Saw these three on Newsnight last night and it gave a pretty good idea of how we might expect them to treat transport policy (and by extension motorcyclists) if they win the mayoral election.
My reading of where they stand:
Ken: Pro-bendy bus, Pro-cyclist, Pro-increase in congestion charges/zones.
Boris: Anti-bendy bus pro-new Routemaster (hurrah!), Pro-cyclist, Anti-increase in congestion zones.
Brian: Pro-tram(!), Pro-cyclist, Anti-crime, Anti-increase in congestion zones.
So not that much between them. The interesting discussion was on accountability and the accusation that Ken has been un-democratic in commissioning studies then not following the results if they don’t fit in with the programme.
I think the debate is still on the i-player if anyone wants to see for themselves.
I was thinking about running, but you need 10k to get started. I guess I’ll be looking for some sponsors for the next round! Also you need 10 votes from each of the London boroughs?
Not suprisingly none of them mentioned motorbikes specifically but the discussion did give an impression of where they are coming from on transport policy.
Parking control on non-red routes is not within the Mayer’s remit so it soesn’t matter what ny of them say about that, just as they have no control over non-red-route bus lanes. Government policy is that local parking restrictions are there to meet local needs and are therefore the responsibility of the relevant local authority which isn’t TFL who are only responsible for trunk routes and public transport. You could do as I have done and write to your MP about the need for consistent bus lane and parking restrictions across London rather than the chaotic mess we have now. If enough MPs write to the Transport Minister enough there is a smal lchance things might change. it would certainly assist any Mayor who was seeking an extension of his or her powers.
I couldn’t possibly vote for a party who would prefer to send me back over the pond just because I wasn’t born here.
I think there’s a fair few people on here who weren’t born in this country but still like living here and contribute to the economy and society.
As UKIP plan to leave the EU, freeze immigration for five years, and then put all people currently here through a process of legalisation using a points system, or expulsion. It seems ot me that this would mean EU nationals, which includes several of my friends, would face expulsion if UKIP got into power if they didn’t get enough points to be allowed to stay.
Exactly what I’m thinking. I wouldn’t want to live here and keep building up the business I have set up here from scratch with the risk that I may be deported in 5 years time.
And on the other side, with a point system, I’d imagine there would have been a very slim chance I would have been allowed in in the first place 9 years ago.
It’s easy to say to leave the EU, but what a lot of supporters of those party forget is the consequences. Freedom of movement isn’t the only thing, what about freedom of trade? Remember, leaving the EU may be the end of being able to buy property in certain EU countries, trade with certain countries, move in and out to those countries with special permission. Just imagine a scenario where the UK would leave the EU and Spain would decide any British property owner would loose their property, and all Brits would need a Visa to get in the country. There’d be nothing you could do but go to war over it. It might be a far fetched scenario, but it does show the consequences are bigger than most realise.
This is a load of rubbish again. Of course the UK will not leave the EU because if it does, it would be ruined. The only thing that may happen is Brussels forcing the UK to join the Euro (which would be a good thing anyway), to accept the Shengen agreements whereby there are no border controls between member states (which is the case between France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy etc)… otherwise the UK would be kicked out of the EU… and frankly this is what Brussels should do. The UK has to play the game and stop taking advantage of the good things about the EU leaving the rest out. It should stop acting as the middle man between the US and Europe.
If the UK leaves the EU, it will be a disaster for its economy. US companies will relocate their European headquarters elsewhere, probably Ireland where English is spoken and which is a member state of the EU and the Euro. The UK will also lose all the skilled workforce that immigrated from the continent which brings a lot of doctors, lawyers, accountants, not to mention bus and train drivers. There is a very low unemployment rate in this country and over 25% of its population is not British, so if the UK leaves the EU, who is going to do all these jobs that are essential for the economy?
Agreed.
The day a party like UKIP or BNP would even come close to a governing position is the day I plan my exodus.
Fortunatly, I think there’s enough smart people voting that this is never going to happen.
Nah, vote me, the illegitiamte love child of Screamin Lord Sutch and Sutch.
Policies:
Hmmm, cyclists to be made accountable. Yes LICENCED and idetifiable…see how many of those toe rags jump lights now.
Pavements are to be FENCED off… finish that lemming syndrome thing for good.
Bus lanes open to bikes AND motorbikes.
Congestion Charge stays I’m afraid kids. The more we can get onto bikes the better I say. Far less congestions, far less petrol per mile. Plus the more ride bikes, the more people understand just how POOR the driving ability of the average English car owner is.
I’ve got others, like free beer, and cheap curries and stuff, but hey… I really should be lookin for work instead of wittering on here like an old woman with nothin better to do. VOTE ME!
Go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris, go Boris… :Whistling:
I will say again as I have said many times before.
Boris “I’m so inbred I can count to 47 if I take my socks off” Johnson is not an alternative to Korrupt Ken.
He’s a twat… that’s not really a good alternative
He’s a TORY - and that alone should scare most sane humans
He’s a buffooon. Don’t be fooled by the media who make him out to be a figure of fun. Stupidity can be edited to look endearing… that’s my job. SO I know just how dumb that man MUST be in all the footage that doens’t make it to your screens. Endearing ISN’T good enough to run a city.
Just because he is pro-bike, still doens’t make him a good enough alternative.
And the most important reason of all…
He IS the alternative to Ken ONLY because we know nothing else about the other candidates and this is STILL not a good enough reason to vote for him … just cos he ISN’T Ken, is a stupid reason to vote for an inbred idiot who would be worse for London that Bush was for America… They’re in A MASSIVE recession… we’re about to head into one. Do we really want a hulking great well-meaning puppy of a mummy’s boy running the city we live in when we’re hitting HARD economic pressure?
PLEASE DON’T Make things worse just because “he’s not Ken”.
After watching the debate on Newsnight I came away thinking my decision is pretty easy. While lots of people bash Ken for what ever reasons he’s done a lot of good for London and I couldn’t see either of the other candidates doing as good a job for London.
That is after all what the Mayor’s job is - to do the best thing for London.
My natural inclination is towards the Liberal Democrats but quite frankly Brian Pillock (as my g/f likes to call him) seemed more interested in Ken bashing and came across as, well, a high ranking Police Officer (read idiot).
As for Boris, it’s not that he’s a Tory, it’s not that he’s a buffoon, it’s not that he’s inexperienced, it’s that he’s a tw@t.
I also think it would be heinously shortsighted to vote for a candidate based solely on their policies regarding Motorbikes.