Ken or Boris?

May 3 is the date set for the London Mayoral election. The three main candidates are Boris Johnson (Tory), who has been Mayor of London since 2008, Ken Livingstone (Labour), who was Mayor from 2000 until 2008, and Brian Paddick (Lib Dem). As Paddick is currently polling around 7%, I think we can discount him.

From 1986 to 2000, London had been the only major city in the Western world without its own elected authority. That was because when Labour regained control of the Greater London Council (GLC) in 1981, Thatcher, an enemy of democracy, decided to abolish it. She also abolished six metropolitan councils which just happened to be Labour-controlled. It's hardly surprising that she was a personal friend of General Pinochet, a man not noted for his democratic credentials.

Ken Livingstone was born in Streatham in London in 1945 and went to Tulse Hill Comprehensive School. He worked as a cancer research laboratory technician at the Royal Marsden Hospital. In 1971, he became a councillor in Lambeth, and he was the leader of the GLC from 1981 until its abolition in 1986. He was the MP for Brent East from 1987 until 2001.

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, a descendant of an illegitimate child of George II, was born in 1964 and went to Eton and Oxford, where, as a member of the Bullingdon Club (in the company of Cameron and Osborne) he spent a night in a police cell after trashing a restaurant. He became a journalist and was the Tory MP for Henley from 2001 to 2008. Once elected Mayor of London (on a salary of around £150,000 a year), he resumed work as a ‘Daily Telegraph’ columnist on a further £250,000 a year.

Johnson, who has campaigned vigorously against the 50% top rate of tax and has frequently defended bankers, is a serial adulterer, compulsive liar, racist, and even a thief, once being made to return an article which he looted from the home of Tariq Aziz in Baghdad. He has a reputation for running up exorbitant expenses, and in short, he’s thoroughly unsuitable for holding any office.

Ivan wrote:May 3 is the date set for the London Mayoral election. The three main candidates are Boris Johnson (Tory), who has been Mayor of London since 2008, Ken Livingstone (Labour), who was Mayor from 2000 until 2008, and Brian Paddick (Lib Dem). As Paddick is currently polling around 7%, I think we can discount him.

From 1986 to 2000, London had been the only major city in the Western world without its own elected authority. That was because when Labour regained control of the Greater London Council (GLC) in 1981, Thatcher, an enemy of democracy, decided to abolish it. She also abolished six metropolitan councils which just happened to be Labour-controlled. It's hardly surprising that she was a personal friend of General Pinochet, a man not noted for his democratic credentials.

Ken Livingstone was born in Streatham in London in 1945 and went to Tulse Hill Comprehensive School. He worked as a cancer research laboratory technician at the Royal Marsden Hospital. In 1971, he became a councillor in Lambeth, and he was the leader of the GLC from 1981 until its abolition in 1986. He was the MP for Brent East from 1987 until 2001.

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, a descendant of an illegitimate child of George II, was born in 1964 and went to Eton and Oxford, where, as a member of the Bullingdon Club (in the company of Cameron and Osborne) he spent a night in a police cell after trashing a restaurant. He became a journalist and was the Tory MP for Henley from 2001 to 2008. Once elected Mayor of London (on a salary of around £150,000 a year), he resumed work as a ‘Daily Telegraph’ columnist on a further £250,000 a year.

Johnson, who has campaigned vigorously against the 50% top rate of tax and has frequently defended bankers, is a serial adulterer, compulsive liar, racist, and even a thief, once being made to return an article which he looted from the home of Tariq Aziz in Baghdad. He has a reputation for running up exorbitant expenses, and in short, he’s thoroughly unsuitable for holding any office.

I think the 3rd of May this year will be a yard stick for Labour also it could tip the yellow Tories over the edge to walking across the floor, Thank you Ivan for the information your thread has given me I did not know that Boris was a serial adulterer and that he has two fingers the same length (thief) I did work out he has expensive tastes after asking for £50 Billion for a airport just to try and make himself look big on the run up too the Mayoral Elections I look froward too see what the people of London decide?

