Does Ken Livingstone deserve to stay Mayor?
That’s the question I’ve been grappling with for the past few weeks… maybe even months. Long before the allegations appeared in the ‘Evening Boris (Standard)’ newspaper and Martin Bright’s Dispatches documentary on Channel 4, I had been pointing out here that Livingstone was happy hosting events for fundamentalist Sikh and Hindu groups without learning of their background (let alone cosying up to the MCB!).
I can understand that Ken Livingstone has lived through a political era, before he became Mayor, when political opponents did everything to sling mud at him and make his life difficult. It was notorious during the Thatcher years. Unsurprisingly he has developed a thick skin and doesn’t pay much attention to his critics. And frankly, the Evening Standard is completely and over-the-top biased against Livingstone and its unsurprising he ignores it. But the Mayor also likes to play dirty and not all of the allegations made against him, especially by Martin Bright, fall apart as the Mayor claims. Some are detailed by Martin Bright here. In conclusion he says:
It has been suggested that the political editor of the New Statesman should not have become involved with a project that could have a grave effect on the electoral chances of Labour’s candidate. I do not accept this. Labour politicians should not receive special treatment The Channel 4 documentary was an entirely legitimate investigation into the office of Mayor of London. The only incumbent of that office is Ken Livingstone. We found serious structural weaknesses in the mechanisms designed to hold the mayor to account.
…
He has now accepted that the claims in the film are true. His latest attempt to shrug them off will not wash. It is not just propriety, but the appearance of propriety that matters. No one is born to rule.
No one is born to rule indeed. Except me. (I’m kidding). The point is, Livingstone’s unwillingness to stand to scrutiny, and employ the underhand tactics to keep himself in power have to be seriously questioned, regardless of whether he is left-wing or not. Regardless of whether you think this has been driven by a ‘neo-con agenda’ or that Boris Johnson is ghastly.
And Boris Johnson is an absolute no-no for me when it comes to London. Impropriety or not, I’ll still take Livingstone over him. He has at least pushed through sensible policies on transport, the environment, the living wage, housing and the cultural renewal of London. London has exploded over the past decade and some of that is surely down to Ken. So what does a voter do? How to get Livingstone to reform but ensure a left-wing candidate gets in? I’m not sure I buy one-trick-pony (crime) Brian Paddick and the Green candidate Sian Berry has so far run a very quiet campaign. Though she is very good (and I’ll probably vote for her as first choice), she has no hope in hell.
Basically, I’m still pondering the question above. What are your thoughts?
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Filed in: Current affairs,Party politics
“London has exploded over the past decade”
Unfortunate turn of phrase, that.
Yeah I was thinking that too…
Ken’s the best out of a bad bunch
Hes old and he hasn’t had any good ideas for years. I know that to some he has a sepia-toned aura of fighting the man in years gone by, but hes had his day.
I despise his use of ‘community leadership’ and actually find it incredibly patronising. Aside from the Sikh and Hindu fundamentalists you mentioned I think people like Lee Jasper belong in another era.
martin bright is an evil person with an poisonous tough. all those who quote him are infected with some kind of lurgee and its a downward spiral.
there needs to be a big personality elected in their to be able to touch him and BS detect him.
but the gla needs to be more careful about funding stupid ineffective initiatives.
not many people seem to be all that bothered by the mayoral thing this time around. maybe cos the result is a dead cert.
he never “deserved” to be mayor in the first place. it’s only due to blair’s cack-handed meddling that he managed it…oh, why do i bother, y’all know what i think already.
b’shalom
bananabrain
LondonneedsBorisJohnsonlikeaholeinthehead
so reform the mechanism for scrutiny then – i.e. the London Assembly, if people are not happy.
whether its boris or ken or me or you..
There’s a simple solution to your dilemma, vote Respect for first choice and Ken for second choice.
Hey what happened to the Preview Comment button?
anas! nice to see you mate. thanks for reminding me that there are, nonetheless, people to whom i prefer ken – namely the “respect” “party”.
b’shalom
bananabrain
Hey bananabrain!
It’s good to be back.
Anas
Nice to have you back. Shame your still spouting the same old shite.
Ah, ZZ you’d miss it if I wasn’t.
Have to agree on that point.
Both Livingstone and Johnson and their followers seem to recognise their candidates’ deficiency; both say- untruthfully- that the only alternative is each other: “Vote Livingstone so you don’t get Johson!” “Vote Johnson so you don’t get Livingstone!” are their slogans.
Are we supposed to vote for Muslim Respect or Trotskyist Respect, Anas?
For blacks & Asians, it is TINA – there is no alternative apart from dear Ken. (Don’t forget London is 40% non-white.)
The other guy is a right-wing buffoon who flaunts his blonde hair, has villified blacks and can only relate to his Kensington crowd.
Might explain why there are some soundings on the idea of Oona King running one day…
Ros,
Or there is Brian Paddick, is there not?
I’m neither black nor asian!
“Kulvinder admits he’s Martian shocker!”
When the invasion comes you’ll all pay!!
The media isn’t fair. Politics isn’t fair. Its all a cesspool as far as I’m concerned. Even if someone honest and sensitive were to survive the scrum, they would come out of it different from the person we believed we were electing.
I guess Ken hasn’t done badly compared to the low standards I expect of public life. He seems to know how to play the game and has a reason for playing it beyond his ego – ie social and economic justice.
go obama go!
oops, wrong thread
Ken has done some good work as Mayor but I think he needs to be held accountable especially his staff. There have been events which does not benefit London in any way funded out of the mayor’s office, there have been companies that have received money claiming to be representing a particular community. And most of that money has been wasted or worse ended up in pockets which really do not deserve that. Then you had the Chavez saga — well two terms is good enough. By the way, how do you know that Boris would be so bad? He just might surprise people — and I am not a Tory.
Are we supposed to vote for Muslim Respect or Trotskyist Respect, Anas?
Trotskyist
Brian Paddick was seen as such a hero in Brixton that The Voice ran a front page when he left with the headline ‘Bring back Paddick’.
Slighly more impressive I think than the antics of Livingstone.
PS I find it particularly depressing that Livingstone and his cronies throw about accusations of racism whenever anyone questions them.
I don’t think Brian Paddick is a one trick pony – he has shown himself to be level-headed and effective on a range of subjects. Anyway, his law and order credentials offer a “pony” which is larger than anything on offer from Boris and Ken across the board, and are indicative of his integrity and wisdom, which can be well used in all other areas.
London has indeed “exploded” – but what has that to do with KL?
The world economy has boomed; the financial sector and the City have done especially well. So London has done especially well.
What has KL to do with any of that?
There is definitely a cloud around Ken, but can Boris do a better job, honestly? I think we need a better candidate but there doesn’t appear to be any.