Boris Johnson as Mayor - what are the implications for London's development?

[Officer Dibble]

Originally Posted by potto

I really don't understand your interpretation. Dubai is well known for its human rights issues and that is clearly a trump card that Western global cities (currently) hold. You need to take more note of the post from cnapan

Huh? cnapan's post suggested that we avoid political tribalism. I completely agree with that. If you're suggesting that my irritation at Ken's comments is because of some loyalty to Boris that I'm suffering from, then you're wrong: I have no loyalty to any any political party; I have voted for all three of the major parties depending on their policies at the time (and the local candidates). I have voted for Ken in the past; I have not voted for Boris, though I wouldn't rule out voting for him in the future.

My irritation at Ken's comments is because they sound homophobic to me. I'm certainly not defending Dubai's human rights record, and he's welcome to criticize Dubai all he likes.

[pricemazda]

Originally Posted by Octoman

I don't believe Ken is a homophobic. His record in office indicates otherwise. I just find it odd that Ken suddenly seems to say things that are clearly going to cause him political pain and of no real benefit to him or anyone else. Why say what he did?

Like most politicians I think he likes a tipple from time to time. Perhaps these outburst happen after a good lunch.

In the party he's known as a bit of a soak. The reason why both Ken and Boris were elected and reasonably liked is they aren't cardboard cutout politicians.

There is an element of false outrage here on the Ken story. Just like some of the things Boris has said are designed for false outrage. The difference is how the media report them. For Ken using a metaphor about concentration camp guards 'claiming the are only doing their jobs' is one example. Ken was right and given the Levenson inquiry has been proved correct. But the Standard whipped this up into a firestorm.

But I will never forgive Boris for the sake of generating a controversial comment piece comparing gay marriage to bestiality. I don't believe Boris is homophobic, but what is more troubling to me is he was happy to use gay marriage as an issue to incense his readers. A level of cynicism that is extremely distasteful.

[Octoman]

http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/boris-re...poll/201219148

Latest poll shows Boris 51% and Ken 49%. The one prior was the opposite. With a 2% margin of error on the polls, this indicates that they are pretty much neck and neck with 80 days to go.

[pricemazda]

I keep saying polls like that are pointless. Its about the 2nd preference votes, that's the poll that matters.

[Octoman]

Another innapropriate outburst from Ken.

Ken Livingstone: Hang a banker a week

ExclusiveBy BEN JACKSON


MAYOR of London candidate Ken Livingstone has sparked a new outrage after telling an audience: "Hang a banker a week until the others improve."
The Labour veteran's jibe is the latest in a string of insults aimed at financial workers.

In an after-dinner speech before 1,000 guests he said the world of finance had contributed nothing to help secure Britain's future. It came a week after he suggested gay bankers risk having their penis "cut off" if they ditch London for Dubai.

The same week he was blasted for claiming the Tory party was "riddled" with gays and lesbians.

The British Bankers' Association hit back yesterday.

Chief exec Angela Knight said: "Continual demonisation of the banking industry, which employs around half a million ordinary, hard-working people in the UK and over 140,000 in London, is unhelpful and won't attract jobs and business to the UK.

"If he intends to make London hostile to business and string up a fair proportion of his electorate he is going the right way about it."

Mr Livingstone also branded Tory rival Boris Johnson "the devil" in his speech to the Electrical Contractors' Association

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...er-a-week.html

[Nightjar]

Poor Octo.

[larven]

Ken is just echoing widespread public sentiment.

Even Tory supporting, Daily Mail columnist Max Hastings is sticking the boot in today.

I've not changed my mind: our banks are brutish institutions run by brutes

I'm beginning to think the damage is irrepairable and decades from now bankers will be remembered by large parts of the business community and wider population with all the fondness that the miners remember Thatcher.

[ill tonkso]

Ken is speaking sense in this one.

[Octoman]

I disagree.

No matter what public sentiment happens to be, I don't think a politician should be talking about killing people. Even as a joke.

The 'bash a banker' mantra is moving on to a 'bash a high earner' mindset. Once we are back to growth, when the books have been squared and everyone is feeling a bit more optimistic I think people will stop moaning.

There will probably be a few who harbour a resentment to their graves. Unlucky for them really.

