London Mayor

[britty 1]

As a Londoner, and having lived with the madness of that ridiculous, left winged, whining, money grabbing, useless piece of labour flesh, I am delighted that Ken Livingstone is out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7380947.stm

Nearly everyone I know voted for the Tory Boris Johnson, including friends that have been avid Labour supporters for as long as I can remember. I think as much as this result is a reflection on Livingstone and his inadequacies, it is also a reflection of how the Labour government is now so despised by the UK people in general.

It was also interesting that the BNP has won its first seat in the assembly. I don't really know anything about the party so can't comment at all on that one.

Thoughts?

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

Bruce cheered when he found out Ken (sorry, "Red Ken") is out. I have much more complicated feelings about it -- I used to really rate Ken as one of the more genuine politicos out there, especially because he wasn't in thrall to the Labour Party. And when you think about the Tory candidates in the past (hello, Jeffrey Archer! Come on down!) he really was the best of the choices. And of course the whole deal with the GLC and its abolition influenced me to some degree.

But it always seemed to be one indignity after another with Ken, and couldn't see the added value in having him as mayor. In his time, I saw the city I once loved passionately go down the cr@apper, I'm afraid. Was this the guy once behind the Fare's Fair movement, but then let single fares go up to 4 quid? What was he doing about overcrowding? Keeping the streets clean? Social unrest? London seemed to get worse, and I eventually bailed out.

Don't get me wrong -- I am still a happy lefty, but Ken and the whole Labour machine should be ashamed. They've alienated people who were once their allies, and pushed farther away those who weren't their natural friends. I think Boris is a bit of a #######, but sadly, an improvement.

[Mags 112]

Thank gawds Ken is gone. I mean seriously, he did more damage to London than anyone I've ever seen in office.

Boris Johnson...the new mayor. That's almost worth moving back to the UK for!

Boris Johnson at his best:

[StillThePrettiest 3]

well, I liked Ken, and I think Boris is nothing more or less than a buffoon... I'm more than willing to give him a go, but for all his faults I think Ken was better, and I don't have any confidence in Boris to do even the simplest thing

missed out on voting by a matter of days; had my voting card and everyfing, but I left the country on the 28th

[Mags 112]

well, I liked Ken, and I think Boris is nothing more or less than a buffoon... I'm more than willing to give him a go, but for all his faults I think Ken was better, and I don't have any confidence in Boris to do even the simplest thing

missed out on voting by a matter of days; had my voting card and everyfing, but I left the country on the 28th

At least Boris will make everyone laugh. That's what I mean by it's almost worth moving back to the UK for.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

He is a bit of a buffoon though - aren't his policies fairly identical to Ken's aside from raising the congestion charge (a Ken policy that generally worked, IMO)? I haven't been following it, but that's what people tell me.

Although - the tube fares. When did they get so expensive? They were going up when I left in 2005 but when I was back last year it cost 5 pounds or so to go from Victoria to Piccadilly. 5 POUNDS!

Edited May 3, 2008 by rkl57

[Mags 112]

A bus fare, whether it be one stop, or ten, was 1.50 when I left. 1.50!!

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

it was only 70p with Oyster a few years back - 1 pound when I left in 05, IIRC

[StillThePrettiest 3]

yes... which then went DOWN again to 90p with Oyster, regardless of how far you were going (one of Ken's initiatives)

tube journeys are WAY cheaper with Oyster too - Victoria to Piccadilly would be £1.50 or maybe £2 - and you can get them at airports and start using them straight away, ie they're available to visitors... if people don't want to be bothered finding out their best options I'm more than happy for them to pay through the nose and subsidise the rest of us

yeah, a few people have said that about Boris being worth it for the humour value, but I just don't buy it... it's too serious a job; he'll be like Mayor Quimby, trying to cover idiocy by looking cute and saying 'I'm a bad widdow boy'

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I know the Oyster is available to visitors but they make it a serious faff. In Hong Kong, which has the Octopus Card (which Oyster ripped off, I believe) and it's very clear to visitors how they work and you can get them from vending machines instead of getting in the enormous queue (the station at Heathrow is a joke) and filling out a form (has this changed?). If you only have a few days and plan to take only a few journeys, it's just not worth the extra trouble.

[StillThePrettiest 3]

well, that's the call each person makes, isn't it? if you'd rather save time and don't mind spending extra money, you don't bother... if you don't mind a ten minute set-up (which is all it took for both my parents, and my fiancé) you do that to save some money

in my opinion, Oyster is ALWAYS worth it, even for a trip only lasting a couple of days... I advise all my visitors to get one, and everyone has, and everyone has been very happy with it

[Mags 112]

it was only 70p with Oyster a few years back - 1 pound when I left in 05, IIRC

Yup, Oyster is wayyy cheaper. I used to use it all the time. However, when visiting the UK I agree it is a faff to get one. Plus, there used to be a 2 quid deposit for each card! What a joke.

[StillThePrettiest 3]

I think there still is... totally refundable though; my parents got the deposit, plus all extra pre-pay, back at Heathrow; they said it took about five minutes

*staunch defender of Oyster*

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I do take your point that it is not a big deal to get one, and I agree that it is for the most part a really great system. But who in London is not going to have one? People who are already heavy users of public transport certainly will, but casual users and visitors will not. People who live outside the c-charge zone and normally drive to work, like my old boss, are not going to leave their cars at home and take the tube unless they really have to. Making them go through a slightly onerous prcoess to get an Oyster or pay a ridiculous fare won't encourage them to take public transport.

As for visitors, well it certainly is their choice to find out about it but they don't make it easy for them - and charging them 250% more for a single tube ticket is an odd thing, especially if they don't speak English as their first language.

I just compare it to the superior way Octopus card is administered in Hong Kong - you do pay to get the card (which is refundable) but you can buy one out of a machine, they even have souvenir ones for tourists - unlike London, the machines are plentiful at the main stations and never "closed" (how does a machine "close" anyway?) and you don't get stung if you happen to only be taking one journey and don't need the octopus, though you do pay more for the fare (about $2, or the equivalent of 10p). Although, almost everything is better about the Hong Kong MTR.

[General Cornwalls 0]

I left Britain in March of 2004 and haven't been back yet. I must go to see my parents though.

I bet prices have changed tremendously. London was always horribly expensive but it must be even more so now. The tube is just not worth the money these days - the only reason for catching the tube as opposed to a bus is that it's a lot simpler to work out which one to get.

I dread to think how much the train to Swansea now costs and also how much the busses and taxis in Swansea now cost. Thank goodness I won't be driving as I gather fuel there is now well over a quid a liter. My current vehicle (which does a stunning 19mpg) would bankrupt me there!