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David Cameron was warned today not to repeat the "mistakes" of Boris Johnson's first year as mayor.
Leading pollster Stephan Shakespeare used the influential ConservativeHome.com website to declare that Mr Johnson had "no notable achievement, no sense that anything important will change, no grip".
In a withering assessment, YouGov founder Mr Shakespeare insisted the Mayor had been an improvement on his predecessor but had failed to take tough decisions on issues such as transport and slashing City Hall wages.
Mr Shakespeare said the next Tory government could not afford to waste time in its first year in office and warned that Mr Cameron should not copy the Mayor's example of being "a good communicator" with few concrete changes under his belt.
"Can Cameron promise us that he will not be like Boris? Because if Cameron ends up being just a higher-up version of a do-little mayor, then for millions of people it won't be worth the effort of voting," he wrote. The pollster said Mr Johnson had "provided some welcome amusement" and had wasted a little less than his predecessor.
"But that's it. There's no notable achievement, no sense that anything important will change, no grip. Real problems are not solved - in fact, there's not even a discernable attempt to solve them."
He added that Mr Johnson had done little to tackle the 100 Transport for London employees who reportedly earn more than £100,000 a year. The traffic in the capital also felt worse, largely because of un-coordinated road works.
But Mr Johnson's spokesman hit back. "Boris Johnson has been a breath of fresh air for London and for British politics," he said. "He's halted the rise in taxes and the cavalier attitude of his predecessor to taxpayers' money, giving the city a sense of optimism in difficult times.
"He's also put in place a series of measures that will shortly bear fruit, from a revolution in cycling to changing the structure of the Metropolitan Police and making £2 billion of transport savings at TfL."
Reader views (28)
Marco, Notting Hill ... We will find out next Saturday if Boris can deliver for posters have appeared along route 507 stating that new buses to replace the artics will start then?
However on checking the LOTS website it says that to-date none of these new buses has been delivered!!!
You would have thought they would wait to the buses arrived before giving a date for there introduction.
As for calling Ken supporters miserable etc.
You must be joking when BOJO is wasteing £3 million extra on replacing Artic buses on just 3 routes (a new fleet of artics would have still cost a million pounds less!!!) no its fun seeing how he is wasteing the money of his supporters who seem to want to save money but have elected a waster.
As for the C-Charge well Boris could have held official consultation when he was elected but just held one which he fiddled by only covering those in the extension who were already saying no. Now he has to go through whole thing again and waste even more money. Thing is where will money come from to change the zone and how big a black hole will removing the extension create?
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 19/07/2009 18:34
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Krusty the Clown is a fictional cartoon carachter, but he'd definitely do a better job than the blond buffoon!
Can anyone name anything concrete he has done in this year which hadn't already initiated under the former administration?
Yes, Bojo was full of promises and new initiative but it's now time to smell the coffee and realise he just cannot deliver. Routemasters anyone?
My Council tax has gone up £30 a month this year. Thank you Bojo.
- Marco, Notting Hill, 16/07/2009 10:46
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“While within the rules, this is precisely the kind of financial jiggery-pokery for which other MPs have been criticised in recent weeks, as details of the way they have abused their second homes allowances have been made public. “
His dealings will spring up again as the election approaches, and I don't believe the general public will trust him enough to want his party elected”
Thanks again Keith for the wishful thinking and lefty propaganda. We all know the reason Gordy can’t even contemplate an election is because DC will definitely win (regardless of the above.) Unfortunately, Gordy will drag it out, making us suffer and milking us dry to the bitter end. Gordy and his crones will continue to drag this country right down into the gutter, and clocking up a huge bill that we will be paying for generations to come.
As for an approaching election, bring in it on as soon as possible and let the people show they have totally had it with this government. It is agony watching this clueless government scrambling around hoping they will turn the dire situation around with some spin.
- Xtremely Worried, Britian (Formerly Great), 16/07/2009 09:24
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A few questions:
- when was the last tube stike? - erm that would be a few weeks ago.
- when did boris meet with bob crow before last strike - - much to late in the day; allowing the old unionist to manipulate things
- when was the last resignation of a senior member of staff - oh a couple of weeks ago - - and this was the third or fourth resignation?
- what are the Mayor's plans for the legacy of the Olympics - remember the GLA are primarily responsible for the element of the games.
- Did the buses run
a) within 12 hours of the London bombs - yes they did and those tubes that could were running the next morning
b) when it snowed! ?
- What has Boris done which wasn't already signed off under the last administration?
I only ask these questions of someone I voted for, but at the moment am not impressed, nor very impressed by the calibre of the staff that has been brought in . Which is a big thing to remember when David Cameron gets in - the overall lack of experience - so we will go from incompetance to inexperience.
You owe us better than this - I pay my taxes
- Jc, W6, 16/07/2009 08:00
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Keith Price I am not mad..........Just enjoying the fact that Boris is seeing you lefties off................
You moan about everything....Boris is doing a damn sight better job than the previuos communist in charge....Are you a communist Mr Price....or a red under the bed...get over it..Boris is there till he wants to leave....Caryy on Boris........Your great...........
