Boris Johnson... London Mayor???

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Apropos, but not directly, I am the only person worried that if one looks back over the last thirty years of British politics, the Major years stand out as a sort of golden era of relative peace and prosperity? Of course I live in France, so the wine might be distorting my view.

[johnhcrf]

John Major has made a lasting impression on me as the pants outside the trousers PM, on TV. What greater tribute can there be?

[Enormous Sage]

John Major has made a lasting impression on me as the pants outside the trousers PM, on TV. What greater tribute can there be?

I can't look at a bowl of peas in the same way since "Spitting Image" and the phrase "the peas are very round tonight, dear" usually pops into my head.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

John Major has made a lasting impression on me as the pants outside the trousers PM, on TV. What greater tribute can there be?

The Steve Bell cartoons of Major are what stays with me. What did Edwina Currie see in him? What did he see in her? Was it all made up?

On the plus side, four years with Boris in charge should be quite a ride, and at least the man does ride a bike...

[mybarnconversion]

Will the last person leaving London please turn off the lights.

I certainly thought the same thing when 'Red' Ken took over as a mayor of one of the world's centres of capitalism ... didn't work out that way though ...

[wulf]

Well he's in... and in the next few months we will see if he is the dynamic mayor he claims he will be or the affable but entirely unsuitable toff-baffoon that I suspect.

Wulf

[AXJ]

Well he is not known as BJ for nothing. Red Ken may have made a few mistakes, but overall he has been an excellent mayor for London, not that it really makes any difference to me these days, as clearly I don't live there anymore.

The conjestion charge was an excellent idea, worked very well. I saw the difference on the roads, being a biker. Damn shame that the 25 pound charge for high emmission verhicles is unlikely to go through, that would have given some pause for thought before running the kids 1/4 of a mile to school in a 4x4 down the Kings Road.

BJ is a nice man to have a drink with, but running one of the greatest cities in the world is not the same as editing an edition of the Spectator, for goodness sake, running London is akin to running a small country, with a bigger budget than some of the smaller European tax havens. I think that BJ will wish that he had not won pretty sharpish. This was particularly made clear as within an hour of his win being announced, he was virtually begging Red Ken to stay on 'as a man who clearly loves London' and help him run it. Being the Mayor of one of the greatest cities in the world is a long hours full time job, some thing BJ may not be familiar with, nor in reality care for.

BJ was elected mainly thanks to his regular appearances on 'Have I got News for You' (as one wit put it 'Oh Angus why couldn't you just keep it in your trousers?'), and of course RedKen got a bit of a slappling for policies over which he had no control and were entirley irrelevant to running the capital city.

That's my two euros

[MKG]

The congestion charge worked well depending upon where you're standing. Some Central London businesses with falling profits would disagree with its effectiveness. A great part of the money raised disappears into admin. costs. Also, introducing the bendy bus - basically, two vehicles in one - to replace the double deckers - basically, two vehicles in one - always seemed a mad idea, especially as a lot of London's bridges had been raised specifically to allow the passage of double deckers. Boris got in by appealing to the suburban vote which Ken tended to neglect - there's much more to London than the centre and the West End.

I'm not necessarily a Boris supporter, but Ken did some pretty daft things in his own time. Time will tell.

[AXJ]

The congestion charge was intended to reduce the traffic in central London, and therefore the pollution. Who cares if it makes money or breaks even, the objective was improve the quality of life of the 5 million people who inhabit the centre every day, many of whom go back their nice little suburban homes and watch 'Have I got News for You' having gassed those of us living in the deprived areas closer to the centre en route. Thje same people who can't get on train as it is fully of happy suburbanites who can afford the commute.

It is true that some traders suffered, particularly those close to the border, but then no parking red routes, pedestrianisation and last but not least hypermarkets with car parks have all had their effect. Can't make an omlette without breaking eggs, oh boo hoo, lets blame the congestion charge.

Sure the bendy bus got a bad press, but two vehicles in one, jesus H christ, how does that compare to the river of steel AKA traffic jams with one person using an engine each. I love the old route master buses, an electric version would be just great. London has had double decker buses ever since buses were first invented with horses pulling them, surely most bridges can accomodate them already.

