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Ken: Voters will reject Boris at the crunch
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor30.04.08
Ken Livingstone admitted today that Boris Johnson had run a strong campaign — but predicted that
Londoners would reject the Tory candidate at the very last minute.
In his final interview of the six-week race for City Hall, Mr Livingstone told the Evening Standard that Mr Johnson would suffer from the “hovering pencil” syndrome when electors finally made up their minds in the privacy of the polling both.
He claimed that when faced with a brutal choice between himself and someone who was a “risk”, the public would conclude that they could not take a chance on his Conservative rival to run the city's £11 billion budget.
The Mayor added that if he did lose tomorrow, it would not be through any fault of either the Government or even his own policies. The main cause would be the Tories' success in getting their supporters out and Labour's failure to similarly mobilise its core vote, he said.
“If I lost, it would not be because we lost the argument. It would in part be because the Tories would have run a superior campaign and in part because of differential turnout. Older voters who tend to vote Tory are three times more likely to vote than younger people, for example,” Mr Livingstone said.
His remarks tally with those of Labour chiefs who have reported that on the doorstep it is relatively easy to persuade voters that Mr Johnson is a dubious choice, but it is more difficult to get them to commit to turning out against him.
“I just think that although people may be toying with the idea of voting for Boris, when it comes to it they will find they just can't do it. This is too serious for that. They will think it's my money, it's my job that is at risk if it goes wrong'.”
Underlining his final campaign message of “Don't vote for a joke: Vote for London”, Mr Livingstone repeatedly claimed that a Mayor Boris would put at risk major transport projects and fail to unite different ethnic groups.
In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Livingstone, 62, touched on everything from his views on crime to why he never says sorry.
BORIS JOHNSON
“Boris isn't doing this because he wants to be Mayor. He's doing it because he wants to succeed David Cameron after eight years at City Hall, get back into Parliament and try to become Prime Minister. I exhausted my national ambitions before becoming Mayor. I don't see why London should become a vehicle for his ambition. Boris is not a happy warrior. If he loses, he should ask how he allowed himself to be so managed by the party. They've squeezed all the humour out of him.”
“I have met hundreds and hundreds of voters in the past few weeks and not one had a go at the Government. This is not a referendum on the Government, it is a referendum on me and Boris. Not a single person has mentioned the 10p tax issue.”
CLASS
When asked if his £25 congestion charge plan for 4x4 “Chelsea Tractors” was motivated by class hatred, he denied the charge and said he wanted to improve the environment. But Mr Livingstone did admit that his lack of a university education and tough upbringing in south London had left an impression on him. “If I had been to university, then maybe the rough edges would have been smoothed out. It's a bit like when they [former Tory premier Harold Macmillan] called Herbert Morrison a “dirty little cockney guttersnipe”. This is one of the wider problems with today, the graduatisation of the political and media worlds. So many people are now excluded because they left school at 16 or 18.”
ARROGANCE
“I have never been arrogant. If someone attacks me, then yes, I attack them back. You have to be strong in politics otherwise you can't function. But this whole arrogance thing is part of a systematic campaign by the London Assembly.
“It all started when we consulted on extending the western zone of the congestion charge. But we had more than 40 per cent of people saying they were in favour and you will never get more than 50 per cent for a project like that.”
When asked why he had a problem saying sorry, Mr Livingstone replied: “That's not true. If you are talking about the Oliver Finegold incident [where he accused a Jewish reporter of behaving like a Nazi concentration camp guard], if he had rung me up to say how upset he was then I would have said I'm sorry. If the Board of Deputies had phoned me, I would have said I'm sorry. It was when the whole thing was blown up by the Tory party to get me removed from office that I took the line I did. If the media find your breaking point, then you can't do your job.”
TERRORISM
The Mayor once told a Jewish website that he “very much” drew a distinction between terrorist attacks on civilian and military targets, but he said he now disagreed with such a stance.
“Killing people is wrong. It doesn't matter who the target is or who started it. There can never be a military solution, there has to be negotiation. I condemn all acts of violence,” he said.
“The tragedy of my first meeting with Gerry Adams in 1981 was that the government didn't engage at the time.”
He said that since 9/11 there had been three serious attempts to attack London. “Given that we aren't a police state, it is inevitable that at some point someone will slip through the net. Al Qaeda want to polarise and to stir up a backlash. It was not really until the Madrid train bombings that I focused my mind on what I would say if there was a similar strike on London. I realised we had to keep the city together. I do worry though, if we have a series of devastating attacks, whether London will still be able to hold together.”
CRIME
“The number of police has gone up so that can't be a reason why violent crime among teenagers has gone up. I do think we need to look at the violence in our culture now. I once went with my niece and nephew to the Trocadero and played one of these shoot 'em up games. It was totally addictive. It touches something profound about what we are as an animal. All the last 10,000 years' slow march through civilisation has been an attempt to control that.”
