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Livingstone - why vote for me on Thursday

Published 30 April 2008

Ken Livingstone explains why Londoners should re-elect him on 1 May arguing Tory rival Boris Johnson just isn't capable of running the UK capital

For many Londoners, the mayoral election appears as a choice between my record of delivering for London and Boris Johnson's affable TV personality but evident lack of competence to run one of the world's largest cities.

This has been epitomised by the contrast between the transformation of London’s bus services over the past 8 years, and the utter chaos of Boris Johnson’s flagship policy to introduce new Routemaster buses with conductors, which he now admits would cost over £100m, not the £8m he originally claimed.

But that choice is conditioned by far deeper issues, between two ways forward for the city and, therefore, two coalitions.

The first is united on issues such as good delivery of public transport, increasing police numbers to deal with crime, raising the supply of affordable housing, hostility to discrimination, opposition to the Iraq war and tackling climate change. It includes supporters of the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Greens.

That alliance has made London successful economically - rated ahead of New York as the world's No 1 business centre. It rejects Thatcherism and Johnson's "trickle down" theory for tackling deprivation and proposes active steps to ensure all Londoners share in the city's success. Its concern with the environment is to ensure success is sustainable.

The second, conservative, coalition behind Boris Johnson is symbolised by its support for the Iraq war and indifference to environmental issues. Boris Johnson backed George Bush in opposing the Kyoto climate treaty.

Its immediate practical expression is its record of running down London's public transport, talking about crime while cutting police numbers, opposing affordable housing policies and indifference to the problems facing ethnic minorities or women. This coalition has acquired a sordid, if uninvited, partner through the BNP calling for a second-preference vote for Boris Johnson.

The practical implications of those differences are very deep. The big issues affecting Londoners' quality of life cannot be solved by the private sector alone, but require a vibrant public sector too.

The congestion charge, London's most famous policy innovation, encourages drivers to switch to public transport. London's bus system has been transformed, not by deregulation but by tougher quality contracts for bus companies. With the bankruptcy of Metronet, the company that ran two-thirds of the public private partnership on the London Underground, we are bringing much of the company's operations back into an integrated, publicly owned Tube system.

Tory cuts in police numbers in the 1990s led to a crime wave, with a 70% increase in murder and rape. We started to reverse this with 10,000 additional uniformed police officers, which allowed us to put the police back on the local beat. This has cut London's crime for five years in a row, reduced murder by 28%, and allowed a realistic target of continuing crime reduction by 6% a year. Racist attacks have been cut by over 50% in eight years.

My policy that 50% of all new housing in London must be affordable is working, with house-building almost doubling. London's climate change action plan is the most advanced in the world. The £25-a-day charge for gas guzzlers entering central London is another groundbreaking environmental policy.

And I am proud to have stood with the 70% of Londoners who oppose the Iraq war - a war that is disastrous for the people of Iraq, and which made our own city more vulnerable.

Johnson says he considers Margaret Thatcher the greatest 20th-century peacetime prime minister - Thatcher who abolished London's democratic city government and brought the city's public services and infrastructure, and therefore quality of life, to their knees.

The choice for London on 1 May is crystal clear.

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9 comments from readers

PlanetStarbucks
30 April 2008 at 10:03

"Johnson says he considers Margaret Thatcher the greatest 20th-century peacetime prime minister"

Surely Thatcher was a watime prime minister, if my memory of the Falklands conflict is correct.

What is Ken's policy concerning the white working class? I'm concerned that his redistributive policies may be targeted on an ethnic scale rather than a primarily socioeconomic one, therefore shafting poor whites and creating a hotbed of racism where none should rightfully exist. This is why the BNP suceeds, if the only party that will support poor whites is racist then where else can they turn?

Origen
30 April 2008 at 12:07

I wonder what makes Ken Livingstone think that his rival, Boris Johnson, lacks competence to run London.

Boris Johnson seems quite sharp. Besides, he will not be running London alone; he will have him team of experts and advisers, who, I am sure, will do a better job than Mr Livingstone's cronies.

The state of the public transport in London is dreadful. So there is nothing the incumbent mayor can boast about in this respect.

As to the interests of ethnic minorities, Ken Livingston has not offered them much either, except flattery. The schemes proposed by Boris Johnson would see them better off in terms of tangible benefits.

I am also surprised to note that the current mayor is advertising his opposition to the Iraq war, while his main supporter in this mayoral campaign is none other but the well-known pacifist: Tony Blair.

And London's economic success did not happen due to Mr Livingstone's administration of the city. Let's be serious!

Serosch
30 April 2008 at 12:50

A win for Ken is a win for Democracy, a win for Johnson is a win for Zionism.

Zionist groups and indviduals including the political editor of the NS have been attacking Ken becuase he refuses to bow to Zionist interests.

IrritatedofTonbridge
30 April 2008 at 12:50

Far be it for me to speak for the great Kenster but surely the point he is making is that Boris has never run anything substantial in his life - not even the paltry Spectator where his assistants did the jobs so to speak

Jonny Mac
30 April 2008 at 16:07

Serosch@12.50 - yes, it's all a big Jewish plot!!! You racist idiot. The way blinkered anti-Semites like you flock to Livingstone like moths round a flame is one good reason out of many to vote Boris.

Cassandra
30 April 2008 at 18:16

Many people find Ken Livingstone odious.

But he is the *only* candidate in the London Mayoral race with the experience of running an organisation of anything LIKE the size of London's public services.

Mr. Paddick has at least SOME relevant experience (the Police are, after all, a public organisation run to provide a service - not a Profit).

Mr. Johnson's *only* record of 'running' anything is of being at the helm of a for-profit political magazine with a tiny Staff - & freedom of action for its editors & proprietors.

Which is rather different to running a vast organisation whose hands are tied by the many Laws that govern its ability to raise funds, and impose upon it mandatory responsibilities for delivering the many & varied services it delivers to the people that it serves.

Oh, and ‘PlanetStarbucks’ seems to have an unusual memory of the Falklands conflict.

Mine says that the conflict lasted for less than 3 months in 1982 - whereas the Blessèd Margaret was in Power from 1979 until her Party discarded her as a liability in 1990.

Perhaps I'm being really stupid, but I fail to see how the Falklands conflict qualifies her for the title of ‘wartime prime minister’.

That said, s/he *is* right about the ghastly consequences of New Labour abandoning the white working class in order to concentrate on wooing Big Business instead.

antileft
01 May 2008 at 06:27

how shameful it all is. One of the world's most important centres has a choice between a buffoon who considers castro to be a friend and a democrat, and a comedian who couldnt run a tap.

antileft
01 May 2008 at 06:28

Id go with boris, because, well, at least he isnt ken.

antileft
01 May 2008 at 07:38

I wonder if ol ken here will invite fidel to the games. Thatd be embarrassing- "welcome to london of the 21st century! Complete with despots who were in power for half the last century."