Tag Archive for ‘Boris Johnson’ at LondonSays

Tag Archive for 'Boris Johnson'

Arriving in Inboxes Across London…

Published by Simon on November 27, 2008 in LondonSays. 4 Comments

I’m writing to update you on the activities of Progressive London - a new coalition launched earlier this month. You can sign up for regular updates from Progressive London here.

First, I am pleased to provide more details of the first Progressive London event - a conference that will take place on 24 January 2009 at Congress House, Great Russell St, WC1 and will address key issues to keep London at the cutting edge of the world today, including the international financial crisis, culture and art, and community relations.

Among those who have confirmed as speakers are Assembly Members from Labour, the Greens and Liberal Democrats; minister Tessa Jowell MP; MPs and MEPs from across the parties; leading trade unionists including from Unite, Unison, the FBU and NUT; intellectuals such as Eric Hobsbawm; artists and cultural practitioners; community activists; campaigners for a better deal for young people; student representatives; leaders of the peace movement; and city government experts.

The media partners for the event are Comment is Free.

I hope you will be able to come along and take part in the discussion. To be sure of your ticket, register for the conference now by emailingevents@progressivelondon.org.uk and we will contact you with more information soon.

Tickets will be £10 waged, £5 unwaged and £20 per person for organisations. Details of new speakers and sessions will be frequently updated on the website at http://www.progressivelondon.org.uk/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88&Itemid=85

Progressive London aims to bring you information and debate about the key issues in London. The website includes news and articles sections so that you can read more about the latest important stories in the capital. We also feature guest blogs such as from Jenny Jones AM on why she is so angry about the planned above-inflation fares increase. Read Jenny’s blog here.

Also on the blog, Koy Thompson of the London Cycling Campaign says why London’s new bus lane policy is ill-thought out, and Rob Miller discusses international social progress, whilst you can also find updates on cuts to cycling funding, why we need to campaign for more social-rented housing for Londoners, and how to secure the future of London’s economy. All of this can be found at the Progressive London blog here.

I hope you will be able to visit the blog regularly and check the news updates on the site.

Finally, as you may know, this January the Mayor plans to raise fares by six per cent, with some increasing far more: the price of a single bus journey on Oyster will go up by eleven per cent, to £1. Yet at the same time the Mayor is throwing away millions of pounds by cancelling measures like the planned £25-a-day charge on the worst polluting cars, like Chelsea Tractors, in central London. At a time of financial crisis politicians should be helping Londoners by holding down fares and investing in key public services like transport. The opposite is happening. The Fare Deal Campaign is calling for the fares rise to be cancelled: to read more about this and to sign up for regular updates on Progressive London’s campaigns, clickhere.

You’ve received this email as someone who signed up to support my election campaign earlier this year. If you don’t wish to receive any more emails from Progressive London simply reply to unsubscribe@progressivelondon.org.uk and we will make sure you are removed from the list.

I hope you will find that Progressive London is a useful addition to London’s political life and will support its activities. We have made a great deal of progress over the last few years and London’s future depends on progressive Londoners continuing to take the city forward. If you want to help, don’t forget to sign up for regular updates here.

We won’t pass on your email address to anyone else.

Yours sincerely

Ken Livingstone

So, that answers my earlier questions… it’s a leftish, Boris-bashing organisation. If Ken can keep enough of his base on side, and a stalking horse for Labour’s nomination doesn’t make themselves known, the next couple of years promise to be interesting.

People’s Question Time

Published by Simon on October 13, 2008 in LondonSays. 0 Comments

The details for the latest People’s Question Time have been released and can be found below:

Time: 7.00pm – 9.00pm (doors open at 6.00pm)

Main Hall
Bromley Civic Centre
Stockwell Close
Bromley BR1 3UH

How to get there

Tickets to attend People’s Question Time (PQT) are free, but you should request your ticket(s) in advance.

How to get tickets

Your opportunity

People’s Question Time is your chance to ask the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and members of the London Assembly what they are doing for the capital and its people. This PQT meeting will be chaired by the Bromley & Bexley London Assembly Member – James Cleverly.

PQT happens twice a year. The four main issues it will focus on are policing and safety, transport,environment and the London Olympics Games in 2012. There will be an opportunity at the end to raise other issues not already discussed. Each section will be allocated approximately 20 minutes.

