With the eyes of much of the world permanently on the shambolic situation regarding Brexit, you could be forgiven for not realising that Liverpool's own political situation is rather tempestuous, with a deeply uncertain future.
In this special report, Political Editor Liam Thorp attempts to asses the various, complicated states of play within the city's political world - and where it could be about to go.
As soon as I sat down to plan an extensive assessment of the Liverpool political scene I realised it would be a pretty thankless task.
It will undoubtedly upset some, confuse others and be ignored by plenty - but I think it is important to try and lay out where we are, why we are here - and the huge changes that could be just around the corner.
While Brexit is of course dominating the political news agenda , Liverpool's politics is in a hugely important moment - and major change could be just around the corner.
I have broken down my analysis into sections in the hope that it will make it just that little bit more accessible for those who are - understandably - a little tired of reading about politicians at the moment.
The Mayoralty
We shall start with a big one.
The future of Liverpool's mayor and indeed the role of the mayor in general are becoming a key subject for debate at the moment.
That is because, with Joe Anderson's second term as Mayor coming to an end next year and the all-important Labour selection process likely to take place this summer, no one is quite sure what will happen next - and who it will involve.
Joe himself is yet to declare whether he intends to run for a third term - and no one has explicitly said they will put their names forward.
The most likely candidate to throw a hat in the ring is former Deputy Mayor Ann O'Byrne, who dramatically left Mayor Anderson's cabinet last year.
Cllr O'Byrne has also hinted that if she were to put her name forward, she could do so while advocating a return to the leader and cabinet style of council leadership - and a move away from the Mayoral model that Liverpool brought in back in 2012.
The only other rumoured name at present is Signature Living boss Lawrence Kenwright - who has refused to deny he will run and has been regularly seen campaigning for Labour in recent times.
Liverpool Council elections
With all the excitement/fear/confusion around the UK's departure from the European Union it may have slipped a few minds that we will have local council elections shortly.
On May 2, a third of the authority's 90 council seats will be up for grabs and regardless of the results it will bring in major changes.
Racist, homophobic and sexist 86 bus louts make teacher's journey hell
If the ruling Labour group have a good day at the office and retain or add to their 75 seats, it will still add a fresh look to the authority.
That's because a host of new candidates from the left of the party, who have been inspired by Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, will be contesting seats after ousting a number of long-serving Labour councillors during the candidate selection process.
They will add to the handful of 'Corbynites' who already sit on the Labour benches and will certainly change the dynamic of the town hall.
As far as the opposition goes, the Liberal Democrats will hope to follow a good election last year with more gains, and could stand to win three or four seats in the south of the city and take their count into double figures - providing an increasingly noisy opposition presence in the chamber.
The Greens could be hopeful of an addition or two given the swell of support for green space campaigns across the city and the Labour administration's High Court defeat over the Calderstones Park house building plan .
The Liberal Party could well expect to pick up a third seat in Tuebrook and Stoneycroft and hurt Labour there once more.
The Labour Party
How long have we got?
It feels like a week doesn't go by when there isn't some sort of fall-out in the Liverpool Labour Party.
There now appear to be too many factions to keep a handle on - and a clear division between those running the council and those heading up the various constituency parties across the city exists.
Rows have been rumbling on over the past year - and the Corbyn-loyal left members have been pretty successful in getting their preferred candidates into positions to take up council seats at May's election - and hold a greater sway in the council chamber.
This has come at the expense of some long-serving councillors - who have not been shy in lambasting the new breed of members who they believe have 'taken over.'
But the Labour Party is a member-led organisation and it is those members who will play a pivotal role in the future direction of the party both nationally and locally.
That will of course include selecting who they want to run as their candidate to lead the city going forward.
Expect fireworks - soon.
The Metro Mayor
Of course the most senior politician covering the city of Liverpool (as well as the rest of the city region) is Steve Rotheram, the Metro Mayor.
He was first elected in June 2017 into a newly created role with devolved powers for areas like transport, skills and economic growth.
It's safe to say it was a pretty slow start from the newly elected Metro Mayor - which was perhaps to be expected from a brand new role.
But we have now seen him bring through policies such as cutting Mersey Tunnel tolls and launching a commission to look at a new HS2-linked train station in Liverpool City Centre.
Steve's position is arguably now the most stable political role in the region.
He will also be up for election in May 2020 and therefore we can also expect a selection process for that role later this year as well.
There is nothing to suggest that Steve won't put himself forward for another term - but could anyone else fancy challenging him?
Police and Crime Commissioner
It follows on neatly to discuss the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner after that of the Metro Mayor.
On Friday, in a major speech, Steve Rotheram made the case for absorbing the role and responsibilities of the PCC into his Metro Mayor brief - a move he believes could save more than £1m over his next four year term which could be used to bolster the resources of the cash-strapped Merseyside Police.
This has already been done in Greater Manchester and London - and it feels like a bit of a no brainer.
However, there is a complication.
The council borough of Halton falls within the Liverpool City Region which Mayor Rotheram covers.
But when it comes to policing, Halton is covered by Cheshire Police and not the Merseyside force.
So this would require some movement and political will from government would be needed - but the Metro Mayor certainly believes it will be worth it.
As for the incumbent, well Jane Kennedy will bring what many in the region will feel was a fairly anonymous eight-year tenure as Merseyside's PCC to an end next year - she has stated she won't be seeking a third term in office.
Arguably the most noteworthy thing the former government minister has done during her time as PCC was just last week when she quit the Labour Party over issues of 'bullying and antisemitism.'
This prompted her deputy, Liverpool City Councillor Emily Spurrell, to immediately resign, stating that she would only work for a Labour administration.
If PCC elections go ahead as planned next year, expect to see Cllr Spurrell as Labour's frontrunner.
Members of Parliament
For the first time in a long while, Labour does not have a clean sweep of Parliamentary constituencies in Liverpool.
That is because Wavertree representative Luciana Berger is no longer a party member and sits as part of the Independent Group of MPs.
Her reasons for leaving are well documented - she said she felt Labour had become institutionally antisemitic and as a Jewish woman, could not stay in the party.
It hasn't taken long for existing members to call for an instant by-election in Wavertree - and Labour says it is fast-tracking a selection process to find someone to challenge Ms Berger for the seat.
You can read who we believe could be the names in the frame for the role here.
Elsewhere, it could be argued that it is only Liverpool Walton MP Daniel Carden who is fully aligned with the new make-up of much of the Labour Party and its leadership.
The docker's son has already risen to a front-bench position in Corbyn's shadow cabinet and has been tipped to climb even higher.
Ms Berger has made her feelings very clear about the Labour leadership - and has been joined in criticising the lack of action on issues of antisemitism by Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman, who is also Jewish.
Ms Ellman has so far remained in the party, but is clearly very unhappy and could still leave.
Elsewhere West Derby MP Stephen Twigg has been keeping pretty quiet but would certainly never be described as from Corbyn's side of the party.
The same could be said for Maria Eagle in Garston and Halewood - except that she has been pretty vocal in urging Mr Corbyn to change course and fully support the idea of a People's Vote on Brexit.
