Boris Watchers - scrutinising the new Mayoralty of Boris Johnson

2008-06-26T14:36:00.002+01:00

BORIS JOHNSON: A MAYOR FOR WAR

CND Statement
BORIS JOHNSON: A MAYOR FOR WAR

Boris Johnson has withdrawn London’s membership of the global ‘Mayors for Peace’ initiative, founded by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, CND has learned.

Mayors for Peace – a UN registered NGO - was founded by the Mayor of Hiroshima in 1982, after the UN Special Session on Disarmament. Atom bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 by the US air force, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, and the devastating consequences of radiation poisoning affecting subsequent generations. Since that time, Mayors of those cities have felt a responsibility to ensure that such tragedies do not happen again: ‘To prevent any repetition of the A-bomb tragedy, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have continually sought to tell the world about the inhumane cruelty of nuclear weapons and have consistently urged that nuclear weapons be abolished.’1

Mayors for Peace’s primary goal is ‘to work internationally to raise consciousness regarding nuclear weapons abolition.’ There are currently 2,277 member cities in 129 countries, including Paris, Berlin, Rome, Ottawa, Los Angeles and Sydney.2 Members are drawn from across the political spectrum. Mayor Akiba, the Mayor of Hiroshima, believes that the role of city mayors in raising awareness of nuclear weapons is key, given that cities are the targets of nuclear weapons.

Kate Hudson, Chair of CND, said:
‘We were aware when Boris Johnson was elected that he supported Britain’s nuclear weapons system Trident, but we find it appalling that the Mayor should reject participation in an international body committed to the global abolition of nuclear weapons.

‘Every Conservative government has supported Britain’s participation in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the goal of which is global nuclear disarmament. This decision suggests that Boris Johnson is retreating from that common goal. This decision is insulting to the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the work of their Mayors for global peace, and goes against the views of the majority of the British people, who support global nuclear disarmament.’

Jenny Jones, London Assembly Member and former London Chair of Mayors for Peace, said:
‘Mayors for Peace is an organisation working for cities and their residents to be free from the fear of nuclear annihilation. For London to withdraw sends out a signal that peace isn’t an issue the Mayor wishes to engage in. Perhaps we can’t expect anything better from someone who voted for the war on Iraq.’

Boris Johnson on the Tube Party

2008-06-07T05:32:00.005+01:00

So Boris has his first Press Conference as Mayor of London and defends the Circle Line Tube Party which was celebrating the last night of drinking on the London Underground.

He said "It has been anthropologically misunderstood. I think what we had there was a kind of exuberant Celtic style wake." Daily Telegraph.

We're not exactly 100% sure what that means but are sure that Boris fans will find it hilarious. While we find out you might be interested in seeing some photos from the evening:

Boris doubles bus fares for Londoners on income support

2008-05-25T17:57:00.002+01:00

Twenty five days into his new Mayoralty, Boris Johnson today announced his plans to double the bus fares of Londoners on income support.

City Hall announced today that it would end the agreement negotiated between London and Venezuela which guaranteed half price bus fares for Londoners on income support.

In exchange for contributions towards energy to power London buses from the oil rich South American state, TFL had previously offered advice on how to manage transport policy. However The Mayor this morning said that he believes this mutually beneficial agreement made many Londoners feel "uncomfortable" and thus the deal would not be renewed, effectively doubling the cost of bus fares for the poorest people in London.
The changes will take place six months after the deal runs out in August, meaning that as people's Oyster cards expire they will have to pay an 100% increase for their journeys.

Former Mayor Ken Livingstone was quick to comment calling the move "a direct attack on the poorest Londoners" which "gives us a taste of what we can expect from the Johnson administration. Thousands of Londoners are being attacked by the Mayor of their city by this decision."

"Boris Johnson's London will be a Tory laboratory" read the Telegraph's headline on May 4th. It has become clear today what that means; right wing cronyism and sustained attacks on the most vulnerable groups in society.

http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=17053

Routemaster much loved Double Decker bus may never be built

2008-05-18T05:15:00.004+01:00

Wasn't one of Boris Johnson's campaign pledges to bring back the Routemaster as the bendy bus was evil? Wonder how many people voted for Boris because of that?

Who knows? What we do know is the following:

"The Mayor's plans for a newgeneration Routemaster may not happen, his new transport boss admitted today.

Kulveer Ranger, Boris Johnson's director of transport policy, said that a design competition would be launched - but if no bid was good enough they would look again at the pledge.

He added that although Mr Johnson is very keen to bring in a new-style bus in place of bendy buses, they would not press ahead with the idea for the sake of it.

