Boris Johnson: a genuine concern...

[bignumber5]

Is it just me that is really worried by Boris Johnson?

The media focus seems to be stuck on the bumbly side, the loveable "he's a bit daft but not so bad" side, and glossing over the fact that he's hardcore right wing in a way that george dubya would be proud of. It really concerns me that many a-poorly considered vote will go his way from those who want a change from Ken and think Boris looks like a fairly safe and harmless alternative. Even today's revelation that a senior transport bod will quit if Boris takes office is still being played down, with no news show giving decent attention to exactly what about him it is that makes senior officals consider their position: which is more likely, being ashamed of being embarassed of working with bumbling boris, or not wanting to be associated with the administration of the 21st Century London-only Mrs Thatch?

Thoughts?

[Amelie]

The transport official in question is Peter Hendy who may well find himself answering some very difficult questions from the Electoral Commission and the Nolan Committee about apparently breaching the rules on political impartiality. It is an aboslute legal requirement that officials paid from the public purse must not indulge in political activity. Mr Hendy's threat has nothing to do with being ashamed or embarrassed by Boris Johnson but rather an acknowledgement that his own thoughtlessness and disregard for the law of the land may have made his continued employment both impossible and indefensible.

[benjaminty]

Totally with you!

Yet quite why Boris is not just seen as the bumbling idiot he is and deserving of a vote is beyond me. In all honesty I love Boris... as long as he's at his editors desk or a guest on Have I got news for you.

Peter Hendy has been knocked for speaking out about BJ and that he might be out of line for expressing political views in his position; surely this shows how bad BJ is.

I hope London makes the right choice.... being a loveable plonker is not a good basis to run the capital.

[Marmora Man]

BN5 - what is your evidence that BJ is a hard core right winger?

BJ's policies include:

Opposition to plans to extend the congestion charge zone - as punitive for small business and ineffective in terms of reducing congestion

Plans to allow motorcyclists to use bus lanes.

Removal of road humps and timing traffic lights to favour pedestrians.

Reducing costs of the central political machine that KL is running,

Removing the "bendies" - a populist move and one which I as a cyclist, pedestrian and council tax payer applaud,

Increasing police / CPSO's on the beat - again populist but sensible.

These are all London focussed policies. BJ's parlimentary career hasn't suggested any hard core right wing tendencies. The ability to put foot in mouth yes, intention to become another George Bush no.

BJ is an intelligent and thoughtful man - yes he is a conservative, but to me hard core right wing mean BNP and the like, not simply being a Tory.

KL on the other hand is a down and dirty Left Wing politician rooted in the past glories of class war and activism. Whatever is against the grain of current othodoxy - he's for it. He still believes that Fidel Castro is a "hero of the left" and has been a force for the good of Cuba - which is a country still living in the poverty and oppression of Communism 20 years after the Berlin Wall fell.

He has invited hardcore Islamicists to London who call for killing of homosexuals, Jews and apostates, for the oppression of women as well as supporting terrorism against the UK.

His own racist and sexist behaviour has been documented over many years.

His kitchen cabinet has been deeply involved in at the least shoddy accounting and quite probably financial corruption.

He has cynically used London funds to promote himself abroad with "London Embassies" across the globe, his carbon footprint must be a nightmare.

He is a directive rather than consultative politician.

His attitude to London Assembly members is arrogant and dismissive - and the language he uses when addressing them when not answering their legitimate questions is rude and bullying

He has politicised TfL - that's Peter Hendy's problem - KL has implicated him in efforts to counter BJ's arguments. Something unforgiveable in a public servant - but not in KL's world of politics.

He has exploited the poor of Venuzuala and Hugo Chavez to provide subsidised fuel for London Transport to fund a reduction in fares for pensioners. London transport now runs more empty buses than I can ever recall in 30+ years of London living.

He got rid of the Routemaster bus after saying "only a moron would want to get rid of this iconic vehicle"

I can think of little or nothing that KL has done to improve the lot of Londoners and look forward to a change of Mayor on May 1.

PS: The original post "smelt" of a viral marketing campaign against BJ to me - but maybe I'm becoming too cynical?