Your Mayor

The Mayor makes long-term plans for London’s transport, planning, culture, sport, environment and economic and spatial development. His plans set out priorities for organisations from boroughs to bus companies. The Mayor also sets budgets for the Metropolitan Police Authority and London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Transport for London and the London Development Agency.

Your London Assembly

The London Assembly examines and questions the Mayor on his decisions and strategies and holds him to account for his actions. It may also amend the Mayor’s budget if two-thirds of Assembly Members agree to do so. The Assembly also investigates important London issues – from the emergency response to the 7 July bombings to the state of London’s transport services.

Your questions

If you would like to put a question to the Mayor or London Assembly at PQT, you can fill out theonline form or else email your question topeoplesquestions@london.gov.uk. Some questions submitted in advance will be asked on the night. Any questions not answered on the night will be responded to afterwards.

Boris’ Met

Published by Simon on October 3, 2008 in LondonSays. 1 Comment

The resignation of Sir Ian Blair as Metropolitan Police Chief comes five months after Boris Johnson first expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of London’s policing. As such it shouldn’t be seen as a surprise. However, the nature of the resignation, and the surety of purpose from Mr Johnson as he takes over as Chairman of the MPA, marks a final step in his politicising of crime in the capital.

During his evolution as a candidate and then in his early days as Mayor, Mr Johnson spoke repeatedly of his belief that there should be a “democratic mechanism” to hold the head of the Met to account. His push for the introduction of crime maps was greeted wearily by the Met, and his focus on crime tonally different from that of Sir Ian.

Having watched crime fall in New York under the tenure of Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the Mayor outlined his strategy as: “that if you tackle petty crime and deal with the so-called quality of life offences, then the serious crimes begin to diminish”.

The resignation of Sir Ian marks a tectonic shift in power from the Mayor and Home Secretary (who actually holds the hiring/firing power), and from the Labour Government to the Conservative administration in City Hall.

Sir Ian has set a dangerous precedent, tacitly admitting that without Mayoral backing his post is untenable, but doing so without a democratic mandate in place to hold the mechanisms of London to account for such a move. His successor will have a difficult task in tending to three masters - the Home Secretary, the Mayor, and the popular opinion of Londoners.

The Government must urgently move to fill this deficit, ensuring that the Mayor’s power is not allowed to trample unchecked over the supposedly independent police chief. We have covered moves to ensure that this is done earlier on this blog.

On Monday the Mayor will chair the MPA for the first time. One can only imagine that the pre-published agenda will be changed in light of yesterday’s moves. Meanwhile, the Mayor must work with Sir Ian until Dec 1st, and then his Deputy, Sir Paul Stephenson, until a successor is chosen.

Relations with the Home Secretary, cool at best, will now be increasingly difficult. Jacqui Smith has already attacked the Mayor over Sir Ian’s resignation.

Boris Johnson has shown a sure touch in his attitude to crime. In his campaign for Mayor he realised that it was many Londoners’ number-one concern and forged policies which would address the “slow creep” of small crime. He has increased numbers of community support officers, transport police, introduced crime maps, and made genuine efforts to understand and tackle knife culture.

The Mayor should be applauded for these efforts. The clean sweep which Sir Ian’s departure offers is a chance for the Mayor to shine further. However, the politicisation of the Met should be stemmed, and the Mayor’s powers in this area not allowed to run unchecked.

A significant plank of the Johnson election platform lay in the belief that Ken Livingstone had overreached himself and relied too much on his own judgement and that of a coterie of advisors. Mr Johnson should remember that accusation and ensure that he lives up to the standards which his own campaign tacitly endorsed. The Met must remain apolitical and Mr Johnson’s dealings with it transparent.

Crime Maps

Published by Simon on September 3, 2008 in LondonSays. 0 Comments

Boris Johnson’s election pledge of making crime maps of London available to the public has been met. You can now access the maps here and drill down for information on your area once on the site.

Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson said about the scheme:

We have found that in some cases Londoners’ perception of crime is higher than the reality and the crime maps may help to reassure communities about the general safety of their local area.

