Clapton Pond Blog

Boris, Ken & The Crunch

Both the London Mayor and his predecessor have published action plans for London's economy. And, yes, I think it probably is coincidence rather than conspiracy. Now read on.  

Boff, Boris & Browne

Local Tory Andrew Boff is, of course, a member of the London Assembly and an energetic defender of Hackney's heritage and grassroots enterprise. Elected from the Londonwide list, he doesn't formally represent the borough - we fall into Assembly chair Jennette Arnold's constituency - but several of the questions he's put to Boris Johnson at Mayor's Question Time so far have related to Hackney issues. On Wednesday, he'll be putting a couple more. One is:

The Nutritious Food Galley on Broadway Market has serviced the day-to-day needs of the Caribbean community by way of fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and West Indian produce for 15 years. Along with other commercial properties Hackney Council sold the property to an offshore company for less than its tenant had offered and despite its promises and Standing Orders requiring it to give small business tenants a genuine first option. Spirit, the proprietor, is now being evicted by the landlords who are, no doubt, looking to maximise their rental income with a chain store. That one act of Hackney Council has resulted in a small businessman losing his income and home and the local community a vital resource.

Can the Mayor give an assurance that when disposing of any commercial property within the GLA group the GLA will consider the effect of sales on the local economy and community and give first option to buy to its existing tenants?

And the other:

Author Michael Rosen, when commenting on the regeneration of Dalston, was accused by Hackney's Mayor of having a "Keep Hackney Crap" mentality. Does London's Mayor agree with Jules Pipe that Hackney is crap?

I have a particular interest in the latter, firstly because Mayor Pipe's "Keep Hackney Crap" jibe was made in a guest post he wrote here, and secondly because if we are right to assume that Mayor Johnson will decline Boff's mischievous invitation to agree that Hackney is crap, he will be odds with his recently-appointed director of policy, Anthony Browne - a man who has some explaining to do. 

A London Blog

Did I mention this?

Not The Anthony Browne Fan Club

Cllr Akehurst:

"I'm not sure we can expect a sensitive approach to policy questions regarding race and migration from Mr Browne, given the views he has expressed about these matters...Do Hackney's Tory Councillors, eight out of nine of whom are from minority faith and ethnic communities, know about the views of their London Mayor's Policy Director about the model of community harmony represented by our borough?"

Good question.

"The appointment of someone who has such a disparaging take on the benefits of immigration and multiculturalism to the position of Policy Director to the Mayor of a city that has benefited from and been characterised by mass immigration and multiculturalism is a very odd move and will add to the unease London's BME communities already feel about Boris."

Yes indeed. More here.

Boris Johnson Appoints Fantasist

The following was written for The Spectator magazine in 2005 when Boris Johnson was its editor. Johnson has just appointed appointed its author, Athony Browne, his Director of Policy:

"Is Hackney the future of the world? You may find it a horrifying thought, but many on the Left hope that it is. I don’t mean the extortionate taxes, the crushingly bloated public sector, the government-by-political-correctness, the bankrupt school system, the dehumanising crime, the failing social services, and all the other things the Left love so dearly.

No, the question is whether the whole world will become as diverse as Hackney, one of the most diverse societies on the planet? Many on the Left hope so because they believe that the only way to end racism is to end races; the only way to conquer Nazism, they argue, is mass miscegenation — interracial love rather than war. The champions of diversity ultimately believe that our future is not as a species with many races, but with one race — a quarter Chinese, a quarter Indian, a quarter African and a quarter European."

Yes, indeed. And elephants like knitting. And the moon's a balloon. And the trees, the trees, they sing sea shanties to me. Now read on.

Mayor Johnson & Hackney

And so despite our borough's impressive support for Ken Livingstone, Mayor Boris Johnson is a reality. What might it mean for Hackney? Inside Housing reports:

"Jamie Carswell, the Labour deputy mayor of Hackney Council, said he was pleased Mr Johnson had stuck with his predecessor's target of building 50,000 homes a year. Labour-controlled boroughs wanted to work constructively with the new mayor, he added, although Hackney had concerns about some of his policies. Mr Johnson's First Steps policy to help people onto the housing ladder appeared to target families which were 'quite well off', Mr Carswell said."

That's a real worry about Johnson's housing policy, though the various organisations I spoke to during the campaign thought it may have some virtues too. We'll see. Meanwhile, having just returned from City Hall, I can report that our Assembly Member Jennette Arnold has been elected its new chair. Labour, Lib Dem and Green members voted for her. The Tories backed their own candidate. The BNP member abstained. More here.

