MARY BURNS SUPERSTAR

From Salford Star issue 6 Winter 2007

THE MYSTERIOUS SALFORD SUPERSTAR MARY BURNS...

She's been honoured in Salford Star with her own Mary Burns Page and the annual Mary Burns Awards but who was Mary Burns?

Click here to find out...

FRED ENGELS IN SALFORD

From Salford Star issue 6 Winter 2007

ARE YOU READY FOR FREDDY?

How Salford Changed The World...

The Salford Star, with funding from the Lipman-Miliband Trust, commissioned Matt Carroll, of the famous Central Station design team, to produce a special limited edition poster of Fred Engels which appeared in issue 6.

Click here to see the poster in larger format and to read about Fred's influence on the world, plus his fave things...

ENGELS ON CRIME

From Salford Star issue 6 Winter 2007  Engels In Salford Part 4

FRED ON ROBBING

Engels was probably the first writer to `prove' the link between crime and poverty by using statistics. That was over 150 years ago. Since then, the stats haven't changed much...

Full story here...

ENGELS IN SALFORD

From Salford Star issue 6 Winter 2007

ENGELS IN SALFORD - Part 3

FRED ON SOCIAL CLEANSING

Writing over 120 years ago about what we now know as `regeneration' and `social cleansing', Fred Engels could have been describing what's going on in Salford, and elsewhere, today...it's so accurate it's scary...

Full story here...

FRED ENGELS IN SALFORD

A GUIDE TO ENGELS' SALFORD - Part 2

For your guide to Engels in Salford click here...

From Salford Star issue 6 Winter 2007

FRIEDRICH ENGELS IN SALFORD

From Salford Star issue 6 Winter 2007

"TO GET THE MOST OUT OF LIFE YOU MUST BE ACTIVE, YOU MUST LIVE AND YOU MUST HAVE THE COURAGE TO TASTE THE THRILL OF BEING YOUNG" Fred Engels 1840

Part 1

Fred Engels is the most famous person who ever breathed in Salford - but he's been totally forgotten. Fred wrote the Communist Manifesto with Karl Marx, and his words were used to inspire revolutions all over the world.

In the communist countries that perverted his theories, he was like a god and they used to parade his image everywhere – on stamps, coins, banners and statues…But the image was always of this dusty, beardy old git.

Yet when Fred came to Salford, age 22, he was on the ale every night, copping off with local girls and stirring up all sorts of trouble. He was the original angry young man, slagging off developers, the council, the capitalists and the conditions that working class people were living in... Hmmm, it seems Freddy Engels is so out, he's in.

Click here for a total Freddy Fest!

SALFORD UNIVERSITY SCROOGES

Star date: 29th January 2010 

Full story here…

SALFORD COUNCIL MAD MAG COSTS

Star date: 26th January 2010
A Salford Star Exclusive 

Full story here…

SALFORD RESIDENTS GET £50,000

Star date: 25th January 2010  

Full story here…

SALFORD PROTESTS AGAINST GREEN BELT DESTRUCTION

Star date: 24th January 2010 

Full story here…

SALFORD CITY RADCLIFFE BOROUGH

Star date: 24th January 2010

Full story here…

SALFORD GREEN BELT PROTEST

Star date: 22nd January 2010 

Full story here…

PETER HOOK LAUNCHES NEW FACTORY

Star date: 22nd January 2010 

Full story here…

PEEL HOLDINGS PURGED

Star date: 21st January 2010

Days after the NWDA won three gongs in the `He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother' category, the interests of its Chairman, Robert Hough, were, er, updated showing how he'd ended his bucketful of directorships with Peel Holdings…well, almost…

Full story here…

MARY BURNS AWARD WINNERS 2009

Star date: 15th January 2010

Thousands of net readers surfed onto www.salfordstar.com to see Salford City Council pick up a massive 15 MARYS for everything, including the `Uncle Joe Stalin Award for Open and Democratic Government’ and the `Go Stand In The Corner’ Award For School Building.

Hazel Blears MP weighed in with 7 MARYS, including the `Error of Judgement Award’ and the Hypocrite of the Year Award.

