It’s Official: Red Ken Is Dead, London’s New Mayor “The Most Powerful Conservative In Britain”
Boris Johnson, new mayor of London
Just a tiny sample of the crap we had to put up with from Red Ken Livingstone, from the BBC:
“London Mayor Ken Livingstone has launched an astonishing attack on US President George W Bush, calling him “corrupt”.
Mr Livingstone made his attack during an address to schoolchildren in a debate on the Iraq war.
He said he would get as much pleasure from Mr Bush being forced out of office as he had done from the downfall of former Iraq leader Saddam Hussein.”
It was always hard to tell who was worse. Red Ken, or the Archbishop of Dinglebury.
The Guardian:
Johnson beats Livingstone to become mayor of London
Boris Johnson tonight became the most powerful Conservative in Britain when he ousted Ken Livingstone to become the new mayor of London.
In a sensational victory for the Conservative party, the Tory maverick once dismissed as a joke candidate has brought to an end Livingstone’s eight-year rule of City Hall.
The result is a devastating blow to Gordon Brown, who has been left reeling after Labour suffered its worst local election results for more than 35 years.
Livingstone
In London assembly elections, the Tories took eight constituency seats and Labour six. Labour won Brent and Harrow from the Conservatives in a rare piece of good news for the party.
Both parties reported an unusually high turnout in yesterday’s poll, but the Tories said that the large turnout in the pro-Johnson outer-London suburbs – the so-called “doughnut” - was enough to see off the threat posed by Labour getting its vote out in the inner city.
Asked earlier today about the likely result in London, Gordon Brown paid what sounded like a valedictory tribute to Livingstone. The prime minister said that he had spoken to Livingstone last night and that he had congratulated him on his campaign and thanked him for his work as mayor in areas such as securing the Olympics and improving transport.
London Elects said that the turnout of around 45% was the highest for a mayoral election since the position was introduced in 2000. It is around a fifth more than the 37% who voted in 2004, and means 2.4m of London’s 5.4m registered voters took part.
The bookmaker Paddy Power paid out on a Johnson win ahead of the result.
This afternoon Tessa Jowell, the minister for London, told journalists at the count: “It doesn’t look great for us.”
She also paid an apparently valedictory tribute to Livingstone. “If Ken hasn’t won, London has lost somebody very special who is passionate about this city and has done fantastic things for this city,” she said.
London Elects said that the turnout of around 45% was the highest for a mayoral election since the position was introduced in 2000. It is around a fifth more than the 37% who voted in 2004, and means 2.4m of London’s 5.4m registered voters took part.
The Tories were reporting that they had met their canvass return projections through west and north-west London.
Labour’s London campaign chiefs reported that the ethnic minority vote had turned out for Livingstone, but the white working class vote had been increasingly hostile to him.
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Now we shall see if the largest mosque on Earth is built at the entrance to the Olympic Village.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:28 pmDidn’t take long did it? One look at the new carbon taxes is all it took.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:29 pmGood news! Hoorah for Boris!! Livingstone is one of the most vile humans to masquerade as a politician in recent western history.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:58 pm“It is time to reassert British values…That means disposing of the first taboo, and accepting that the problem is Islam. Islam is the problem. To any non-Muslim reader of the Koran, Islamophobia — fear of Islam — seems a natural reaction, and, indeed, exactly what that text is intended to provoke. Judged purely on its scripture — to say nothing of what is preached in the mosques — it is the most viciously sectarian of all religions. The trouble with this disgusting arrogance and condescension is that it is widely supported in Koranic texts, and we look in vain for the enlightened Islamic teachers and preachers who will begin the process of reform. What is going on in these mosques and madrasas? “When is someone going to get 18th century on Islam’s mediaeval ass?”
Boris Johnson, London’s new mayor
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:31 pmI’ve no time for Johnson. OK he’s a Conservative, but went soft on the GWOT years ago. Writing in the Telegraph, he called Bush a ‘warmongering cowboy’ or some such. A true fairweather friend.
I don’t expect his performance as mayor to be distinguished, but it may be entertaining as he’s a habit of putting his foot in his mouth.
That he’s the best the Conservatives can find for the job speaks volumes about the state of the party in Britain.
Will
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:28 pmDo you mean to say that you dont believe that Bush is corrupt? come on man.
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:07 am@dave addison
I’m guessing your comment was meant for me.
I’m saying no more than what my comment says - Johnson, originally for the war in Iraq, then publicly called Bush a warmongering cowboy.
I thought that might be of interest to commentors who thought his election might mean he’d take a robust stand in the fight against islamofacism.
Don’t assume you know my opinion of Bush from that.
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:54 am“Johnson, originally for the war in Iraq”
You cant really hold that against him, everyone was for the war when it started.
Its not about being for or against the reasons of the war, its about supporting those who fight it, and there families, now its started.
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:28 amTo be honest, I was originally for the WAR. Then after a period of time, a time spent without having a source of Reliable Accurate Data (RAD)”I discovered Pat Dollard on Late Night Coast to Coast. Since then, as he says: be preparred to have your opinion on this war drastically changed. True I never ventured to the dark side, but my faith had been questioned. The truth is calming. Perhaps Mr Johnson has seen the truth recently. Nothing like a series of Subway/Bus bombings to shed the light on who we are dealing with. Take the film Child of Man and you will see the future of London unless someone takes the menace head on.
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:32 amBoris is a CINO (Conservative in name only). Sorry.
But good to be rid of the Red Sheikh.
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:19 am