[larven]

I don't think its about high earners, I just see that as an attempt to deflect attention away from where the problems are. It clearly still lies with the banking industry and in a wider sense, with chief executives of FTSE 100 companies who think its perfectly fine to pay themselves increasingly high salaries that are completely out of kilter with performance.

I haven't come across anyone who's bothered if the Chief Executive of Tesco gets £7m a year or whether some individuals became billionaires from the Xstrata and Glencore merger. I certainly couldn't care less because these are fantastically succcessful companies and success should be rewarded, failure most definitely shouldn't.

[spindrift]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...the-balance.do

Boris Johnson's plans for a cable car across the Thames have been put on hold until a safety probe is carried out.

Residents raised concerns after it emerged that the cable would cross a flightpath "crash zone" around London City Airport.

The Mayor has delayed the planning process, and has asked air traffic control to conduct a review.

A Transport for London spokesperson, said: "TfL's planning application for the London Cable Car has not been withdrawn. To address some concerns raised and to assist the Mayor's consideration of the application Transport for London has commissioned NATs to review the proposed scheme.

"This report will then be considered by Newham who, if they reconfirm their consent, will refer the application back to the Deputy Mayor for final approval."

[#Alex]

That article was written 1 year ago. The cable car is well under construction.

[spindrift]

Bloody hell. I got the right day though!

[SE9]

Boris Johnson: “I’ll tell you what makes me angry – lefty crap”
New Statesman
- Boris Johnson's interview with Jemima Khan in the New Statesman.

[SE9]

Boris's remarks particularly irked the Irish:


Boris, your attitude stinks
Irish Post
"Mayor of London Boris Johnson has refused to apologise to the Irish community in Britain for negative comments made in relation to a London St Patrick’s Day event.
In a controversial interview with the New Statesman magazine this week, the Mayor of London said:*“I'll tell you what makes me angry…spending £20,000 on a dinner at the Dorchester (hotel) for Sinn Féin.”
The Mayor was referring to the annual St Patrick's Day Gala Dinner, a black tie event that was cancelled by the Mayor’s office in 2009 to save money.
It was later resurrected by leading Irish business figure Sean Fitzpatrick of the VGC group having been promoted for six years by the previous mayor Ken Livingstone.
On Monday, the Mayor’s office was pressed on whether an apology would be offered in light of the remarks."


Boris Johnson and his London Irish problem
The Guardian
"The London mayor's comprehensively inaccurate description of the St Patrick's Day dinner that used to take place in the capital each year as "lefty crap" supported with taxpayers' money "for Sinn Fein" has secured him substantialcoverage in the Irish media, with the Irish Independent claiming it shows him to be "out of touch" and pondering the odds of the London Irish community making Boris pay at the election in May.
The Tory mayor's Labour opponents have hammered him for it too, with Ed Miliband's shadow Northern Ireland secretary Vernon Coaker dubbing his comments "offensive" and describing London's St Patrick's Day celebrations as a whole and "all the work that Ken Livingstone did as mayor" as having "an important role" in the Northern Ireland peace process and in building good relations between the Irish Republic and the the United Kingdom. Coaker also joined restauranteur Richard Corrigan, actor Adrian Dunbar and various Labourites and trade unionists in signing a letter published in the Guardian denouncing Boris's comments."

[Officer Dibble]

It would be nice if the two leading candidates for mayor would stop staying stupid things all the time.

[Core Rising]

Well he might have a point. Why did Ken spend £20000 every year on Sinn Fein, a man who seeks to undermine the British position in Northern Ireland? Was it as part of good relations, or was it a strategy to win votes from the Irish population using Tax payer money? I suppose if it was the latter, then Boris did shoot himself in the foot by cancelling it. He too could have benefited from the Irish support if he had continued to waste tax payer money on an electioneering stunt every year.

[SE9]

Boris's "lefty-crap" remark towards the St. Patrick's Day gala dinner did more damage to him amongst London's Irish community than Ken's "riddled" remark against the Tories did amongst London's LGBT community.

[Nathan Dawz]

Originally Posted by Octoman

No matter what public sentiment happens to be, I don't think a politician should be talking about killing people. Even as a joke.

I agree actually. It was a stupid thing for Ken to say and I wish he'd keep his mouth shut at times.

But Boris Johnson is just as bad, if not worse, as that "Sinn Fein lefty crap" outburst has just proven.

[DarJoLe]

Well it's good to see the press whipped into a frenzy over Boris's comments as they were with Ken.

Oh.