OUR PANEL'S VERDICT
WITH just one day to go before the mayoral election, the Evening Standard's election panel met Ken Livingstone to question him about his policies and give their verdicts on his answers.
Bridget Sam Bailey, 70, pensioner: “As an older person I find I suffer abuse on the buses from younger people and people don't give up their designated seats. What are you going to do about it?”
Livingstone: “We're running a campaign with little doll-like figures saying I'll give up my seat' and also one with a person with grey hair saying: And I'll remember what it feels like to be 14.' We're putting stickers on buses and Tubes for priority seating for older people.
“We will roll out more police year on year until people say they feel safe. We have seven cameras on every double-decker bus recording your every move.
“In June no child will be allowed on buses without a photo ID card and there will be police community support officers to enforce that.”
Verdict: “He says there are police but I don't see them, maybe they don't come on buses. I'm still a Ken fan though, and I hope things will get better.”
Laura Wilson, 28, fund manager: “What has been your single biggest mistake since you came into power and what about issues over transparency?”
Livingstone: “On all the big issues, like on whether to bid for the Olympics or the six quite painful increases on council tax to pay for police, I think we called it right.
“There are small things. I wish I could reach back and specify that the contract for the call centre for the congestion charge should be in London.
“I wish I hadn't wasted the last eight years trying to persuade London boroughs to have a common taxi card.
“When I won the first election I brought my Liberal and Tory opponents into my administration, but in 2004 I didn't do that ... I think it's good to bring people into the administration whose primary loyalty is not to you because it's a good check and certainly if I was elected this time that's what I'd like to do.
“We are so transparent you wouldn't believe. It's all there. You can requisition any document we have."
Verdict: “I felt he skated over the issues a bit and didn't make any big admissions. Also I would have liked to see him address the transparency issue in greater detail.”
Mark Wilkinson, 32, young professional: “London is a global city and needs a 24-hour Tube system because night buses are too full. Why can't you have more people doing the engineering work for a shorter time at night so the Tube is open longer?”
Livingstone: “I do want longer hours but we need about four hours when staff can patrol the line because the system is so old at least every 48 hours someone has to physically walk along every track looking for cracks.
“The time that we've got for maintenance is the absolute minimum for safety. If we knocked out another hour we'd run the risk of people being killed. [Your idea] is a very good idea… but I have a horrible feeling it will be very expensive.
“We are replacing all tracks and all the signalling and this should require less maintenance.”
Verdict: “I think I should be his policy adviser. I can't believe he hadn't thought about getting more people on the job before.”
Will Barber, 22, student: “How can we be sure that a vote for you now is not actually a vote for you for the next two terms? Even 12 years is a long time.”
Livingstone:“If Londoners think I do such a good job in the next four years they vote me back in, why should you be worried? You can't have it both ways.
“But first there's a very real struggle to win this one. I don't even know if I would stand [for the next one] … Will I still have the energy and enthusiasm?
“Everyone would love to be the mayor of a city that's holding the Olympics, but I can't promise you I'm going to stand again. Whether that fills you with joy or fear I don't know.”
Verdict: “I didn't really think he listened to me or addressed the issue.”
Reader views (34)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
What I experienced in the last years that the crime has risen drastically in my area (N15 N16) shooting stabbing mugging although that Ken's figures shows that it dropped he is definitely fooling us with classing things different.
- Kay Howler, London N15 UK
I think Gregg from Norwood must be living in a parallel universe. Ken has achieved none of the things he gives him credit for. All that Ken has done is raise taxes and reduce the quality of life for millions of Londoners. At the same time he has introduced a culture of cronyism into City Hall. A vote for Ken is a vote for continued failure. Boris is the man to take London forward.
- Paul, Bromley
Sayonara Ken.
You lied about only serving two terms, you lied about the congestion charge, you lied about the cost of the Olympics and you lied about fare increases.
Add that to you courting with the devil by engaging with a suicide bomber advocate and it is clear that London needs a new voice.
That voice will be Boris. Fresh policies, fresh ideas and no Lee Jasper.
We can all vote for that!
- Paul Canal, London
Twelve year olds walking the streets with guns and knives, and willing to use them!
Have we all gone mad? Get rid of this useless mayor, vote Boris even if your not a Tory, before we all end up back in the dark ages!
- Steve, London
'when faced with a brutal choice between himself and someone who was a “risk”'
So when faced with a choice between an allegedly corrupt, odious, useless little worm and a "risk", well, I voted for the risk this morning, rather that than my mayoral contributions go up around 10% every year as they do currently.
- Ken Goodbye, Cheam
Alas, I think we are stuck with Livingstone. We the working people can see through him but the ethnic majority can't. I'm fed up with seeing my money blown on pointless events in Trafalgar Square throughout the year for the people who don't pay their way.
