Boris Johnson - Good or Bad?

cupofteacp

So we're getting rid of Ken at last.

The only problem is that some other idiot needs to do the job.

So I heard Boris saying that if he was elected he'd get the police to use undercover bikes to trap motorists who drive too close or endanger cyclists lives

What do people think, Good or Bad for cycling in London?

Clever Pun

I can't see that really happening... but something needs to be done to teach other road uses about cyclists given the massive growth it's undertaking right now, conversely cyclists don't undertake lorries or bendy buses that might turn left...

Saying that Ken wanted cycles to have registrations... I mean seriously.

toontra

I think it would be stupid to vote for a mayor based on what he claims he'll do for cyclists.

As for the idea of using undercover bikes to trap motorists who drive too close or endanger cyclists, that sounds like one out of Blair's spinning machine in it's prime - in other words total b*!!*cks!

These t**ts will say anything to get your vote. At least Livingstone has a 30-year track record of running London - Johnston has a somewhat shorter record - one of being a moron.

cupofteacp

Yeah Ken did such a good job, did'nt he

Boris is a moron, but who else do we get to do the Job?

Ken is not allowed to stand again

CarKiller

Ken *did* do a good job.

graham_g

Why knock ken? There are few people in the world of politics with the balls to go ahead with schemes such as congestion charging. Just don't mention the Olympics.

CarKiller

Yeah, Ken stands up to the "mob". Most pols, when faced with the pissing "wah wah" of the motor lobby just bend over and take it up the arse.

cupofteacp

Ken said that he was going to support cycling in London and then cut the funding.

Anyway this is off the point, forget Ken he's not allowed to stand again.

Who we we vote for instead?

Boris is a nutter, I don't know anything about the others, does anyone else?

toontra

cupofteacp wrote:

Anyway this is off the point, forget Ken he's not allowed to stand again.

What are you talking about?

graeme_s-2

I was under the impression that Ken Livingstone would contest the next election for Mayor of London :shock: :?:

cupofteacp

I believ that you are only allowed to be Mayor for 2 terms, Kens had two so say goodbye

I also belive that Ken is trying to get the rule changed, but I don't think he'll have much luck

passout

Boris is a keen cyclist - he commutes to work every time he visits the Commons for certain - who had his bike knicked last week. He has had several bikes knicked in London; he wrote an excellent peice in the Daily Telegraph recently writing about how bike crime (which is massive) is ignored by police & society. He pointed out that the cyclists (as ever) get blamed "you shoudn't park there", "you need better locks" etc. The scale of the crime is astronomical - more than 40,000 p.a. in the UK bike thefts I seem to remember. Bear in mind that there are only a million regular cyclists - mainly commuters. The idea of decoy cars, with goods on show, has been used to deter car crime. Why not bikes? It would be relatively low cost & would be one deterrent instead of no deterrent. Boris is the only high profile person who will raise or care about this issue. He is abit of an arse but he's 'our' arse! We need him.

Ken's alright but it's time for a change. Remember that when Ken was elected he has seen as a bit of a 'comedy character' too.

PS If you look ar Boris' academic career & time in debating socities at Uni he is actually very bright. He, or his family, are also immigrants from Eastern Europe. Don't be fooled by his bumbling antics & upper class persona. He and his family have done well; he's smarter than most of us. Plus he's laugh - which lets face it, politics needs.

iainment

cupofteacp wrote:

I believ that you are only allowed to be Mayor for 2 terms, Kens had two so say goodbye

I also belive that Ken is trying to get the rule changed, but I don't think he'll have much luck

I think you'll find that the Lords are trying to change the law so that there is a limit on the number of terms a mayor can be in office. Outrageous anti democratic behaviour from them because of course they can legislate for life without being elected.

Whatever you think of Ken at least he is prepared to be judged by the electorate unlike some toffs in ermine trying to engineer any way they can to get a tory mayor.

Vote Ken I say.

8)

njc97

No "toffs in ermine" left in HoL; all now donators to political parties/arms dealers.

Boris is very bright, but a bit random. He might be pro-cycling, but I suspect he'd also be a bit too pro-business for a lot on here.

And I'm confused to why people are so anti-ken. Are they suggesting Steven "second hand car dealer" Norris would have been better for cyclists ? Ken is pro-cycling and pro-public transport, by far his biggest appeal in my book.

ddraver

I think Ken's doen a superb job too, highlighted by the TdF this year (unfortunalty the rest of the race didnt go so well)

neillcp

I agree, Ken's been pretty good for this city - He's done much better than the alternatives that have been pandered around in the past.

I'm sure he will stand again - the Mayor is allowed to stand as many times as he likes, although someone, somewhere is trying to change that. If you think back, the first time he was elected was as an independent candidate anyway, so his 2 terms have been under different management, which I'm sure would complicate things in trying to make him not run again.

I don't think that Boris will be good for this city - there is a very real risk that he will turn this city into a laughing stock by buffooning his way through. I can't see him taking an authoritative stand any any issues of major import.