Mr Johnson made phasing out bendy buses a priority, initially saying new Routemasters would cost £8million to run with conductors. However, he later admitted the figure would be nearer £100million." said The Evening Standard

The report continues: "In a visit last week, mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg also warned Mr Johnson to get rid of any manifesto pledges immediately which looked unlikely to work."

The Tory Troll Blog says "But only one week into his tenure it is clear that Boris must have known full well that this pledge was as dodgy as its costings, well before the capital went to the polls."

Boris Watch says "How many times during the campaign did we have to listen to Boris lecturing us on how Ken had once said "only some sort of ghastly, dehumanised moron would get rid of the Routemaster", then done so himself; and how Boris Johnson, knight in shining armour, would be riding to the rescue with a new generation Routemaster to save us all from the moron’s work? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I know it was a lot.

But just how much of a ghastly, dehumanised moron would you have to be to spend nine months telling people that if you become Mayor you will bring back an open-backed, conductor-managed "twenty-first-century Routemaster", flying in the face of expert advice and analysis of costings and practicalities, touting this as your flagship policy for months on end… only to have your transport adviser reveal, within your first fortnight in office, that chances are no such thing will ever happen at all?"

The legal woes of Bojo and his Cabinet

2008-05-17T15:20:00.003+01:00

As regular readers of BorisWatchers will know, our new Mayor is no stranger to legal problems.
However few would have predicted that with all the Tory advisers money can buy, Boris has still arguably managed to break the law with his appointment of Sir Simon Milton and Kit Malthouse both of whose appointment is seen as a serious conflict of interest.
Milton is prohibited from serving in the Mayor's 12 appointed staff as Councillors are not allowed to take senior positions in regional government while Kit Malthouse's position on the assembly should prevent him taking part in Boris's executive.

From 'The Tory Troll'
By appointing a member of the assembly into the Executive, Boris has therefore interfered with the separation of powers that enables the executive to be effectively held to account.

To try and get around the problems with Milton's status as a Councillor, Boris has exploited a legal loophole and appointed him as a "consultant". While with regards to Malthouse a spokesman for the Mayor said ""This is a grey area and we are trying to come up with new protocols."
Rough translation meaning that City Hall is working on a way to try to get around the law so Boris can ensure the Assembly does not work properly.

The transparency promised is clearly nowhere to be seen.

Last Ever Circle Line Party Saturday 31st May 2008

2008-05-17T07:27:00.003+01:00

The Guardian report that "Hundreds of people will bid goodbye to drinking on the London underground with a subterranean cocktail party on the Circle line, following a viral campaign on Facebook."

"a formal umbrella site has now been set up for the combined event, Last Orders on the Underground.

One of the organisers, James Darling, 20, a web developer from Snaresbrook, east London, said: "I think it's going to be very interesting. I am not quite sure they can do anything about it.

In Darling's party, the importance of good behaviour and respect has been impressed on attendees, as well as responsible drinking. Participants are also encouraged to turn up in formal attire. The event will be a 'gentrified affair'.

He insisted he was not making a protest but "making the most of the current law while [we] still can". The introduction of the ban was "a very easy thing to do" for Johnson, said Darling,"

It will be interesting to see how the Evening Standard are going to report this, as they seem desperately keen to promote themselves as neutral on the Boris Booze Ban coverage. See their email to the London Underground Blog

If you plan on going to the "normal" later party you might want to get in your order for the "Don't Blame Me, I Didn't Vote Boris" T shirt fairly quickly to make sure it arrives in time for the party.

Boris on Bolly same night as Tube Booze Ban

2008-05-12T08:01:00.001+01:00

The londonpaper have hit the nail right on the head when they reported about the Mayor's "true blue Tory knees-up" :

"His big night out came on the same day as he announced a booze ban on the Tube - but the mop haired Mayor was rarely spotted without a glass in his hand."

Interesting that the Londonpaper also made the same point as the London Underground Blog - even though Annie made the comment several days before. Both she and them found irony in his election victory speech "Let's get cracking tomorrow and let's have a drink tonight", when one of the first transport acts was to ban drinks on the Tube. (see the penultimate paragraph in the report from the Londonpaper which can be compared with the opening of Annie's blog post).

Nice to see bloggers possibly influencing how the press report stories again! Perhaps Mayor Boris may take up Gus's offer of an interview after all.

2008-05-12T02:07:00.001+01:00

BorisWatchers,
have a look at this.
Lets hope soon I'll be searching around for questions to ask the man himself.
(Though somehow it seems doubtful)

Dear Mayor's office,
I am the creator of a new successful blog scrutinising the work of our new Mayor of London- boriswatchers
While the site is highly critical of many of his actions, in the spirit of the new transparency and openness that the campaign promised I am writing to request an interview with Mayor Johnson.

