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Canny Ken was outwitted in the end by an even cannier enemy
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor02.05.08
For Ken Livingstone, today's defeat wrecks not just his dream of a third term at City Hall. It marks the end of an extraordinary era during which the boy from Streatham dominated London's landscape for nearly 30 years.
He outwitted Thatcher, survived Major, defeated and then outlived Blair. But after decades of defying political gravity, Comeback Ken simply couldn't convince the voters that he deserved another encore.
Ever since he started in politics as a Lambeth councillor in 1971, colleagues knew that Kenneth Robert Livingstone was a breed apart. Having left school to work briefly as a lab technician, he soon became a full-time politician and worked his way across the capital's Labour parties and up the ladder at the GLC.
Riding the crest of the Left-wing wave that flooded London in the late Seventies and early Eighties, his mastery at machine politics was never more in evidence than the "coup" that saw him take over at County Hall in 1981. Seen as a voter-friendly rising star by various socialist factions, he was made leader the day after Andrew Macintosh led Labour to a narrow victory over the Tories.
It was his battles with Margaret Thatcher that were most memorable, in particular his shrewd decision to hire an ad agency to campaign against the abolition of the GLC. Although the Prime Minister rammed through the closure of County Hall, Livingstone ran rings around her in persuading the public that they were losing their right to self-rule.
He switched his sights to Westminster in 1987 after winning Brent East but quickly found he had few friends in Parliament and was forced to give up his stated ambition of becoming Labour leader.
Ironically it was Tony Blair's decision to resurrect London government that gave Livingstone the second chance he needed.
Despite vowing never to stand against Labour for the 2000 mayoral candidacy, he did just that when he lost the party nomination. Livingstone again outfoxed the establishment, raising cash from celebrities to stand and win as an independent.
The mayoralty allowed Livingstone to regroup his long-time allies and give them jobs at City Hall. He defied the Treasury to introduce his congestion charge, the world's first for a capital city. He lost the battle against Gordon Brown's part-privatisation of the Tube but yet again won the PR war. It was inevitable that a weakened Blair decided to readmit him to the party just before the 2004 mayoral election.
For many, even his critics, Livingstone's finest moments as Mayor came during 6 and 7 July 2005. He was among the team which punched the air as London won the 2012 Olympics but within hours had to sum up the feelings of the capital after the terrorist bombings.
After that, the Mayor's grip on City Hall began to weaken. In recent months, the nous that has served Livingstone so well appeared to have deserted him and his legendary charm curdled into what many saw as petulant arrogance.
The Standard unearthed allegations in December about Mr Livingstone's race adviser Lee Jasper and missing millions from the London Development Agency. In March, Mr Jasper was forced to quit.
There were undoubted achievements. He oversaw a massive increase in bus passenger numbers and the smooth introduction of the Oyster card.
The congestion charge is now being studied by other big cities across the globe. He was the first politician in more than 30 years to oversee a huge increase in police numbers, driving through the neighbourhood police teams that have since been rolled out across the country.
Just as he helped persuade Tony Blair that the East End needed the Olympics, he extracted £5 billion out of Gordon Brown to finally make Crossrail a reality.
But the fight against Boris Johnson this year underlined to many just how tired and leaden-footed the Mayor had become.
For once it was Livingstone who was on the receiving end of a canny campaign.
Reader views (13)
For the last thirty years he has attempted to decimate London:
- Bus Lanes - waste of space.
- Kengestion Charge - waste of money.
- Mayoral building - waste of money.
- Low emission zones - waste of money.
- Ken's cronies - waste of money.
- Ken Livingston - waste of space!
Long may he keep out of London's arena, he was about as good as a Chocolate Teapot.
- Eastender., Hempstead
'The Conservatives have changed into a party that can again be trusted with the greatest, most cosmopolitan, multi-racial generous hearted city on earth'
Boris Johnson
I'd cast some measure of doubt on the part of Mr. Johnson's utterance that suggests he has 'multi-racial' support. I, like many, have the same suspicions against him, due to some of the things he and his allies have said, as I do against some other people who say 'I'm not racist'...
- Ken Odeluga, LONDON
Mick S,
You're right, the list of Ken's achievements are quite long; until you strip away the things Livingstone claims as his, that actually had little to nothing to do with him.
The list of real and actual achievements is surprisingly slim once the hyperbole and spin is stripped away. As London agrees.
- Scott, London
Just as the Roman empire fell, Labour has fallen - taking along with it Ken. 18 months ago none of us would have even thought of the Tories bouncing back. Ladies and gentlemen, The Tories are back! Maybe it's time for Labour to "Bring Back Blair". So long Comrade Ken!
- C.B Chiremba, Coventry, UK
I ask every Livingstone-basher to list Livingstone's achievements - time well spent!
You'll likely find that what underlies your political judgement is a vague dislike, distrust, distaste (pick your preference), formed not from fact but the distortion presented by the Media.
If you stick to the facts, and avoid opinion, you'll shock yourself.
- Mick S Cunningham, London
Erm, he "ran rings round Thatcher"? Didn't she effectively boot him out and write her place in history by, with Reagan, introducing neo-classical, Hayekian economic policy which persists today and will for the long-term future? What did Ken do? Got rid of the pigeons and let the IRA fly black balloons from the roof of County Hall when Charles and Diana married?
- St, London
Petulant arrogance sums it up beautifully.
Goodbye Ken!
Good riddance!
- The Other Jk, SE Lunnon
Well done the Standard, and Andrew Gilligan. You got more apathetic Londoners off their backsides to vote for Boris, who might otherwise not have bothered. I'm one of them!
Go Mayor Boris!
- Sally R., London, UK
I pay tribute to Ken as the bravest politician we have seen in the UK in the last 15 years. No other politician had the guts to introduce something like the congestions charge - something that was needed if not really wanted. It is a tragedy that Labour's national woes should have taken you down. Gordon Brown deserved a kicking - Ken did not.
- Martyn, London
He totally lost contact with the people of London.
He taxed the poorer people out of London with the congestion charge, fines, surveillance cameras (that never seem to convict attackers only fine very minor offences) and massive council tax rises.
He caused congestion by halving the available road space by creating largely unused bus lanes then charged us then fined us.
Where did he think all the money was going to come from to pay Lee Jasper and his cronies?
The Tax fairy?
- Thalia, London
How any one can say the congestion charge was a great achievement. It is a money grabbing scheme.
- Dave, Croydon
A clever politician but a career politician all the same with a will to power above all else - cronyism, corruption and a liberal use of taxpayers money carried him into power and ultimately undid him as well. Hopefully with a new era of transparency this type of politician can be committed to the garbage bin of history.
- Orwell, London
Thank goodness we can close the book on Livingstone! Sadly his legacy is saturated with questionable, dubious and/or unlawful/illegal actions. Ken really should have cleared his name (if that was possible) prior to the election. But it's too late now!
- Fraser, Telford Park
