http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7978280.stm

Nice one Boris you’ve proved you’re an intelligent mouth. 😈

did no one else see the documentary about him last night?

it was rather biased but you couldnt help but agreeing he was a corrupt egomaniac

and this was borris talking about beating up a journalist
borris:
“I’ll be **** furious if you hurt him too bad”
headcase:
“No Boris – just a couple of black eyes and bruised ribs.”

Meh. I’d have done the same.

London is never going to deal with freak weather that well, no-one wants to shell out for the specialist equipment to deal with stuff that hardly ever happens.

Shock horror, for 2 or 3 days every quarter century doing what you can with grit might not be enough to allow business to continue as usual. Deal with it.

Shock horror, politician dislikes attempts made to make a party political scapegoat out of them.

Shock horror, the whole non situation is whipped up into a frenzy by the media.

Turned off the documentary, it was like a party political broadcast for the opposition. I have no problems with people being criticised but that was far to one sided.

As chairman of the London Transport he is supposed to organise their daily running? What a farce. While he may well accept responsibility for his staff not sorting out a bette response (could they have MADE a better response, i am not sure?) it’s not the chairmans job to be calling up to make sure everyone is working correctly. That’s like suggesting the chairman of BT should be personally calling each exchange to check they’re prepared for the onslaught of calls for red nose day.

And the documentary was so utterly biased as to be inadmissable as anything but propaganda by the opposition.

Snow happens, sometimes services are affected – its a fact of life.

I think the clue as to why London was so ill prepared for the snow in Feb. lies in the answer which Boris Johnson gave the committee when asked what action he had taken. “I observed that it had started to snow” he answered. Obviously the Mayor of London thinks thinks that he is a comedian and that his job is in fact, just one big comedy act.

Comedy is a fine and honourable profession, but I’m not entirely convinced it offers the best qualifications for the serious business of running one of the largest cities on earth.

I was also interested in this : “he left partway through giving an answer.” That is the behaviour that one would expect from a stroppy child.

So we have a person who is childish and believes that wise-cracks are the best way to deal with serious questions concerning why they didn’t do what they were suppose to do, running London. And people ask why London was in a mess ? 😯

.

Shock horror, politician dislikes attempts made to make a party political scapegoat out of them.

Where exactly do you get that idea from anotherdeadhero ?

The Transport Select Committee is a cross-party committee on which the Labour Party has a majority of only one.

What Boris Johnson “disliked” was being held accountable for the failure to deal with what was probably the most predicted snowfall I have ever known – my cycling club arranged for an off-road evening bike ride the week before, in anticipation of the heavy snowfalls ffs.

Here you are – from our forum 4 days before the snow arrived :

** SNOWY ** mtb night ride Mon 2nf Feb
by Sylv » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:34 am

Well hopefully

As there’s been loads of interest for the return of the night rides recently, why not try kick off things with one next Monday in what should be challenging but fun conditions;

Will be a 11-mile loop starting from East Croydon station at 7.30pm.

You’ll need good lights (not just small LEDs), I have one spare set to lend

Don’t worry there’s very little road, and fresh snow is very grippy with mtb tires

Let me know if you’re coming; I’ll also send an email around

If there’s enough snow we can secretly ride on a golf course or two ..

What was Boris Johnson doing over the weekend before the snow arrived ? Aparantly waiting to “observe that it had started to snow”

Boris Johnson is a politician who doesn’t like to be held accountable. Preferring instead, to rely on wise-cracks and storming off in a childish strop.

The people of London voted – they asked for a joke and a buffoon. In fact, and I’m disappointed for them, they got much worse.

“I ****ing told you I wouldn’t be good on detail”

Yes Boris, we kinda knew that, we just didn’t realise you “wouldn’t be good” at anything at all…apparently, you did quite a funny article on how the weak pound was affecting your family skiing trip. Good show old chap.

T0sser.

The people of London voted – they asked for a joke and a buffoon. In fact, and I’m disappointed for them, they got much worse.