Edited for spelling and final comment re viral marketing

[SeanMacGabhann]

Quite shocked by your post Marmora Man - a normally considered take has been replaced by a rant

His own racist and sexist behaviour has been documented over many years.

Documented? Or reported by The Mail/Evening Standard. I used to live a few doors from Ken in Cricklewood. His comments re the Jewish reporter and the Nazis was ill-judged and probably alcohol influenced but his basic point was pro-jewish not anti - ie "how can you work for a paper that supported the Nazis?"

"His kitchen cabinet has been deeply involved in at the least shoddy accounting and quite probably financial corruption."

Allegedly - unless you have access to the files...

"He has cynically used London funds to promote himself abroad with "London Embassies" across the globe, his carbon footprint must be a nightmare."

Again - allegedly - how does this stack up? How would any other mayor differ? Isn't that part of the job?

"He is a directive rather than consultative politician."

Probably true. But consultive politicians are accussed of flim-flammery and not having any convictions. I like someone who has a view, says what they are going to do, stands for election and then goes and does it without being watered down by committee

"His attitude to London Assembly members is arrogant and dismissive - and the language he uses when addressing them when not answering their legitimate questions is rude and bullying"

examples?

"He has politicised TfL - that's Peter Hendy's problem - KL has implicated him in efforts to counter BJ's arguments. Something unforgiveable in a public servant - but not in KL's world of politics."

Not sure what your point is here? He has politicised? Gordon Brown using PPP with the tube was teh politicising. Ken (rightly) opposed it and was lambasted for doing so. Look where we are now

He has exploited the poor of Venuzuala and Hugo Chavez to provide subsidised fuel for London Transport to fund a reduction in fares for pensioners. London transport now runs more empty buses than I can ever recall in 30+ years of London living.

He got rid of the Routemaster bus after saying "only a moron would want to get rid of this iconic vehicle"

whoah!! Who is politicising now? The very idea that consumers, shoppers, mainstream political parties are NOT living of the backs of the poor in other countries apart from this one stunt of Ken's?!!!! Are you serious?

As for empty buses - I travel on a variety of routes and often at non-peak hours. I haven't seen a near-empty bus yet in the last 8 years. But let;'s say you are right and they are plentiful. Isn't that the very encouragement people need to get out of cars? I often hear "oh I would give up me car but the buses are full of people armpit to armpit" - well then, here you go, plenty of space! use 'em

I'm inclined to think the time is right for a new mayor for London but will defend Ken's tenure and will oppose BJ in any capacity. I just wish the choice for a new mayor was different. But to take your points:

"has invited hardcore Islamicists to London who call for killing of homosexuals, Jews and apostates, for the oppression of women as well as supporting terrorism against the UK."

Yep he has - how does this make him different from any other leader who has to engage with people they may disagree with? Not that long ago thatcher was welcoming dictators to this country and recently defending him in the papers as well. At least Ken has spoken out against the beliefs held by the Islamicists

And finally - the main point that bugs me:

"Whatever is against the grain of current othodoxy - he's for it. "

That is the description of most career politicians. It is the OPPOSITE of what Ken is. Say what you like about him (and you have) but he is consistent in his views and it is left to others to catch up. Back in the 80s when he was lambasted for speaking to the IRA and standing up for gay rights - he wasn't doing it to be oppositionist - he believed they were teh right things to do. The last 20 years have proved him right. And he hasn't suddenly started hating the Irish and gay communities

I'm to het up to tear in to the Boris comments right now..... but I'm with BN5

[mockney piers]

^^^

[Mark]

Boris Johnson standing for mayor reminds me of the Ali G film where Ali was put forward to stand as a politician. He wasn't expected to win due to the fact that he was incompetent but win did due to the other candidate having had a previous unfortunate incident with a horse which came to light in a live TV debate. I can't see that happening but it's a shame that the Tories didn't put someone sensible up for election.

[snorky]

replace a perfectly good stakhanovite administrator with an unknown quantity of toff ?

very poor show people, very poor- stop reading the Daily Substandard - its a poisonous beast disguised as a newspaper

[blinder999]

nicely refuted Sean, with you 100%. The real shock is that after all these years, BJ is the best opposition they can find.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Mockney, are you saying Ken is a tit or three?