LondonSays has argued in their favour in the past - what Mr Johnson and Sir Ian Blair do with them is now the issue. Electorally, this is going to be a mixed bag for anyone facing re-election, providing a wealth of “under x’s tenure this has gone up” statistics for their opponents.

A bold move by the Mayor and the Met.

A Lack of Narrative

Published by Simon on August 22, 2008 in LondonSays. 5 Comments

Boris Johnson’s teams should be worried about the recent editorials on his mayoralty found in the FT and Economist. Both come to the same conclusion - that his administration is lacking direction. From the Economist’s article:

Even Mr Livingstone’s critics concede that he had a vision for London: he championed growth, introduced the congestion charge and modernised public transport. It is less evident that Mr Johnson has a similarly clear sense of direction.

If this impression is allowed to become received wisdom then Mr Johnson will face the same trouble as the Prime Minister - seen as able but directionless, keeping the boat afloat rather than taking it anywhere. That is not a compelling narrative for re-election.

Mr Johnson has taken the admirable step of personally taking charge of the MPA and TfL - tasks which even his most fervent backers believed he would delegate to his army of deputies. He now needs to focus on proving that he has a vision for London which extends beyond running the Olympics on the cheap.

Breaking: Tim Parker

Published by Simon on August 19, 2008 in LondonSays. 6 Comments

The following press release has just been issued by City Hall:

The Mayor of London has decided to continue chairing the board of Transport for London.

Boris Johnson was due to hand over the role to Tim Parker this September, but has concluded that his personal involvement is crucial to being an effective Mayor, and to ensure appropriate democratic accountability to the people of London.

Mr Parker will remain on the board and advise the Mayor on the reform and improvement of London transport.

The Mayor said: “Transport for London is responsible for a huge range of transport policies that impinge directly on the lives of Londoners and I was delighted when Tim Parker agreed to take charge of the Board on my behalf. Over the last few weeks, however, it has become increasingly apparent to both of us that the nature of the decisions that need to be take are highly political and there is no substitute for me, as the directly elected Mayor, being in charge. There are limits, therefore, to what can be delegated.”

Tim Parker said: “I look forward to advising Boris on an ongoing basis on transport. I have concluded, however, that it would not be appropriate for an unelected official to chair a body which is responsible for most of the money and a large part of the brief of an elected Mayor. I also agree with the Mayor that my position as adviser does not justify my full time and exclusive commitment to the Greater London Authority, or the title of First Deputy Mayor. We have therefore decided to adjust the management structure and abolish that position.”

The Mayor emphasised: “London has not lost the services of Tim Parker. He has completed the first stages of the GLA’s restructuring and we will continue to benefit from his advice. I’m also personally gratefully to him for his continuing support and friendship.”

ENDS

At this stage, it’s not clear what has driven this move. Mr Parker’s involvement in the administration was announced with great guns, and the curtailing of his role puts Boris firmly in the driving seat of the Administration.

City Hall sources tell me that Sir Simon Milton is to take up much of Mr Parker’s work on GLA restructuring - a report on which is due this month.

Having parted ways with Nic Boles and James McGrath - and now limiting the powers of Tim Parker - it is up to Boris and his Policy Exchange team to lead the policy drive and restructuring of London Government.

Certainly, with Boris permanently sitting atop TfL and the MPA, he is taking a far more active role in governing than was envisaged by many.

UPDATE: Iain Dale offers his views here.

Mergers Ahoy!

Published by Simon on July 30, 2008 in LondonSays. 0 Comments

It would seem that the groundwork is being laid for Boris Johnson’s long wished for take-over of the Met.

Perhaps this isn’t the route which the Mayor envisaged taking when wishing for a “democratic mechanism” to scrutinise London’s police, but it looks like this might be the one which delivers it to him.

Previously, as stated in his email to us, Mr Johnson has made it clear that he intends to take over as Chairman of the MPA in October, thus taking a scrutiny role in policing. Any action to remove the Commissioner now would, in effect, result in the assumption of powers by his office as-yet only talked about in the Policing Green Paper. It should be noted that the Mayor’s office claims that he has had no part in any such discussions (thus far).

