Boris Johnson is Mayor of London

the comments against boris are just making me laugh and as people have said, he may act like a clown but he is very very smart and reacting like you are to him is exactly what he is provoking out of you.

here here boris!!!!
 
Freefaller said:
The buses are badly maintained and driven SO badly there are on average (this is from memory in the Metro newspaper) half a dozen RTAs involving buses in Greater London, add to that the same number on average for breakdowns - the drivers aren't particularly well trained and swing round corners and drive very aggressively.
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This is typical of privatised public transport. The company will run its rolling stock into the ground, spending as little as possible on maintenance to save costs. It will churn its staff with short training regimes and low pay to save costs. It will not replace its vehicles to save costs. When the whole thing is about ready to topple over from sheer exhaustion and bad management, they will sell it and move on, having sucked every penny from the business.

I'm used to public transport in other countries, in spite of not speaking every European language (I do several) I still manage to get on the train, get to where I'm going, and have a pleasant agreeable journey. I've never had a pleasant journey on any public transport bar aircraft.
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It never ceases to amaze me that the UK consistently offers such poor public transport at such grossly inflated prices, while only a ferry ride away, Europeans are enjoying modern infrastructure with far superior service at a reasonable price.

There is something about this country that seems to invite failure.
 
icehot said:
the comments against boris are just making me laugh and as people have said, he may act like a clown but he is very very smart and reacting like you are to him is exactly what he is provoking out of you.

here here boris!!!!
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You don't think there have been some valid criticisms of him? His startling propensity for foot in mouth perchance to the level where he got the award for it or the right wing leanings that have been highlighted earlier on in this thread?

I'm one of the people who think that Boris must be relatively intelligent but you've still got to ask why he would attempt to provoke that sort of reaction. Is it a genuine inability to not come across as a moron at times or is there an underlying reason for it? If the former then I don't think he would make a particularly good leader, if the latter then being underestimated at some stages may be acceptable but I prefer my publically elected figures to show some kind of nous and tactical awareness at times* which I'm not altogether convinced that Mr Johnson has adequately demonstrated.

*nb this may sound contrary to my previously stated fondess for the gaffes of Prince Philip but he is neither publically elected nor in any position of real power with decisions that could affect millions of people.
 
Evangelion said:
It never ceases to amaze me that the UK consistently offers such poor public transport at such grossly inflated prices, while only a ferry ride away, Europeans are enjoying modern infrastructure with far superior service at a reasonable price.

There is something about this country that seems to invite failure.
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Well I haven't been everywhere but it is my personal opinion that public transport in london is superior to that in Paris.

Here in Lausanne the buses are about the same frequency as London and the metro is far less frequent. Also they only have to manage one metro line and not many bus services so the whole thing is a lot simpler. Bus prices are comparable but the metro is slightly cheaper. I am obviously not comparing similar cities but it is the only comparison I can make. Overall I don't think london public transport is bad and it seems the majority of tourists agree with me.
 
semi-pro waster said:
You don't think there have been some valid criticisms of him? His startling propensity for foot in mouth perchance to the level where he got the award for it or the right wing leanings that have been highlighted earlier on in this thread?

I'm one of the people who think that Boris must be relatively intelligent but you've still got to ask why he would attempt to provoke that sort of reaction. Is it a genuine inability to not come across as a moron at times or is there an underlying reason for it?
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You have to bear in mind that no matter how intelligent osmeone is... it doesn't stop them being prone to gaffs or having character flaws like anyone else. Boris clearly has character flaws, and while having a great amount of charisma, is not a gifted speaker. If he was as good a showman as Tony Blair we'd all likely think he was the mutts nutts... but for me part of the appeal of Boris is that he is extremely and undeniably human. He doesn't even attempt to give the impression he is a flawless and infallible human being like many politicians, hasn't tried to cover any previous misdemeanours up or make excuses for them... indeed he has publically admitted to and apologised for them.

He's a man who at the moment may well be out of his depth, but is no less deserving of a chance of seeing what he can do. London isn't some toy or playground for people to fool around with, but I think Boris has shown a willingness to work hard and has had a plethora of solid ideas to put into motion that may well see him doing some good in the city.
It's about time England had a bit of a more radical shake-up in government and politics, and with Boris being the new mayor, and Labour getting soundly thrashed in the local elections, maybe for the first time in as long as I can remember there's the hope, however slim, that we may see a bit of a change in the way our country is run, and how much say we have in the matter.

