Londoners against Livingstone

Apologies for being away so long...

2007-05-30T11:15:00.000+01:00

Life has simply been too hectic lately and I haven't posted for a very long time. It may mean the end of Londoners against Livingstone unless there are any Ken-bashers out there who'd like to write. Or even any Ken lovers who want to give the positive (ahem) point of view.

Get in touch.

Get Ken Out

2007-01-27T15:07:00.000Z

It's been a very long time since my last post - my sincerest apologies but life has been busy. If anyone is interested in helping to run Londoner's against Livingstone please get in touch. There's no money in it, but it's rewarding to get at Ken in more ways than simply shouting at his smug face on TV.

With that in mind, I've been informed of the following petition to remove Ken from power.

Sign the petition now!

Thanks to Dan Rahimzadeh for sending this in.

A word from Ken Livingstone's fans

2006-10-06T23:44:00.000+01:00

I've had a couple of emails from some frustrated readers. I'm sure there are many more who are equally annoyed and fed up of the Mayor's behaviour. That's the reason I started Londoners against Livingstone. I found myself becoming agitated every time I saw Ken on TV, with his condescending manner and "we know best" attitude. The term dictator with a suit comes to mind.

The first email concerned a greeting Ken Livingstone posted in the Jewish Chronicle and came from a Jewish reader.

I am a member of the London Jewish Community. I am disgusted that a whole page advert was put in the Jewish Chronicle from Ken Livingstone, wishing Londoners A Happy New Year. I find it farcical that Ken Livingstone had the audacity to do this, when we all know that the man hates, Jews and Israeli's. His friends are the muslim extremists. It just proves what an utter liar and patronising person he is.

Leila R, Surrey

I haven't seen the ad, but it sounds exactly like something Mr Livingstone would do - using taxpayer money to counteract the bad blood directed at him as a result of his support for some fundamental figures. (If I have my facts wrong here feel free to email in.)

The second email relates to Ken's deserved suspension being overturned.

So Slimy Ken has managed to wriggle his way out of a suspension. It does not change what he said. He is arrogant and two faced. What has he done to improve London for the majority of the population? Nothing.

Carol Collier

Our Mayor might be colourful and outspoken, but that makes it all the more depressing for people who simply want the best out of London life. We shouldn't have a Mayor that makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons, and wastes taxpayers money doing it.

Mayor wastes more public money

2006-09-16T21:39:00.000+01:00

Mr Livingstone has announced plans to install solar panels in City Hall - at a cost of £560,000. Yet energy bills will only be reduced by £10,000 a year, according to one of the free London papers. This means the panels will have saved only £210,000 in the 21 years the lease on City Hall has left to run. That's a massive deficit of £350,000!

Idiotic. Outrageous. Mental. Pick a word.

Bendy buses named worst design ever

2006-09-16T21:25:00.000+01:00

The ever irritating bendy bus has recently been named one of the worst designs ever. The Bad Design Exhibition looks at some of the world's most annoying inventions that people would like to see the back of. Unsurprising that the lengthy monstrosity features highly.

Ken's next idea for the city? A tram system running the length of Oxford Street. God help us.

Bad Design Amnesty

Transport woes

2006-09-16T20:59:00.000+01:00

This afternoon I went out to meet friends and their son in the centre of town for an early dinner, late lunch. Leaving the car at home, we set off for the bus stop. Thirty minutes later and the bus still hadn't arrived we walked to a different stop to take another route (5 minutes waiting at that stop and 2 buses from the first route pass by at the same time). We get to the tube station only to find the line is down and a rail replacement service is operating. Twenty minutes on the packed rail replacement bus and we finally get to a tube station where we can continue the journey. I'm sure I'm not the only one to have these frustrating travel experiences. And this in the same week the Mayor announces further fare rises. This is Ken's London? What a farce.

Mayor plans to raise fares again (no, this is not a joke)

2006-09-11T19:37:00.000+01:00

Ken Livingstone is set to raise Tube and bus fares yet again to a staggering £4 and £2, respectively. The increase affects cash fares that are currently £3 a single journey for tubes and £1.50 for a single bus fare.