Jennette Arnold AM On Boris Johnson

From the Waltham Forest Guardian:

"London Assembly victor Jennette Arnold said having Boris Johnson in charge would not make any difference to her work as member for London North East. Mrs Arnold's constituency covers the London boroughs of Waltham Forest, Hackney and Islington...she said Mr Johnson, who is busy replacing Mr Livingstone's staff with his own, would have to respect her electorates' concerns: 'I've promised that I'll be working for them to ensure that we get policing and community safety and proper resources for our young people, and that they get adequate homes that are affordable.'"

Now read on.

Ken Livingstone In Stoke Newington

With my two youngest in Stoke Newington High Street this afternoon. More here.

Ten Reasons Why I Want Ken Livingstone To Win

Hello, dear reader. Are you an undecided London voter? Are you a Green Party or Liberal Democrat supporter but can't decide how to cast your all-important "second preference" vote for London mayor today? If you are such a person, I urge you to give your first or your second preference vote to the Labour candidate Ken Livingstone and neither of them to the Conservative Boris Johnson. I've set my reasons out below.

During the weeks of the election campaign that's eaten my life I’ve striven to be fair to Boris Johnson. There was, though, never much chance I’d vote for him. That said, I’ve also been testing my loyalty to Ken Livingstone. I believe his various critics, including those with roots on the Left, have over-spun or overstated their cases against him, but that isn’t to say they lack all force. There’s also the question of how much difference a change of mayor would really make.

On the day campaigning officially began I argued that the job description and moderate content of Johnson’s stated polices meant that many of the differences were less of Big Ideas than emphasis. This wasn’t what Team Ken wanted to hear, as it made clear in a letter The Guardian published the following day: its job from the off has been to sharpen the contrast in substance – of both policy and pedigree – between the two men; Johnson’s, in keeping with David Cameron’s approach, has been to position himself just enough to the blue side of the incumbent to mobilise Tory support without confirming suspicions that he’s daft and extreme.

But though the choice between the two was not as stark as their media images suggested, there was no doubt they were there. The thing was to clarify and quantify them. I’ve done my best and now feel I can vote for Livingstone with conviction. Here are ten reasons why.

One: Livingstone Has Better Policies

Brian Paddick has made the best arguments about policing, but that’s not the comparison that counts. And while Johnson has made the most noise about crime and antisocial behaviour and Livingstone has sometimes looked complacent about it, The Blond isn’t offering more than the Labour man. He’s spoken of “zero tolerance” but its virtues are contested, and his support for ending police accountability with regard to stop-and-search and references to “political correctness” are worrying.

On housing, there is evidence that Livingstone’s determination to force London’s boroughs into line – Tory ones especially - over increasing the numbers of affordable homes can be counter-productive. By contrast, Johnson says that by “working with” the boroughs he can achieve the same total. But if Tory boroughs declined to build their share, would Mayor Johnson use his powers to persuade them? He hasn’t said. And while it might be alarmist to claim that his policies would result in the further concentration of the poorest Londoners in the poorest parts of town, such a trend can’t be ruled out. What’s more, to take advantage of his First Steps home ownership scheme would need an income of £60,000 a year. Four fifths of London households need not apply.

Johnson’s policies on the environment are tailored to parochial, suburban interests. There’s nothing wrong with that if those interests are virtuous, but a world city like London should be leading the fight against climate change. Livingstone’s larger schemes have been damned as costly gestures for limited returns, but Johnson’s plans don’t promise greater ones. And on transport, where the mayor’s powers are greatest, it’s been no contest: Livingstone has beaten Johnson hands down.

In conclusion, Livingstone is decisively better than Johnson in some key policy areas and where isn’t, he is safer. And if you think my general conclusion betrays a blind pro-Ken bias, check the Ken-hating Evening Standard’s assessments. Even it doesn't favour Boris over Ken on the whole.

Two: Livingstone Has Made The Best Joke

It happened last Friday morning. A caller to Vanessa Feltz’s Radio London show asked the three main candidates which Shakespeare character they most resembled. Livingstone, self-mocking, chose Julius Caesar. Johnson said Pericles. Much has been made of Johnson’s admiration for the great Athenian leader of that name. Embarrassingly for the classicist, Shakespeare wrote about a different Pericles. Livingstone, often derided as an unBritish philistine, spotted this. Johnson, graciously, acknowledged his mistake. Talk then turned to the Sun’s endorsement of the Tory candidate. Johnson expressed his gratitude for this. “Oh Boris,” quipped Ken, “that was before they heard your mistake about Pericles.”

Three: Brian Paddick & His Partner

The Liberal Democrat, as we all know, is gay. His partner has sometimes accompanied him on the campaign, though being careful to avoid photographers. A charming man, he linked up with Paddick on the day I joined him on the trail for votes. Some images stay with you: the pair of them shuffling onto a tube carriage together at Southwark station and later walking, heads together, through the streets of Marylebone at dusk. Gay men feel less fear on the streets of London than they did 25 years ago. As leader of the GLC, Livingstone fought for gay and other minority rights in the teeth of often vicious opposition. Such things shouldn’t be forgotten.

