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Labour? I've always been an independent, says Ken
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor23.04.08
Ken Livingstone distanced himself from the Government today by declaring that he was still an "independent" candidate for Mayor.
Speaking at the launch of his bus manifesto, Mr Livingstone was asked whether Labour's poor polling nationally was undermining his re-election bid.
"It doesn't matter what party label I wear, I've always been an independent," he said. "When I came back into the Labour Party, the deal I did with Tony Blair was 'you give me the money and I will spend it in a way that I think is right for London - without the Government telling me how to do it'."
Mr Livingstone added that even when he was a Labour MP, the party's whips in Parliament knew that he would operate differently from the party line.
With Labour on about 28 per cent nationally in some polls, the Mayor's rating of 37 per cent is seen by his allies as evidence that he can outperform the party by keeping his distance.
Several Cabinet ministers have campaigned with Mr Livingstone in recent days, but some in his camp believe that the Government's performance is holding him back. Mr Livingstone won the mayoralty in 2000 as an independent but was brought back into the fold ahead of his re-election in 2004.
He unveiled his bus manifesto with a fresh attack on Boris Johnson's "farcical" plans to dump bendy buses. Mr Livingstone said the choice between his policies and those of his Tory rival was one of the starkest facing voters on 1 May. He said that the increase in bus use to six million journeys a day was one of his biggest successes. Mr Livingstone added that over the past eight years the total had gone up by almost two million journeys a day.
The manifesto sets out plans for "London's second bus transformation" by making them easier to use and greener.
Key pledges are:
• To increase services and improve reliability.
• Introduce accurate second-by-second GPS bus journey information, both on buses and at bus-stops.
• Investing in a new fleet of clean, green hybrid buses.
• Improving driving standards and vehicle cleanliness.
• Holding down fares.
Mr Livingstone said his policies "compare starkly with the chaos and uncosted incompetence of Boris Johnson's flagship policy of introducing "replacement Routemasters with conductors".
Reader views (31)
The answer - vote for Micky Mouse - not for Labour, Tory or Liberal.
Register protest votes by voting for any candidate except those belonging to the above parties to stop corruption at the highest level in this country!
- Mafia Rules, London UK
Obviously Brian of Falkirk completely missed the point.
How's Falkirk this morning Brian? apart from being a long way from London.
- Jimbob, Kensington
Livingstone has always wanted and sought help from Labour, except when they didn't select him as mayoral candidate. But since he rejoined in 2004 he's been happy to have Labour fund his campaigns. And now we hear that Campbell and Blair are giving him advice!
He's only independent because he doesn't want to be tarnished by Labour's record of incompetency.
Labour isn't working, get rid of Ken.
- Tim For Change, London, UK
If he's independent, then why does the little booklet title 'The Candidates' sent by London Elects have the work 'Labour' on his page? And why does his website have a red rose on it that links directly to the Labour Party?
Wasn't he also routing all of his mayoral election donations through the Labour Party so he didn't have to say where they came from?
- Geoff, Camden
People such as Jimbob bandy about phrases such as 'Communist' when describing socialists such as Ken, without any real understanding of the term, in their dog whistle style politics. Intelligent debate, which those socialists amongst us might enjoy, but using this word, in this way, when it becomes totally meaningless only serves to make it a childlike insult. Definition of communism: 'Communism is the idea of a free society with no division or alienation, where humanity is free from oppression and scarcity'. Communism in this purest sense has never existed. It didn't in Eastern Europe and doesn't in China. If Jimbob is going to express his dislike for Ken - fair enough, but do so with just a smattering of intelligence, eh?
- Brian Capaloff, Falkirk, Scotland (Formerly London)
....and if the vote goes against Ken will he withhold the result and make us vote again until he gets elected!
- David De Vere, London NW1
When he was asked about donations to his campaign he said it all went through the Labour Party. That does not sound very 'independent' to me. I hope people with at least one brain cell will see through this. It is time for him to go!
- Beatriz, London
Ken always has been independent, he does everything for himself.
- Tom, Watford UK
'If I believed what I read in the papers I wouldn't vote for myself'
Its all right Ken - other people do believe what they've read in the papers about you. They'll vote accordingly.
- Rogan, DFW Texas
Always had a suspicion Ken thought the planet revolved around himself.
Re invents himself day to day.
If he considers himself an "independent" then why should the Labour party fund his re-election?
- Hutch, London
A little late Red Ken!
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Was this just Ken grabbing at a life line. And I wonder if Gordon will say that it was a win for Labour if Ken wins.
- Dave, Croydon
Well here's a surprise. First Ken says his finest moment was drubbing Labour in 2004, Next a gaggle of second rate Labour MPs say what a fantastic chap he is, and now we hear that he's an independent at heart. Also that he's not a bad chap, he only wants the power. So does this mean that he can still claim the privacy whereby all his campaign funds be money-laundered by Labour, or will he have to come clean?
