Man of the People, Ken...

[Clapham Old Mug]

...just so long as you're one of the "112 people being paid more than £100,000 a year or the further 1,300 earning between £50,000 and £100,000" at Transport for London. If there was ever a man taking the piss out of the public, 'tis he.

 

[Il Duce]

I think Ken started out ok but too long in power has made him lazy, corrupt and incompetent. He's too in with the establishment and business community now with his own old boy network. Nobody should be able to hold a major office for more than 2 terms in my opinion. Except Gordon Brown, who shouldn't have been allowed 2 minutes.

 

[disgruntled h blocker]

What would you rather see? All management and transport planning being subcontracted out to consultancies like WS Atkins, WSP and Halcrow? You'll then bemoaning the over reliance of TfL on third parties!

I have worked on several TfL projects, and am surprised how large/expansive their budgets are, even for closed or 'mothballed' projects

 

[London Calling]

Lets see TfL is presently overseeing £39bn of new investment, that's not just its operating budget, thats just new cash.

London Transport has more train commuters than the rest of the UK train network put together.

London Transport oversees the biggest bus fleet in the world.

Its above ground works would constitute as one of the biggest public investors in the UK.


Man London Transport is huge, its f***ing huge.

Compare like with like in the private sector or even the trains for comparison.

And see if the salaries look unreasonable. Name me the private sector firms with a biger turnover?

Only a utter fuckwit would think that the employment of these people is unsuitable.

Who do you want in to manage £1 bn, £2bn contracts?

Grow up and get real.

LC

 

[Questions]

Lets see TfL is presently overseeing £39bn of new investment, that's not just its operating budget, thats just new cash.

London Transport has more train commuters than the rest of the UK train network put together.

London Transport oversees the biggest bus fleet in the world.

Its above ground works would constitute as one of the biggest public investors in the UK.


Man London Transport is huge, its f***ing huge.

Compare like with like in the private sector or even the trains for comparison.

And see if the salaries look unreasonable. Name me the private sector firms with a biger turnover?

Only a utter fuckwit would think that the employment of these people is unsuitable.

Who do you want in to manage £1 bn, £2bn contracts?

Grow up and get real.

LC

Very well put.

Ken Livingstone still has people out to besmirch his good name. The things the Standard write are quite appalling at times

and whats more he knows how to treat a female salamander.

 

[Clapham Old Mug]

Thank you, London Calling.
I'm quite grown-up and not a fuckwit.
(And I try not to be gratuitously rude to people I don't know.)
The chairman of London TravelWatch (who may, possibly, be even better informed than you) describes TfL as a bloated bureaucracy, says Ken has failed to appoint a strong, independent board to hold TfL to account and says many of the current TfL board are very weak and are so "joined at the hip" to Livingstone "that the booard seem frightened at critiquing".

 

[colinpants]

and whats more he knows how to treat a female salamander.

 

[acrossthepond]

Very well put.

Ken Livingstone still has people out to besmirch his good name

Doesn't he do a good enough job of this himself, without help from anyone else?

 

[Dandyman]

Lets see TfL is presently overseeing £39bn of new investment, that's not just its operating budget, thats just new cash.

London Transport has more train commuters than the rest of the UK train network put together.

London Transport oversees the biggest bus fleet in the world.

Its above ground works would constitute as one of the biggest public investors in the UK.


Man London Transport is huge, its f***ing huge.

Compare like with like in the private sector or even the trains for comparison.

And see if the salaries look unreasonable. Name me the private sector firms with a biger turnover?

Only a utter fuckwit would think that the employment of these people is unsuitable.

Who do you want in to manage £1 bn, £2bn contracts?

Grow up and get real.

LC

Thank f*ck for a bit of commonsense. Well said, LC

 

[Questions]

Doesn't he do a good enough job of this himself, without help from anyone else?

I think he is a rarity. An honest politition.

 

[Bars Mar]

I think he is a rarity. An honest politition.

Honest?

Ken?

Your Worst Wind Up Yet.

A Sneery, Bullying, Slimy Toad With Dubious Opinions About Irish Republicans And Muslim Fundamentalists, Extremely Dodgy Mates And A Liar Of The Biggest Order.

Said That Congestion Charge Increases Were In His Last Manifesto. No They Weren't. Said That A Mayor Fund Was A Dreadful Idea. Then Stole The Idea From Boris.

A Career Politician Who Hasn't Done A Day's Work In Years. A Wife Beater, A Drunk And All Round Bastard.

 

[acrossthepond]

Honest?

Ken?

Your Worst Wind Up Yet.

A Sneery, Bullying, Slimy Toad With Dubious Opinions About Irish Republicans And Muslim Fundamentalists, Extremely Dodgy Mates And A Liar Of The Biggest Order.

Said That Congestion Charge Increases Were In His Last Manifesto. No They Weren't. Said That A Mayor Fund Was A Dreadful Idea. Then Stole The Idea From Boris.

A Career Politician Who Hasn't Done A Day's Work In Years. A Wife Beater, A Drunk And All Round Bastard.

Beat me to the punch Mr Bars.

KL is only in it for KL - always has been, always will be....

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

...just so long as you're one of the "112 people being paid more than £100,000 a year or the further 1,300 earning between £50,000 and £100,000" at Transport for London. If there was ever a man taking the piss out of the public, 'tis he.

If you want top staff you have to pay a decent salary. If you want idiots you pay accordingly...or venture onto NSC.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Honest?

Ken?

Your Worst Wind Up Yet.

A Sneery, Bullying, Slimy Toad With Dubious Opinions About Irish Republicans And Muslim Fundamentalists, Extremely Dodgy Mates And A Liar Of The Biggest Order.

Said That Congestion Charge Increases Were In His Last Manifesto. No They Weren't. Said That A Mayor Fund Was A Dreadful Idea. Then Stole The Idea From Boris.

A Career Politician Who Hasn't Done A Day's Work In Years. A Wife Beater, A Drunk And All Round Bastard.

Say what you like, he will still be mayor next week.

 

[Bars Mar]

If you want top staff you have to pay a decent salary. If you want idiots you pay accordingly...or venture onto NSC.

Fair Enough But Don't Claim To Be A Man Of The People. He's A Professional Politician All His Adult Life. No More A Man Of The People Than Boris Johnson.

 

[Bars Mar]

Say what you like, he will still be mayor next week.

Well, That's Alright Then, Isn't It?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Well, That's Alright Then, Isn't It?

Correct.

 

[Bars Mar]

Correct.

The Bloke Is Prepared To Beat Up People He Allegedly Loves. He Drinks At Work And Lies About It. And You Think This Is A Fit And Proper Person?

Question - Would You Be So Forgiving If He Were A Tory?

 

[The Merry Prankster]

.

Question - Would You Be So Forgiving If He Were A Tory?

As I get older I find the blind partisan defense of the the frankly indefensible harder and harder to stomach. It's a bit, my country right or wrong. Socialist mayor of London - Yes.
First rate nasty bastard mayor of London - No. And Livingston is a first rate nasty bastard.

 

[Rowdey]

He's not perfect by any stretch, BUT he's considerably better than any of the alternatives..

It's a shame that only Paddick offers any credibility from the 'also rans' - at least he's got my second vote.