROM?

• £150 million from the fans through SLFC. This cash would be derived from:

• Attracting up to 25,000 fan-shareholders (it could be many more), each paying £500 for a single, vote-bearing share; delivering £11 million plus in equity, and

• £140 million from fans who are able to provide more than £500. [This would comprise ‘subordinated loan stock’ in SLFC, offered at a 2% return annually.]

• £100 million from one or more commercial investors, through a Commercial Investors Holding Company.

• £100 million from the banks.  [Issued as ‘convertible loan stock’ and offered at 2% return annually.]

CAN IT WORK?

• On its own, SLFC currently has nearly 10,000 registered members – over 6,000 of whom are prepared to subscribe £5,000 for a share under the original proposal.
• Originally, over twice this number expressed interest via the SLFC website. However, as no specific proposal has been put to fans to date, many who originally showed interest in the concept have not registered their financial support and probably won’t until they see a specific plan.
• It is not thought unrealistic to project that membership of SLFC would be at least 20,000 if a specific proposal was agreed with the banks and the current owners, as fans would then think it realistic that a transaction might happen – and much larger numbers will be able to take part with a much lower ‘entry fee’: down from £5,000 a share to £500.
• Spirit of Shankly has over 2,500 members. It is believed that there is very little overlapping of membership between the two groups.
• We have evidence that a significant number of Liverpool FC fans would contribute more than the £500 share price, were there an opportunity such as the suggested loan stock.

So there it is. just like the Red Knights it needs more ‘meat’ on the proposal and of course the £500 from each registered fans. Mine’s in the post when needed.