Announcement due at 2:30pm. Presumably this will help Boris do what he
wants, although a Tory majority would have been better for him.

Basil Jet wrote:
Announcement due at 2:30pm. Presumably this will help Boris do what he
wants, although a Tory majority would have been better for him.

From where I'm sitting Cameron is damaged, possibly fatally and Boris
is doing a very overt bid for the party leadership, distancing himself
from the anti-PR nutters (i.e. advocating an alliance with the Lib Dems,
which is opposed by the Tory hardcore) and pretending that London voted
Tory - it didn't, Labour did much better than expected, possibly enough
to unseat Boris if transferred to 2012. For that reason my prediction
that he's a one-term Mayor is still valid.

Remember, beneath the buffoon is a cold, clever, calculating, ruthlessly
ambitious politician.

Tom

On May 7, 1:22*pm, Basil Jet wrote:
Announcement due at 2:30pm. Presumably this will help Boris do what he
wants, although a Tory majority would have been better for him.

I wouldn't presume any such thing - the picture's rather more
complicated. And anyway, it's not like there's going to be any more
money sloshing around - quite the reverse. The big ticket question for
London remains Crossrail.

(Can one have a "big ticket question"...?!)

On May 7, 1:33*pm, Tom Barry wrote:

Basil Jet wrote:
Announcement due at 2:30pm. Presumably this will help Boris do what he
wants, although a Tory majority would have been better for him.

*From where I'm sitting Cameron is damaged, possibly fatally and Boris
is doing a very overt bid for the party leadership, distancing himself
from the anti-PR nutters (i.e. advocating an alliance with the Lib Dems,
which is opposed by the Tory hardcore) and pretending that London voted
Tory - it didn't, Labour did much better than expected, possibly enough
to unseat Boris if transferred to 2012. *For that reason my prediction
that he's a one-term Mayor is still valid.

I agree. I'm pretty sure I wrote here in the early days of his
Mayorality about Boris keeping his eyes on the Westminster prizes.
Being Mayor has only ever really been a stepping stone, which is why
he makes so sure of projecting himself out to the balcony and circle
as well as the stalls.


Remember, beneath the buffoon is a cold, clever, calculating, ruthlessly
ambitious politician.

Agree again. It's what all the informed commentators say, i.e. those
with some real insight into his way of doing things.

On May 7, 2:20*pm, Mizter T wrote:

On May 7, 1:22*pm, Basil Jet wrote:
Announcement due at 2:30pm. Presumably this will help Boris do what he
wants, although a Tory majority would have been better for him.

I wouldn't presume any such thing - the picture's rather more
complicated. And anyway, it's not like there's going to be any more
money sloshing around - quite the reverse. The big ticket question for
London remains Crossrail.

(Can one have a "big ticket question"...?!)

Would a potential Chancellor Cable be any more or less sympathetic to
Crossrail? I dunno.

"Mizter T" wrote in message

On May 7, 2:20 pm, Mizter T wrote:

On May 7, 1:22 pm, Basil Jet wrote:
Announcement due at 2:30pm. Presumably this will help Boris do what
he wants, although a Tory majority would have been better for him.

I wouldn't presume any such thing - the picture's rather more
complicated. And anyway, it's not like there's going to be any more
money sloshing around - quite the reverse. The big ticket question
for London remains Crossrail.

(Can one have a "big ticket question"...?!)

Would a potential Chancellor Cable be any more or less sympathetic to
Crossrail? I dunno.

I suppose the answer depends on where the Conservative and Lib Dem
marginal seats are on the west and east sides of London. But at least
they both agree on not allowing a third Heathrow runway.

On May 7, 2:49*pm, "Recliner" wrote:

"Mizter T" wrote:

On May 7, 2:20 pm, Mizter T wrote:

On May 7, 1:22 pm, Basil Jet wrote:
Announcement due at 2:30pm. Presumably this will help Boris do what
he wants, although a Tory majority would have been better for him.

I wouldn't presume any such thing - the picture's rather more
complicated. And anyway, it's not like there's going to be any more
money sloshing around - quite the reverse. The big ticket question
for London remains Crossrail.

(Can one have a "big ticket question"...?!)

Would a potential Chancellor Cable be any more or less sympathetic to
Crossrail? I dunno.