Four: Livingstone Is A Better Politician

Politics is about winning arguments. Livingstone has yet to lose one with an electorate and has won big ones against Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. London needs a good arguer. Could Mayor Johnson outmanoeuvre such enemies as effectively? Could he arrive at settlements with others who are not natural allies? He has his charms, but I have my doubts.

Five: London Needs To Be Bossed From The Centre

People say Livingstone’s a megalomaniac whose regime is too centralised and lacks accountability. The Lee Jasper affair is cited as proof. But though Jasper’s behaviour reflects badly – just how badly, we’ve yet to learn – on Livingstone’s administration if take a step back you find an institutional problem. It’s not the only one with the GLA arrangement and agencies under mayoral influence. Would a Mayor Johnson correct this? His accountability manifesto makes promises and contains some good ideas, but there’s nothing very definite in there. He also talks about devolving power to the boroughs, but would that improve the capital’s governance? Tristam Hunt says history suggests otherwise. A renewed Livingstone mayoralty on its best behaviour is a safer bet than a Johnson one whose key personnel he has yet to reveal.

Six: Livingstone Is A Better Leader

Think about it.

Seven: The Evening Standard Will Be Gutted If Livingstone Wins

Not every aspect of the Standard’s mayoral coverage has been shamelessly, sometimes hilariously, anti-Ken, but the highest profile stuff has. How much difference has this made? Judging that is as difficult as predicting the result, but Londoners have deserved better from the capital’s sole paid-for title. There’s a media studies course in the worst of it: selective reporting, misleading headlines, photographs chosen to send damning signals, the works. Johnson has criticised Livingstone’s free paper The Londoner as Pyongyang style propaganda. But at times, the Standard has resembled Pravda.

Eight: The Tories Don’t Really Deserve To Win

Boris Johnson has gone up in my estimation during the campaign (and no doubt he is weak with gratitude for this). He’s worked hard to master his brief, engaged with people and problems he’s never bothered with before and been obliged to recognise that opinions that amuse the readerships of the Telegraph and Spectator can cause deep hurt and damage elsewhere. He’s an intelligent and approachable man. But we all know he wouldn’t be in the race at all were he not famous from the telly. Livingstone, of course, is a celebrity too, but his fame is rooted in what he has achieved in politics. By comparison, Johnson is famous for being well known. Whatever his virtues, a victory for Johnson will be a victory for the politics of personality. He has no record in the politics of London. By contrast...

Nine: Livingstone Knows More Of London And Londoners

Experience matters. So does empathy. While it is true that a fresh face can bring fresh energy and ideas, I’ve been moved by some of Livingstone’s engagements with people on the streets, especially in the inner boroughs: there’s a depth of connection there and a store of knowledge – about neighbourhoods, about people, about the nuts-and-bolts of local government – that it’s hard to imagine Johnson ever matching. You feel you could put Livingstone in most London living rooms and he’d be able to hold a proper conversation. With Johnson, for all his affability, that’s much more difficult.

Ten: We Can’t Be Sure What A Mayor Johnson Would Do

I sympathise to some extent with Team Boris’s close policing of their boy. Hacks love a gaffe and Boris says things that hacks think qualify when quite often they don’t. Also, I haven’t been convinced by claims that behind the clown’s mask, a Bullingdon Beast or swivel-eyed Thatcherite waits to emerge – for one thing, I don’t think Dave would be too pleased. Yet Thatcher’s winning 1979 campaign contained little hint of the reckless arrogance that followed. And the problem with Johnson is that it’s hard to know exactly how he would behave if installed in City Hall. A model of visionary delegation or of muddle and drift, with a team of aides whose identities he feels unable to reveal going about their business much as they pleased?

At best, a Johnson mayoralty could be energetic, innovative and exemplify in different ways the urban liberalism that Livingstone has fostered and that Cameronian Conservatism has sought to accommodate. At worst, it could be sloppy, stingy, neglectful of London’s ground-in inequality and indulgent of the worst suburban suspicions and snobberies. Many Londoners have yet to decide which way they will vote. With Livingstone, they know what they’ll be getting and they’ve been grateful for most of it before. Johnson is a risk I'd prefer they didn't take.

Also at Comment is Free and Liberal Conspiracy.

KenLivingstone In The Narroway

He stopped off at Hackney Central during a campaign journey along the North London Line today. I cornered him opposite the old town hall.

A Dutch journalist who was one of many trailing after him, told me his reception in Hackney was the warmest he'd received on the itinerary so far. He certainly seemed at ease. I'd nipped down to see him in the middle of writing a piece for the Guardian about Livingstone, Boris Johnson and community relations. It's now gone live, so have a read.