Tag archive for ‘Mayor’
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235 NEC nominations for Ken
The nominations for the constituency section of the Labour party NEC are now starting to be published. Ken Livingstone has received 235 nominations, with only current party chair Ann Black securing more.
Paul Waugh has tweeted that this means ‘Newt Labour’ is set for a national comeback. Of course the outcome will be decided on the basis of the votes cast rather than the nominations from Constituency Labour Parties but nonetheless it’s a strong showing for Ken, reflecting the same kind [...] -
Are the Tories running scared over police cuts?
Conservatives like to present themselves as the party of law and order so it is no surprise that they are sensitive when the unpalatable truth about their record is brought out into the open.
The reaction of City Hall’s Tories to the news that Ken Livingstone is attending the Metropolitan Police Authority tomorrow to oppose police cuts and defend London’s safer neighbourhood police teams suggests they are less than delighted to have these issues raised.
The cut to police numbers of 455 [...] -
Crossrail – problems for a Tory mayor
Ongoing speculation about the future of Crossrail is mainly a problem for London. But it is also a problem for London’s mayor.
During the general election campaign Labour highlighted the failure of the Tories to give a clear commitment to complete Crossrail. That issue finally broke open when Justine Greening, then the Shadow London Minister, admitted that it was possible that under the Conservatives Crossrail might be cancelled.
The Tories’ deliberately imprecise formulation of ‘support’ for Crossrail – as opposed to any [...] -
Has Boris Johnson lost his grip? – asks the Spectator
There’s disgruntlement with Boris Johnson’s mayoralty from an unexpected quarter today – the Evening Standard’s property and planning correspondent Mira Bar-Hillel, in the lead article for this week’s Spectator.
Accusing the mayor of having passed his ”Emperor’s New Clothes moment,” Bar-Hillel pulls no punches: “he can’t admit he’s wrong, but he’s a little too lazy to do his homework properly, and that often leaves him intellectually denuded.”
“Just how well-suited is Boris to power?” she asks.
Bar-Hillel characterises Johnson’s administration as “well-meaning enthusiasm, followed by [...] -
Support UpRise
UpRise is the grassroots movement dedicated to bringing back the Rise anti-racist festival. Rise – in its original form, Respect – was initiated by the trade unions and then revived under Ken Livingstone’s mayoralty. It became Europe’s largest anti-racist festival and London’s biggest free gig, standing firmly in the tradition of Rock Against Racism.
Anti-racism isn’t a luxury for a city as diverse as London, it’s a necessity, built on the importance of keeping the city together and promoting understanding and [...] -
Standard City Hall editor’s blog is back
The Evening Standard’s City Hall editor Pippa Crerar recently returned from maternity, and now her Standard blog is back.
It’s a welcome return, adding an extra dimension to online City Hall-watching. Here’s her take this week on the confirmation hearing for Kit Malthouse’s appointment, and possible future directions for the MPA.
Read Pippa’s blog here. -
Malthouse appointment = broken Boris promise
Dave Hill has a preview of today’s confirmation hearing for Kit Malthouse to become chair of the police authority – a clear cut broken promise by Boris Johnson who pledged to do the job himself.
Dave looks at the recent resignation of Bob Purkiss from the race and faith inquiry, amid questions over Malthouse’s role in that affair.
Meanwhile in the Standard Pippa Crerar reports that the incoming chair has a poor attendance record at MPA meetings, despite being the mayor’s lead on [...] -
Johnson gets twitter guidance over party-political tweet
Boris Johnson will receive guidance by the GLA’s Monitoring Officer over the use of his Mayor of London twitter account after the Greater London Authority’s Standards’ Committee found he could be seen to have breached the Authority’s code of conduct by tweeting on a party political matter.
The three- person sub-committee, with a majority of independent members, investigated a complaint from a member of the public who questioned whether it was appropriate for Johnson to use his mayoral twitter feed to welcome the Sun’s endorsement [...] -
Moonwalking bear necessities
Not much reported, but noteworthy all the same, is the news that Transport for London’s “moonwalking bear” cycling safety ad has won a gold award at the IPA Effectiveness Awards for advertising.
As the judges commented, “Faced with the difficult task of reducing the number of deaths and the number of injuries that cyclists sustain on London’s roads, this campaign moved away from traditional shock tactic strategy and instead tried to understand what is causing these accidents.”
Commissioned during [...] -
Boris Johnson’s policies blamed for bus and tube disputes
Last week I wrote that industrial relations on London’s transport system were being allowed to drift. Bus workers in East London (members of the Unite union) were on strike, whilst talks aimed at resolving the longstanding tube pay dispute appeared to be unravelling, with the TSSA union withdrawing its acceptance of London Underground’s offer – a very unusual development.
Events today suggest that the prognosis was right, with Unite warning that the mayor’s transport policies are worsening the situation across public [...]