He'll creep in once again and I for one am dreading seeing that smug face in the papers tomorrow.
London isn't London anymore. Hasn't been for nigh on ten years. Coincidence? I think not.
- Steve, London
I have voted for Boris is the hope of getting rid of Livingstone. It has been a dark time for London having him as the city's chief representative and it has cost the London tax payer a great deal of money.
- Bill, London
Of course Ken will win. He's made use of all his third world dictator friends experience and imported their electoral practices, therefore with the widely predicted postal voting fraud the result is not in doubt nor the lack of any inquiry or prosecutions (not in the public, read Ken's interest).
- Bob, London, England
London was a spitoon of a city ten years ago. Ken has made it a better place to live and work. Think of the things even Boris' most ardent supporters won't deny: Ken has massively improved transport, cut crime, cut attacks on minorities, cut congestion, cut homelessness. Everybody in London knows what Ken has done for this city, and yet they're seriously thinking of voting for Boris because of his undergraduate comedy appeal. I hope they get a clue when they get into the voting booths - a Mayor is for four years, not just for May Day. And after four years of Boris' incompetence and extremism, there won't be much of a London left.
- Gregg, Norwood, London
If London votes for Ken again I will be sure never to visit my home town again. Like a rotten apple he will never be anything but stinking! Shame on anyone who doesn't see him for what he really is! Rotten!
- Mark A. Lack, Calgary Canada
Ken's the joker.
A sick joker on embracing Al-Qaradawi and pandering to anti-semitism.
A malicious joker lying about transport fare rises.
A clown over the Olympic budget - we will have to pay for his wastage.
A clown over congestion charges -taking money from motorists with a gun pointed at their heads- without cutting congestion. This is his funny idea of green.
- A Singh, London UK
It is interesting to hear Ken Livingstone and other Labour figures say the London Mayoral Election is a local London event which will not be a judgement on Gordon Brown or his government.
Just wait until the results. If Ken wins the election, he and every New Labour spokesperson will claim it as a victory for Gordon Brown over David Cameron, and it will give Brown an edge over his parliamentary critics. If Boris wins, the same people will re-iterate that it is a London affair with no reflection on Gordon Brown.
- Stan E., Derby, UK
I will be voting for Boris tomorrow. Ibve had enough of crippling precept increases for which I reap no benefit.
I want someone who will take action on crime, knife crime, gun crime and so on. Someone who will listen to me, as someone living in London, on what I want. Not what someone thinks I want or should want and finally I will be voting for someone who isn't a bigoted, egotistical menace who shows no concern or embarrasment for anything he has done or has said. Ken could have shown some remorse for some of his actions, but No, typically it is everyone else's fault but his own.
Well Ken, if you read this... im voting for Boris to get rid of YOU and everything YOU stand for. Good riddance.
- Rachel, London
This poisonous little man Livingstone is going to find out tomorrow that he has been exposed and the man in the street (who has half a brain an who is not on his payroll) will no longer tolerate his nasty, twisted, bitter attacks on Londoners and their pockets, their cars and their lives. Bullys like livingstone, Brown and Mugabe need to understand that no longer will civilised people, both rich and poor, tolerate their little self enhancement schemes. And by the way Ken, there are no jobs on offer for you when you lose your job tomorrow. Sorry, there is a job as a traffic warden in Westminster, but it is not an "on commission" job an you have to pay for the job! Go away Livingstone and let Londoners get on with their lives without having to worry about your nasty little office's harassment.
- Cm, London UK
Only if Livingstone and his cronies have fixed the postal votes otherwise good riddance to a thieving little reptile will be the result.
I would not trust Livingstone as far as I could throw him he and Mugabe have a lot in common.
- K Harrop, Hertford uk
They must be getting desperate, I've just had my Labour MP at the door canvassing for Ken! First time I've ever seen him. He was a bit stunned when I told him I was voting for Boris, I also told him I would be voting Tory for the first time in my life at the next general election, that's how disgusted I am with the whole lot of them. Do the Labour party not realize how many votes Ken Livingstone is going to lose them in the next election?
- Sarah N., London, UK
I had to laugh when I read that Red Ken was offering Boris a job with the city of London if Ken was re-elected. Livingstone needs to go and hopefully Boris will send him packing.
- Franc, Palm Beach, FL USA
I live outside London and I'd like nothing better than to see the back of Ken Livingstone, if I could vote then I'd vote for Boris. We all suffer when London is demeaned.
- Mark Wilson, Armagh, Northern Ireland
I see the City Hall employees have got in first with their 'support' for Ken.
I'll be voting for Boris Johnson for lots of reasons.
Those who say he is inexperienced are being obtuse, they only way to get experience of being mayor is to be elected!
Too many of Ken's pals and cronies have been given our money to play with and this won't change. Who knows what promises have already been made by Ken, behind the scenes?
