Ken bashes the "Evening Boris"
grayee Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 07:40:17 PM GMT 
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On Wednesday Ken Livingstone ended a powerful speech to Labour trade unionists by speculating whether the “Standard” (aka the “Evening Boris”) would ever print any of the truth about Ken and the Labour Assembly members during the current campaign.
Of course everyone laughed at the prospect of the “Standard” accurately reporting the significant reduction in crime in London.
The event was organised by TULO and held in the historic old Town Hall in Stratford, East London.
Of course everyone laughed at the prospect of the “Standard” accurately reporting the significant reduction in crime in London.
The event was organised by TULO and held in the historic old Town Hall in Stratford, East London.
Ken started the speech by reminiscing about when he started work as a technician in the NHS. Then he was proud how London bus driver’s wages had been significantly increased and where starting to reach the levels of tube drivers, who he felt had similar responsibilities. Ken reminded trade unionists that the first official meeting he had after becoming Mayor was with the South East region TUC.
He stressed the achievement of the London Living Wage by the Labour Assembly. All directly employed staff is paid at least £7.20 per hour (the minimum wage is only £5.52). The Assembly is now using its £11 Billion annual budget to not only get all their contractors to pay a living wage but also the firms that they sub-contract work. He pointed out that at first many contractors complained that this had increased contract costs by 7%. However, soon they realised that surprise, surprise they were saving money. Bosses found that staff turnover was reduced; sickness rates were down and productively rose.
Ken made the “bleeding obvious” point is his direct and colourful way that if you “stop treating people like s**t they work better”.
He is hopeful that the private sector are beginning to take this on board with regard to a Living wage. However, he also wants Labour Councils in London to be “pathfinders” and set an example.
Our Mayor was very proud of the GLA £4 Billion housing budget (he said thanks to Gordon Brown) and its target of 50,000 affordable homes of which 2/3 should be affordable rented accommodation. The remaining 1/3 should be affordable shared ownership e.g to give the opportunity for a nurse or junior teacher to be able to buy. A couple with a joint income of £35K should be able to buy a home. Ken was insistent that the quality of these homes will be good - “not cheap and crappy”. Also they will not be mainly 1 or 2 bed (such as the present) but 3/4/5 bed family homes. Which are desperately needed in London.
He was clearly looking forward to the transfer of skills and training responsibilities to the GLA. It is estimated that in the near future there will be 500,000 new jobs in London. It is vital that Londoners are given the training and skills to make sure that they can get these jobs.
Also Ken was pleased that the GLA was about to announce a retro refit of all GLA Buildings to increase energy efficiency and the £25 per day charge on gas guzzling motorists.
The reduction in racist attacks in London compared to the rise elsewhere in the country was obviously a justifiable source of pride. While everything is not a bed of roses, even after the 7/7 Bombings, Londoners stuck together and there was not the religiously and cultural violence that other Capital cities might have experienced when dealing with such a crisis.
Ken then confronted the spectacle of “Boris”. Boris Johnson is a joke but in this “Age of Celebrity” he is a very dangerous opponent. Especially since many left learning supporters consider him such a lightweight that they do not take him at all seriously. This is an appalling mistake. Boris is currently 4% in the lead in the polls (first preference vote). However, he has constantly been within 10% of Ken in the polls.
Ken finished his speech by explaining that he wanted in this election to help rebuild the “London Labour election machine”and :-
To defeat the BNP (an “openly fascist and racist party”), turnout was everything. If we had a turnout of only 40% then they will not get a seat. If in places such as City & East, which is and should be a Labour Heartland, we can increase the turnout (last time 29%) to the London average (37%) then we will do well.
I thought it was a really good meeting, Quite relaxed and informal when compared to the fund raising event for Ken & the GLA in the same venue early this month.
At the meeting, trade union reps from Newham were able to organise a leaflet stuffing and “mail out” meeting for next Monday and about the TULO days of action on March 9 and March 17. I will post on this over the weekend.
In short I thought that last night was a really good evening. I am positive about the result, however, I feel that the political old war horse that is Ken, senses that activists are simply not taking Boris and the BNP seriously and unless we all get our fingers out and do some work we will have the worse combination of a right wing Tory Mayor, Tory Assembly and openly racist Nazis assembly members.
He stressed the achievement of the London Living Wage by the Labour Assembly. All directly employed staff is paid at least £7.20 per hour (the minimum wage is only £5.52). The Assembly is now using its £11 Billion annual budget to not only get all their contractors to pay a living wage but also the firms that they sub-contract work. He pointed out that at first many contractors complained that this had increased contract costs by 7%. However, soon they realised that surprise, surprise they were saving money. Bosses found that staff turnover was reduced; sickness rates were down and productively rose.
Ken made the “bleeding obvious” point is his direct and colourful way that if you “stop treating people like s**t they work better”.
He is hopeful that the private sector are beginning to take this on board with regard to a Living wage. However, he also wants Labour Councils in London to be “pathfinders” and set an example.
Our Mayor was very proud of the GLA £4 Billion housing budget (he said thanks to Gordon Brown) and its target of 50,000 affordable homes of which 2/3 should be affordable rented accommodation. The remaining 1/3 should be affordable shared ownership e.g to give the opportunity for a nurse or junior teacher to be able to buy. A couple with a joint income of £35K should be able to buy a home. Ken was insistent that the quality of these homes will be good - “not cheap and crappy”. Also they will not be mainly 1 or 2 bed (such as the present) but 3/4/5 bed family homes. Which are desperately needed in London.
He was clearly looking forward to the transfer of skills and training responsibilities to the GLA. It is estimated that in the near future there will be 500,000 new jobs in London. It is vital that Londoners are given the training and skills to make sure that they can get these jobs.
Also Ken was pleased that the GLA was about to announce a retro refit of all GLA Buildings to increase energy efficiency and the £25 per day charge on gas guzzling motorists.
The reduction in racist attacks in London compared to the rise elsewhere in the country was obviously a justifiable source of pride. While everything is not a bed of roses, even after the 7/7 Bombings, Londoners stuck together and there was not the religiously and cultural violence that other Capital cities might have experienced when dealing with such a crisis.
Ken then confronted the spectacle of “Boris”. Boris Johnson is a joke but in this “Age of Celebrity” he is a very dangerous opponent. Especially since many left learning supporters consider him such a lightweight that they do not take him at all seriously. This is an appalling mistake. Boris is currently 4% in the lead in the polls (first preference vote). However, he has constantly been within 10% of Ken in the polls.
Ken finished his speech by explaining that he wanted in this election to help rebuild the “London Labour election machine”and :-
To defeat the BNP (an “openly fascist and racist party”), turnout was everything. If we had a turnout of only 40% then they will not get a seat. If in places such as City & East, which is and should be a Labour Heartland, we can increase the turnout (last time 29%) to the London average (37%) then we will do well.
I thought it was a really good meeting, Quite relaxed and informal when compared to the fund raising event for Ken & the GLA in the same venue early this month.
At the meeting, trade union reps from Newham were able to organise a leaflet stuffing and “mail out” meeting for next Monday and about the TULO days of action on March 9 and March 17. I will post on this over the weekend.
In short I thought that last night was a really good evening. I am positive about the result, however, I feel that the political old war horse that is Ken, senses that activists are simply not taking Boris and the BNP seriously and unless we all get our fingers out and do some work we will have the worse combination of a right wing Tory Mayor, Tory Assembly and openly racist Nazis assembly members.
Ken bashes the "Evening Boris" | 8 comments (8 topical)
Ken bashes the "Evening Boris" | 8 comments (8 topical)