- Themanoftruth, United Kingdom, 15/07/2009 22:19
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Well, since pretty much everything Boris set up based on central Conservative policy ideas went wrong (Ray Lewis, the Deputy Mayors fiasco, Tim Parker and the whole concept of getting businessmen in to run public services) and we've ended up with essentially a regime run by the Tory borough councils for the Tory boroughs, I think we can safely ticket this one as an attempt by the people who advised Boris badly in the early days to blame him for it rather than their advice. They're clearly worried about losing influence in future power struggle.
"giving the city a sense of optimism in difficult times"
Laughable attempt at spin, there. I'm not bloody optimistic having a guy in charge who's the last person to realise that unrestrained capitalism doesn't work and thinks that £250,000 is chicken feed.
- Tom, London, UK, 15/07/2009 21:19
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What a ridiculous article, Boris hasn't made any mistakes! The errors his staff have made are only because they thought they could get away with dodgy behaviour that Red Ken promoted. Boris has stamped this out thankfully.
- Kimberley, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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If I had wanted a joker as Mayor I would have voted for Krusty the Clown. Face it, Boris has made a lot of noise but has achieved absolutely nothing! He hasn't even managed to close the western Congestion Charge zone which I seem to recall was one of his key manifesto pledges.
He has though managed to make London less safe for pedestrians and cyclist by fiddling with traffic signals, allowing motor vehicles to move faster.
- Carl, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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The free ride is over for this clown. It's time to get tough and make him accountable.
- Richard, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Year one of a Cameron Government will be spent by the Tories having champagne Parties to celebrate their return to power. Dave will probably quote St Francis of Assissi on entering Number Ten. Everything that goes wrong will be met by Dave appearing on the TV and telling us how angry he is. The taxpayer on average and lower pay will be made to pay for the crash caused by Dave and Georges Banking mates while Bonuses return and become even larger and Tax-free due to careful planning. The biggest problem is that after five years of Dave the Electorate will look to the BNP for solutions.
- R Burton, Ealing England, 15/07/2009 21:19
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If Londoners give him enough rope he will hang himself and all will be well again.He is a typical Tory, all promises but no action.
T H Leeds
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Isn't it about time Boris resigned to spend more time writing his Telegraph column. It seemed to have worsened since he left his part-time job as an MP to do a part-time job as London Mayor.
- R Race, Acton England, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Absolutely accurate analysis. The lag between talk/spin and actual performance was made manifest in one single day's heavy snowfall, when the "elf 'n' safety" mob shut down London's transport service and all Boris cd do was blow hot air. "We will not forget"...
- Robert, London UK, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Boris is an embarrassment. He has demonstrated a lack of even basic knowledge of his administration (Not even knowing he had cancelled the RISE Festival!). He's been sacked for lying, twice ("inverted pyramid of piffle" anyone?). His managerial experience was looking after a staff of eight. He's made some extremly offensive and racist remarks that he's had to apologise for, he compared gay men to dogs, he claims his mortgage on expenses despite earning half a million pounds a year so we have effectively given him a hundred thousand pounds to pay the bills on his Islington mansion, and he displays a petulant, sulky attitude when anyone dares ask why his response to the snow last January was so slow and pointless. It's becoming clear that he will be forced to resign before the end of his term. Bad for London, bad for Londoners, it's only his close relationship with a national newspaper that prevented his expenses scandal becoming public. The man's a joke, keep him on comedy shows and panel games, personally I wouldn't send him to Tescos with a shopping list.
- Colin Amyes, London SE3, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Boris has brought a breath of fresh air to the office of Mayor and is a million times better than Ken. To at least have someone representing London who is prepared to act for and on behalf of Londoners is a big improvement. I always felt Ken was more interested in Columbian oil ,"wimmins issues", and sucking up to Bob Crow than looking after the day to day problems of a big City. Long may Boris continue.
- Fay Mcademy, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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"carry on Boris your more fun and in tune and better that sour faced communist you beat"! Theman are you mad?
I have concluded that when Boris Johnson isn't running red-lights and cycling on the pavements, he does manage to do an awful lot of very silly things. I am beginnong to think we have gone an elected a total buffoon, who thankfully has announced to his people that he will be leaving us very shortly. Hopefullt before the next election
- Keith Price, Luton, England, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Boris is odds on with the bookies to be re-elected. People like him, simple really.
NEXT STOP NO.10, DEAL WITH IT.
- Undercover Elephant, Dole Farm, Crays Hill, Essex, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Carl, London. I have bad news for you mate, Krusty the Clown is a fictional cartoon character, so you can't vote for him. However, you're obviously a Red Ken fan, I'm sure that particular clown will be trying to clamber back on the gravy train in a few years time so you can once again waste your vote on him.