Its Ken all the way. just find it hard to believe that Doris won the first time around let alone a 2nd term

Thank you Ivan for your very 'Balanced' piece of posting and based on that it has to be Ken all the way.....To be honest I'm sure it would be Mugabe all the way if he wore a wore a red tie.
I am so glad you balanced your post so well to reflect all the other balanced posts we experience from you you lovely Labour people

and even a thief, once being made to return an article which he looted from the home of Tariq Aziz in Baghdad

ORFT wiv 'is right hand.

Ken or Boris?

Hanging or Electrocution, Gentlemen?

Lethal injection!




'Course, for real spectacle, and a national holiday, with street parties and bunting, we could have a hanging, drawing and quartering!

Put another youth on the barbequeue

astra wrote:

and even a thief, once being made to return an article which he looted from the home of Tariq Aziz in Baghdad

ORFT wiv 'is right hand.

I forgot that what they do to thieves in that part of the world thanks Astra.

Stox 16 wrote:Its Ken all the way. just find it hard to believe that Doris won the first time around let alone a 2nd term

Its looking good Stox our man Ed M had Scam...er...on by the short and curlies today in PMQs and even the media are starting to believe what Labour have been saying for MONTHS so expect to see the polls rising in Eds favour and when they start to see the people put out on the streets and this Tory led Gov'ts real Intensions all HELL will break loose.

It has to be Ken. I tend to find Boris the buffoon, quite incredulous!

What have you tried to make Boris believe?

oftenwrong wrote:What have you tried to make Boris believe?

Don't know? Can't understand the question!

Incredulous means unwilling or unable to believe something.

astra wrote:Lethal injection!




'Course, for real spectacle, and a national holiday, with street parties and bunting, we could have a hanging, drawing and quartering!

Put another youth on the barbequeue

I like your idea astra but how about changing the barbequeue menu and the hanging drawing and quartering to the entire Tory Gov't that way we have a better choice on who goes on the barbequeue and who gets hung drawn and quartered ready for a bit of MOB RULE.

oftenwrong wrote:Ken or Boris?

Hanging or Electrocution, Gentlemen?

How about a bit of fun it might help to cheer us up after todays figures how about Boris and give me a cattle prod or that new gadget the police have I think that could be fun and games.

In The City of London, there are the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre. We could create some work for some unemployed rebuilding it, then hold the Labour Olympics. Arm all the Tory’s with Gladius and Scutum and grant the last twat standing his/her freedom.
With the Amphitheatre standing, any future politition will think twice or thrice even, before shitting on the peeps again.

If Boris gets ejected from City Hall he'll make a beeline for Cameron's job.

Only if he's sober ow, or the line may be a bit wavy.

And what if Boris wins......Ken was afterall beaten, so the London public didn't want him back. Why hasn't Labour put forward a new candidate?

Ken was beaten by Boris in 2008 when Labour nationally was about 20% behind in the polls. Oona King did stand against Ken for the nomination this time, and I think she would have been a good candidate, but Ken won the vote of London Labour members. He's lived in London all his life, and that must count for something.

With the Amphitheatre standing, any future politition

There was me thinking of the Tower of London!


Funny innit! All the old sources of "entertainment" coming back into vogue


Now where's my Chopper (bycycle, it's a bycycle!!!)

blueturando wrote:And what if Boris wins......Ken was afterall beaten, so the London public didn't want him back. Why hasn't Labour put forward a new candidate?

Can you really see the people of London will VOTE for Boris so that he can put there train and bus fares up again when Osbourne comes looking for more cuts to pay down the Deficit because there will be more cuts due too Osbournes PLAN A, and the first people to pay will be public sector workers and the low paid.

Definately voting for Boris (anybody else here live in London)?

Check Livingstones previous history. He's the more arrogant of the two, he's lying about reducing the fares, he totally f*cked the transport system, he hates cars and will likely increase the congestion zone (West of course, as his Labour lovies live to the east. He brought in the bendy bus (causing severe congestion in central London. He lives in a fantasy world and should consider changing his name to Howard Hughes.

tlttf wrote:Definately voting for Boris (anybody else here live in London)?

Check Livingstones previous history. He's the more arrogant of the two, he's lying about reducing the fares, he totally f*cked the transport system, he hates cars and will likely increase the congestion zone (West of course, as his Labour lovies live to the east. He brought in the bendy bus (causing severe congestion in central London. He lives in a fantasy world and should consider changing his name to Howard Hughes.

