Heh. I should say that I’m a prime obsessive bitchers, but I could never argue with as noble a figure as the great android himself.

“Pardon me for breathing, which I never do anyway so I don’t know why I even bothered to say it. Oh god, I’m so depressed.”

Respectfully,

Ben

…You didn’t just say that, did you?

Respectfully,

Ben

Then people started being straight about the reactionaries, who soon elevated themselves to declare how UNPLEASANT the left was.

You didn’t seem to be saying that when you were laying into Ken in the run up to the election…

sambeckett2

can I just tell you that your (and the Guardian’s) apparent obsession with every minutae of Boris’ words and behaviour is making you and your newspaper look bitter, small, nasty and generally pathetic. The opening sentence of your article (e.g. we’ve got to have an article on BJ even if we can’t decide what to write) also makes you sound rather creepy.

To the Guardian – may I suggest you stop having tantrums about losing the election and start trying to behave in a manner that befits a serious newspaper?

fnusnuank

So Weak!

I see Jeremy Freedman’s article bashing Boris earlier this week disappeared pretty quickly, why was that? Because it was the most aweful rubbish.

I wouldn’t condemn this article for that but this is so trivial and who honestly cares.

On his withdrawing funds from the Castro Appreciation Society and RISE. Good!

jim1132

I live in London and I’m bored by the continual attacks too – Boris’s honeymoon period with the Guardian never actually started, hence the sniping. So what if Boris messed up on Today: he probably finds it as tedious to participate in as many people find it to listen to. Is this going to go on for another 3yrs 11 months? It’s pathetic.

Really, it’s a ridiculous. Shouldn’t the left be focusing on trying to regain some credible alternative to the Tories rather than obsessively bitching? It’s getting embarrassing.

Respectfully,

Ben

Well, it is trivial in terms of life, the universe and everything (or, indeed, international politics) but it isn’t with regards to the mayoral adminitration.

- His administation gives substantial funds to the Rise festival, and therefore he has a responsibility towards it.
- It was an intervention from his administration that removed the anti-racism message from Rise. He had not only taken no part in this, but wasn’t actually aware of it.
- The decision had already been announced, and debated, in the press/blogosphere.
- Munira Mirza, his cultural adviser, had written a column on it.
- When questioned, he contradicted the actions of his own administration, saying that an anti-racism message at Rise “sounds fine to me”.
- It adds further strength to the “empty vessel” accusation made during the Mayor’s Question Time.

Respectfully,

Ben

This isn’t a small issue though, I agree, unlike Rise which is trivial.

This Boris, clearly intelligent, as opposed to those who are thus described yet fail to demonstrate [not to say they're not, just that it fails to show off their cuffs].
Yet he’s emerging as a functional equivalent of GWBush, [by no means as thick as suits people, tho in his case it is stupidity that jumps from his cuffs]: ..like the conjugate of a complex number, for those with minimal maths, but w/out Bush’s intensely mean streak.
Did Cameron really change his name from Gideon? – for similar but opposing reason that BJ chose ‘boris’ over ‘alex’..for the love of all those putrid reactionaries who complain about how PC everything is [the penny dropped as to what it was code for one time when I was delivering white goods].

I was assured of what Boris is about when he feigned surprise at his phone going off whilst in a tv studio – the 1st time, ok. but a 2nd time, elsewhere..

As for gutless Gilligen, he could define gloating from the little bit I saw after the results.

Wow, a link on Comment is Free. Thanks, Dave.

There are a few misconceptions by posters here and there. Some of these are from CiF, and so will feel out of place, but they seem to constitute the main rebuttals. I don’t go on there because all to easily I descend from “you’re wrong” to “you’re a lying git”.

“he might have devolved the job and not have command of the small details?”

a) Neither the memorandum nor the Rise decision were ‘small details’. That’s just obfuscatory.

b) Yes, the Mayor should be aware of and take part in decisions and initiatives.

“BTW that memo does not lay our how the games “will be funded”.”

True, I was lazy on that point as well. The fact remains that the radio debate concerned a memorandum of understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London. Boris hadn’t heard of the thing.

“The left appear to be expecting Mr Johnston to do ‘Everything Now’.”

No, I expect him to be aware of and take part in changes of policy and topical issues. The fact is that many of us knew about a mayoral initiative before the Mayor did.

“Yes, if only Boris were doing something sensible like going ahead with Ken’s planned 2009 festival to “celebrate” 50 years of Communism in Cuba.”

That wasn’t going to take place. Apparently Ken “would have liked” to celebrate the anniversary of the revolution, but wasn’t going to.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/20/london.boris

Best Wishes!

I’m not sure that the “Boris is thick” line is the most convincing explanation here.