This would be a great opportunity for him to clear up the ambiguity about the alcohol ban or explain to Londoners how the £92,000,000 gap in the funding for the Routemasters will be resolved.

While I was a supporter of his, I am sure Ken would have not given a blogger critical of him the time of day.
Can Boris take a step like this and show theres a real change of style in City Hall?

I eagerly await your reply,
Yours sincerely
Gus Baker

Booze Ban Party Planned for 11th May Trafalgar Square

2008-05-10T10:39:00.000+01:00

Looks like the weather might be quite nice on Sunday which seems like the ideal time to have a picnic. Have heard Trafalgar Square, at about 1pm would be a good place for a nice spot of open air drinking. The Londonpaper were even reporting about this on Thursday:

A post from The London Underground Tube Blog
"Here's the "Boris won't ban my booze" group. Here's what the group have to say "Drinking on the tube in London is an institution of night time revelry. With vast distances to travel across London from house to pub or pub to club, a top-up is necessary for saving both time and money. The proposal is misguided, ineffective and serves only to victimise responsible tube-riding drinkers such as ourselves."

Boris chooses convicted fraudster and sleazy Tory to run London

2008-05-08T21:21:00.000+01:00

Who is he?

Lord Charles Brocket, old Etonian chum of BJs.

What did he do?

"Brocket hit the healdlines when he was convicted for conspiracy to defraud an insurance company of £54,500,000 in 1996. The scam only came to light after Brocket's wife was arrested for forging drug prescriptions and then confessed all to the police. " Tory Troll

What does Boris want with him?

Boris has met 'Charlie' to hear his advice about improving the transport system!

Read Telegraph article

Who is he?
Sir Simon Milton
Senior Adviser for planning.
What did he do?

Sir Simon was a member of the Conservative group of Councillors in Westminster, lead by Shirley Porter, who sold council houses to Tory voters to try and stay in power.

When Shirley was asked the pay the £42,000,000 she had stolen from tax payers, Sir Simon (acting as the new head of Westminster council) decided that his old friend should only give £12.3m back.

What does Boris want him for?
Since Sir Simon has so much practice in dodgy dealings with housing it seems fitting for him to lead Boris's attack on low income house buyers by scrapping the requirement that 50% of homes should be affordable.

From Tory Troll

What happened to your plans to clean up City Hall Boris?

The people of London elected you knowing full well that convicted fraudsters and crooks make up seem to make up most of your friendship group (Conrad Black and Darius 'Darry' Guppy but its probably a good idea if you keep them away from the governing of our great city.

Its barely a week since you were ranting about Ken's inner circle of advisers and confidants but already a stench of hypocricy is coming from the South Bank.

2008-05-07T07:48:00.000+01:00

The Telegraph:

Now Boris Johnson is mayor is it cool to be posh?

No.
No it's not.

Proper news coming later
Watch this space.

Boris plans to ban all booze from the Tube

2008-05-05T09:08:00.000+01:00

One of Boris Johnson's first plans is a new policy of banning alcohol on the London Underground. According to The Sun

Boris Johnson had said: "London has a higher rate of alcohol-related crimes than any other region in England and I have been told time and again that people are scared of taking the Underground late at night because of aggressive behaviour by drunken yobs.Too many people find themselves forced to sit opposite someone swigging from a can of lager and engaging in behaviour that is intimidating or worse. I want everyone's journeys to be safer and more pleasant"

Here's what Iain Dale a Boris Supporter who was on the BBC had to say:

"As a liberal Conservative I instinctively recoil from banning things. However, is it liberal to allow tube users to be abused by drunken louts? No, definitely not. I think this policy will be welcomed by many as long as it is policed properly."

Boris knows all there is to know about policing things. Look at him in his policeman's hat this morning in The Sun.

As with most things Boris related it's not quite clear yet what this ban means - "alcohol will be made illegal on the Tube". Is it a blanket ban? Can you not carry along bottles of wine or beer that you are taking to a party? What about booze in your shopping bag? It will be interesting to find out.

2008-05-05T08:52:00.000+01:00

BBC News

Boris and Crime.

While crime figures in London were last year were down, an alarming increase in teenage murders meant that the issue was at the front and centre of the election.

“I’ve been elected on a clear manifesto to clear up crime, particularly on the places for which the Mayor is directly responsible, on public transport.”

