COMMENT & ANALYSIS: Needing a miracle; Larry Neild In The Council Chamber.

LIVERPOOL could rival Lourdes and Fatima as a place of miracles. It would certainly put the city on the tourist trail.

First we see Mike Storey being politically crucified over his plot to organise an Exodus for chief executive Sir David Henshaw. Then what happens? On the third month, he rises again to take one of most powerful seats at the Lib-Dem Supper Table.

More importantly, every day as I walk around the city, I see hundreds of miracles as people park their cars and place their blue badges on the dash board.

As soon as their feet touch the hallowed pavements, they are cured of their disabilities. They hop, skip and jump to their destinations, forgetting instantly the ailments that have earned them a disability badge.

Perhaps there is some curative quality in hardened dollops of chewing gum.

The only other option is that many of the instantly-cured drivers are not really disabled at all, but only a cynic would believe that.

Around 40% of pay-and-display parking spaces are occupied by cars showing disability badges.

I am sure many people driving top-of-the-range Lexus cars, the odd Mercedes and even a Bentley, are genuinely in need of privileged parking.

Being honest, I'm not at all sure. Do we really have a high volume of people who are disabled?

I have no problem with badges being issued to those who genuinely need them, and I accept many disabled people do not look as though they have ailments.

Just as I have no problem with helping disabled people resume working if they feel able to do so.

Except that many have learned to come to terms with their disabilities will be forced back into the workplace against their will. The penalty will be a loss of state payments, and a life of poverty.

It wouldn't sure me to read that there have been suicides among people unable to return to the coal-face of the jobs market.

When this scheme was first created by modern-day miracle workers, Blair's government, it was sold on the idea of giving people a chance to work again.

There was no hint that disabled people would be rounded up by an anti-zimmer squad and ordered to find lowly-paid jobs.

We are in a city with one of the highest levels of male unemployment in the land.

If the Government cannot find jobs for this large army of able-bodied men, how can jobs be und for disabled people?

Now the city council is being fered a share of a pounds 100m reward getting sick and disabled people back to work.

The council is being asked to put together a job-creating consortium to help many of the 16,000 people in receipt of disability benefits. If this is going to happen, the city really is in need of a miracle worker.

Curative quality in hardened dollops of chewing gum