Ken has introduced some innovative bits of legistation that are now being copied the world over. Admittedly, he has got some odd bee's under his bonnet at times, but common sense normally prevails. Ken is very good at standing up for Londoners, no matter what their belief (unless you drive an SUV ) - look at the current BAA injunction to ban protesters from Heathrow by any means possible - Ken has had the balls to stand up and call them idiots - I don't see any other politicans, including Boris, doing that.

If you want to have a old etonian japester running this city, then that is your choice, but the fact that Boris cycles to work shouldn't be the only reason that you would vote for him.

richardjallen

Borris is funny, but we're laughing at him.

Jeremy Parker

="cupofteacp"]Ken said that he was going to support cycling in London and then cut the funding.

[snip]

Cut? I think he's upped it to 27 million pounds this year. That's not trivial, even when you split it 33 ways, among all the boroughs. The problem is that most of the money is being wasted painting those stupid bike lane lines. When we get a proper bike administration we will have to paint out those lines, which will cost about as much as it did to paint them in the first place.

Jeremy Parker

colonel

njc97 wrote:

No "toffs in ermine" left in HoL; all now donators to political parties/arms dealers.

Boris is very bright, but a bit random. He might be pro-cycling, but I suspect he'd also be a bit too pro-business for a lot on here.

And I'm confused to why people are so anti-ken. Are they suggesting Steven "second hand car dealer" Norris would have been better for cyclists ? Ken is pro-cycling and pro-public transport, by far his biggest appeal in my book.

hi,
Livingstone is unpopular for the following reasons.
He is a egotistical rascist elitist marxist. He gets votes by playing to the lower depths and fears of certain large london communities. He has done nothing for London except build a new headquarters and employ 600 staff to work for him. No one is quite sure what they do.
He claims to have brought the conjestion charge in, but the truth was this is a major topic of discussion world-wide and it would eventually have been implemented in London.
His only other claim to fame is the insistence on the building of $5b of property next to the olympic village in Stratford. The reason why property has never been built there is because it is known historically as the flood plain for London.

Lvingstone never cycles and has done nothing to improve cycling in London. He has also done nothing to improve the tube network in London. He does talk a good game though!

Livingstone has brought nothing but cost, upset and his ego. Good riddance. If Boris can do the trick, good luck to him!



rgds

Atz

njc97 wrote:

Ken is pro-cycling and pro-public transport, by far his biggest appeal in my book.

London has definitely got better for cyclists but public transport is definitely worse than 10 years ago. He's made the tube more expensive for a lesser service and has rolled over for any union that cares to have a crack at him.

My big problem with Ken is he's done exactly what was expected of him and spent shitloads of money all over the place, a lot of it to no discernable effect (apart from a bumper period for black cab drivers waiting for Ken of course). My council tax has gone up over 30 per month in the last 5 years and it's going to rise even more to help pay for the Olympics (apparently all Londoners are supporting the Olympics... I've just not met one).

In terms of Boris... God knows. He MIGHT do a good job he might not. For cyclists, at least he has a clue what it's like to pedal around London so I have a feeling he'll be a positive force. Maybe he'll be able to figure out what's up with all those cycle lanes that just disappear from time to time then resurface about half a mile later.

notanotherusername

I think Ken has been a very pragmatic Mayor. He has known he has limited powers but has attempted to do what he can within those powers.

Hence the Underground is in a mess but he hasn't been able to wrest total control of that from the government. So he decided to focus on the areas of transport he could do something about - cycling and buses. And there is more being done in both areas, although not without criticism, obviously - bendy buses don't seem to be terribly popular around these parts.

Then there is the congestion charge - possibly the single bravest thing a politician has ever done in this country.

I am not sure about Boris - I am not a natural Tory (putting it mildly) so unlikely to vote for him, and some of his comments in the past make him sound like a buffoon. But who knows, he may surprise us. After all, Ken Livingstone did.

Stephen

xio

don't see Boris winning race issues if you've read what Stephen Lawrence's mother has been saying about him.

As for colonel above - I presume you've got more to back up your argument that Ken is racist than the daily mail spat about the concentration camps. Would like to be more informed on this one.

Atz

The buses are definitely worse. The routemasters were a boon in central London. Hop on at traffic lights, show your travelcard, hop off a few mins later. Now they're gone the buses are doubled in length and lack the flexibility. Routemasters sort of needed replacing but they were unique and perfectly suited to the environment.

rdaviesb

Boris Bad. An idiot. Testament to the desperation of London tories. Not sure who he's sleeping with at the moment, but it's probably not his wife. MP for Henley. That says it all. Shagger Norris is more credible.

Ken. Good. Introduced the congestion charge. They said it couldn't be done. Brought us the TdF. Actually lives in London. Travels on the tube. Like Boris, a shameful publicity seeker, but that's standard for politicians.

The mayoral debate is pathetic. People are only considering voting against Ken because he is Ken. No other thoughts at all. Perhaps if he changes his name to Barbie?