Other winners included Peel Holdings (4 MARYS), NWDA (3 MARYS), Central Salford URC (3 MARYS) and Urban Splash (2 MARYS)…

For the full list of winners and links to all the Awards click here…

SALFORD CITY REDS BAILED BY COUNCIL

Star date: 15th January 2010

Full story here…

SALFORD COUNCIL HAZEL BLEARS PEEL HOLDINGS WINNERS

Star date: 15th January 2010

Thousands of net readers surfed onto www.salfordstar.com to see Salford City Council pick up a massive 15 MARYS for everything, including the `Uncle Joe Stalin Award for Open and Democratic Government' and the `Go Stand In The Corner' Award For School Building.

Hazel Blears MP weighed in with 7 MARYS, including the Error of Judgement Award and the Hypocrite of the Year Award.

Other winners included Peel Holdings (4 MARYS), NWDA (3 MARYS), Central Salford URC (3 MARYS) and Urban Splash (2 MARYS)…

For the full list of winners and links to all the Awards click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 24

HYPOCRITE OF THE YEAR AWARD

The very final Mary Burns Award is presented in recognition that those who hold public office are role models for the younger generation.

Say no more…

The HYPOCRITE OF THE YEAR AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 24

THE GEORGE BUSH `READ MY LIPS' AWARD

During the last Mary Burns Awards, John Merry, Leader of Salford City Council, stormed this category…But can he hang onto his treasured MARY this time?

He got the CBE from the Queen in 2009…can he make it a double delight? The tension mounts…

Ladies and Gentlemen. The GEORGE BUSH `READ MY LIPS' AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

PEEL HOLDINGS SALFORD RACECOURSE REJECTED

Star date: 14th January 2010

Following its Mary Burns Award today in the `We're So Green It (Really Is) Unbelievable' category, Peel Holdings has had another eco-snub. This time it's by the Department of Communities and Local Government, which has finally rejected the company's plans for a Forest Park and Racecourse, on the grounds that it is "an inappropriate development in the Green Belt and is in conflict with the Green Belt policies in Salford and Wigan".

The judgement adds that "There would be very clear and very substantial harm to the Green Belt"

Peel has six weeks to challenge the Secretary of State in the High Court over the decision...

Click here to post comments...

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 23

THE `WE'RE SO GREEN IT (REALLY IS) UNBELIEVABLE' AWARD

This MARY is given to those organisations which, in the judges' opinion, haven't given a toss about Salford's environment in 2009, despite coming out with noises to the contrary.

Can PEEL HOLDINGS, the current holders of this toxic MARY, hang onto its Award? Let's see…

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE `WE'RE SO GREEN IT (REALLY IS) UNBELIEVABLE' AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 22

THE `HE AIN'T HEAVY HE'S MY BROTHER' AWARD Part 3

In honour of The Hollies connection to Salford we present the third part of this very special MARY. But first. A song…

Please see Part 1 of this Award, sing along, wave your lighters in the air and shed a tear as you discover true love…

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE `HE AIN'T HEAVY HE'S MY BROTHER' AWARD Part 3…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 22

THE `HE AIN'T HEAVY HE'S MY BROTHER' AWARD Part 2

In honour of The Hollies connection to Salford we present the second part of this very special MARY. But first. A song…

Please see Part 1 of this Award, sing along, wave your lighters in the air and shed a tear as you discover true love…

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE `HE AIN'T HEAVY HE'S MY BROTHER' AWARD Part 2…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 21

THE `HE AIN'T HEAVY HE'S MY BROTHER' AWARD Part 1

In honour of The Hollies connection to Salford we present this very special MARY. But first. A song…

Please sing along and feel those words…

"The road is lo-o-o-ng
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows when
But I'm str-o-o-o-ng
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my br-o-o-o-ther

So on we g-o-o-o
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there
For I kn-o-o-o-w
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my br-o-o-o-ther

…If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one an-o-o-o-ther

It's a long, long r-o-o-o-ad
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy, he's my br-o-o-o-ther

He's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my br-o-o-other..."

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE `HE AIN'T HEAVY HE'S MY BROTHER' AWARD Part 1…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 20

THE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION OF THE YEAR AWARD PART 3

Are community consultations worth the paper they are written on? Do the community's views really count? The Mary Burns Community Consultation Awards not only ask these questions but also try and answer them.

