Livingstone defeated, London elects Lastmanesque Conservative

[ShonTron]

Controversial mayor of London ousted in vote

May 02, 2008 08:50 PM
David Stringer
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON–An eccentric Conservative lawmaker with a knack for offensive remarks ousted the left-wing mayor of London today in an upset that capped the governing Labour Party's worst local election showing in four decades.

Boris Johnson defeated Ken Livingstone in Labour's first test at the polls since then-prime minister Tony Blair last year handed the reins to Gordon Brown, who has since been dogged by accusations of indecision and incompetence.

Brown humbly pledged to heed the scathing verdict from voters, who voted for opposition candidates in more than 300 municipal council races.

Conservative leader David Cameron said his party's strong gains in the capital and in a long-time weak spot in northern England represented a key moment on the path to ousting Brown at the next national election, to be held before mid-2010.

Johnson, a former magazine editor, becomes the first Conservative to hold a high-profile national post since his party's overwhelming 1997 national election defeat by Labour, then led by Tony Blair.

"I do hope it shows that the Conservatives have changed into a party that can again be trusted," Johnson said, shortly after the result was announced.

Johnson offered lavish praise for his rivals and paid tribute to Livingstone's role in guiding London through the 2005 transit network bombings.

"Let's have a drink tonight, and let's get cracking tomorrow," Johnson told supporters, who cheered in delight.

Livingstone – a staunch leftist who courted Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and faced off with the U.S. Embassy for unpaid congestion charges – said the blame for his defeat must rest at his door, not Brown's.

Uncombed and often awkward, Johnson is known both his wit and for remarks that are have offended minority communities and others.

He called members of the Commonwealth "piccaninnies" – a derogatory term for black people, referred to Africans as having ``watermelon smiles," and likened his party's internal conflicts ``to Papua New Guinea-style orgies of cannibalism and chief-killing."

Johnson's scorn has also been directed at gay marriage, which became legal in Britain in 2005.

In his book "Friends, Voters, Countrymen," he said that if homosexuals could marry then why not "three men, as well as two men; or indeed three men and a dog."

Ex-party leader Michael Howard ordered Johnson to visit the northern city of Liverpool in 2004 to apologize after he wrote an editorial accusing the city's people of "wallowing" in victimhood after Liverpudlian Ken Bigley, who had been taken hostage in Iraq, was beheaded.

Johnson has cultivated a befuddled, rumpled image and was often seen clumsily riding his bicycle to Parliament.

His campaign billboards featured silhouettes of his iconic poses – scratching his unruly thatch of blond hair, ambling along a road with hands stuffed in wrinkled pockets, gesticulating wildly to make a debating point.

His first key test is likely to hinge on how he handles relations with China. As mayor, he'll be expected to attend at least part of the Beijing Olympics – and his party will hope he's able to avoid offending the hosts.

"Chinese cultural influence is virtually nil, and unlikely to increase," Johnson wrote in one of his several books – on subjects ranging from sports cars to Ancient Rome.

Results from the 159 local councils which held ballots in England and Wales on Thursday showed the Conservatives gaining 260 seats with Labour losing 333. The Liberal Democrats gained 34 seats.

Most results were announced Friday, but a high turnout in London – where around 5.5 million cast ballots – meant the count there continued until early Saturday.

[allabootmatt]

Heh. People here are either apoplectic or vaguely amused, it seems. I am sort of both. Boris is an utter clown, of course.

And I think a lot of Londoners take for granted the capital's stunning successes of the past few years, at least some of which are down to Ken. It will be interesting to see what happens. What is for sure, and a lot of Tories are apparently concerned about, is that Boris--someone who basically no one took even vaguely seriously until about two weeks ago--is now the most powerful Conservative in the country, bar none. Whether he succeeds in governing London will be a big factor in how the national party does in the 2009/10 elections.

[Admiral Beez]

Now, if he can only put a stop that that ridiculously huge mosque being built right next to the London Olympics site. The message it sends is crazy, welcome to Britain, where Muslims have blown up trains, attacked airport, terrorized a populace that is forced/coerced to bow to political correctness (IIRC, Livingstone and the chief of police have sanctioned anyone that uses the term Muslim instead of the generic terrorist) in refusing to question the Saudi-funded Islamification of the UK, and now taken over our Olympic venue.

[allabootmatt]

Islamification of the UK? Seriously? I don't find the UK so much Islamified as, er, chavified. Britain is hardly about to start spouting minarets. There are a few places in this country where the Muslim influence is very strong, and within those a few places where that influence is extreme. But let's not forget that the vast, vast majority of the UK is about as white-bread as Regina.

[Blovertis]

...ridiculously huge mosque...

Damn right. What makes those uppity Muslims think they can build mosques anywhere they want? Don't they know their place?

[Hydrogen]

Now, if he can only put a stop that that ridiculously huge mosque being built right next to the London Olympics site. The message it sends is crazy, welcome to Britain, where Muslims have blown up trains, attacked airport, terrorized a populace that is forced/coerced to bow to political correctness (IIRC, Livingstone and the chief of police have sanctioned anyone that uses the term Muslim instead of the generic terrorist) in refusing to question the Saudi-funded Islamification of the UK, and now taken over our Olympic venue.

