Liam Murphy RIP

Former Copeland Council CEO Liam Murphy died yesterday morning from cancer at the age of 46, leaving a widow and three children.

I didn't always agree with Liam, but during his tragically brief period at Copeland before retiring because of the illness which was to kill him, I felt that he did make a real effort to shake up the culture and improve the effectiveness of the council.

Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.

Rest in Peace

Comments

Jane said…
I am sorry to hear that Liam Murphy has died. I was not shocked as I knew he was terminally ill. However, it is a tragedy in someone so young and my sympathy goes out to his widow and family.

I believe Mr Murphy did his best to remain politically neutral under a lot of pressure, in Labour's hereditary Copeland dynasty. I remember Mr Murphy to be hardworking and determined and admired him for attempting a brief return to work during a period of remission. I will remember him as being level headed and civil.

My prayers go out to his wife, children, family and friends
Neil Kirkpatrick said…
Tomorrow morning I will be at the funeral of singularly the most trustworthy, hard working and amiable person I have ever had the privilege to know. Liam has been one of my best friends for over twenty years. A man who has shown dignity and courage throughout his fight against a horrendous illness which leaves his wife and three very young children without a husband or a father.
I find the remarks made by this person totally offensive to the memory of my friend.
To speak ill of the dead is one thing. To do so using anonymity shows a cowardice and a sickness which I feel hard to comprehend.
Let my friend rest in peace.
dale said…
Anonymous, such as big man/women to leave your name off the post. Obv your an idiot who a) has issues with CBC as a council or b) you had issues with Liam.

I worked for the council for over 7 years and there is some excellent people working in tough conditions with tight ropes around their necks and Liam was one of them. I allows found him to be fair, open and down to earth.

Have some respect for the man and his family please.
RodCrosby said…
Condolences to Liam's family at this sad time.

We were school chums all those years ago...

Fidem Vita Fateri
Chris Whiteside said…
We had a minute's silence in Liam Murphy's memory at 11 am today at the council offices.

It was well attended and quietly moving.
Helena Edwards said…
I am likewise disgusted that someone could take the time to make such an offensive comment and in such a cowardly way. If you had an ounce of deceny within you - you would withdraw it............ I have had the pleasure to know Liam for many years as an amazing former Diector at Liverpool City Council and as a loyal friend......Liam was unique..an inspiration....an honest and genuine man. He lived his life to the full and will always be remembered by those who loved and respected him. His strength touched many....including me. At this time only messages of care and compassion for his lovely wife and 3 young children should be left on here. Anything other than that is an an outrage and a disgrace quite frankly and whoever you are - you should hang your head in shame. Good Night God Bless to a wonderful man..the world was a better place for having you. Prayers will always continue for his loved ones..With deepest sympathy Helena Edwards and Family
Ian Murphy said…
Dear Mr. Whiteside
Though tempted to be far less diplomatic than Mr Kirkpatrick about the anonymous contribution to this page it would denigrate the memory of a man who, having known him (unlike Anonymous), would have carried himself with greater dignity in death than one of your contributors can in life. Might I suggest that you also think hard about reviewing your own approach to censoring your Blog. Just because a faceless and toxic imbecile manages to pass a sentence without expletives does not make it post-worthy. If you are going to use a decent man's name in any circumstance I'm sure his family and friends would very much appreciate it if you could do so without the association of the poisonous invective shown above. As for Anonymous, if you read this and are capable of introspection could I suggest reference to the words honour, decency and dignity as starting points for your reflection. Whilst I suspect you may find the definitions feel somewhat alien to you personally I guarantee they were familiar to Liam and those who knew him.
Chris Whiteside said…
I put the original post up as a gesture of respect to a decent man who worked hard for Copeland and the other authorities for which he had previously worked.

There have been two anonymous comments critical of the late Liam Murphy posted on this thread.

My initial reaction was that one of them could have been regarded by a reasonable person as offensive, particularly in the circumstances of Liam's death, so I blocked it.

I thought long and hard about the other post, which was worded in more moderate language. Although I disagreed with both the content and the timing, I never block comments lightly so I initially left it up while posting a response expressing my disagreement.

Having read the other responses it is obvious that the critical post did cause offence to Liam's family and friends, which is the last thing I would wish to allow at this sad time, so I have now deleted it.
Chris Whiteside said…
I am also acting on Ian Murphy's suggestion and modifying the comments policy on this blog as it affects obit threads. A new thread posted today explains further.

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