At Guardian Politics: What's Ken Up To?

Just gone live at Guardian politics:

What’s he up to? The question is asked in spite of – in fact, because of – the impressive array of activities Ken Livingstone has committed himself to since his defeat by Boris Johnson three weeks ago. The latest is to host from next month an afternoon phone-in on London radio station LBC, where he looks likely to become a sort of inner-city left counterpart to the seething suburbanism of breakfast show host Nick Ferrari. (The contrast could be constructive: as Ferrari’s frequent guest during his mayoralty, Livingstone seemed to savour the abrasion.)

Any remaining gaps in his busy gardening schedule look likely to be filled by after dinner speaking, the book he intends to write about his eight years in power and attending City Hall in a different capacity – that of honoured member of the London electorate scrutinising his successor from the front row of the u-shaped public gallery. He made his first appearance there when the new Assembly met for the first time. He was there again today to witness Boris Johnson’s question time debut and has promised to be at every one.

I wonder how Mayor Johnson is feeling about all this, his vanquished foe endlessly manifesting like a pesky ghost. Does he check under his desk in the mornings? Does he scan the rear view mirror of his mayoral car for a pursuing Prius? Does he enter rooms half expecting to be assailed by nasal irony’s answer to Cato Fong, the half-mad martial arts exponent who used to pounce without warning on Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther movies?

You could hardly blame him for feeling stalked. Ken’s political persistence outstrips even that of his annoying cough (still in evidence today, by the way). I and other journalists have begun receiving emails from an address called Ken Livingstone News and, as noted by all, nothing Ken has done or written since his defeat suggests he is unduly downcast by that recent reverse or that he is ruling out being a candidate again in 2012.

It isn’t hard to see why he might be tempted: he didn’t lose by a huge margin, any future Tory government could be approaching mid-term by then, and the blond guy could yet get a great deal wrong. As for those who, like me, had doubts about Livingstone running in 2008 let alone in four years’ time, we still have an awkward question to answer – who would be better?

First edition available here.

Comments

[Adam Bienkov]

I spoke to him afterwards and he talked about 'never having been in opposition before,' which suggests to me that he sees himself as a shadow Mayor figure (or shadowy Mayor figure as Boris probably sees him). Although at first I couldn't see him standing again, now he has got this radio show and started sending out these press releases (they seem to have found there way to me now) I wouldn't be so surprised.

The guy from the Standard asked him who was running his new press operation and whether the Labour party were paying for it (another ES conspiracy theory developing?) and Ken said that it was 'some old associates. I wonder who he could mean...

[Martin from MayorWatch]

Dave was interested in this as we spoke about it this am - I had to change the title of my take on the same ground:

http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/What-Is-Ken-Up-To-article_id-1648.html

If you've not seen it, Ken (briefly) answers some of the issues we were discussing.