Boris Watch

[Marmora Man]

In the spirit of openess I propose a new thread - Boris Watch. Record the good, bad and indifferent actions of our new Mayor and his new administration. It will take time but we may be able to build a pattern to determine whether my views of Boris, or those of others, are most correct.

[bignumber5]

A fine thread MM, sort of long-term lay out the evidence.

Perhaps someone who is confident enough can post a summary of his prospective mayoral promises, then we can quote them as he fulfills any (or has to about-turn). That way, we can monitor his progress!

[Michael Palaeologus]

I thought is acceptance speech was very good.

I suspect that those who dismiss his buffoon-like persona as a sign of stupidity and a lack of political savvie are kidding themselves. He is as much as a political animal as Ken.

Unlike Ken, Boris is not hung up on political dogma or in the thrall of interest groups and croneyism. Yet.

[Mark]

ok, so here's what Boris says (http://www.backboris.com)

Crime and Safety:

I will give support to the wonderful work of local community projects that get young people off the streets and give them purpose and a realisation of their value as members of society.

I will provide ?2.6 million to fund hand-held scanners or new knife archways at transport hubs to hinder the mobility of those who carry knives and guns.

I will lobby for an end to the stop and account form

I will provide local neighbourhoods with New York-style crime maps, to enable residents to hold local police to account.

I will double the strength of Safer Transport Teams, by releasing funding for approximately 440 extra PCSOs to patrol the buses and trial live CCTV.

I will give revenue inspectors more powers to tackle fare evasion.

I will provide funding for 3 new Rape Crisis Centres to help the forgotten victims of sexual violence

Those who abuse their free transport privileges will be able to earn back their free Oyster by doing community service as part of my Payback London scheme.

Transport:

I will double the number of police officers to patrol buses

I will provide funding for 50 extra British Transport Police Officers to patrol the worst train stations.

I will phase out bendy buses and run a new competition to find a 21st century Routemaster that has full disabled access, runs on clean fuel and has conductors.

I will introduce live, interactive bus tracking so you can see where your bus is and avoid long waits at the bus stop.

I will look again at having an air-conditioned tube.

We need to take the thumbs of the RMT off the windpipe of London commuters with a no-strike deal that gives both sides the benefit of an independent arbitrator.

I will lobby government for powers to fine utility companies that run overtime when digging up the roads.

I will provide ?2 million for safe cycle parking.

I will work with boroughs to improve existing cycle and walking routes.

I will fight for London's rail commuters and campaign for longer trains, more frequent services and Oyster at all stations.

Injured veterans who live in London will be able to travel free on London buses.

I will lobby for long-term projects that London needs, including the Oxford Street Tram, East London Line Phase 2, DLR and Transit extensions and the Crossrail to Ebbsfleet.

I will allow motorcycles to use bus lanes in the city.

We will continue to oppose the construction of a third runway at Heathrow airport.

Environment

I will support the Low Emission Zone to improve air quality.

I will take a zero tolerance approach to littering and graffiting.

I will work with underperforming [cleaning] areas to help them deliver cleaner streets for their residents.

I will protect and preserve our beautiful open spaces by working with local councils to ensure they are safe and pristine. I will plant more street trees.

I will work with local councils to improve our record on recycling so that it becomes a natural part of all Londoners' lives.

I will continue to work in association with other cities across the world to tackle climate change.

I will practice what I preach with a series of environmentally friendly measures to be adopted across the GLA family including: a ban on bottled water, a ban on internal flights, recycling, green procurement and sustainability.

Housing

We need to work in partnership with local councils to increase the number of affordable homes, year on year, in every borough.

We must develop more family-sized homes with gardens, and we need to give more Londoners the chance to own their family home.

Healthcare

I will make it my moral duty to speak up for Londoners and help them by telling them frankly what kind of healthcare they are actually getting.

I will beef up the role of the London Health Commission, allocating it a permanent budget to ensure that everything within the Mayor's remit, be it transport, housing or skills, makes reducing these health inequalities a priority.

I will lobby for public health money to be safeguarded against being used to plug holes in NHS budgets.