Labours time is drawing to a close, it's time to see what the Conservatives are capable of, for better or worse. :)
 
As predicted, Boris Johnson reveals his anti-business credentials by imposing severe restrictions on new office buildings, which must be music to the ears of London's competitors such as New York, Paris and Frankfurt. He wants to preserve London as an archaic museum and tourist attraction, while its competitors get on with the job of doing business and making money.

Historic views will be protected by law once again


Boris Johnson today pledged to restore the protection to London's historic views which was slashed by his predecessor.

The Mayor said he would seek to reverse planning guidance, published last year, which shrank by up to 80 per cent the "viewing corridors" of St Paul's Cathedral and the Palace of Westminster from points across the capital.

The move, by former mayor Ken Livingstone, made it easier for developers to put tall buildings within historic viewing corridors.

Mr Johnson said he did not want London's historic views "salami-sliced" by developers building skyscrapers.

"I do think we should be protecting strategic views in London, and I do think we should be protecting-beautiful, world-famous landmarks," the Mayor said.

Tony Arbour, planning spokesman for London Assembly Conservatives, welcomed the renewed commitment.

He said: "We are delighted that Boris Johnson will now ensure that the views are preserved for future generations to cherish."

Mr Arbour, who represents Richmond, has been especially concerned about the unique view of St Paul's from King Henry's Mound in Richmond Park.

The former mayor slashed protection for 10 strategic views which had been protected by law since 1991.
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http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...ill+be+protected+by+law+once+again/article.do
 
Ditto. **** new skyscrapers etc... London's never going to get near any other city from that point of view. So let's concentrate on more important issues, like improving the quality of life of Londoners and cleaning the city up.
 
the first thing boris did was seal off the mayor building the day before he took up his official office - he then hired a forensic accountant to examine everything in the building. the reason for this is that ken, like most of the labour party, gave lucrative contracts to all his friends and corruption was rife. In boris's first speech he actually said 'i hope you can hear me over the sound of shredders' - a reference to the labour party executives who were in city hall all night the day he was elected shredding evidence.

we may never see any actual prosecutions but the labour party can't touch boris now, because every few months he can reveal the latest new labour accounting scandal/fraud.
 
dirtydog said:
As predicted, Boris Johnson reveals his anti-business credentials by imposing severe restrictions on new office buildings, which must be music to the ears of London's competitors such as New York, Paris and Frankfurt. He wants to preserve London as an archaic museum and tourist attraction, while its competitors get on with the job of doing business and making money.


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...ill+be+protected+by+law+once+again/article.do
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As I understood it, a lot of the skyscrapers that were proposed have struggled to find funds. I don't think business demand for skyscrapers is that great at the moment.
 
Exactly, it looks like a recession is approaching so flashy new offices aren't really a priority for many companies. What that law probably means Canary Wharf will see growth in skyscrapers while the City will probably see a decline in new towers.
 
bibalasvegas said:
As I understood it, a lot of the skyscrapers that were proposed have struggled to find funds. I don't think business demand for skyscrapers is that great at the moment.
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Not at all. There are several skyscraper projects which are continuing and the idea is they will be completed by the next upturn in the market. What is lacking in London is not office space per se, but the right sort of office space.
 
aardvark said:
the first thing boris did was seal off the mayor building the day before he took up his official office - he then hired a forensic accountant to examine everything in the building. the reason for this is that ken, like most of the labour party, gave lucrative contracts to all his friends and corruption was rife. In boris's first speech he actually said 'i hope you can hear me over the sound of shredders' - a reference to the labour party executives who were in city hall all night the day he was elected shredding evidence.

we may never see any actual prosecutions but the labour party can't touch boris now, because every few months he can reveal the latest new labour accounting scandal/fraud.
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Source?
 
Yeah, I'd like to know how preventing London turning in to a souless, New York lite is anti business?

There's still quite a fair few tall buildings under construction anyway. I wouldn't worry too much.
 
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