London Mayor Election

[Paddy Pantsdown]

This is something that Red Ken and the Noisy left, this countries worst bigots.

Mirror broken?

PP

[leenewham]

I like what Brian Paddick has to say. I like Boris's idea about bringing back the Routemaster bus (which despite having a 20 year old design is TWICE as fuel efficient as a bendy bus which I hate.

I think London has improved dramatically since Ken has been in power. Whether this is down to actually having a mayor or just Ken is yet to be seen.

I wouldn't vote for Boris if he brought back smoking in pubs and restaurants. I think that has been an incredible improvement. I always hated it, as does everyone I know including the smokers I know.

Overall, I'd vote for Ken. I don't like him (and what has receiving a card from Castro got to do with it? If I got a card From Pol Pot does that mean I am responsible for the bad things he did?) but he does get things done, and that's what you need from a mayor.

[gone]

With his barmy ideas about motorised vehicles, [well he hates them[, and with his cock-eyed notions about them, he has, at a stroke ruled out from getting any work on, for instance, the Olympics, by the small builder or tradesman who cannot afford to uprate his diesel van/truck/lorry because Red Ken has now barred him from entering most of the region within the M25.
Walloping the working man as he has always done.
My brother in law who has a catering business has had to replace an entire fleet of lorries because of this, thats an added expense on top of Kens fanatic hordes issuing tickets everywhere.
I could live with the ideology behind all this but the roads are all clogged with stinking buses and taxis all running on diesel.
Red Ken lives in a fantasy world of his own venting his spite on those who have to live under his regime.
Hes a typical urban warrior/marxist theorist/stuck in the 1970s loony lefty who has no idea at all of the realities of real life.
The sooner hes gone the better.
I am old enough to remember his confrontation with Bromley council over the first free bus scheme he dreamed up; Its that which led to the end of the GLC and the state London is in now.
I wonder if when hes finally out of office if he need to work again, or will he have enough stashed to live on?

[Paddy Pantsdown]

I am old enough to remember his confrontation with Bromley council over the first free bus scheme he dreamed up;?

I think your memory fails you on this one. Bromley stopped Ken's Fares Fair policy *NOT* for implementing free fares but from cutting fares by 33% by taking a small levy on the rates.

I remember as a car driver I was very upset as forcing up fares deposited more people on the roads slowing down traffic for all. Everybody lost.

So you support a politically motivated clique from thwarting the democratic wish of Londoners. Whatever we think of Ken & Labour - the record strongly suggests he won the 1981 election on the back of this specific policy.

You distort, you are obnoxious about people you disagree with, you have a problem with the democractic wish of the people.. Is your day job in Harare?

Why not then send Boris a card

PP

[gone]

Harare????
ah yes Mugabe, another Marxist liberator,and friend of the people.
yep
him and Ken subscribe to the same ideals dont they?

An awful lot of Mugabes citizens since freed by the hand of Marxisms finest probably wish they had Rhodesia back in place perhaps?

Distortion, dont make me laugh, when it comes to distorting the facts I cant come anywhere near your loony left mob for lies half truths and blatent disregard for any truth,or the bigotry you are so quick to accuse other of.
Used to be a trick of Goebbels that, to accuse the other side of that which you do yourself.

[Paddy Pantsdown]

ah yes Mugabe, another Marxist liberator,and friend of the people.him and Ken subscribe to the same ideals dont they?

OK - lets try and think of one. Homosexuality, racism, military spending. I'm beginning to struggle. The Evening Standard isn't Ken's favourite rag but I don't think he has yet banned the BBC from inside the M25. Yes I'm really struggling on this one.

Look I'm undecided who I'm going to vote for. Ken gets things done. Indeed he is sometimes too good at getting things done. Boris' problem is not so much his equally strange ideas as Ken on many things but with the fundamental question of can he competently run the authority? Steve Norris at least has some administrative experience and even managed his love life with rather more expertise than Boris.

However the Mayor is not running the country., He is much closer to home. At the end of the day if TfL fails then the whole place comes to a grinding halt. This is an election where competence is at least, and possibly more, important than the policy..

Much as I love Routemasters and hate bendy buses I would suggest one is not the solution for the other. Now any chance of getting Boris to promise us an Oystercard machine on platform 1?

PP

PS. Who did I describe as a bigot?

[stone-penge]

However it is an undeniable fact that most of the deaths and horrors inflicted on the Iraqi people have been inflicted by other Iraqis and /or their mates.

Thats true ,just like how Castro would not of had to execute all those counter revolutionaries if they didn't resist the revolution.
It's their own fault really...

[leenewham]

However it is an undeniable fact that most of the deaths and horrors inflicted on the Iraqi people have been inflicted by other Iraqis and /or their mates.

Thats true ,just like how Castro would not of had to execute all those counter revolutionaries if they didn't resist the revolution.
It's their own fault really...

Most of the people executed were members of Batistuta's regime before Castro and it was through their greed and oppression that created Castro (who came from a well to do middle class family). While I agree that Castro is no saint, he has done a lot of good and bad in his country. There have been far worse dictators in power, especially in Latin America, most of them right wing who during the 1980's had the support of the Conservative party.

