If Boris does win as now expected
 

On May 2, 8:49*pm, "Paul Scott"
wrote:
...what might be the effect on TfL's ability to press on with all the major
projects, given that Ken seems so much of a motivator?

Given that he has now won, I wonder if Mercedes, Scania, Volvo et al
will be beating a path to his door tomorrow morning with their plans
for New Routemaster (tm)? I'll believe it when I see it...

If Boris does win as now expected
 

In message , Paul Scott
writes
...what might be the effect on TfL's ability to press on with all the major
projects, given that Ken seems so much of a motivator?

I'm about to leave to work in London for three days. I'm looking
forward to riding on Low Floor Routemasters by Monday! ;-)

Seriously, I find the news deeply depressing. The greatest flowering
of public transport in London since the days of Lord Ashfield, Frank
Pick and Charles Holden is perhaps coming to an end.

I always wished that Ken hadn't rejoined the Labour Party. His
personal win the first time, seeing off all the party candidates, gave
him a sense of neutrality in my book. This time, Boris hasn't "won"
this election and - unusually - Ken hasn't "lost" it. The government
has lost it and because of his (vague!) association with them, they've
taken Ken down with them.

If Boris turns out to be the best thing that's every happened to London
then no-one will be more pleased than me and I consent to having my face
liberally applied with egg for what I've just written.

But I doubt that will happen.
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

If Boris does win as now expected
 

On May 2, 8:49*pm, "Paul Scott"
wrote:
...what might be the effect on TfL's ability to press on with all the major
projects, given that Ken seems so much of a motivator?

Paul S

Because of the long lead times I don't see either the Government or
Boris having a lot of wriggle room on capital investment between now
and the General election in 2010. I think that the ELLX phase 2 will
be given the go ahead because of the knock on implications for
Thameslink and Ken is already on record leaking the approval.The
Olympics and Crossrail have a momentum of their own that can only
increase overtime. If either project goes over budget much
recrimination will take place. Local MP's, especially in London
marginals, will be more concerned about the next General rather than
Mayoral election and will be seeking investment in their
constituencies.I expect lots of media froth on congestion charges and
bus passes etc. The major area in which the Government and Boris might
lock horns will be the expansion of Heathrow.

If Boris does win as now expected
 

On May 3, 5:35*am, Ian Jelf wrote:
In message , Paul Scott
writes

...what might be the effect on TfL's ability to press on with all the major
projects, given that Ken seems so much of a motivator?

I'm about to leave to work in London for three days. * I'm looking
forward to riding on Low Floor Routemasters by Monday! * ;-)

Seriously, I find the news deeply depressing. * The greatest flowering
of public transport in London since the days of Lord Ashfield, Frank
Pick and Charles Holden is perhaps coming to an end.

I always wished that Ken hadn't rejoined the Labour Party. * His
personal win the first time, seeing off all the party candidates, gave
him a sense of neutrality in my book. * This time, Boris hasn't "won"
this election and - unusually - Ken hasn't "lost" it. * The government
has lost it and because of his (vague!) association with them, they've
taken Ken down with them.

This is precisely the problem. Their resources and troops may have
seemed useful, but they are more than spent on dragging around their
shameful baggage.

For me, Ken was the person who boosted Tony Blair by joining New
Labour within a year of the invasion of Iraq and winning London for
him. For that I despise him, and it is right that he should be
punished even if my city is punished along with him.

Most of what people remember Ken so fondly for ceased totally when he
joined New Labour. They present him as "anti-war" despite him having
said almost nothing on the subject for four years. They present him as
anti-racist, despite him having chosen to join the party that's done
most to whip up hysteria about asylum-seekers, terrorists etc.

Ken was originally opposed on principle to directly-elected Mayors on
the grounds that it's anti-democratic to put all the power in the
hands of one person who can overrule an entire council. I concurred
with that and was disappointed when he became determined to stand,
even to the extent of leaving his party to do so.

I wonder if Labour will lose its enthusiasm for supermayors now (and
the Conservatives will find a new enthusiasm for them).

But all this is nothing to my horror at the way that people whose
grandparents resisted the Luftwaffe have elected a Nazi to the GLA.