The latest increase is related once again to Ken wanting to force travellers to pay for tickets using only Oyster cards. However, the move is likely to further create problems for the city by driving people back into their cars and affecting businesses in the centre. It is also thought that people who usually use buses or tubes may be hard pushed to afford the latest increase.

Come on Londoners, speak up! Surely there is a limit we can tolerate? How much longer are we going to put up with this kind of treatment from a man who cares little for the average person living in London? Time and time again we see him belittle others based on beliefs or status, compound an already shoddy travel infrastructure, release wave after wave of incomprehensible scheme and make continued dodgy decisions, often wasting public money.

I for one am tired of being treated this way. I would like to see some kind of public protest and, if people are interested, would take an active hand in organising such an event.

Lets not sit back and take this.

Things said about Ken Livingstone... Neil Kinnock

2006-08-31T14:43:00.000+01:00

"I am fundamentally and irretrievably against it. Ken Livingstone has only ever belonged to one party - the Ken Livingstone party."

On Ken's return to the Labour Party (2003)

Mayoral candidate interviews

2006-08-21T13:54:00.000+01:00

The people over at Anyone but Ken have done an interesting series of interviews with prospective mayoral candidates. These include:

Victoria Borwick
James Cleverly
Richard Barnes

James Cleverly has withdrawn but lets hope the others can challenge Ken's dictatorship, I mean dominance.

An interview with Ken Livingstone

2006-08-19T15:39:00.000+01:00

Brilliant.

Good work from Chris Kalcov on YouTube.

Ken's silence says it all

2006-08-02T19:51:00.000+01:00

I received an interesting email from a reader regarding the Mayor's often misplaced ideals:

Sir,

We have not heard absolute condemnation of Hizbollah, Hamas etc, from 'our mayor'.

I am waiting to hear this man stand up, as a decent human being and condem the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, The suicide bombers and the Ketusha rockets raining down on Israel.

I am waiting to hear why he berates Israel for defending herself.

When the terrorists begin their attacks, in earnest, on the streets of London, will he still be supporting them?

Yours sincerely,

Carol Collier

Food for thought indeed.

Ken's Pointless advertising is everywhere!

2006-07-13T22:22:00.000+01:00

What is the point of these adverts? I would love to know how much he spends on advertising every week, these billboard adverts cannot come cheap.

Greater power for the Mayor of London

2006-07-13T10:16:00.000+01:00

On Thursday the government will reveal Ken's power as Mayor and announce new ways he and his office can influence our lives. Housing, policing and the environment are all areas expected to be affected.

Perhaps we will see Ken scrap police cars and have officers chasing criminals on bicycles to protect the environment.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

"Gas guzzler" congestion charge rise to £25

2006-07-13T09:52:00.000+01:00

Drivers of 4x4 and other large vehicles were left reeling after hearing the Mayor plans to increase their congestion charge to £25, more than 3 times the current amount.

Mr. Livingstone is set to introduce a "sliding scale" whereby smaller, less polluting cars are offered a discount and larger motors are charged more. These increases are due to be in place by 2008 and 2010 respectively.

The obvious reason for the increases being pollution caused by the many cars in our capital.

The scheme in principal is a good idea and something that should be supported, providing cars with low CO2 emissions are rewarded appropriately. However, this and other efforts to reduce emissions are in danger of having little impact if they are not supported by drastic improvements to London's ailing tube and bus network. Summer temperatures have hit an all time high on the underground. How likely is it that wealthy owners of Chelsea tractors will swap their air conditioned rides for this?

Ken Livingstone circa 1987

2006-07-10T14:38:00.000+01:00

Enough said.

© Image copyright BBC

Write for Londoners against Livingstone

2006-07-07T09:50:00.000+01:00

Londoners against Livingstone is looking for contributors! In this blog-a-minute landscape it's difficult keeping the site fresh and current. With that in mind we are opening the doors to people who are passionate about London and the way its being run by our wayward Mayor. You don't need to come from a journalistic background (though people with past experience are most welcome too) and you don't even need to be a Livingstone detractor – if anyone is interested in writing the good Ken does (LaL: shouldn’t take too long...) we'd happily include a view from the other side.