Beez, honestly, the generalization presented here is so over the top it sounds xenophobic.

Are you, in fact, xenophobic?

[theman23]

Is this another case of people voting for the man they would most like to have a beer with, rather than the one who they think would do the best job? Another man elected for his personality? Because that is what it looks like from an outside perspective.

Beez, honestly, the generalization presented here is so over the top it sounds xenophobic.

Impossible, Beez is himself an immigrant.

And Blovertis, shame on you for selectively quoting!

[Blovertis]

Calling Johnson "Lastmanesque" seems to miss the mark a bit. Sure, they're both on the right and "colourful", but Johnson is a certified toff and was editor of the Spectator. Lastman was so embarrassing because he lacked intellectual heft of any kind.

Johnson seems to enjoy making statements that he calculates will be controversial. Lastman, the quintessential blithering idiot, said stupid things while displaying not even the dimmest awareness that he was saying stupid things.

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Now, if he can only put a stop that that ridiculously huge mosque being built right next to the London Olympics site. The message it sends is crazy, welcome to Britain, where Muslims have blown up trains, attacked airport, terrorized a populace that is forced/coerced to bow to political correctness (IIRC, Livingstone and the chief of police have sanctioned anyone that uses the term Muslim instead of the generic terrorist) in refusing to question the Saudi-funded Islamification of the UK, and now taken over our Olympic venue.

some americans look at europe and say that the secularization by atheists has provided an environment where islam is flourishing. they then use this as a reason why america must be a christian country in all aspects from prayer in school to the ten commandments on the court lawn. basically their strategy is to christianize the USA to the maximum extent to keep islamic influence low or non existent.

secularization leads to islamic control? this is a ridiculous position.

the real question is how would christianization prevent the spread of islam? burning crosses on front lawns? burning down of mosques? physical violence? deny rights & privileges that are given to others? ban all other religions but the state one? these would seem the only ways to stop the spread of islam.

the spread of islam has nothing to do with secularization and atheism. it has to do with affording everyone the same civil rights and immigration rights. so if you wanna stop their spread, you have to ban their religious rights and to be fair, you have to ban everyone else's religious rights or else you'd be no better of a nation as afghanistan under taliban rule.

also, it's the state sponsored perks that are afforded to religious groups such as tax statuses, funding for religious schools or tax credits for religious education, etc, you know, the same privileges that were given to christians which now have to be extended to other religious groups that are causing your problems. the extension of such perks are not a effort by secularists, they are an effort by religious folk who want them and religious folk who want to keep them. those who want them (perks) say "we want equality" and those who want to keep them (perks) say "we'll give you equality to keep them (perks)".

[Admiral Beez]

Beez, honestly, the generalization presented here is so over the top it sounds xenophobic.

Are you, in fact, xenophobic?

No. That said, I believe that the Saudis are building their giant mosque right next to the Olympic venue as a statement to the world of their follower's growing influence and power in the UK. There have been Muslims in the UK since the Moors, and I have no problem with that, as the UK is built upon immigration, and is in fact a role model for immigrant asslimation (vs. France, for example), from the Saxons from Germany, Romans, Gauls, Normans from France (well...Normandy), Danes, freed African slaves, Jews and Muslims, but this Saudi wahabi brand is a dangerous beast.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Islamic-Inva.../dp/0890819831

[Hydrogen]

Interesting, but why cite a book that suggests invasion when you were speaking to immigration? If I remember correctly, Catholicism was treated quite poorly in England for a very long time because of fears concerning allegiances to the papacy rather than the (always) unelected English regent.

A mosque is a building, and is an odd thing to fear.

[Admiral Beez]

It's not the invasion of immigrants, but the invasion of militant Islam that I fear for the UK. The Saudis are funding militant Imans all over the world, and especially in Europe. This is leading to a new Islam in Europe, one that surprises even established moderate Muslims. When those Jihadists blew up the London bus and subways and tried to attack the airport, after they were arrested (or scraped off) and identified, the parents of these attackers were, I believe, truly shocked. I remember one of the Jihadist's father saying he didn't understand where this came from, that they'd immigrated to the UK in the 1960s from Pakistan, do not consider themselves very religious, rarely attend mosque, but that suddenly his UK-born son started going to a militant mosque, and acting like a Taliban enforcer.

I do not fear the mosque, but who built it, and for what purpose, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...locked%27.html Per this article, the Saudi-backed organization building this mosque has a troublesome background, called "an ante-chamber for fundamentalism" by French security services.

It's amazing that in the 21st Century that the British police have to have a Forced Marriage Unit, in order to try to stop the hundreds of Muslims girls of strictly conservative parents who vanish from UK schools every year, http://education.guardian.co.uk/scho...891237,00.html It was only when one of these girls escaped and returned to the UK to ask why no one in government or the school board looked for her that this embarrassing case of neglect by political correctness was exposed.