2 posts tagged “elections”
Soon London will be at the polls to elect our next mayor. The problem is, Boris Johnson is running.
Now, I think Boris is a brilliant, funny man. He makes a great TV presenter and while I may not agree with his views, a good editor. His unique style in politics is refreshing.
However, he's not capable of running a city like London.
Take his idea for the Routemaster buses. He hasn't got a plan – he's going to run a competition if he gets elected. That's the first problem. Secondly, for the designer to be able to make them wheelchair and buggy friendly, the design will have to be radically different. They will not be the classic Routemaster buses that we all know and love. A modern version will not be a Routemaster, just an imitation. They won't be as good and we may as well kept our bendy buses, rather than spending £100 million. Or, as Ken is planning, spending on hybrid buses to make our city cleaner.
One of Boris' main objections is the new £25 Congestion charge. This will apply to so few people it really doens't matter, but, he claims that it effects many family-sized cars and they cannot afford to pay. First of all, if you have to drive into the congestion zone, then you can afford it. Secondly, if my father's 2.2 litre Alfa Romeo doesn't have to pay, then I can think of a great deal many other cars you could buy that are perfectly suitable. If you insist of driving a 4.2 litre Range Rover, then you can afford £25 a day. And you should pay.
Boris says that he will run a proper consoltation over the western extention of the congestion charge zone and if any residents veto it, it will be remove. Of course somebody will! If we ran consoltations where one person objected, the congestion zone would shrink to one house.
Yes Boris is a great guy and I can think of nobody better to do my wedding speech, present Have I Got News For You or have dinner with – but don't let him run a great city.
I've been to the United States of America a few times and really enjoyed my time. I've been skiing in New England, trekking in California, riding trams in San Francisco and discovered my favourite city away from London – New York.
I am aware that whoever the next President of the US is will have a small effect on my life. Not that massive, but if you elect an idiot who believes war is a good thing, then I think I can see where this is going. Hopefully our new PM has the balls to tell the President to go fuc...
But why, oh why should I give a pig's ear about these preliminary elections? Today, Hilary won something – Ohio or some other vegetable – and it is the main headline for all the major newspapers. Why? It doesn't mean anything – she can still loose. She could win this, but loose out to becoming President. It has no effect on the way I feel, the way I act or anything that I could ever possibly care or think about.
Today, MPs will be voting on whether we have a referendum about the EU treaty. This has serious effects on what happens to this country. If they vote to have a referendum, the public will undoubtedly vote against it because they're a bunch of pathetic morons who follow whatever the red-topped tabloids print (i.e. a load of bollocks) and we'll be even further away from Europe. Prices will remain artificially high, it'll push back joining the euro and it just makes look like a load of backwards thinking toffs. And how important a headline is that? The Guardian don't even consider it that, and the Times have it hidden away in the politics section.
Things are out of proportion.
