Liverpool Cruises-into a Big Mess.

Further to last weeks post regarding the Cruise Liner Jetty Cock-Up that Liverpool Blame Southampton for.
http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/09/cruise-control-naval-warfare-breaks-out.html
SOUTHAMPTON ARE UP IN ARMS-BUT NOT A MENTION IN THE OLDHAM ECHO OR ITS DAILY GHOST WRITER. THEY START THE TROUBLE ON BEHALF OF PEEL PORTS AND THEN DON'T INFORM THE LIVERPOOL PUBLIC.
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/09/18/southampton-will-try-to-block-cruise-line-upgrade-at-liverpool-s-pier-head-92534-24720840/
Liverpool has allegedly been contacting all Ports asking for support, except Southampton who they then blame for blocking expanding its markets. Not in my name, this is a scurrilous way of working and quite rightly the city of Southampton have fought back with anger and vigour
THIS IS LIVERPOOL COUNCIL DEALING LIKE SHYSTERS IN MY OPINION AND NOT IN MY NAME. Re-inforcing anti-Liverpool Stereotypes of winging grant aided scousers is something that I thought we had got away from.
JUST PAY BACK THE MONEY. If the trade is that lucrative we dont need handouts.
Southampton take their ports seriously 73 comments on one article and 50 on another. The troublemaker Trinity "Smoking" Mirrors Group have certainly put the cat amongst the herrings now.
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/search/4643798.Pompey_stabs_Southampton_in_back_in_cruise_war/
Nothing else in the Daily Ghost or Oldham Echo about this but this is a report in the Suthampton Echo.

Liverpool and Portsmouth team up to lure away Southampton's cruise trade
10:34am Wednesday 23rd September 2009
PRIVATE memos seen by the Daily Echo reveal Liverpool and Portsmouth ports have teamed up behind the scenes to lure away Southampton’s lucrative cruise business.
The letters between the bosses of the two rivals show how they are co-operating to try and seize a piece of the booming cruise trade.
Liverpool port bosses wrote to Portsmouth seeking their support for controversial plans to allow luxury liners that are currently only able to visit its docks to instead start using it as a base to start and end voyages, known as turnaround cruises.
In return they offered their backing for Portsmouth’s own dreams to grow its fledgling cruise operation.
Because it was built with £20m of taxpayers cash, the plans to alter the use of Liverpool’s cruise terminal at the city’s historic Pier Head – once a gateway for millions of transatlantic passengers, have infuriated Southampton port owners ABP, which has invested £41m in the cruise business here since 2004.
They accused Liverpool and Portsmouth of being “in cahoots to try and get one over Southampton” and of using taxpayers’ money to “distort the market”.
As previously reported by the Daily Echo, Southampton city bosses have also attacked the plans as an “abuse of state aid”.
An e-mail from Liverpool cruise manager Angie Redhead to her opposite number in Portsmouth discussing the change of use, said: “Considering your own aspirations to grow the turnaround business in Portsmouth, there is some operational similarity.
“Would you be prepared to put a few words via e-mail to confirm you as a southern UK port would not have any objection to our change of designation.
“Should it be helpful to Portsmouth in anyway, Liverpool Cruise Terminal would support and reciprocate in the future.”
Similar e-mails were sent to a number of UK ports but Southampton says it never received one.
Portsmouth bosses, who were the first UK port to respond, said: “I can confirm Portsmouth Commercial Port would not have any objection to the conversion of the Pier Head cruise facility status to accept turnaround cruise vessels.
“We support all UK cruise operators who sail from UK ports and strongly believe that their success leads on to our success with more opportunities for all UK ports by growing the market.”
Southampton port director Doug Morrison said: “It makes me laugh.
If you were contacting a cruise port on the south coast, would you go to Portsmouth? That shows you they are worried about competition.
“We are concerned that obviously Portsmouth and the likes are in cahoots with Liverpool to try and get one over on Southampton. It is not how we should be doing business.
“We have no argument with Liverpool City Council. We know how important the cruise business is and how it can be used to regenerate a city. But taxpayers’ money distorts the marketplace.
We have got no problem with competition and if they paid back the taxpayer we would have no qualms at all. But at the moment it is not a level playing field.”
Portsmouth port director Martin Putman said: “It is a very competitive market and everybody is in competition in some ways. We believe that attracting more cruise ships to the UK is good for all.
“I can understand Southampton’s position in terms of being a competition problem with Liverpool getting something for free. But it’s not unknown.”
He said Portsmouth benefited from Southampton dock’s success.
“More of our ships are turnarounds this year than we had visiting. We had 20 this year, so we are not exactly a huge competitor to Southampton. They are mostly smaller ships and I think of it as complimentary to Southampton because when there is no room on the cruise terminals they come over to Portsmouth. It’s good for the region.” Liverpool's bid to capture Southampton's cruise liner trade is slammed Daily Echo

You have to read these
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4642692.Liverpool_s_cruise_bid_is_an__abuse_of_state_aid_/?ref=mr
Liverpool have got a cheek! Southampton Daily Echo
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/business/gareth_lewis/4643832.Liverpool_have_got_a_cheek_/