Even in ‘the City of London ‘ some elements are beginning to read some writings on the political wall this week.,..

1120 Hrs GMT 1220 Hrs UK Time London Thursday 1 May 2008: Khoodeelaar! No to “Crossrail hole plot-peddler Ken Lyingstill Livingstone”, No to “Big business”, No to “the charade of ‘mayoral debates’”, No to “the 20 recycled lies by Ken Livingstone as being recycled by the Daili Error [='Mirror']” CAMPAIGN.......

Khoodeelaar! is adding to the already substantial documentary evidence showing that even in ‘the City of London ‘ some elements are beginning to read some written gs on the political wall this week.,..

that it may be, just may be conceivable that the liar Ken may get to lose the post he has abused for 8 years in the name of the people of London....


KHOODEELAAR! here republishes the web site piece from a small title [and itself not really a newspaper rather a lobby , propaganda, ‘in-house’ freely given out sheet for the Big Business interests themselves] called CITY AM, as it reports [over the past 24 hours] as follows


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HOME > NEWS > SPOTLIGHT LATEST
Crunch time for Ken Livingstone as London threatens to vote him out
30/04/2008


KEN LIVINGSTONE looks exhausted and, given the latest opinion polls, who can blame him?

He sits by a small table in a bland room on the ground floor of the Labour Party’s headquarters, with his mobile glued to his ear, as he listens to messages.

A water main has just burst near City Hall, causing it to be evacuated, and the mayor is concerned Thursday’s election count will not take place at his headquarters.

Livingstone could do without problems like these. Embattled is the only way to describe the 62-year-old mayor, now in his eighth year in office and pushing for a third term in City Hall.

In most polls he lags behind his main rival, Tory candidate Boris Johnson. His administration has recently been engulfed in a series of rows, one which led to his race adviser Lee Jasper resigning early last month.

SECRET PLANS

Last week, leaked emails showed the mayor had approved secret plans to hike the cost of transport fares after the election. (For the record, he promises that “fares and council tax will not go up other than broadly in line with inflation” if he is elected tomorrow. Whether many believe this, we will find out on Friday).

Rarely has opinion been so divided about Livingstone. He seems to have angered as many people as have embraced his radical policies over the last few years, most notably the congestion charge (which all mainstream candidates now support). Londoners seem to either love him or loathe him.

Supporters say he is a charismatic, progressive thinker and a welcome break from some over-polished Westminster politicians. Critics insist he doesn’t listen to Londoners’ concerns, has got into bed with Islamic extremists and has surrounded himself with some unpleasant characters and advisers.

When asked what he will do for the City and London’s economy, Livingstone is happy to skate around the question. “We [the mayor’s office and the City Corporation] have been supportive of each other; we both get huge benefit out of the dynamism of the City.

“Usually you find that business people and myself have been supportive of each other’s positions in terms of lobbying the government on non-doms or the squalid state of Heathrow or how essential it was to get Crossrail,” he says.

RISKY PLEDGE

Livingstone is quick to bring up the £16bn Crossrail project. Transport — in particular his commitment to pushing through Crossrail on time and budget — has been key to his manifesto in 2008. He says he wants to be held accountable for getting the project right.

His pledge is certainly a risky one, given the fiasco of recent large undertakings such as Wembley stadium and Terminal 5. “You’ve got a £16bn project. If it goes £4bn over, that is money that comes out of the business rate or from fare payers.

That can be the difference between 1.5 per cent growth in the economy and a recession,” he says. He defends the big salaries dished out to Transport for London (TFL) executives — something that Johnson has attacked — and says that the person in charge of managing Crossrail can expect a handsome pay packet.

PUNCH AND JUDY

The trading of insults, the claims and counter-claims between Livingstone and Johnson have been entertaining but have they gone too far? The Mayor doesn’t seem to think so and is keen to indulge in yet more of what Tory leader David Cameron once called “Punch and Judy” politics.

“For nearly two decades he [Johnson] has pumped out this reactionary bilge when he was writing for the Spectator and the Telegraph, saying he didn’t like Europe,” says Livingstone, smiling. “How can you be a friend of the City if you have constantly been hostile to the EU, which is a crucial part of our economic base?”

He accuses his rival of “pandering” to the average Daily Telegraph reader in the Home Counties who “props up the bar in the golf club”. Livingstone also accuses Johnson of being badly prepared for the job. “It never occurred to him he would have to run for election in London,” he says.

It’s probably true that everyone, including the mayor, has been surprised by how well Johnson has performed in the polls. It’s hard to say whether Lambeth-born Livingstone dislikes the Tory candidate as much as he lets on — the two have seemed almost chummy during election events.

The mayor cuts a paternal figure when talking about Johnson, tipping him as future mayor and saying he could benefit from some time in City Hall before eventually rising to the position.

It’s certainly a job that needs to be taken seriously. “You can’t make a city successful but you really can screw it up,” Livingstone observes. On that, few voters will disagree.

By Alex Delmar-Morgan

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