Boris Watch

An attempt to enhance the accountability of the new London mayoralty

Boris Watch header image 2

Venezuela Cashwatch and Boris Buswatch Updates

November 18th, 2008 by Tom

Quick keep-the-blog-ticking-over post:

1) Sum of Venezuelan oil company money lost to London’s poorest transport users by Boris is currently:

£21,294,879

2) This is a bit overdue:

The competition to design a new bus for London is now closed.

Winners will be notified at the end of October or in early November. The results will be revealed here shortly after, so watch this space for further announcements.

I think 18th November counts as ’shortly after early November’, so where is it?

Tags:   13 Comments

Leave A Comment

13 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Helen Nov 18, 2008 at 1:33 pm

    Ah, but it doesn’t specify October or November 2008!

  • 2 AdamB Nov 18, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    From Mayor’s answers:

    “TfL has been inundated with entries and I’m hoping to announce the results in December.”

    A TfL spokesman told Design Week that it ‘could take until Christmas’.

  • 3 Tom Nov 18, 2008 at 1:50 pm

    Remember what people said about Boris and timekeeping before the election? There’s the ‘before summer’/'during summer’/'October 21st’/'November sometime’ rail summit, too.

    Surely someone should update the website?

  • 4 AdamB Nov 18, 2008 at 1:58 pm

    Also from mayor’s answers on the ‘emergency summit’

    “I am keen to see this occur before the end of the year, although a date has yet to be set. Consequently, the invitees have yet to be confirmed.”

    Some emergency.

  • 5 Tom Nov 18, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    I really need to find time to go through these answers, don’t I?

    More on Oyster PAYG in the next post, by the way - SWT have apparently announced it ‘by the end of 2009′, so whatever’s going on it’s being done without the benefit of Boris and his summit.

  • 6 Martin Hoscik Nov 18, 2008 at 9:32 pm

    Hoping no-one minds me posting a link but here’s an idea for a new TfL design compo

    http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/can-i-suggest-a-new-tfl-design-competition/20085296

  • 7 Thomasthetaxi Nov 20, 2008 at 5:16 pm

    President Hugo Chavez is said to be supplying Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with uranium. Chavez also thinks Bush is the anti Christ. Venezuela is a third world dictatorship where the poor are starving unlike London where your only poor if you cant afford a new car and only have one telly.
    This man Chavez, who you want to work with to save a few bob, could actually be instrumental in starting another conflict in the Middle East.
    Who do you lot sleep at night?

  • 8 BenSix Nov 20, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    While I don’t venerate Chavez, Thomas, I find it rather more awkward that we deal with genuine tyrants and murderers from Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.
    “President Hugo Chavez is said to be supplying Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with uranium.”
    Evidence?
    “Chavez also thinks Bush is the anti Christ.”
    He’s also called him a donkey, but he doesn’t actually think that he is one. Besides, I’m sure that Bush can deal with it.
    “Venezuela is a third world dictatorship where the poor are starving”
    I’m not aware of any starvation (and wasn’t aware that Chavez had suddenly become a dictator).
    “This man Chavez, who you want to work with to save a few bob, could actually be instrumental in starting another conflict in the Middle East.”
    What’s your scale of probability here? I could be Christ reborn but it does seem terribly unlikely.
    “Who do you lot sleep at night?”
    Are you asking me how I sleep or who I sleep with?

  • 9 AdamB Nov 20, 2008 at 6:28 pm

    Thomas- Do you know where that petrol you put in your taxi come from? Just asking.

  • 10 Thomasthetaxi Nov 20, 2008 at 10:08 pm

    President Hugo Chavez is said to be supplying Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with uranium.”
    Evidence?
    Remember reading this in the Washington Post some time in 2007, thought this was general knowledge.
    This man Chavez, who you want to work with to save a few bob, could actually be instrumental in starting another conflict in the Middle East.”
    What’s your scale of probability here?
    Can’t see anyone else supplying Iran with Uranium to enrich.
    I’m not aware of any starvation;
    Taken out of context to sentence as a whole.
    and wasn’t aware that Chavez had suddenly become a dictator.
    As a cabby I get to meet the ordinary people who have come here from Venezuela. To me their words means more than your words on the politics of their country.
    Are you asking me how I sleep or who I sleep with?
    Sorry typo should have been how, don’t really want to know your sexual preference.

  • 11 Thomasthetaxi Nov 20, 2008 at 10:31 pm

    Dear adam
    There is not a Licensed cab driver in London that puts petrol in his/her vehicle!

  • 12 Mike Nov 21, 2008 at 1:59 pm

    Good article from London-SE1 on Boris’ anti-pedestrian transport policies:

    http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3613

  • 13 Jason Nov 21, 2008 at 4:30 pm

    Mike!
    As I started reading this all I could think about was, this is where Jenny Jones, the Ambassador for cycle safety got knocked off her wobbly bike. Not wearing any safety equipment she broke her arm.
    I had this underlying feeling that this article was Just another part part of her never ending, uninformed and unnecessary attacks on Boris.