I will stand up against local hospital closures.

I will make our streets and open spaces safer.

[SteveT]

I shall also put my snout deeply into the trough of human kindness and shall sup until repleat.

further more I shall sup beyond any who hath supped before.

Although there is no need for a mayor of any kind in any town in this land, I shall not let that interfere in any way with all the goodies and largesse that await me.

I have plotted and schemed for many years, to the best of my russian abilities, wheedling my way into this exalted and unwarranted position, and I shall not falter from this greatest almost Herculean task, in fulfilling these pockets of my destiny.

All the years of my carefully planned, blonde bouffanted buffoonery are now coming to fruition, and I shall soon run the conservative party with my friends at the kgb club.

All this I pledge to do to you the ultra gullible, british public.

[lozzyloz]

Traffic around E&C / Walworth Rd was shocking today and he's only been Mayor a few hours

[karter]

I heard about that traffic today that was really bad. The road works and pavement works they have done on Walworth road is a complete bodge job i reckon.

Sort it out Boris

[mlteenie]

I don't want m/cycles in bus lanes. It will result in (bad) accidents and cyclists will come off badly.

[SteveT]

I don't want buses in bus lanes

I do not want any mayor in any bus lane

to prove he is dedicated to his non-job he should walk bare foot for the duration of it's term

he should sit on a bed of nails to prove he is not a lying fakir

[citizenED]

Now that Boris is Mayor, does it meqan we'll get Ken chairing "Have I Got News For You"?

[mightyroar]

Boris news... Good, bad or indifferent? you decide:

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has today announced the appointment of Ray Lewis as Deputy Mayor for Young People.

"We face a wave of violent crime amongst young people in the Capital. Kids are killing other kids. Ray will be part of my team who will work night and day until we put an end to this tragic trend.

"Working with voluntary groups across the Capital, we will make a real difference to the lives of young people and their families. Londoners need action on this issue, and I won't rest until we deliver it".

seems like a good move. no controversy so far

[pk]

Mark Wrote:

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

> ok, so here's what Boris says

> (http://www.backboris.com)

>

> >

> Transport:

>

> I will phase out bendy buses and run a new

> competition[!!!! on blue peter?] to find a 21st century Routemaster

> that has full disabled access, runs on clean fuel

> and has conductors.

> I will look again at having an air-conditioned

> tube.

> I will lobby government for powers to fine utility

> companies that run overtime when digging up the

> roads.

>

> I will work with boroughs to improve existing

> cycle and walking routes.

> I will fight for London's rail commuters and

> campaign for longer trains, more frequent services

> and Oyster at all stations.

> Injured veterans who live in London will be able

> to travel free on London buses.

> I will lobby for long-term projects that London

> needs, including the Oxford Street Tram, East

> London Line Phase 2, DLR and Transit extensions

> and the Crossrail to Ebbsfleet.

>

i couldn't help but laugh when i read a politician saying that he'd solve the bus problems by running a competition - he really hasn't a clue

that aside not much firm commitment in transport, as an example

[OutOfFocus]

SteveT Wrote:

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

> I do not want any mayor in any bus lane

> to prove he is dedicated to his non-job he should

> walk bare foot for the duration of it's term

Can you explain this statement. "he should walk bare foot for the duration of it's (=it is) term"

Or do you mean "its term", mysteriously using a neuter pronoun to refer to a masculine one.

[Moos]

Is it not usual to put a large technical project out to tender so that firms can compete to win the business? I'm not sure that Boris meant that herds of schoolchildren would be designing them using loo rolls and sticky-backed plastic.

Or am I missing some irony here...it is early, after all.

[Marmora Man]

Moos Wrote:

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

> Is it not usual to put a large technical project

> out to tender so that firms can compete to win the

> business? I'm not sure that Boris meant that

> herds of schoolchildren would be designing them

> using loo rolls and sticky-backed plastic.

> Or am I missing some irony here...it is early,

> after all.

I agree with you Moos - that's what I read the term competition to mean.

