New London Mayor

[Quillan]

[quote user="nectarine"]

Just trying to move this thread back to the topic in hand ...

I mentioned the comments from various Surrey voters who expressed disappointment that they didn't have the opportunity to vote in the London Mayoral elections.  I appreciate not everyone thinks that "Surrey van drivers" should influence the vote but it is daft to think that the Mayor's decisions don't directly influence those just outside of central London.  Congestion charge for a start ... those inside the zone get a substantial discount but those outside, including those from Surrey, etc., who need to bring tools, equipment, etc., into London have to pay this and end up passing the charge onto their customers, thereby making them more expensive and not as competitive with quotes, etc.

Our rates contain a surcharge to the Mayor of London, yet we don't have a vote on it!!  That does seem unfair (taxation without representation, and all that).  And with regard to transport - sure, if you live in central London then it is easy to get around but if you are a commuter from teh suburbs then the Mayor's transport policies do affect you, but you don't have a vote.

And I have a bone to pick with Ken Livingstone.  While he was banging on about congestion, reducing traffic etc., and generally making the car London's worst enemy, my husband saw him sitting in the back of a huge limousine in central London.  A case of "do as I say, not as I do"?

Anyway, thank goodness for Boris.  Not necessarily for what he is going to do, but as an alternative to Red Ken and his cronies.

Now, has that brought us back to the subject in hand (and no more talk of grammatical errors, please !!!)

[/quote]

Not so much a political thing but it does seem a bit odd to have to give money to something of which you have no say. I was thinking that it may not just be Surrey either, Essex comes to mind as does Kent but it's only a guess on my part.

See there's a spelling mistake there...... only joking, only joking, wink wink, nod nod [;-)] Sorry [:$] No more I promise.

[woolybananasbrother]

It was a grammatical error.

Anyway, where next for Boris? If he manages to do a half good job round London then perhaps he might look to the national scene again, 'though perhaps he might not get a majority in either Liverpool or Portsmouth.

[Ron Avery]

 "And with regard to transport - sure, if you live in central London then it is easy to get around but if you are a commuter from the suburbs then the Mayor's transport policies do affect you, but you don't have a vote"

Do you mean commute in the suburbs or from the suburbs?  If you mean in the suburbs then your bus services are funded and controlled by Surrey County Council, not TfL, so if they are inadequate,   take it up with them or vote in a different council. Only bus routes coming from London into Surrey are TfL controlled routes.

If you mean a commuter from Surrey, you have excellent train services into London and then you have the benefit of the excellent transport services provided by TfL for London by the ratepayers of the London Boroughs and by the congestion charge, not you.

If you follow your argument that anyone who is affected by the Mayor of London's transport policies should get a vote, then so should anyone who ever uses a bus or train to or from or in London.  Maybe the Mayor should change his transport policies and withdraw the all-night 30 minute bus services he had put on so that all you Surrey ratepayers could get home from the theatre or clubbing anytime of the night and to places in Surrey never served by night buses before like Sutton, Croydon, Carshalton, Worcester Park and Kingston all paid for by the London ratepayer and not Surrey County Council ratepayers.

[tegwini]

Thanks Quillian - corrected- one-off typo & correct elsewhere.

On topic...    there has been lots of interest in the latest elections - more than usual for local elections.    As most of us are so fed up with this useless government people would have voted for anyone to punish them and make them listen.

Anyone standing against Red Ken, even Mickey Mouse would have beaten him.

tegwini

 

[Dick Smith]

I thought he did.

[Ron Avery]

Anyone standing against Red Ken, even Mickey Mouse would have beaten him.

Actually not true, an analysis of the vote showed that only an overwhelming vote for Johnson in the London Boroughs of Croydon and Bromley, who are well outside the congestion zone got him in.  The inner London Boroughs actually voted in favour of Ken Livingstone.

[Will]

I had the interesting task, yesterday evening, in London, of trying to explain Boris Johnson to some Germans.

He couldn't exist in Germany outside a Benny Hill or Mr Bean style TV comedy. [:D]

[Russethouse]

Aren't we lucky to have someone unique [:D]

 

[Dick Smith]

It's good isn't it? Boris trivialises politics, and then comments like that trivialise his trivialisation...

[Dick Smith]

Sorry, I meant to write Bori's trivialise's.

[Cat]

Are you, did you?

I agree with one aspect of what you are saying though, some people really do let themselves down on this forum.

 

[Quillan]

[quote user="Dick Smith"]Sorry, I meant to write Bori's trivialise's.
[/quote]

You were right the first time Dick, now even your spelling has gone to pot. You should know better, being a teacher and all that [;-)] .

[Dick Smith]

Ho ho ho.

[Russethouse]

Farewell letter from Boris :  http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news01.php

[Will]

So the whole thing was just a jolly spiffing jape? Pass the Bolly, Gussie...

(By the way, have you seen the names of Boris's offspring?)

[Kitty]

[quote user="Will"]

(By the way, have you seen the names of Boris's offspring?)

[/quote]

No.  What are they?

[Dick Smith]

The children of Alexander Boris de Pfeffer Johnson are named Lara Lettice, Milo Arthur, Cassia Peaches and Theodore Apollo...

[Thibault]

My great great grandmother was called Lettice (according to Parish Records) but by the time of the later census records had moved to Letitia via several other spellings.  Was that name inflation?

[YCCMB]

So what did Theodore do wrong, (or right) to avoid being named after a foodstuff?

[Hoddy]

Would he stand a better chance of being a good mayor if he'd called his children Dick, Will, Cathy and Betty I wonder ?

Hoddy

[YCCMB]

Possibly, possibly........although it would have meant that at least one of his children (that I can vouch for) would have been living a lie.[:D]

[Cat]

Richard, William, Catherine and Elizabeth?  Names fit for kings and queens [:)]

[Quillan]

I was wondering what the names of Boris's children have do with with running London? Are we saying that because somebody has used names that differ from the boring norm is a sign of stupidity? Would the same apply to somebody like Bob Geldof? Perhaps I could consider a person who named his son after all English players that won the 1966 word cup as being different.

[woolybananasbrother]

Depends on their environment or class Quillan. Lettice might be acceptable in Henley or amongst the Eton set but give a kid a name like that in Tower Hamlets and he would either become very, very tough or very, very splattered. Remember the boy named Sue!

Names are just as susceptible to social conditioning, you know, as other behaviours.

As to naming kids after a football team, what a prat. Now if it had been a rugby team, that's a different matter. More choice for a start.

[Quillan]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

As to naming kids after a football team, what a prat. Now if it had been a rugby team, that's a different matter. More choice for a start.

[/quote]

I often wondered what it would have been like when the poor kid had to write his full name on his first job application form. Bet he was thinking, when he got to the second sheet of paper and was still writing his name, "I hate you dad I really do". I also wondered if they have extra large driving licences and passports to cater for such people.