In Part 1 we showed that the community's voice counted for less than 25% of the final decision, and in Part 2 we showed a group that didn't even exist being consulted, and an admission from the Leader of Salford City Council that the consultation, er, "hasn't been perfect". Now join us in Part 3 for twisted statistics and more…

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION OF THE YEAR AWARD PART 3…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 19

THE `WILL THE LAST PERSON TO LEAVE SALFORD COUNCIL PLEASE TURN THE LIGHTS OUT' AWARD contd…

…also known as the `Rats, Sinking Ships, Rearranging Deckchairs and Jumping Ship' Award

On Day 2 of the Mary Burns Awards we gave out a special gong for all those Salford Council big wigs who had got the hell out of the fray through retirement, resigning or being resigned to the boot…

Today we hear of another top dog who's jacked in her job…She liked to wear pink jackets…she got a £75k a year salary…and now she's going.

Ladies and Gentlemen. Show your appreciation for the latest winner of the `WILL THE LAST PERSON TO LEAVE SALFORD COUNCIL PLEASE TURN THE LIGHTS OUT' AWARD

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 18

THE FIGHTING OBESITY IN SALFORD AWARD

We all know that one of Salford City Council's main pledges at the moment is to fight obesity. So how thrilling it was to see this sign outside Clarendon Fit City this morning, snapped by a Salford Star supporter.

The sign reads `Fit City Chocolate Cakes – Salford City Council'

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE FIGHTING OBESITY IN SALFORD AWARD
…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD COUNCIL WINS ANOTHER AWARD

Star date: 8th January 2010

We interrupt the final leg of the MARY BURNS AWARDS to announce that Salford City Council has won yet another award, a second gong for the Carlos Acosta Ballet at The Lowry last summer, following its Mary Burns Award for the same deed.

The Council won Private Eye's Value For Money Award section in the Rotten Boroughs Awards 2009.

More details here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 18

THE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION OF THE YEAR AWARD PART 2

We all know that Salford's community gets a huge say in the future of their area, don't we? So much so that we've decided to do three Community Consultation of the Year awards…

The second MARY winner was involved with a ghost consultation, buildings that don't exist and formal complaints that went missing...

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION OF THE YEAR AWARD PART 2…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 17

THE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION OF THE YEAR AWARD PART 1

We all know that Salford's community gets a huge say in the future of their area, don't we? So much so that we've decided to do three Community Consultation of the Year awards…

The first MARY winner has seen over five years worth of consultations, including DVDs shoved through people's doors, questionnaires, drop-in events, more drop-in events and more questionnaires costing bucketloads of public cash. People have been consulted to death on the tarting up of their area. So it's all perfect isn't it?

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION OF THE YEAR AWARD PART 1…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 16

THE NEIL HILL MEMORIAL AWARD

This Mary Burns Award is dedicated to Neil Hill, who tragically took his own life in 2009. 

Neil took City West Housing and Hazel Blears to court over what he saw as an unjust 8% rent increase for tenants. Hazel Blears, as Communities Secretary, had sanctioned the transfer of thousands of council houses to City West, while City West had increased rents way beyond council rates.

Neil lost the case on a technicality, got an instant bill for almost £3000 from the Treasury, acting on behalf of Hazel Blears. He later took his own life, vowing in an e-mail to "haunt you for the rest of your miserable stinking rotten life". 

Neil, we're only too happy to help you with this quest…

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE NEIL HILL MEMORIAL AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 16

THE TRUE GRIT IN SALFORD AWARD

Just before the final few MARY BURNS AWARDS are presented (and they're well worth waiting for!), we've been asked to make a special award for services to gritting Salford's roads this icy, snowy January, as everything shuts down for want of a bit of salt…

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE TRUE GRIT IN SALFORD AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 15

THE SNOUTS IN THE SALFORD TROUGH AWARD

This MARY is given out to all those companies, developers, consultants and creeps who have got their snouts in Salford's public money trough…who are only here because of the profits to be made out of all the government grants the city gets.

The list of nominations alone would take up around a zillion pages, so let's get straight to the winners…

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE SNOUTS IN THE SALFORD TROUGH AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 14

THE `TRUSTED FRIENDS OF SALFORD COUNCIL' AWARD

This MARY goes to building firms who worked on Salford City Council contracts but would never rip the Council or its tax payers off. Until, of course, they are found out by the Office of Fair Trading.