[stone-penge]

Most of the people executed were members of Batistuta's regime before Castro and it was through their greed and oppression that created Castro (who came from a well to do middle class family). While I agree that Castro is no saint, he has done a lot of good and bad in his country. There have been far worse dictators in power, especially in Latin America, most of them right wing who during the 1980's had the support of the Conservative party.

Having travelled extensively throughout both Latin America and Cuba I would have to say Castro 's positives far outweigh the negatives, In Cuba you may have doctors working as waiters to earn a decent wage and a lack of political expression but you don't have people living in rubbish dumps or ditches.
And lets be honest, the USA has more political prisoners in Cuba then the Cubans!

[leenewham]

Well said Stone Penge.

Cuba is a wonderful place full of wonderful people. Most of Latin America is.

I travelled to Puerto Lopez in the same way those poor people who died on the bus recently did, spending 9 hours on a bus with our luggage on the roof (with people who couldn't fit inside on the top too), no air con and someone sitting behind us with chickens in a wooden cage. Accidents do unfortunately happen, but I hope it doesn't stop anyone experiencing this wonderful part of the world.

Anyway, I digress...back to Boris, Ken and co.

I have to say, Boris seems a bit flaky, but I do agree with the Routemaster idea. We design our own taxis here in the UK, build them here and they are unique. There is no reason why we can't design our own bus. Even old routemasters still in service give a far smoother ride than any new bus.

[gone]

so, almost a point of balance then?
Boris is flaky
And so is Red Ken
In short a throughly undesirable pair all together.
Ken is ruining London and Boris will finish the job?

I remember a famous quote of Ken from years back, about the only thing hes ever said I agree with.

"If voting changed anything they'd make it illegal"

that was in the days when he slid himself sideways into office didn't need any votes.

never mind the Routemaster,great as it is, it was conductors on the buses that made them less obstructive, bring back proper Trams i say.And Trolley buses.
Soon as this pub shuts ,the revolution starts.

[stone-penge]

never mind the Routemaster,great as it is, it was conductors on the buses that made them less obstructive, bring back proper Trams i say.And Trolley buses.

Indeed! And as well as taking away oyster cards from naughty children on the omnibuses Boris should send them to the workhouse or up chimneys as sweeps,I'm sure he would feel that the picannies would be perfect for the role

[gone]

sending picaninnies up chimneys is a dreadful idea, how would you find them up there?






(that was meant in a humorous manner but I bet it gets someone uptight]

[Ronski]

One thing that was good about the Routemaster that everyone forgets.

It had a rubbish engine, what that meant is the drivers cant floor it like they do now & throw everyone back hanging on for dear life. Now they have such quick acceleration they take great glee in getting a good speed up every 20 yards, ok rant over

[Julsb]

Oh c'mon, people. You can't cite the Disability Discrimination Act regarding the side gate at Sydenham station then immediately turn around and weep over the demise of the desperately inaccessible Routemaster.

[fishcox]

Just wondered if anybody watched the Question Time special last night, with the 3 mayoral candidates.

After that debacle, I wouldnt trust Boris Johnson to run a bath.

[Ronski]

watching it now
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/q ... efault.stm

[fishcox]

I do find it incredible that the Tories think they can just find a 'celebrity' character to drop in to run one of the most important cities on the planet; someone whos previous experience involves running a (not very good) magazine. It also says something for the people of Henley on Thames, who would probably vote for a pig if you put a blue rosette on it.

How can having a load of old Etonians running the country, be seen as any form of progress?

[leenewham]

Oh c'mon, people. You can't cite the Disability Discrimination Act regarding the side gate at Sydenham station then immediately turn around and weep over the demise of the desperately inaccessible Routemaster.

The new London taxis have disabled access and still have the iconic look of the 'black cab'.

The UK, especially London, is one of the most creative places on the planet (Car design, industrial design, architecture, graphic design, advertising is world beating).

A new Routemaster would have disabled access. But it would look like a London Bus. It would be light. More economical. It wouldn't be 'off the peg' like most new busses. It would be designed specifically FOR London.

I'm astonished no-one did it earlier.

[sydeman]

What a tedious posting this one is! We all have different political followings, and none of us change. The people who cant stand Ken will vote for Boris, the visa versa...get over it!

I for one think Ken did some good things during his past 2 terms, but he also did some bad things and is ultimately a left wing croney and seems to be more concerned about his own people and followers than London as a whole. It happens when politicians stay in power to long, look at Thatcher, Blair et al. I would prefer it if you could only run for mayor or PM for a maximum of two terms, that way atleast others could come up from the ranks, and we always get new blood in.

I for one are abit fed up of left wingers who are always harping on about themselves and there beliefs, and how eveyone else is wrong and should'nt have an opinion. The more i read the above postings, the more i think i would prefer Boris or Brian, but i'm afraid, you lot scare me from voting for Ken.