If Boris does win as now expected
 

On Fri, 2 May 2008 15:24:33 -0700 (PDT), alex_t
wrote:


Johnson says that TfL senior management is paid too much and needs to be
shaken up. If I were them, I would be looking for new jobs.

I wonder what that means for a certain LUL manager who posts in this
newsgroup :-|

If you're referring to me then probably not a lot in the short term. Who
knows what 18 months will bring. I expect that people rather more
senior than me will be in the firing line and it will be TfL HQ and
Corporate Departments that will get the most scrutiny initially.

It's when we get bus and tube strikes (both quite likely given the 3
year pay deal for LU has just ended and Unite are demanding pay parity
for bus drivers) that the fun will begin.

--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

If Boris does win as now expected
 

On May 3, 9:00 am, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Fri, 2 May 2008 15:24:33 -0700 (PDT), alex_t

wrote:

Johnson says that TfL senior management is paid too much and needs to be
shaken up. If I were them, I would be looking for new jobs.

I wonder what that means for a certain LUL manager who posts in this
newsgroup :-|

If you're referring to me then probably not a lot in the short term. Who
knows what 18 months will bring. I expect that people rather more
senior than me will be in the firing line and it will be TfL HQ and
Corporate Departments that will get the most scrutiny initially.

It's when we get bus and tube strikes (both quite likely given the 3
year pay deal for LU has just ended and Unite are demanding pay parity
for bus drivers) that the fun will begin.

--
Paul C

Admits to working for London Underground!

I can just imagine the election taglinea being written in Labour/Lib
Dem headquarters right now. "If this is what happens when one Tory is
in charge, can you imagine a whole government?" If Boris cocks up, and
the consensus seems to be he will, it could well scupper Cameron's
ambitions to be Prime Minister.

Neill

If Boris does win as now expected
 

On Sat, 3 May 2008 02:20:53 -0700 (PDT), Neill
wrote:

On May 3, 9:00 am, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Fri, 2 May 2008 15:24:33 -0700 (PDT), alex_t

wrote:

Johnson says that TfL senior management is paid too much and needs to be
shaken up. If I were them, I would be looking for new jobs.

I wonder what that means for a certain LUL manager who posts in this
newsgroup :-|

If you're referring to me then probably not a lot in the short term. Who
knows what 18 months will bring. I expect that people rather more
senior than me will be in the firing line and it will be TfL HQ and
Corporate Departments that will get the most scrutiny initially.

It's when we get bus and tube strikes (both quite likely given the 3
year pay deal for LU has just ended and Unite are demanding pay parity
for bus drivers) that the fun will begin.

--
Paul C

Admits to working for London Underground!

I can just imagine the election taglinea being written in Labour/Lib
Dem headquarters right now. "If this is what happens when one Tory is
in charge, can you imagine a whole government?" If Boris cocks up, and
the consensus seems to be he will, it could well scupper Cameron's
ambitions to be Prime Minister.

Consensus was that his campaign would be gaffe-filled, too...

If Boris does win as now expected
 

At 13:02:28 on Fri, 2 May 2008 Solario opined:-

On May 2, 12:49*pm, "Paul Scott"
wrote:
...what might be the effect on TfL's ability to press on with all the major
projects, given that Ken seems so much of a motivator?

Paul S


Probably not good.

What I want to know is how a county, OK region, of seven million
people could have such an abysmal choice of candidates?

Maybe because you didn't stand.
--
Thoss

If Boris does win as now expected
 

In message
, at
23:42:22 on Fri, 2 May 2008, Mwmbwls
remarked:
The major area in which the Government and Boris might
lock horns will be the expansion of Heathrow.

Irrespective of who is for and against it - what's the chances of a
third runway opening before oil is $400 a barrel?

Incidentally, one of the new items in the USA at the moment is airlines
"flying slower" in order to save fuel. One unexpected consequence of
that is the need to make airports more efficient in order to turn the
planes round quicker to make up time.
--
Roland Perry

If Boris does win as now expected
 

thoss wrote:
At 13:02:28 on Fri, 2 May 2008 Solario opined:-

On May 2, 12:49 pm, "Paul Scott"
wrote:


What I want to know is how a county, OK region, of seven million
people could have such an abysmal choice of candidates?

Maybe because you didn't stand.

Only 2million voted though - Did 5 million abstain?