Engage is very happy to signpost city centre and waterfront residents to an article published recently on The Post which we found very thoughtful and reflective. Most of the comments on it were very appreciative and positive but one or two felt there was another story to tell alongside the author’s own position. It was written by David Lloyd with whom many of our readers will be familiar as we have shared previous articles by him.

The article in question is Never mind Shanghai. Germany’s energy capital could jumpstart Liverpool. and if you enjoy it why not sign-up for The Post so you get all their published articles direct to your inbox? This news item is about Essen and Liverpool. We felt that the comparisons were fair and measured and had a significant ring-of-truth to them. Of course there are always other positions and things that could have been said, but in fact there was plenty to chew over and stimulate discussion.

Engage has been at the forefront for over 10yrs of being positive about the city and trying to raise important questions about the strategic direction the city is taking – or not! We have made a point of not being a pressure group in favour of being open to dialogue and conversation with all elements in the city. Maybe we should ask David Lloyd to consider an article analysing our approach which some say has achieved nothing. If true why might that be? What would a better way look like? Is there only one way to bring about change and that being through pressure brought to bear on politicians in an ‘the end justifies the means’ approach?

It would be fair to say that many of the international speakers we have brought to Liverpool  have commented that they would love to have an organisation like Engage working with them in their city. And they are shocked by our response when they ask us how the city council works with us in following up the issues raised by citizens in the seminar discussions. At the same time we feel that an educated and informed electorate and resident body is vital for a healthy, engaged and sustainable city. Sometimes you can only do what you can do and try not to become embittered by any apparent lack of progress or inability to receive good ideas.

Let us know what you make of David Lloyd’s article in The Post. You can also leave comments on the site of the article itself.