His desperate promises to deliver all kinds of wonderful things to Londoners came in the last week of a closely fought campaign. These are things Ken could have done at any time in the last eight years, so why didn't he? Did he suddenly wake up and smell the election slipping away from him?
I'm voting for Boris Johnson tomorrow and I urge anyone who is wavering to do the same.
- Sally R., Brixton, London, UK
Strange, reading all the comments, 90% of those that live in London state they will vote against Ken, those from outside London, Dorset & Scotland, advise to vote for Ken. Well they are welcome to him after tomorrow. Good riddance, let's get London back on its feet and not run as a quasi communist state within a state.
- Den, London
Ken probably is better qualified for the job than Boris Johnson. However I don't think that any Labour candidate, regardless of their personal views, can expect many votes from people affected by the Heathrow expansion that Labour is pushing so hard.
- Ian, London
I'll vote for Ken he always put the poor first so Ken all the way.
- Maria, London
Those of us old enough to remember the GLC know how Ken thinks, even then he was anti motorist, a leopard never changes his spots. The congestion charge is no more than a con to improve cash take, while having no virtual change in local environment.
Living in west London it is clear he has no interest in our area and is focused on east London vote catching. UDI for Hillingdon seems to be a sensible solution.
- Mr D Covacic, West Drayton
Ken has done a good job, and he has the experience to continue his plans for a safer London, So I advise everyone to Vote For Ken tomorrow.
(Only vote for Boris if you want a joker with Conservative
backing.)
- Frank, Dorchester, Dorset UK
Boris is staggeringly inexperienced - and is in no way prepared to run a global city with an £11-plus billion annual budget. Ken may be a politician with many visible faults - but at least he has consistently put the case for London. Ask yourself: could Boris secure a £39bn investment plan for our transport system? And could he deliver it? The simple answer is no.
Whether you like him as an individual or not, a vote for Ken tomorrow is a vote for the only person with the experience and clout to stand up for the capital, deliver the big projects, and advocate for more resources in Whitehall.
- Aj, Battersea, London
The combination of Gordon Brown, Alastair Darling and Ken Livingstone will see this London and the UK go down the drain.
I'll be voting Boris tomorrow in attempt to curb the damage already done. I suggest everyone does the same
- Ben Edgar, London
I would hope that the Tory party treats voters with a bit more respect in the national elections, than it's doing in the London one (Actually I don't really (being a Labour voter)- what an absolute Joke. Every televised debate - Boris has come across as a total cretin, absolutely, fundamentally, incompetent to the core - I would have thought he was with the monster raving looney party. It's all very well disliking Ken and his politics, but come on - wake up London - you're teetering on the brink of being the laughing stock of the whole UK.
Yes it's true - this vote has nothing to do with me or anyone else outside London, and I don't know how good or bad Ken has been, but I find the prospect of complete oafs like Boris being elected and offence to democracy.
Surely the Tories can do better.
- Mark, Menstrie, Scotland
I for one think Ken has not done a bad job at all...
Yes there are problems with London, but there are problems with all capital cities around the world. We in London are not unique in the problems we share.
However, I do not think Boris has a magic wand that he can wave through the air and suddenly all our problems will be gone...
The Tories only appear to use fear to get their point across...
- Grant, London
There is a saying, that if you repeat something enough times to people, they will end up believing it, no matter how preposterous it is.
Livingstone is trying this principle on here, but I think he has left it a bit late in the day for this type of scare tactic. Livingstone has lost. Boris has won!
- Peter Thurgood, London, UK
Well I shall be breaking the habit of a lifetime and voting for a Tory. Ken has to go, he says and does nothing for the indigenous population of London other than to blame them for this once great City's ills and rob them blind.
- Mark, South-East London
Oh can't I Ken? It's about time you stopped telling Londoners what they can and can't do. Just maybe after the results are announced you will hear for the first time what Londoners are actually saying - you have ignored our views for far too long. This isn't Africa and whatever the result is, you won't be able to ignore it.
- Jane, London
I think Livingstone's comments show how little respect he has for us, the electorate and his employer.
- St, London
People may toy with the idea of yet another four years of rising tax bills and rising congestion charges and rising corruption in City Hall and rising incompetence from labour administrations but in the end they will decide they don't want to admit to themselves or anyone else that they allowed this self serving arrogant joker a third go at something he was no good at in the first place.
Vote Boris, it's the biggest favour we can all do ourselves.
- Robin, London
Unbelievable! How can he possibly think that if he loses tomorrow it isn't his fault!
It will be his fault - under his watch over the last 8 years London streets are less safe, the buses are less safe, young kids are dying on our streets, congestion is worse. I hope Ken loses tomorrow, he's not fit for office.
I'll be voting for Boris tomorrow - he's the only one I think will make the changes London needs.
- Emma, Dulwich, London