Anyone interested should email via the contact us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Livingstone cleared of anti-Semitism

2006-06-20T21:14:00.000+01:00

The Mayor has been cleared of any wrong doing after an investigation into his jibe at the Reuben's brothers. The report found "no evidence of anti-Semitism, racism or malice" and stated that Ken did not bring his office into disrepute.

As usual, Mr Livingstone was defiant saying, "This matter should never have come before the Standards Board. It is for Londoners, not an unelected quango, to decide whether my sharp words were or were not appropriate."

With that in mind, do you believe Ken Livingstone's words were "appropriate" or not?

Cast your vote here

The case against Ken Livingstone: In video

2006-06-01T22:19:00.000+01:00

If there wasn't proof enough that many of Ken's policies are flawed, below are two videos that highlight issues with London's Mayor. The clips have been supplied courtesy of the Red Ken web site.

Does Chelsea need the congestion charge? Not according to our first clip (video recorded at 2.13pm in the afternoon):

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6572400902413835341

Reasons for Ken to move over:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=618593974604517702

Mayor's pension fund invests in arms trade

2006-04-29T12:49:00.000+01:00

A report by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade has revealed that the Greater London Authority has over £11 million of pension investments in major arms companies. The fund, which manages Ken Livingstone's and many other pensions, pumps millions into heavy arms trading including one company that produces cluster bombs. (Cluster bombs are extremely controversial weapons - they release a number of small bombs and are prone to miss targets as they do not have precision guidance systems. Many of the bombs do not explode and remain dangerously on the ground for some time.)

Additionally, it is believed that around 21 London local authorities have £124 million worth of pension schemes invested in companies that deal in arms.

Ken Livingstone, who has often spoken out publicly against the arms trade, is said to be embarrassed by the news. Ken said he was "alarmed" and would write to the appropriate people for "clarification". Woah there Ken, try not to go overboard.

Perhaps Ken's decision to "write" to funds managers means he believes the pen is mightier than the cluster bomb. As someone who has verbally criticised the arms trade it will be interesting to see if Mr Livingstone actually does anything about the pension fund investments. There are, for instance, a great deal of ethical investment companies that the GLA (and other London authorities) could turn to. But, like Ken's decision to go to China despite knowing of their widespread abuse, we will see if he is all talk and no trousers.

Bendy bus problem #265 - Thieves

2006-04-21T13:40:00.000+01:00

In addition to numerous other headaches and glitches, bendy buses are beginning to get a reputation for providing thieves the ideal situation in which to operate. In a letter to the Evening Standard, Sue Beeby reports how she was relieved of her purse on a cramped and packed bendy bus. A complaint to the bus driver revealed 2 other people had items stolen on that very journey. The bus driver ruefully added that "these buses are a paradise for thieves."

Livingstone compares Trafalgar Square to Tiananmen Square massacre

2006-04-10T22:45:00.000+01:00

The Mayor, London's representative at home and today abroad, has unbelievably likened the poll tax riots in Trafalgar Square, where 113 people were injured, to the Tiananmen Square massacre, where almost 3,000 demonstrators were killed. The poll tax riots saw mild violence and around Â£400,000 worth of damage. In Tiananmen Square, government tanks rolled over tents with people in them and fleeing activists were gunned down.

Ken was attempting to deflect questions of China's widely known human rights abuses by making the comparison. He continued his defence of the Communist country by saying, "There is no such thing as one country with a perfect record... The Chinese are making the right progress and they will make it in their own way." This is a country that has no elections, something you wouldn't think a democratically elected Mayor would consider "progress".

Like many others, I am actually disgusted by our Mayor's comments. I am ashamed that we have people like Ken running important areas of our country. It seems we are turning into a nation that puts economic growth and business gain ahead of what is right and just (look at our support for the US and the war in Iraq, for instance). For Ken to make such throw away comments about horrific recent history in order to defend a country that still puts people behind bars for supporting freedom of speech is beyond unacceptable.