Unfortunately it has been barely a few days since his election and already Boris is playing politics with the police. In his typical bull headedness Boris has put 'on notice' the highly respected head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair. This move isn't designed to help cut crime but to pick a fight on law and order with the Labour government. Boris doesn't technically have the legal authority to sack Blair, but with his mandate from London the home scecretary would find it impossible to resist him if Boris decided the Commissioner of police had to go.

Crime has fallen dramatically under Sir Ian, with gun crime figures today the lowest since 2000 and a significant fall on all areas of crime. See here . The only thing that Boris can wish to accomplish by publically threatening the head of the police is a political battle with a Labour home secretary to benefit the Conservatives.

We deserve better than this Boris.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3867817.ece

2008-05-05T00:05:00.000+01:00

This is quite funny.
As soon as policy news comes through, I promise some hard headed analysis.
In the mean time listen to this guy sing funny lyrics slightly out of tune

2008-05-04T15:17:00.000+01:00

Today's Telegraph:

"Boris Johnson's London will be a Tory laboratory"

help!

The Conductor Saga

2008-05-04T13:59:00.001+01:00

Does anyone have a spare £100m?
Despite having followed the Ken/Boris campaign ridiculously closely, I am still nowhere nearer to knowing what the current line from camp Johnson is about his plans for the Routemaster.

"It's absolutely true that if you are going to bring back a Routemaster, or have a new Routemaster, you would need a conductor with them... it would cost £8million to have conductors on each of these buses per year."

Boris Johnson, Radio London, 27 February 2008

I'm sure our blonde friend thinks this issue is old news.
He won the election, who cares?
However with one of his key election promises so clearly uncosted and unclear, the people who voted him in have a right to know whether it will go ahead or not.

Furthermore BoJo has insisted that the busses will be ready for the 21st century and a competition will be held to design them.
How can the cost of a bus that hasnt been designed been estimated!
"You basically have no idea what they would cost do you."
Andrew Neil at the at the BBC London debate.

Yet Boris continued
"I stick by the cost of £8m."
see the debate here .

In fact it took a woman on the campaign trail to finally coax out the dishonesty about the cost of an issue which Johnson made central to his campaign.

This isn't just me being bitter about the election. it might be a bit
But there are some serious questions to be answered about Boris' ability to meet campaign promises.
Anyone out there with any idea?
I'd love an answer.

Boris Quotes

2008-05-04T13:24:00.000+01:00

It would be quite easy to sit and copy and paste the bigotted and ignorant comments Bojo has espoused in the past.
However that isn't the reason I have.

While this blog is set up to scrutinise Boris's future record as Mayor of London, it's probably a good idea to understand where the "blond bombshell is coming from.

Boris asserts that Nelson Mandela's South African government was an example of
"the majority tyranny of black rule"

Boris asserts that the problem in Africa now
"is not that we were once in charge, but that we are not in charge any more"
Boris refers to the people of the commonwealth as
"flag waving picaninies
Boris understands how UK-African relations are conducted
"All the tribal warriors will break out in watermelon smiles to see the big white chief touch down in his big white British tax payer funded bird"

Three quaters of all people of African descent in the UK live in London.
The community has a proud history.
Lets hope that Boris can conduct his community relations in a way that bears no resemblance to his comments of the past.

To view Boris's complete record uncovered have a look here at COMPASS's excellent expose.

Quotes from: "Lend Me Your Ears" page 464" The Spectator 2 Feb 2002, The Daily Telegraph 2002
Material sourced from COMPASS document above.

Boris Watchers.

2008-05-04T12:44:00.000+01:00

Waking up on the 3rd of May 2008 wasn't pleasant for any Labour supporter.

In the face of many polls and everything heard on the doorstep, writing a day later I can still hardly believe that a man who calls Africans "picaninies" is the new Mayor of London.

On the campaign trail Boris made outlandish promises and announced huge uncosted plans.

Boris Watchers has been set up to scrutinise the man who has the"biggest personal mandate of any politician in the country."(BBC) Hopefully the blog can turn into a wiki-style project with London Labour activists and BoJo opponents having their say as the new Mayor puts his plans into action.

We sure can't trust the Evening Standard to keep an eye on him!

Anyone who would like to contribute please email me at gusbaker@gmail.com to tell me who are you are so I can send you the blog's password!

Our sister blog is written by Mark at http://www.boriswatch.blogspot.com/. While the page you are reading was created after, I get the feeling that our new Mayor is going to need as much watching as possible.

Our evil twin blog is at http://www.boriswatch.com/. It is avidly pro BoJo and so frankly I don't see much danger of material crossing over!