So it is OK for Boris to lie about train and bus fares not going up when on the 3rd Jan 2012 both have went up by anything from 8% to 13% at the same time cuts pay freezes Inflation and Unemployment rising so its back to normal one law for them and another for the rest of us.

Bang goes Scam...er...on "WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER" that is the biggest load of VERBAL DIARRHOEA YET.

Boris has been a busy boy then, making job cuts, freezing pay and personally causing unemployment to rise. Not bad for a city mayor, no wonder another 13 cities want to join in and have a mayor, who needs parliament?

Has anybody suggested a review of whether the post "Mayor of London" performs any useful function? There is by now sufficient experience of what service is provided. From the standpoint of a Country Member (Yes, I knew you'd remember) it seems to me to be just another gravy-train, with jobs for the boys. The City's Lord Mayor could serve just as well for the odd Olympic Games and Royal Barge sinking.

tlttf wrote:Boris has been a busy boy then, making job cuts, freezing pay and personally causing unemployment to rise. Not bad for a city mayor, no wonder another 13 cities want to join in and have a mayor, who needs parliament?

Its Boris's party that is in power and yes he came out and said he was not happy with the cuts to the police but did not put up much of a fight against the cuts, so that was done very half heartily, He also castigates Ken Livingston for putting up train fares and then does the same thing himself on a higher scale.

So it comes back to the the old old story one law for US and another one for the PLEBS (us)

Ivan wrote:Ken was beaten by Boris in 2008 when Labour nationally was about 20% behind in the polls. Oona King did stand against Ken for the nomination this time, and I think she would have been a good candidate, but Ken won the vote of London Labour members. He's lived in London all his life, and that must count for something.

as a Londoner by birth I find Doris a idiot on a bike. He is such a clown and make London look stupid.

Very short memory Stox, have you forgotten the sheer waste and self exploitism that Ken caused?

As opposed to the self exploitism of Boris Johnson?

Boris Johnson has been labelled a “part-time Mayor” by Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liam Byrne, after it emerged that Boris Johnson has been writing a book (as well as his regular “chickenfeed” Telegraph column) on top of his duties as Mayor of London. Byrne said:

“It’s truly astonishing that Boris Johnson can find the time to write a book when he was elected to run London. Despite the summer riots, record unemployment and rising cost of living it’s clear London has a part-time Mayor who’s not putting Londoners first. In fact Boris Johnson’s public diary records the Mayor attending an average of just 2 meetings a day this year – and that’s including ribbon cutting and photocalls!

Every hour Boris Johnson has spent writing his book is an hour which he could have spent working to make our streets safer and getting new investment and jobs into London. The Mayor of London is paid more than the Prime Minister to run London. How can he justify taking on so many jobs when so many Londoners would be thankful just to have one job?”

http://labourlist.org/2011/10/boris-part-time-mayor/

On BBC’s London Politics Show (12.02.12), it was revealed that billions of pounds were inaccurately added to Boris Johnson’s official budget document, a mistake that a spokesperson for the Tory Mayor attempted to dismiss as a “clerical error”. At over £2 billion, that’s some clerical error…

A spokesperson for Ken Livingstone said: “Boris Johnson claims anyone arguing for lower fares for Londoners doesn’t understand the transport finances, but now it turns out it’s Boris Johnson’s transport figures that you can’t trust. The Tory Mayor’s administration is increasingly characterised by chaos and confusion. Commuters suffer daily tube delays and he has admitted cutting 1,700 police officers while violent crimes are rising. Now we have seen Boris Johnson’s failure to get a grip of the most basic details of the GLA’s finances and it’s Londoners who are paying the price for his incompetence.”

http://labourlist.org/2012/02/boris-and-the-2-billion-pound-clerical-error/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LabourListLatestPosts+%28LabourList%29

Personally I find it completely unacceptable that so much power should be in the hands of one man, whatever his party. Still, I know nothing about running a city, and I'm slightly potty, so that makes me well qualified. And £144k per year. Will anyone sponsor me? I promise jobs for the boys!

and I'm slightly potty,

Please don't admit to that Trevor! The Pease Pottage Gang will get carried away with themselves!