I, like a few others, believe Ken is no longer fit to run the Mayor's office. The Mayor's latest headlines and his career highlights in general are peppered with arrogance, pathetic remarks and disrespect to others. Yet no doubt once again, we will see no hint of remorse, no regret and no apology.

Mayor threatens US ambassador

2006-04-09T17:54:00.000+01:00

Ken Livingstone has continued his fight with the US Embassy in London by threatening to clamp the US ambassador's car. Not content with calling the ambassador a "chiselling little crook", the Mayor poured fuel onto the fire with the threat, which he now claims was a joke.

Ken's remarks come at a time when the United Arab Emirates have agreed to pay similar charges ran up by it's members. Mr Livingstone said, "Those embassies such as that of the United States, which flout the laws of this country and misuse diplomatic immunity to evade the charge, are enjoying the benefits of reduced congestion but contributing to nothing."

The "reduced congestion" that Ken is talking off is highly disputable considering traffic levels in Central London have increased, according to independent reports. His remarks also precede a trip to China, where various people from the UK - including Ken - will try to cash in on the growing market there. China is known for it's abuse of human rights, freedom of speech and those who speak out against injustice. It's interesting to see the Mayor is happy to criticise the US for not paying the congestion charge yet is happy to get into bed with a country known for widespread abuse.

Ken dishes out insults - again

2006-04-02T18:09:00.000+01:00

On my return from a week's holiday, I see Ken Livingstone has once again insulted another person in his usual, diplomatic way. This time he verbally attacked the American ambassador in London for refusing to pay the congestion charge. The Mayor blasted, "It would be quite nice if the American ambassador in Britain could pay the charge that everybody else is paying and not try and [evade] it like some chiselling little crook."

The Labour party must be reeling following this latest outburst. Obviously the party spends a great deal of time and money (rightly or wrongly) solidifying Anglo-American relationships for Ken to wade in with such damning comments. Ken does for diplomatic relations what Mike Tyson did for boxing. In the already ignominious world of politics Mr Livingstone manages to lower the tone even further with his arrogant outbursts.

As we all know by now, this is by no means the first time Ken has felt it necessary to abuse others who might dare to question his policies or opinions. Below are just a few of the things he has said.

"What a squalid and irresponsible little profession it is."
On Fleet Street's many newspaper reporters

"Actually you are just like a concentration camp guard."
To Jewish reporter, Oliver Finegold

"I always like sharing a stage with Jack. It makes me look even smarter."
On meetings with Jack Straw

"They should go back to Iran and try their luck with the ayatollahs, if they don't like the planning regime or my approach."
To Simon and David Reuben

"Like Dr. Goebbels."
On Brian Coleman (a member of the opposition)

"I suspect that if it had happened here in England, we would have produced a lot of suicide bombers ourselves."
Comment made following the London bombings

It is becoming painfully obvious the Mayor has no regard for the people who cross or disagree with him, regardless of the need for diplomacy and respect. I have the feeling Mr Livingstone sees his position as untouchable believing, no matter what he says, that the people of London will vote him in once again at the next election. A belief heightened possibly at the lack of serious challenge for office. I've said it before, but let's hope a more suitable challenger appears when the time comes.

Another busy week for Ken

2006-03-24T23:28:00.000Z

In the life of Mr Livingstone there is never a dull moment. This week has saw London's Mayor accused of anti-semitism, doubts raised about London's ability to get ready for the Olympics, more talk of Londoner's footing the Olympic bill, Bob Kiley moonlighting on TV (on top of his £3,200 a day retainer from Ken) and Mr Livingstone waxing lyrical about the evils of a lapdancing club near City Hall (never mind using public money to campaign against it).

And I thought I'd have difficulty finding things to write about when the site first started...

Love him or hate him?

2006-03-22T20:31:00.000Z

Ken Livingstone is the marmite of British politics - you either love him or hate him. What do you think? Cast your vote below.

Vote now