[Brendan]

I agree with MM on most counts regarding Ken Livingston but I also have massive trepidation over Boris Johnson.

[SeanMacGabhann]

ok - to tackle Boris

First of all the policies you quote as being a Good Thing

"Opposition to plans to extend the congestion charge zone - as punitive for small business and ineffective in terms of reducing congestion."

As a bus user and pedestrian I can say the single biggest thing that has impacted my life as a force for Good is the ocngestion charge. Bus journeys definitely were much quicker and the air noticeably better. The fact that congestion has crept up is a sign that people accept the charge (similar to tube fares by the way) and are using cars more again. Increase the charge again

"Plans to allow motorcyclists to use bus lanes."

Not sure how this is necessarily good...

Removal of road humps and timing traffic lights to favour pedestrians.

fair enough - hardly revolutionary

Reducing costs of the central political machine that KL is running,

Absolutely bog-standard electioneering. Anyone standing is likely to say this

Removing the "bendies" - a populist move and one which I as a cyclist, pedestrian and council tax payer applaud,

I don't hate the bendies as much as some - I can see how disabled people might appreciate them

Increasing police / CPSO's on the beat - again populist but sensible.

again, standard-issue quote. Prediction: if elected it won't happen

But to take the wider issues concerning the man:

Here he is in the Telegraph in 2006:

millions of seven- to 15-year-olds are hooked, especially boys, and it is time someone had the guts to stand up, cross the room and just say no to Nintendo. It is time to garrotte the Game Boy and paralyse the PlayStation, and it is about time, as a society, that we admitted the catastrophic effect these blasted gizmos are having on the literacy and the prospects of young males." He went on to say "We get on with our hedonistic 21st-century lives while in some other room the nippers are bleeping and zapping in speechless rapture, their passive faces washed in explosions and gore. They sit for so long that their souls seem to have been sucked down the cathode ray tube.

You may agree but that's me he's talking about. I don't appreciate it

As for Liverpudlians I'm not one of them - I shall let them comment on him saying:

"that many Liverpudlians had a "deeply unattractive psyche""

The whole water-melon smiles and picanninies quote re: black people speaks for itself despite his protestations

He also supported Section 28 and opposed the minimum wage

Right wing? I'd say so

[mockney piers]

PGC, I wrote that post about fifteen times, but due to this morning's blood alcohol level still being above that recommended for a small horse I eventually settled for three circumfli.

In (slightly less) short. Don't like Ken at all but credit where credit's due. Love Boris, but the man is a liability, have heard him interviewed several times and he really doesn't have a clue. But that post was damnably near a perfect post; well argued and reasonable in every sense of the word; i take my hat [^] off to young Sean.

[Sandperson]

I still can't understand how people can say they 'love Boris'. The man is a proven liar. He almost got his godfather turned out of Oxford when he made up a quote from him in his early days as a journalist and as far as I can see he has never looked back. This loveable, bumbling Boris act is just that an act. It's like I Claudius in reverse. I blame these free sheets they hand out on the buses. It's like Huxley's Soma, keep the masses entertained and not too mentally stretched and you can slip in your own Tory-led agenda without them noticing.

[david_carnell]

For me the issue can be simplified slightly.

Imagine the scenario, that hopefully will never happen. A major terrorist attack occurs in central London. Hundreds, if not thousands are dead. Widespread panic.

Who would you want to see stepping through the smoke and rubble to try and bring the city back from the brink, Guliani style? Boris? "umm, well, err, gosh, what the piffle have we here? bloody arabs again, what? umm, right, err what next?"

I don't think so.

I'm aware that is slightly sensationalist but it illustrates my point which is, in a crisis situation or an emergency, who do you want in charge of your city? Boris, to put it politely, doesn't exactly instill confidence in me.

[blinder999]

...and that Darius Guppy business is murky to say the least.

[Sandperson]

blinder999 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> ...and that Darius Guppy business is murky to say

> the least.

Blimey! I'd forgotten about that!

[mockney piers]

"Imagine the scenario, that hopefully will never happen. A major terrorist attack...."