A strong contender for this award is the Seddon Group, which is on Salford's `select list' of contractors and was fined by the Office of Fair Trading for price rigging, although not for Salford contracts. Sorry, Seddon, unfortunately you missed this MARY by doing your deeds in the wrong city. Maybe next time.

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE `TRUSTED FRIENDS OF SALFORD COUNCIL' AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 14

THE `UNCLE JOE STALIN AWARD FOR OPEN AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT'

Another fantastic year for open government – NOT!!!

Where do we start? Where do we end? Secret discussions and decisions taking place under the cloak of `Public Exclusion' and `Commercial Confidentiality'…Minutes missing all over the place from board papers of public organisations…Freedom of Information requests binned via a zillion get out clauses…

Contenders for this MARY included the Charlestown and Lower Kersal New Deal for Communities…the University of Salford…Partners In Salford…Homes and Community Agency…etc…But in the end, there could be only one winner…

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE `UNCLE JOE STALIN AWARD FOR OPEN AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT'…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 14

THE `LET'S LOSE SALFORD PARKS £3,000,000' AWARD

The Grade 2 listed Buile Hill Park is the jewel in Salford's green crown, and was all set to get a Heritage Lottery grant for £3million in 2009 for a major makeover.

But which public funder would give over such a huge amount of money with plans for a private 4 star hotel in the middle of a public park?

Answer: Certainly not the Heritage Lottery Fund, which rightly rejected the proposal, arguing that "a hotel within a park would impact on its character"…

So, the £3million grant was lost plus another £72,685 that the Council paid out in fees and stuff to do the doomed bid. And it gets worse…

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE `LET'S LOSE SALFORD PARKS £3,000,000' AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 13

FEED THE RICH AWARD

This MARY is given in recognition of organisations using public funds to help subsidise the well moneyed.

In 2009 lots of public money was used – and is still being used – to help people with household incomes of up to £60,000 a year buy houses in Salford that are supposedly set aside for `affordable housing'.

Ladies and Gentlemen. The FEED THE RICH AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 13

THE GOLDEN SANDS OF SALFORD AWARD

Fun, fun, fun all the way! Break out your buckets and spades! Salford's getting a beach!!!

That's what we were told in a blitz of hype six years ago. Salford Council sold off a huge four acre plot of land by the Irwell to developers Urban Splash, and a competition was launched with a £20,000 prize to find the best idea for the Trinity Way site.

Architects Weston Williamson won the comp with a scheme involving bucket loads of apartments, shops, offices and cafes – plus a new man-made beach on the Irwell. It should have all been completed around 2010 – but where is it?

Ladies and Gentlemen. The GOLDEN SANDS OF SALFORD AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 13

THE `BUILDING FOR GOD' AWARD

Jesus! Joseph! And MARY! Who could possibly have taken money off a church, stuck a sign up saying `Building For God', and then not paid people properly for the work they'd done building that church?

Yes, this MARY is given to someone who has a very strange relationship with his maker…

Ladies and Gentlemen. The `BUILDING FOR GOD' AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 12

THE JESTERS OF THE YEAR AWARD

This award goes to those who, in the heat of hostility and battle, can keep a sense of humour…Those who wouldn't throw their dummy out of the pram and start looking for revenge at the first sign of a slagging off…Those who don't take themselves too seriously, especially when they get their own way…

Like, yeah…has anyone ever met anyone in a suit with a sense of humour?

Ladies and Gentlemen. The JESTERS OF THE YEAR AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 12

THE MARY BURNS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

This very special MARY goes to someone who retired at Christmas after long and faithful service to developers…sorry…Salford City Council…

The state of Salford's housing is the true legacy he leaves behind.

Ladies and Gentlemen. The MARY BURNS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009

MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 11

THE MOST STUPID AWARD OF THE YEAR AWARD

So what was the most stupid award of the year?

Was it Salford Council Leader, John Merry being awarded the CBE last June?

Was it John – I'll build a private hotel in the middle of your park – Wilkinson getting an honorary degree from the University of Salford?

No, no, no…

Ladies and Gentlemen. The winner of the MOST STUPID AWARD OF THE YEAR AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…