- Jeremiah, London
Independent? I thought he was a Communist!
Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others eh. Ken.
- Jimbob, Kensington
Desperate talk for a desperate man.
"Introduce accurate second-by-second GPS bus journey information" He states. Get congestion and time tables right and this may not be an additional expense.
Although useful, we would prefer a more accurate time table rather getting angry of having to bear delays, besides, even the accuracy is still questionable with the displayed time. How often has many a passenger seen the display time stand still or even increase while waiting for a train, let alone a bus.
Just another of his spin to get votes. Livingston was quite happy to stand shoulder to shoulder with Brown and his cronies for endorsements !
P off now Livingston and do something you so righteously always claim are for the benefit of Londoners.
- Alec, West London
By 'independent' Livingstone means 'Out For Himself'.
- David, Crawley UK
"I've always been an independent" says Ken.
He's also always been a smarmy, corrupt, psuedo-socialist who will do anything to keep his grasp on power.
- Robert Cunningham, Harrow, London, UK
Ken is the biggest fraud in politics - one day he steals Boris's policies, the next he distances himself from the Labour Party he craved to be part of, the third he is welcoming terrorist fronts to the GLA, the fourth he is backing an Olympics we were always going to spend most of our lives paying for(exactly the same as Sydney - and therefore completely predictable).
The GLC was a disaster and the GLA is now.
Boris might not be ideal but he is significantly better than Ken "the chameleon".
- A From E1, London
He's independent from the real world than us working class people lives in. A rich socialist who lives in a Micky Mouse world that's Ken Livingstone.
- Joe Sardena, Swanley Kent
Funny when Labour were strong in the polls he did everything to get back into the party. Now they are down he is distancing himself from them. Trust him I think not. Sad to say I did vote for him first time never again.
- Den, London
Hate Ken, loath or despise Ken or simply detest Ken. You have to admire his instinct for political survival. No stone left unturned, no cheap phoney baloney promise to special interest minority groups in return for votes left undone. But Ken mate, this latest 'I'm not Labour - honest guv!' is frankly a little hollow.
To mix metaphors you made your bed with Labour and it's no use crying about it now and trying to be a rat scuttling off Greedo Browns sinking ship.
Try leaving with just a little dignity intact mate. After all you are supposed to be Mayor.
- Ethan, nr Dole Farm, UK
So...Ken doesn't know where his financial backing comes from [within the Labour Party] and he sees himself as 'independent'. He gets more laughable and less credible by the minute.
- Kate, London, UK
If he's an independent, why is he taking Labour money and why are Labour giving him money?
- Liz, London
Ken cannot be trusted with London taxpayers money anymore. He shrugs off any attack like its his money and we have no right to judge him. That's what happens to politicians in power for too long, he's dangerous and very divisive. Time for change.
- Diane Benjamin, london
I could be wrong but I'm pretty certain ken didn't tell Tessa Jowell to shut up yesterday with the words "I'm independent." It must of been my imagination when he did the photocall with Brown.
I'm also pretty certain that on the ballot paper it says "Labour".
Has ken formally left the Labour party then?
Just when you think Livingstone can't be any more pathetic he has to prove you wrong.
- George, SE London
And if Labour were doing well in the polls, Livingstone would undoubtedly tell the audience that he was Red Ken through and through.
I think it's called hypocrisy and duplicity.
- R.M., London, England
So, as an independent candidate why has Mr Livingstone been filtering all of his re-election funds through the Labour Party? If he's now Independent then perhaps he can provide us with a list of his backers.
- Ken Sanass, Camberwell
What a thoroughly disloyal and dislikeable "man", he is. As Kinnock sharply noted, Livingstone is not a socialist, not a communist and not a marxist, he's a Kennist. He's basically just a tired, weary, power-hungry old man who wants to be in charge for the sake of being charge. I fear for London if he does get re-elected as surely he will take this as a mandate to really go crazy with his hand-outs to his mates, his invitations to "freedom fighters", as he calls them (ie, Al Qaeda, the IRA, the Tamil Tigers and probably Colombian rebels), as well as handing out planning permission willy-nilly to anyone who lines his pockets with a reasonable donation (via the Labour party of course, so he doesn't have to declare it), and of course to continue his campaign of hatred against all motorists and indeed anyone who earns more than the minimum wage or doesn't belong to a union.
- St, London
So why is the cretin getting so many Labour MPs to speak on his behalf? He wants it all ways: to distance himself from the fiascos in SW1, but at the same time to get free publicity from misguided MPs.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
Rubbish. Do not believe anything Ken says.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
I attempted to drive around one of these lovely bendy busses on the Elephant and castle (after he pulled out on me and accelerated like Lewis Hamilton).
I was faced with a wall of bus and nowhere to go, new brake disks now required.
I can see why cyclists live in fear of these things, they are just not practical for London streets.
- Jimbob, Kensington