I suppose the answer depends on where the Conservative and Lib Dem
marginal seats are on the west and east sides of London. But at least
they both agree on not allowing a third Heathrow runway.

Yes - although I've long regarded a third runway as dead (for the next
decade or so at least - well, at the very least, the next Parliament).
Maybe that was naive - if the Liberal surge had materialised, and
there had been a Lib-Lab coalition (two massive *ifs* I know!), I
dunno if the Libs would have put it towards the top of their list of
objections, or indeed whether Lab would have cared so much about
trying to push it through.

"Mizter T" wrote in message

On May 7, 2:49 pm, "Recliner" wrote:

"Mizter T" wrote:

On May 7, 2:20 pm, Mizter T wrote:

On May 7, 1:22 pm, Basil Jet
wrote:
Announcement due at 2:30pm. Presumably this will help Boris do
what he wants, although a Tory majority would have been better
for him.

I wouldn't presume any such thing - the picture's rather more
complicated. And anyway, it's not like there's going to be any more
money sloshing around - quite the reverse. The big ticket question
for London remains Crossrail.

(Can one have a "big ticket question"...?!)

Would a potential Chancellor Cable be any more or less sympathetic
to Crossrail? I dunno.

I suppose the answer depends on where the Conservative and Lib Dem
marginal seats are on the west and east sides of London. But at least
they both agree on not allowing a third Heathrow runway.

Yes - although I've long regarded a third runway as dead (for the next
decade or so at least - well, at the very least, the next Parliament).
Maybe that was naive - if the Liberal surge had materialised, and
there had been a Lib-Lab coalition (two massive *ifs* I know!), I
dunno if the Libs would have put it towards the top of their list of
objections, or indeed whether Lab would have cared so much about
trying to push it through.

The commentators seem to be pretty clear that it won't be very long
before there's another general election (a couple of years max), so I
suspect that Crossrail will remain, though perhaps in a truncated form,
but no other large transport projects will progress very much.

On 7 May, 14:59, "Recliner" wrote:
"Mizter T" wrote in message







On May 7, 2:49 pm, "Recliner" wrote:

"Mizter T" wrote:

On May 7, 2:20 pm, Mizter T wrote:

On May 7, 1:22 pm, Basil Jet
wrote:
Announcement due at 2:30pm. Presumably this will help Boris do
what he wants, although a Tory majority would have been better
for him.

I wouldn't presume any such thing - the picture's rather more
complicated. And anyway, it's not like there's going to be any more
money sloshing around - quite the reverse. The big ticket question
for London remains Crossrail.

(Can one have a "big ticket question"...?!)

Would a potential Chancellor Cable be any more or less sympathetic
to Crossrail? I dunno.

I suppose the answer depends on where the Conservative and Lib Dem
marginal seats are on the west and east sides of London. But at least
they both agree on not allowing a third Heathrow runway.

Yes - although I've long regarded a third runway as dead (for the next
decade or so at least - well, at the very least, the next Parliament).
Maybe that was naive - if the Liberal surge had materialised, and
there had been a Lib-Lab coalition (two massive *ifs* I know!), I
dunno if the Libs would have put it towards the top of their list of
objections, or indeed whether Lab would have cared so much about
trying to push it through.

The commentators seem to be pretty clear that it won't be very long
before there's another general election (a couple of years max), so I
suspect that Crossrail will remain, though perhaps in a truncated form,
but no other large transport projects will progress very much.

In what sense can Crossrail be truncated? Do you mean no
electrification beyond Hayes and Harlington?

If so, it won't really be Crossrail, just a pointless tunnel.
Perfectly plausible of course.

"MIG" wrote in message
...
On 7 May, 14:59, "Recliner" wrote:

The commentators seem to be pretty clear that it won't be very long
before there's another general election (a couple of years max), so I
suspect that Crossrail will remain, though perhaps in a truncated form,
but no other large transport projects will progress very much.

In what sense can Crossrail be truncated? Do you mean no
electrification beyond Hayes and Harlington?

If so, it won't really be Crossrail, just a pointless tunnel.
Perfectly plausible of course.

A few pessimists seem to have suggested the Abbey Wood branch could be
truncated north of the river, which could save a few quid...

Paul S