Away from policing, the Met isn’t the only office which City Hall is eyeing up. Design for London (London’s body for architecture and urban design) is also being brought under the wing, this time of the LDA. Given that the talk is that the LDA is likely to have its spending powers stripped following the Forensic Audit Panel’s investigation, one has to wonder at the optimism of Peter Bishop, DfL’s Director:

“You could say this was the end of DfL or see it as a huge opportunity. There are obviously frustrations about being a free floating organisation. There have been times when we have put an awful lot of effort in and not a lot has come out.

“Now there’s the opportunity to take a lot of ideas and back them with spending budgets and put them into practice. It’s a logical move.”

As we have stated in the past, until a Chief Executive is appointed to the LDA there is little surety about the future, or direction, of the organisation. Curiously the page advertising the post on the LDA’s website has been taken down. Perhaps a silly-season announcement beckons?

Finally, closer to home, there is to be something of a merger between LondonUnlocked and LondonSays.

For the first two weeks of August the blogs will jointly publish a manifesto on London’s transport network, examining current and future plans for the capital’s transport network. At the end of August an edited version of this manifesto will be available for download as a pdf file. You lucky, lucky people.

You read it there first

Published by Andrew on July 30, 2008 in LondonSays. 0 Comments

August is almost upon us, so why not? Prospect dust off their mayoral candidature crystal ball and float the prospect (npi) of historian Tristram Hunt joining Siralan Sugar, Jon Cruddas, Oona King and the drummer from Blur as the Anyone But Ken choices for Labour in 2012. At first, it’s a plausible case — Hunt (once dubbed “the Jamie Oliver of history”) a noted enthusiast of elected mayors (his Building Jerusalem effortlessly morphs from Victoriana to government white paper) is well-connected among the party’s Primrose Hill set (he even helped Derek Draper write a book) and, most crucially, believes Ken can be seen off from becoming Labour’s standard-bearer by default. But, as the piece (in full, below) continues, his attacks on the former mayor are more likely to be for the benefit of another:

Ever since he wrote a piece in the Guardian saying Labour should send Ken Livingstone off “to tend his garden and feed his newts,” elegant young historian Tristram Hunt has been discussed as a possible Labour candidate for the London mayoralty in 2012. And if a bit of posh is what is now required to seize the testicle from Boris, who better? Hunt went to a good public school, writes nicely and is the perfect candidate for the outer “doughnut” of upmarket London boroughs that voted for Boris. And his aunt is Virginia Bottomley—the Margot Leadbetter of British politics. But when confronted, Hunt denies that he has any intention of standing. His attack on King Newt wasn’t motivated by personal ambition—he was just acting as an attack dog for someone else. And that person? Apparently none other than David Lammy MP, under-secretary for skills and Tottenham’s answer to Barack Obama—with whom he claims to be friendly. Watch out Boris: you read it here first.

In the end, Labour are probably more likely to select the real Jamie Oliver (he does have history in going up against Boris.) But three years and a bit ahead of the actual election, there are others in Labour expending energy over the prospect of Ken standing again, such as the Fabians’ Sunder Katwala. Katwala raises an open primary as one way to ~~thwart~~ open up a Livingstone candidacy to wider electoral support, as does, erm, David Lammy. Pukka indeed.

Boris Writes…

Published by Simon on July 28, 2008 in LondonSays. 2 Comments

Our open letter of May has received a reply from the Mayor:

Thank you for your email and for your kind wishes as I start my administration as Mayor of London. I apologise for the delay in responding to you.

Your manifesto has successfully highlighted some of the most important issues facing London, and I am determined to address them during my term in office.

Your article on community cohesion, for example, correctly identified the rather prosaic but crucial issue of Government under funding due to the underestimating of London’s population.

I have consistently made it clear that I believe a key part of London’s success is its cosmopolitan character, and we should always be a city that welcomes new people. However, if we are to do so in a sustainable manner then the Boroughs need the resources to provide the social and public services to support such population increases. To this end, I will be using my role as Mayor to stand up and champion the Boroughs and use my influence to lobby Government for the vital funding needed.

I am also in agreement with your article on London’s economy, and you will find that my Business and Skills Manifesto also places importance on championing the needs of the City to keep London competitive, and championing small business to promote aspiration. I also regard delivering the major transport projects needed to help London keep pace with population and economic growth as a key priority for my administration.

