Vincero dOro Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 There should be an awful lot riding on the result of the London Mayoral Election, but in recent days some Labour supporters have called for Ken Livingstone to be replaced as Labour candidate. Is he dead in the water? Is the population of London who voted Labour by a large majority about to re-elect a Tory mayor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANGELFIRE1 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Anyone but Livingstone, what a nob-ed he is. Angel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polo mint Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 You can't think things are going too well in the Livingstone camp when his own party talklike this. An open letter to Ken Livingstone by Jonathan Roberts Dear Ken, I write as a Labour party and trade union member. I have spent many evenings in dusty, cold community centres with left of centre colleagues arguing over the minutes of last month’s branch meetings. I have walked more miles than I care to remember on the Labour doorstep. I have stuffed so many envelopes that I feel as though I’ve single-handedly kept my postman in employment. I do it because I believe Labour values can help people. But I am not, now, doing any of these things for you. Your supporters will say I’m disloyal to the Labour Party, but don’t seem to mind you campaigning against our candidate in Tower Hamlets. Your supporters cheered you when you called tax avoiders “rich ********”, but they don’t seem to mind the £50,000 you have allegedly avoided yourself. Your supporters criticise Boris Johnson as a “part time Mayor” for churning out a weekly article for the Telegraph, but they don’t seem to mind that you were an MP and a writer for the Independent during substantial parts of your own Mayoral tenure. Your supporters sing about how you speak the truth, but don’t seem to mind how independent fact-checking organisations regularly describe your claims as “fiction”. Your supporters were delighted when you announced you would reintroduce the EMA for London, giving hope to thousands of kids, but they don’t seem to mind that the Mayor has no power to reintroduce EMA at all. Nor do they seem to mind you making a promise you knew full well you would be unlikely to deliver on. But do you know what Ken? I mind. I do. Your relentless cynicism and negativity is matched only by your hypocrisy. And I mind all three. It bothers me that people think you are the last bastion of Labourness. It bothers me that you think you are the last bastion of Labourness. It bothers me that because I am a proud member of this party, I am expected to give up countless hours of my life to fight through the rain and cold to campaign for a man who has made so many anti-west comments that Iranian state television gave him his own TV show. Some in our society are untouchable as a result of their past contributions. I willingly forgive Sir Paul McCartney’s dismal modern-day efforts because in his day he was a genius. Some afford you that same forgiveness because of your hugely positive past contributions in fighting fascism and homophobia. But you are not untouchable Ken. You are a politician seeking election, and the rules still apply to you. London is one of the greatest cities in the world. And maybe I’m still too young and optimistic, or maybe I’ve just watched too much West Wing, but I want to be inspired. I want to believe. I want to walk into that voting booth and know “this guy is the real deal”. I don’t feel that with you. On May 3rd I will get on a tube and go to the office. I’ll put in a decent day’s work and then go home in the evening. Whatever I do, I won’t be stopping off to vote. I won’t support any other candidate because they do not match my values. But I won’t be supporting you because yours don’t match them either. I love Labour, but more importantly I love London and my country. I do not think you are good for either. Yours sincerely, Jonathan Roberts Jonathan Roberts was Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Thirsk and Malton at the last election http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2012/03/08/an-open-letter-to-ken-livingstone/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoatwobbler Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Can't see Boris Johnson losing it. As to Livingstone, it may have been nice if they could have found a fresher candidate, but it's worth remembering that his main rival for the Labour candidacy was Oona King running on an ultra-Blairite ticket. She would have been considerably worse as Labour candidate then Ken Livingstone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyofborg Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 given we're in sheffield, do we really care? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferno Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Boris seems desperate to contain and curtail the phone-hacking enquiry. I wonder what Murdoch's got on him? http://www.metro.co.uk/news/892219-boris-johnson-deputy-kit-malthouse-dismissed-phone-hacking-as-hysteria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uptowngirl Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Boris now appears to be 5 to 1 on. Ken around 17/4 against. I'm still puzzled why Labour picked Livingstone as their candidate after they had expelled him from their party. Presumably they must feel that a proper Labour candidate would fare worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Shaw Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Boris now appears to be 5 to 1 on. Ken around 17/4 against. I'm still puzzled why Labour picked Livingstone as their candidate after they had expelled him from their party. Presumably they must feel that a proper Labour candidate would fare worse. I doubt that the Labour Party actually 'picked' KL- but it would have caused a major schism to have deselected him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uptowngirl Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I doubt that the Labour Party actually 'picked' KL- but it would have caused a major schism to have deselected him. They did just that. They rejected him as Labour candidate and so he stood as an independent and was chucked out of the party for putting his name on the ballot paper. But when he beat Labour's candidate he was brought back into the party as "Labour" mayor. But once he started standing on the official Labour ticket he lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Sidney Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Anyone but Livingstone, what a nob-ed he is. Angel. I'll second that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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