On Wed, 04 Jul 2012 15:29:56 +0100
Mizter T wrote:
I'd still lay a few quid on most of the 51% voting against ken rather than
for boris. I know I did.

I know Ken really got up a lot of people's noses, no doubt.

The irony is that for transport which is what he should have concentrated
on as Mayor, Ken was usually pretty good. Unfortunately its all the other
crap, baggage and bull**** that comes with him thats the problem.

B2003

wrote:

Sounds like an expensive fiasco in the making.

Not what I would call the BR Networker train procurement, which was also
done from two companies to substantially the same design.

Neil
--
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On Wednesday, 4 July 2012 09:44:09 UTC+1, martyn dawe wrote:
There seems to a regular movement of Bendy-buss's along Hoe st,
e17(walthamstow), presumably moving to store but it happens in both
directions, any ideas.

Did they have men trapped in telephone boxes in them?

On 4 Jul 2012 15:17:29 GMT
Neil Williams wrote:
wrote:

Sounds like an expensive fiasco in the making.

Not what I would call the BR Networker train procurement, which was also
done from two companies to substantially the same design.

Buses should be relatively cheap off the shelf commodity items. Trains are
almost always built to spec. Boris's idiotic decision to dump the highly
effective (and paid for) bendy buses for some novelty bus that is costing a
fortune and still hasn't turned up in any great number I'm afraid says a lot
about his lack of suitability to run a transport infrastructure.

B2003

On Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:21:18 +0100, Paul Corfield
wrote:

On Wed, 04 Jul 2012 14:44:43 +0100, Mizter T
wrote:

Interesting - no wriggle room there. What do people think - will he be a
candidate in 2016? He did say he'd only do it for two terms, but I don't
think he ever stated that he was 'absolutely committed' to that course
of action (or words to that effect). Guess it all rather depends on how
the wider political picture plays out - it's hard to imagine he'd ever
become Tory leader, but then four years ago I found it hard to imagine
him becoming Mayor...

He allegedly said recently that he regretted saying he would only
serve 2 terms. As with all politicians he will find a way round his
previous statements if circumstances require it. The more I watch
Boris performing in front of the Assembly and how he is rude, angry
and utterly condescending the less I can imagine him handling the
scrutiny that comes with Parliament or a general election campaign.
You can't skulk out of the way of the BBC and tough interviewers from
whatever TV channel or newspaper. The Hilton Crosby tactics wouldn't
wash in a general election. I still think Boris wants to be Tory
Party leader and PM and he has the ruthless ambition to get there.
He'll only be stopped by someone else in the Tory Party with an even
more ruthless approach to self advancement - Gove?

The problem is that his second administration is looking like the same
car crash that the first one was. The situation with the Met is
bordering on a complete disaster. It's not often I get really worried
about how politicians are handling things but the situation with
London's policing is a real concern. I don't really trust Hogan-Howe's
"Robocop" approach to policing - it will backfire badly at some point.
As for Greenhalgh well what is there to say after his "premiere" in
front of the Assembly?

God help Boris and Greenhalgh if something serious happens at some
point over the next 4 years. The disaster is also the result of
policies from the first Boris administration coupled with current
government policies. No blaming the opposition this time.
if they are being stored at Edmonton, it could be some kind of route
learning , walthamstow being on the way from Edmonton to Stratford.

Mizter T wrote:

Boris hinted this morning at Mayor's Questions that more than one
manufacturer will produce the 600 production vehicles that he also
confirmed as an "absolute commitment for delivery by 2016".

Interesting - no wriggle room there. What do people think - will he be a
candidate in 2016?

On top of everything else such as the direction London's in and the national
political picture and how he could get back into the Commons (although in
theory in the leadership fell vacant reasonably close to a general election
he could try standing from outside the Commons and only take the premiership
after a general election win - the public tolerance for Boris is such that
he may be one of the few politicians who could pull such a novel approach
off), there's also the question of who the Conservatives will run in 2016.
For better or for worse they need someone who can attract votes from outside
and across party lines and who has a strong recognition factor. And there
aren't many politicians with that kind of personal profile.

Admittedly there's also the question of who the Labour candidate will be.
The narrative that's won out in the Labour Party is that Livingstone did
significantly worse than the party and was a drag factor overall. But again
they need a viable figure who they can sell not only to the public at larg
but also motivate their own activist base.

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d wrote:

become Tory leader, but then four years ago I found it hard to imagine
him becoming Mayor...

Except people didn't vote for Boris but against Ken. The Tories could
probably
have put Sooty up for mayor and he would have won.

Hmm. Been on television a lot - check. Best known by first name - check.

I think we have a winner!

More seriously I think Boris won because he had that something that a lot of
Conservatives (including Steve Norris) lack and was able to reach out well
beyond the core vote base. Yes Livingstone's taxes (and four years ago Lee
Jasper) helped but "vote for me because the other one's a disaster" only
works if the public believe you actually are more capable.
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Mizter T wrote:

Both 2008 and 2012 were fairly close run things (e.g. this May just gone
it was 51.53% against 48.47%).

Indeed Livingstone actually won on polling day itself but Boris came through
thanks to postal votes. On the evening of the count there was a period when
many actually thought Livingstone would be back.

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Paul Corfield wrote:

He allegedly said recently that he regretted saying he would only
serve 2 terms. As with all politicians he will find a way round his
previous statements if circumstances require it.

An American style "Draft Boris" campaign might be one way off the hook.

I still think Boris wants to be Tory
Party leader and PM and he has the ruthless ambition to get there.
He'll only be stopped by someone else in the Tory Party with an even
more ruthless approach to self advancement - Gove?

I suspect we'll see quite a few prospective next leaders touted over the
next few years, only for them to rise and fall in succession.

The problem is that his second administration is looking like the same
car crash that the first one was.

Considering he got re-elected that may suggest detailed scrutiny of his
administration and the conclusion that his first was a disaster are not
major electoral factors.

The disaster is also the result of
policies from the first Boris administration coupled with current
government policies. No blaming the opposition this time.

It'll probably happen regardless. Conservatives learned to blame past
governments where necessary from Blair - and there were times when he blamed
the Macmillan government so there's precedent for resorting to this line for
a few decades yet.
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On Thu, 2 Aug 2012 00:08:30 +0100
"Tim Roll-Pickering" wrote:
The disaster is also the result of
policies from the first Boris administration coupled with current
government policies. No blaming the opposition this time.

It'll probably happen regardless. Conservatives learned to blame past
governments where necessary from Blair - and there were times when he blamed
the Macmillan government so there's precedent for resorting to this line for
a few decades yet.

In certain cases it is justified. The thatcher government did screw up
british industry and mess up the trains. The blair government did preside
over a pointless war, flagrant public spending and ideoligically based mass
immigration just to stick one to the BNP. These arn't things the following
government can change in the space of 5 years.

B2003