Still got a bit o' that ol' new labour in you haven't you DC :-S

[david_carnell]

You know what they say Piers, you can take the boy out of Surrey....

;-)

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Lovely as you are Sean, last time I looked, you weren't between seven and 15.

[mockney piers]

LOL :))

[SeanMacGabhann]

eh? oh yeah... got it. Phew

But you get the gist

[bignumber5]

Marmora Man Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> BN5 - what is your evidence that BJ is a hard core

> right winger?

Apologies for not getting back to this thread until now - I seem to keep very different hours to everyone else... Thanks to those who have covered the original point-of-view while I've been away from t'internet.

I think SeanMac has done a spot of mind-reading, which will save me a great deal of time. BJ: Openly sexist, a bit racist (Papua New Guinea, remarks about cannibals... familiar?), up for helping the old school network kneecap a journo, writing off a whole city presumably because it's a fundementally working northern city, similar arguement with Portsmouth, and while that whole cigar case business may seem pretty trivial, it essentially amounts to looting.

Then to his poicies for London to demonstrate his general uselessness:

*Abolishing the congestion charge: the best thing to happen to daily life in London in my lifetime, again to seanmac for the specifics.

*Motorbikes in bus lanes: I ride motorbikes and I think this is a crap idea, anyone who's ever been on a bus that has to crawl along because a 2-wheeler (motorised or not) is sat up front will prob agree with me. Pointless. Bus lanes are for buses.

*Removing bendies: reactionary bollocks. the accident stats for bendies are just shite - bendies run the busiest central routes, and this is (by averages) where the accidents will happen. Per bus running and per head of user, the bendies are no different to a DD running the same part of town. Concerns about how often the size means clipping a cyclist would do well to address how few cyclists in London actually obey the highway code and try stopping at lights. I work in a central london A&E and when cyclist contacts bus, cyclist always gives a "no idea what happened" history, whereas the shell shocked driver and anyone at the front of the bus can always tell a detailed story of cyclist running red light or going for a tight pass and misjudging the wider turning circle of a bendy - so cyclists, stop whinging about bendies and obey the rules of the road, enough of the "I can judge when I can make a gap" bollocks and then being suprised when the back half of a bendy swings into said "gap".

(sorry, that should probably be a separate thread-rant...)

*More coppers, more CSO's, but less public spending - smashing, Boris, no one could possibly fault these, except that one makes the other virtually impossible. Standard pre-election spin; throw in better state school resources, something widely unfounded about being able to cut spending, safer streets, partridge in some sort of shrubbery.

So, sexist, racist, sweeping statements about people from whole cities based on the class divide, condoning acts of public disorder as long as it's old-boys-network as the agressor, and a series of policies with no real basis for implementation other than pleasing the London motorist, who with the price of living in London is unlikely to be the average working Londoner.

Right Wing: check

Moron: check

Bumbling: irrelevent, but makes him seem unthreatening, and that's what might get him London.

BJ should stick to history TV and getting poked at on Have I got news for you. An academic, occasionally a refreshing stance on hypothetical issues (extreme opinion of any kind always allows me to review my own stance, if only to argue my case calmly, something I may have failed to do here...), but not someone I want running London.

[bignumber5]

Marmora Man Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> PS: The original post "smelt" of a viral marketing

> campaign against BJ to me - but maybe I'm becoming

> too cynical?

Oh, and I have no idea what this means... anyone free to help?

Original post was watching the news after getting home, and thinking something that I'd normally discuss with Mrs.number5, but she was out, so I thought I'd post to discuss with you guys as you always seem much more politically aware than me, hence original post ended with a question mark. No hidden agenda, if that's what you mean.

(And my first proper thread-starting, so confirming upgrade from lurker to poster, and thought in-for-a-penny-in-for-a-pound and go straight for politics!)

[edited for huge number of typos]

[Brendan]

On the bendy-bus story BN5: I have to agree that they are a bad idea. Simple reason. They take up twice as much space on the already congested roads as a double-decker would.

Cant say I would agree on reinstating routemasters though for the same reason I wouldn?t choose to dig a hole in the ground with a stick rather than a spade because ?that?s how it used to be done.?