I admire Tony Blair

[m20gull]

One of the most important cities in the world is a little, local fiefdom? .

London isn't; but Ken doesn't control London - he's only a Mayor. You showed later on that he's not even in control of parts of London that he's supposed to be (tube financing). My contention is that if Ken was running for control of every aspect of London life, voters would be more careful where they put their X.

 

[Biscuit]

The City of London is only one square mile. Actually.

 

[London Irish]

London isn't; but Ken doesn't control London - he's only a Mayor. You showed later on that he's not even in control of parts of London that he's supposed to be (tube financing). My contention is that if Ken was running for control of every aspect of London life, voters would be more careful where they put their X.

Errr....nice try, the govenment is devolving financing powers of the tube to the mayor. See the typical rightwing bile being spewed out by the Standard this evening on Ken's £10 billion plans to improve the tube and buses.

 

[London Irish]

I'd put LI about +45.

His far right views do tend to annoy me to be honest.

I actually am rightwing............









































.......compared to Attila

 

[Hunting 784561]

The Mayor of London has very little power compared to his direct equivalents in other countries ( Mike Bloomberg in New York for example).

For example, Livingstone's tax raising powers in London = Diddly squat. Zero.

Not much real power there LI.

 

[London Irish]

For example, Livingstone's tax raising powers in London = Diddly squat. Zero.

That's not true. Do you want to go away and research the real answer?

If you are making a rhetorical point that his council tax powers are limited, I would agree with that, but there are many more ways of raising funding than through the council tax, as Ken has demonstrated in the past and will demonstrate with his £10bn spending plans for the tube and buses.

 

[Hunting 784561]

Forgive me, the 'research here' button on my PC is not working this evening.

What *direct* tax raising powers does Ken Livingstone have over the Greater London electorate ?

Income tax ?
Business Rates ?
Council tax ?
'Sales' tax ?
VAT ?

Please advise...

 

[London Irish]

Council tax - mayor's precept, part of the CT bill every Londoner gets. Tends to be in the news when leafy Tory boroughs complain that Ken has doubled it

 

[Hunting 784561]

"The GLA sets a budget for itself and each of the four functional bodies: Transport for London, the London Development Agency, the Metropolitan Police Authority, and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.

It is the Mayor who sets the budgets unless the London Assembly can achieve a 2/3rds majority in favour of alternative budget proposals"


- So - still not 100% conclusive Im afraid, the red commissar can easily be outvoted.

Still - those new bendy buses - great arent they ?

 

[m20gull]

That's not true. Do you want to go away and research the real answer?

If you are making a rhetorical point that his council tax powers are limited, I would agree with that, but there are many more ways of raising funding than through the council tax, as Ken has demonstrated in the past and will demonstrate with his £10bn spending plans for the tube and buses.

Of the £10bn, £4bn is already accounted for (PFI) and half the rest is borrowing from the Government (to be repaid), and it's over 5 years, i.e £2bn a year.

GLA's total budget is about £1000 pa per Londoner. On average each individual pays £8000 pa tax, though in London that's higher because income is higher, probably about £10,000, so Ken gets to control about 10% of the total tax spend of Londoners.