You get my vote! (I want leader of the licenced victualers association)

The Pease Pottage Gang will get carried away with themselves!

Ooops I take that back

Used to go through Pease Pottage on the way to Brighton, many years ago. Now the M23 bypasses it.

Ivan wrote:On BBC’s London Politics Show (12.02.12), it was revealed that billions of pounds were inaccurately added to Boris Johnson’s official budget document, a mistake that a spokesperson for the Tory Mayor attempted to dismiss as a “clerical error”. At over £2 billion, that’s some clerical error…

A spokesperson for Ken Livingstone said: “Boris Johnson claims anyone arguing for lower fares for Londoners doesn’t understand the transport finances, but now it turns out it’s Boris Johnson’s transport figures that you can’t trust. The Tory Mayor’s administration is increasingly characterised by chaos and confusion. Commuters suffer daily tube delays and he has admitted cutting 1,700 police officers while violent crimes are rising. Now we have seen Boris Johnson’s failure to get a grip of the most basic details of the GLA’s finances and it’s Londoners who are paying the price for his incompetence.”

http://labourlist.org/2012/02/boris-and-the-2-billion-pound-clerical-error/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LabourListLatestPosts+%28LabourList%29

Did you know Ivan that he increased his advisors pay by around 13% and yet everybody else has a pay cut or lose there jobs like the 1,700 police officers and where did I get tjis info from watching the Mayors QT and a Labour member asked him outright why he had increased his advisers pay while everybody else was taking cuts I suppose its jobs for the BOYS.

Redflag wrote:

Ivan wrote:On BBC’s London Politics Show (12.02.12), it was revealed that billions of pounds were inaccurately added to Boris Johnson’s official budget document, a mistake that a spokesperson for the Tory Mayor attempted to dismiss as a “clerical error”. At over £2 billion, that’s some clerical error…

A spokesperson for Ken Livingstone said: “Boris Johnson claims anyone arguing for lower fares for Londoners doesn’t understand the transport finances, but now it turns out it’s Boris Johnson’s transport figures that you can’t trust. The Tory Mayor’s administration is increasingly characterised by chaos and confusion. Commuters suffer daily tube delays and he has admitted cutting 1,700 police officers while violent crimes are rising. Now we have seen Boris Johnson’s failure to get a grip of the most basic details of the GLA’s finances and it’s Londoners who are paying the price for his incompetence.”

http://labourlist.org/2012/02/boris-and-the-2-billion-pound-clerical-error/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LabourListLatestPosts+%28LabourList%29

Did you know Ivan that he increased his advisors pay by around 13% and yet everybody else has a pay cut or lose there jobs like the 1,700 police officers and where did I get tjis info from watching the Mayors QT and a Labour member asked him outright why he had increased his advisers pay while everybody else was taking cuts I suppose its jobs for the BOYS.

It's obviously the Tory way. Total incompetence and jobs for the boys. When are people going to realise that and get rid of this dead wood.

Been as I am a long way from London, I do not have that much interest in this election, except to say that Boris seems to attract a fair percentage of votes purely because of his comical appearance and demeanor.

I admire Boris to a degree because he is his own brand of Conservative, he has regularly clashed with the party on such issues as immigration for example, even if you are not a Conservative supporter, you must admire him for sticking by what HE believes.

Though if I were a Londoner or a resident of London, I confess I would vote for Ken.

witchfinder wrote:Been as I am a long way from London, I do not have that much interest in this election, except to say that Boris seems to attract a fair percentage of votes purely because of his comical appearance and demeanor.

I admire Boris to a degree because he is his own brand of Conservative, he has regularly clashed with the party on such issues as immigration for example, even if you are not a Conservative supporter, you must admire him for sticking by what HE believes.

Though if I were a Londoner or a resident of London, I confess I would vote for Ken.

I just think he is an Idiot and don't believe that he goes against his party that is just for show, but I think if Boris looses his Mayor job he could making a bee line for Davey boys job.

Expats in a foreign land frequently find that they have no say in the Political affairs of the place where they live, because they are not entitled to vote.
Brits on the Costa del Sol in 1976 found themselves at the mercy of their maids, butlers and gardeners.

Many of the wealthiest London residents are similarly disenfranchised.