Indeed time will tell, but if you plant a banana you'll get a banana, same goes for plums

The congestion charge worked well depending upon where you're standing. Some Central London businesses with falling profits would disagree with its effectiveness. A great part of the money raised disappears into admin. costs. Also, introducing the bendy bus - basically, two vehicles in one - to replace the double deckers - basically, two vehicles in one - always seemed a mad idea, especially as a lot of London's bridges had been raised specifically to allow the passage of double deckers. Boris got in by appealing to the suburban vote which Ken tended to neglect - there's much more to London than the centre and the West End.

I'm not necessarily a Boris supporter, but Ken did some pretty daft things in his own time. Time will tell.

[Martin]

what I do find rather distressing is the dreadful prejudice shown against certain parts of the community, and people from certain backgrounds........we can't all be the offspring of single-parent families from Birkenhead.......as far as I understand things, we have little choice in the family into which we are born..........
I loathe prejudice of ALL sorts, including the misplaced venom directed at the middle classes - Boris may be a prat, he may be rubbish at his elected post, but for goodness sake be mature enough to get off his back because of his background........judge him, if you must, on his performance, not who his parents were, or where they chose to send him to school!

[AXJ]

Well I don't dislike BJ, he's a nice bloke and fun to have a drink with, his dad's a load of fun too. BJ is not a bad journalist, and a reasonable panel show host. I somehow doubt that a child of a single person from Birkenhead will be voting for RedKen ot BJ, or for that matter give two clicks who they are.

I am assuming that your remarks aren't aimed at me... if they are cripes, who is showing the dreadful prejudice?

How many people here are really middle class, if you work, you're working class, even Boris has a job. Middle class is a trustafarian, upper class is nobility and the royal family.

what I do find rather distressing is the dreadful prejudice shown against certain parts of the community, and people from certain backgrounds........we can't all be the offspring of single-parent families from Birkenhead.......as far as I understand things, we have little choice in the family into which we are born..........
I loathe prejudice of ALL sorts, including the misplaced venom directed at the middle classes - Boris may be a prat, he may be rubbish at his elected post, but for goodness sake be mature enough to get off his back because of his background........judge him, if you must, on his performance, not who his parents were, or where they chose to send him to school!

[Martin]

not directed at you at all, just a general observation!
A lot of what's been written and said has been tooth and claw class loathing
(whichever way round you wish to put them!).........and has no place in what is supposedly an egalitarian society. People would find it offensive if I referred to Ken Leninspart as "that dreadfully common oik with the nerdiest voice in captivity"..............

[johnhcrf]

I am no Tory. What I admire about BJ is the opportunity he has grasped to break out from his stereotype as a buffooon. When a person is vilified by all and sundry what can he/she do? Prove them wrong is the answer! He has offered his hand to all Londoners, regardless of class. That is a good start.

[AXJ]

Has he really been villified, I had no idea... I rely on the BBC for my news, and The Daily Telegraph when I can get my hands on it, as it is printed locally, haven't had a copy in my hand for a while, did try the Guardian Weekly delivered for a while, but it was just not enough of a newspaper, more like looking through the couple of pages you might have got with your chips (until the EU banned it).

Well good luck to him, let's hope he does a good job and RedKen agrees to help. (By the way Ken does have a horrible annoying voice, no question about that, and even worse when he had a moustache, nasty combination ... but then anyone remember Horace Cutler? Crickey, Horace Cutler vs Borris, BJ all the way, the Tories have definately improved in that area. Wouldn't vote for one myself though.

I am no Tory. What I admire about BJ is the opportunity he has grasped to break out from his stereotype as a buffooon. When a person is vilified by all and sundry what can he/she do? Prove them wrong is the answer! He has offered his hand to all Londoners, regardless of class. That is a good start.

[MKG]

Well, he's scrapped The Londoner newsheet and is going to use the saving to plant trees in the more deprived areas of London. Not a bad start, I would have thought.