I will also be placing prime importance on sustainability, and in particular reducing carbon emissions. As I stated in my Environment Manifesto, I will be working with the Boroughs and leading energy companies to make more use of schemes that offer council tax rebates in return for the installation of home insulation. I also intend to improve the energy efficiency of both public and private buildings.

But most importantly, the fight against crime will be the litmus test of this administration. The spate of youth murders simply must be brought to a halt. It is a problem that very quickly demands clarity in response. We must stop young kids carrying knives and guns, and we must provide the structured environments that deter them from the catastrophic choices they are currently making.

This is why we have already increased the use of knife scanners, and increased the number of police officers on public transport. We have also banned alcohol consumption on public transport as well.

In order to give this agenda the drive it needs, I will be taking the Chair of the MPA when regulations permit me to do so. I believe that the response to this problem must be led by the Mayor, and in the absence of powers of direction, it will the best way in which I can get directly involved in order to shape and set the agenda to ensure my priorities are being followed.

I found your proposals very informative, and I am glad that there is an independent body that is dedicating itself to thinking about London issues in the long term. I look forward to reading more of your material, and I look forward to seeing your organisation grow.

Yours sincerely

Boris Johnson

Mayor of London

Better late than never… let us know what you think about the Mayor’s comments. You can find the Alternative Manifesto here.

Re: Jobs for the chaps

Published by Simon on July 24, 2008 in LondonSays. 1 Comment

Andrew’s post about Boris’ immigration pledge has been chipping away at me for some time. After the post went up Andrew and I had a bit of back and forth on email about it, which has only served to exacerbate my issue with Boris’ position.

Despite the appearance that the LondonSays’ blog team is oracular in its knowledge, I had missed the quiet dropping of the now-Mayor’s pledge. For those who were in a similar boat (or can’t manage the scroll down the page to Andrew’s original post), that pledge was:

“If an immigrant has been here for a long time and there is no realistic prospect of returning them, then I do think that person’s condition should be regularised so that they can pay taxes and join the rest of society.”

As would have been expected, the statement caused consternation in certain Tory circles at the time. ConservativeHome quoted a ‘refined’ position from Team Boris which was essentially (and rather boldly) the same statement but with more thoughtful language:

“Boris was speaking in a personal capacity about what he thinks was best for London. He thinks that long term immigrants who have no prospect of going home (and he means by this those who have been here for 10 years - not the 4 years that was reported) should be registered and pay taxes. He understands the party position but came to this view because of a couple of things:

a) London gets a raw deal from the Chancellor. Boroughs get paid per population and if immigrants are ignored, public services are not properly funded.

b) We should be collecting taxes from those who have been here long term.”

David Cameron stepped back from the policy, arguing that one amnesty begets another, thus storing up more problems for the future. However, he also said: “Boris is his own man. He is standing on his own platform and he dictates his own policies.”

With the quiet dropping of the policy, perhaps this isn’t the case.

It’s no secret that City Hall has had some difficulties of late. The CCHQ drafted ‘rudder’ team of James McGrath and Linton Crosby have both, one way or another, moved on. The recent reinforcement of the already substantial Policy Exchange presence now found in his upper team suggests a Cameroon guiding hand behind the scenes.

Boris has spoken passionately and cogently before on having Muslim ancestry and on his family’s immigrant status. Despite appearances, he is in many ways the product of a multi-cultural world. Certainly there is the history there to believe that his earlier pledge was one from the heart, and not a matter of political expediency.

Politically, the obvious tack when facing a difficult period is to move towards your base. In dropping his pledge, that would certainly appear to be what Boris has done. If that is that case, then his move is disgraceful.

If Boris really does value liberty, freedom and opportunity he should take a leaf out of Ronald Reagan’s book and enact a coherent policy from his beliefs.

Reagan understood the economic and social benefits that immigrants brought to the USA and issued an amnesty in 1986. Those same benefits formed the basis for Boris’ pledge in April. No factors have changed since then to undermine that position.

Boris must look beyond political expediency and do the right thing. To do so would close the door on the unfortunate recent revelations about the pasts and views of some of his staff. It would also mark a clear line and allow him to be defined on his own terms.

Thousands of people are waiting for the Mayor to deliver on his pledge and to be taken into active society. By staying quiet, Boris disenfranchises them all. That is simply not right.

LondonSays