- Phil, London, UK, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Looks like the Socialist Workers Party have been busy on here. I wonder if any of them actually work as they seem to be posting during office hours. Well to offer some balance as a person that works for a living I appreciate the efforts of Boris. He has uncovered vast waste in city hall and frozen the council tax element for the first time ever in London and advised Dave to do the same nationally when he gets elected. He has protected the sight channel of St Pauls from Richmond Park which was going to be destroyed by Ken with highrises. He is sorting out kens deliberately created traffic jams by rephasing traffic lights, scrapping the western extension to the small business destroying congestion zone and given us an Aston Martin designed routemaster bus to replace the murdering and traffic jam causing bendy bus. He has also insisted kids need a pass to travel and threatened them with withdrawal if they dont behave and stopped louts drinking on the tube to make it safer for everyone. This is all things I approve of and have created this list of the top of my head in 5 mins. Good work Boris keep it up.
- Stuz Graz, Wimbledon, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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What has Boris actually done to clean up the expenses scandal in City Hall where Tory Cronies seem to have been having an ongoing party at the Taxpayers expense? I don't mean just doing the staged Cameron 'I'm so angry but I'm doing nothing about it' routine.
- R Roebuck, Acton England, 15/07/2009 21:19
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All you Boris moaners are no doubt lefties on benefits, go away and shut up. Boris is a million times better than that communist moron you support............
Look at it this way..................You lost..........
So suck it up and get over it..........................
carry on Boris your more fun and in tune and better that sour faced communist you beat................
- Themanoftruth, United Kingdom, 15/07/2009 21:19
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ANYTHING will be better than Brown and his New Labour crew of halfwits, charlatans and chancers.
- Ted, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Last week the oaoers said this about Cameron.
“But the fascination with bike-riding Cameron's '£30million' refuses to go away. As does gossip of his alleged personal family fortune, helped by the Mail on Sunday's disclosure that he paid off the £75,000 mortgage on the £1.5 million home in North Kensington, London, that he owns with his wife Samantha, after they took out a £350,000 taxpayer-funded HSBC mortgage on his designated Oxfordshire constituency second home.
While within the rules, this is precisely the kind of financial jiggery-pokery for which other MPs have been criticised in recent weeks, as details of the way they have abused their second homes allowances have been made public. “
His dealings will spring up again as the election approaches, and I don't believe the general public will trust him enough to want his party elected
- Keith Price, Luton, England, 15/07/2009 21:19
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I think Boris has been great for London.
He puts a smile on our faces, he appears to listen to the quiet majority, he sorts out the little things, bit by bit.
I don’t like to spend much time looking at the alternatives, but compared to his grandstanding, socialist-dystopia-building-obsessed predecessor, I think we should all be very grateful for having a mayor who want to do what is best for London rather than one who wants to do what is best for him and a few red flag mates.
Sure, Boris has had a few stumbles along the way, but don’t forget he’s had to dismantle a personal fiefdom created in his predecessor’s very specific image.
I look forward to seeing how London judges him after 4 years instead of one.
- St, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Boris has at least taken steps to keep our taxes down, and might be able to adopt even sounder policies when Dave gets in. Don't forget that the GLA, like local government, still has to comply with government policies such as trialling unwanted road pricing.
Boris should abandon barmy attempts to appease those who will never support him, such as over an amnesty for all the illegals (which will cost us billions according to Migrationwatch).
- Jools, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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I'm glad BJ thinks £250k is "chicken feed" because it means he hasn't got his snout in the trough, unlike Ken Livingstone's cronies. Because of alterations in their terms of employment, when BJ was elected and tried to sack Ken's cronies, the taxpayers had to fork out millions just to get rid of them. We also don't have the embarrassment of having an exhibitionist Mayor running around the World promoting an alternative foreign policy to the British Government.
Something else we don't have to endure any more is those ghastly free sheets regularly shoved through our letterbox informing us what a splendid chap Ken Livingstone is, and what a great job he's doing spending all our money. This is the money he kept overspending, and so had to dream up ever-more ingenious ways of extracting more from the public.
As for the Congestion Charge, dear Ken Livingstone had the contracts structured in such a way that it would cost more to terminate the contracts prematurely, and have to pay the contractors compensation, than to let the contracts run till expiry.
Bendy buses will go when alternatives are available. Ken Livingstone thoughtfully got rid of most of the Routemasters to delay this process as long as possible.
- Kate, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Its easy it pick on someone who's honest and actually tries to interact with his electorate. Boris isn't perfect, but at least you get a sense that he's aiming to implement sensible changes that the average londoner would appreciate. It will take time to make those necessary changes, to sort out the mess Ken and labour govt have created in this city, sadly it can't be done overnight or in a year. Lets try something different folks, get behind Boris, stop moaning, be constructive with the criticsm and realise the country is broke and money doesn't grow on the city's trees as Gormless Brown thought it did.
- Harsh But Fair, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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Boris has been a complete letdown. In the election he promised to ban tall buildings (they are still being built all over south london and hyde park), scrap bendy buses and put a routemaster bus back on the streets (not done) and cancel the olympics (they are still going ahead despite being ten times over budget and the logo being a complete embarrassment to the UK). He also hasn't removed the congestion charge and council tax is still too high. He needs to buck up his ideas and get London back before it was ruined by NuLab and Ken's cronies or we'll all suffer
- Peter, London, 15/07/2009 21:19
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