Boris Watch

First in a new series of hopelessly late, but hastily written commentary…
Leuwig, Swaffield and Hartwich think they’re some brave radical thinkers, but in reality, are nothing of the sort.
Instead, they continue the trend of trumpeting a world in which “human beings are worth less and less.”As Daniel Davies points out, the report focuses on GVA [...]

New permanent Chairman of TfL Boris Johnson will have another little industrial problem to manage on his return:
Members of the Unite union are demanding an equal rate of pay for drivers across the bus network, which is operated by 18 different companies.
Unite said 2,500 staff employed by First will walkout for 24 hours from 0300 [...]

The Financial Times hasn’t recently been a Tory cheerleader.  New Labour’s business-friendly attitude won it no little approval in the FT, and Livingstone’s London suited the FT’s equally suited readers rather better than one might think.   With that in mind, check out (free registration required) the warning shot across the bows of HMS Boris this [...]

Quick note for Twitter users: channel4news are soliciting questions for Alex Thomson to put to Boris in Beijing later today. Why not give them some suggestions?

Remember this little bit of selflessness?
“Mr Johnson is also travelling economy class — although he is likely to get an upgrade from BA — and moving from the £400-a-night hotel booked for Mr Livingstone to a more modest establishment.”
Well, it appears that BA weren’t playing along:
“British Airways denied the Mayor an upgrade from his economy [...]

Dying down a bit now, but another interesting and lengthy blog post to draw your attention to, this time from Lib Dem blog ‘The Burbler’:
Beginners to the art of delegation often think that it involves simply choosing experienced staff and telling them to do tasks. Of course, it is devilishly more difficult than that. It [...]

Snippet from Dylan Jones’ ‘Cameron on Cameron’, reported by the Standard:
In Cameron on Cameron, GQ editor Dylan Jones reveals: “I’ve employed Boris Johnson for the last eight years as GQ’s motoring correspondent and even though he’s probably cost the company over £5,000 in parking tickets I wouldn’t have him any other way.”
Since GQ’s HQ is [...]

Here’s the best analysis of the CCHQ/London Tory spat that culminated in the ejection of Tim Parker.  Amazingly it’s from the Evening Standard.
So senior Central Office figures, Lord Marland, the Conservative party treasurer and Nicholas Boles were sent to form a “transition team” to shore up Johnson.
Francis Maude, then party chairman, was also closely involved. [...]

A spokesman has ‘clarified’ Boris’s ‘piffle’ remarks:
“”These are the qualities he is keen to encourage in teenagers across London, where a lack of purpose, discipline and self-esteem lead many to wasted lives and violence.
“David Cameron is right to highlight that serious and destructive social breakdown.
“Politicians who pretend there is not a problem are [...]

Boris sends out a missive to the GLA staff: (h/t to Tory Troll)
“As you may by now have observed, Tim Parker has relinquished his role as First Deputy Mayor and Chief Executive of the GLA.

“I am hugely grateful to him for his help and support over the last couple of months, and he will continue [...]