Boris Watch

Behold the power of Boris Watch - no sooner had I snarked that the crime maps weren’t updated for October yet than they were, er, updated for October, at least for the original pre-Boris site (the Boris site is still stuck at September).  Key point for me is that homicide number - 11 in the [...]

Sir Ian Blair has gone, and good riddance.  He’s had a go at Boris on the way out, though, which is kind of funny.  Remember them standing up and talking about knife crime at one of those increasingly rare Boris Meets The Press moments?  Actually, do you remember knife crime at all?
Anyway, I suspect the [...]

Our Mayor is, at least, notionally, in favour of fair trade - the London Assembly recently passed a motion in favour.  Here are the voting statistics and some interesting facts:
1. The motion received 11 votes in favour  (Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green), 10 votes against (Conservative and BNP)
2. The following boroughs are expected to apply [...]

Well, after all the hints and suggestions that a third way of adapting the congestion charge Western Extension Zone (perhaps by reducing the operating hours), Boris is scrapping the whole thing, from 2010.  This, coupled with the cuts to TfL projects and the inability to find a measly £15m for the London Overground Clapham Junction [...]

Via uk.transport.london, the latest on the Dagenham Dock DLR extension and Thames Gateway Bridge projects.  Hazel Blears (one of the New Labour ministers Boris seems to be spending a lot of time with) is apparently getting involved in the issues around the Thames Gateway thrown up by Boris’s summary execution of the schemes, mainly around [...]

Because he has the time and leisure to do this, at least in part thanks to being gainfully employed as the producer of the website of one Boris Johnson.  If you have a website and want to join in demonstrating to Mr. Gilligan how the internet works, please do link to Tim’s piece.  Thanks.  We [...]

A few months ago I noted that Boris had, rather obliquely, admitted that he was going to stop holding and funding the Capitalwoman conference. Lis Ssenjovu has an update…
“After not getting a response on the status of Capitalwoman (despite multiple emails and messages) I wrote to my MP Diane Abbott. She responded as follows:
‘Unfortunately the [...]

I hate blogs that just post links to the mainstream media.  Anyway, from today’s Independent on Sunday:
In his maiden green speech, which aides are billing as “extremely substantial” and “a milestone event”, London’s Mayor – who used to denounce “eco-moralists” for spouting “mumbo-jumbo”– is to announce his intention to make the city the eco-capital of [...]

I deliberately left the bendy stuff out of the MQT’s report, because it indicates that Boris is still just as stubborn and just as in thrall to the Bendy Jihad as ever, unfortunately.  Witness:
Londoners want bendy buses off the streets and I plan to do just that.
This directly contradicts London Travelwatch (who represent transport *users*, [...]

Been a while since I’ve looked at the Mayor’s Question Time Written Answers.  This month’s set contain some humdingers:
Relations with central government - since coming to power Boris has met Tessa Jowell (twice), John Denham, Jack Straw, Ruth Kelly, Jacqui Smith, Lord West, Hazel Blears, Tony McNulty, Margaret Beckett and Geoff Hoon.
Jeez, the job’s not [...]