[Asset]

The whole of the New Town in Edinburgh was designed by someone who won a competition to do so in the 1700s so, no it's not unusual.

I just hope he actually does redesign and reinstate the routemaster but I reckon it was all talk.

[Torben Pieknik]

The design of Parliament was also run as a competition. Won by Barry and Pugin.

[snoozequeen1]

If we are going to hand ourselves back to the aristocracy, wouldn't we be better off just going with the monarchy and not bothering with parliament at all?

On the whole I'd rather have Lizzie and then Charles, at least neither is vulgar, they have some feeling for the UK, some of the British countryside might survive without being sold off to Donald Trump and assorted rootless spivs and gangsters, and Charlie would be having none of the GM foods monster.

I see that Gordon Brown is occupying himself today with asking some of the most vicious and lawless thugs on the planet (aka our greatest international corporations) if they could please be nice to the ordinary people when they have finished buying up what's left of the UK. How it makes me long for them to bring back those spikes at Tower Hill back into use.

[pk]

Marmora Man Wrote:

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

> Moos Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Is it not usual to put a large technical

> project

> > out to tender so that firms can compete to win

> the

> > business? I'm not sure that Boris meant that

> > herds of schoolchildren would be designing them

> > using loo rolls and sticky-backed plastic.

> > Or am I missing some irony here...it is early,

> > after all.

>

> I agree with you Moos - that's what I read the

> term competition to mean.

that's not quite how i read it - usually in competitive tender situations you know what you want and you know that a number of people provide it - here as no new routemaster actually exists it's a very different idea to me

i don't think that you'd get a large number of companies investing to design a new 'routemaster' (which would take a great deal of investment) only to get the design not taken any further by the client that you designed it for

more likely is that (if anything happens at all on this, which i doubt) is that he'll pick someone based on a 'design' that has not actually been built and huge teething problems will follow. it'd also be all but impossible to put an accurate price on it

[Keef]

Can designing a bus really be that hard? Christ, no wonder we were never in the space race!

[Moos]

I probably shouldn't get involved in this discussion because I don't know anything about bus design! Er... some wheels... an engine...

But coming from a completely different industry my own firm often invests significant amounts of man hours (e.g. teams of 4-8 people for weeks at a time, and we are not a huge company) in trying to land a big deal. A lot of the reason that we eventually do or don't get selected is on credibility (in this instance would be: have we designed a bus before, and was it similar to the one Boris wants), price (are we prepared to put a cap on what the development costs would be) and reputation for delivery on time/in budget.

It will be interesting to see what comes out. Councils are after all infamous for hurling vast sacksful of cash at very silly projects. I love the idea of an ecologically friendly bus and resuming the role of a conductor, and I think double-deckers are a brilliant design. Personally I don't miss the old Routemasters, because they were always so dirty and the seats were very small for a moderately tall person like me, but they were quite nice looking.

[Keef]

Aquick point regarding the bendy buses. I have been on trams in various cities that use the "bendy" style design, and think they work brilliantly in that format, and sticking to a designated track. I just don't think that they work particularly well negotiating the steets of London (inner or outer) when you have all sorts of people doing all sorts of things on the roads, like parking on a corner to unload a lorry. It just makes them a total nightmare IMO.

[Marmora Man]

Keef Wrote:

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

> Aquick point regarding the bendy buses. I have

> been on trams in various cities that use the

> "bendy" style design, and think they work

> brilliantly in that format, and sticking to a

> designated track. I just don't think that they

> work particularly well negotiating the steets of

> London (inner or outer) when you have all sorts of

> people doing all sorts of things on the roads,

> like parking on a corner to unload a lorry. It

> just makes them a total nightmare IMO.

Plus - as far as I can despite taking up twice the road space they carry, essentially, the same numbe of people.

[citizenED]

Would the new Routemaster be to the old Routemaster what the New Mini was to the Old Mini ie, a completely different car.

[Brendan]

That?s what gets me about them. It is like trying to fit the 100 4 bedroom bungalows into the same space as 100 4 bedroom terraces.

It is one of his policies I do agree with.