“I ****ing told you I wouldn’t be good on detail”

Yes Boris, we kinda knew that, we just didn’t realise you “wouldn’t be good” at anything at all…apparently, you did quite a funny article on how the weak pound was affecting your family skiing trip. Good show old chap.

T0sser. Yep!

Just imagine what the Dave & George show’ll be like if they win the next General Election – oh dear.

I’m waiting for Captain EveningStandard’s view.

He clearly feels he doesn’t have to do a good job. He knows he has a perfectly good financial safety net and no repuation to protect.

I think the clue as to why London was so ill prepared for the snow in Feb.

London is always going to be unable to cope with heavy snow. Happily it occurs on a vanishingly small number of occassions. I suggest you deal with this fact. I suspect Boris has made his peace with it too.

If heavy snow happened every winter for weeks or months at a time, yet the mayor made no effort to make provision for this, I’d agree that was grounds for dismissal.

Comedy is a fine and honourable profession, but I’m not entirely convinced it offers the best qualifications for the serious business of running one of the largest cities on earth.

If you ask a stupid question, you can’t be too surprised when you get a stupid answer. I’d prefer to have a chap in charge who has the balls to do that. It was hardly insightful questioning, more a cheap shot.

I was also interested in this : “he left partway through giving an answer.” That is the behaviour that one would expect from a stroppy child.

He said he’d be there for 40 minutes, he was there for 40 minutes. If the Ctte failed to make effective use of him in that time, hard luck. The man does have a city to run.

Where exactly do you get that idea from anotherdeadhero ?

If you are going to admonish someone for failing their duty, first you have to prove that they actually did fail in their duty. In jumping straight into personal sniping, I think the Ctte was more of a farce than Boris and frankly, I think he dealt with it in precisely the correct terms.

The Transport Select Committee is a cross-party committee on which the Labour Party has a majority of only one.

I’m aware of that thanks.

my cycling club arranged for an off-road evening bike ride the week before, in anticipation of the heavy snowfalls ffs.

Just becuase some guys on pushbikes can go riding in the snow, dosn’t mean it is sensible to continue to operate a fleet of buses in conditions that put at significant and severe risk, the lives of hundreds of people.

It seems to me, that the mayor’s office were well aware of the forecast, had set in motion all possible countermeasures, and quite rightly removed services when they proved inoperable in the conditions.

London does not exist in a bubble, immune to everything. It has to run to a budget, that budget cannot cover all possible contingencies, so those that hardly ever happen, and happen for a breif period of time rightly get set aside. London exists on planet earth, it may just have to deal with the weather like the rest of us.

Who would have thought London would elect the village idiot as the Mayor…

ShinyRedOrange – Member
Who would have thought London would elect the village idiot as the Mayor…

They did. What was incredible is that they then voted him back in again! Thankfully that was rectified at the last mayoral election and an intelligent mayor was elected instead of a buffoon pretending to be clever.

Hmmmm. Village idiot or Village crook?

Tough choice

I dont like most of Boris Johnsons policies. Ie getting rid of the western extension to the congestion zone.

But this is ridiculous. Hes right if there had been 30 accidents already shutting down the buses for 1 day was a good idea.

They were back up by Tuesday morning.

I fail to see what the problem is ? As previously mentioned 1 day lost every 25 years. Is nothing.

What do those flaming him expect him to do ?

The snow fell extremely quickly over night and as far as Im aware the even the roads that were gritted the snow covered them ?

I walked to work that day which was fine but cycling to work the next few days I felt especially vulnerable. There could be ice any where.

The whole structure of london and peoples lives in it is nt designed to cope with large snow falls.

Where there any deaths that day involving london transport vehicles (mainly buses) ? Not as far as I am aware. Job Done in my opinion if some one had died after been hit by a bus if they’d continued to run them there’d be national outrage.

Does Boris still refer to black people as “piccaninnies” with “watermelon smiles”?

I’d have to agree that since London hasn’t had snow like that for almost 20 years the councils/GLA would have cut back on the equipment required to clear it.

Thankfully that was rectified at the last mayoral election and an intelligent mayor was elected instead of a buffoon pretending to be clever.

Oh CFH, an intelligent mayor would of had intelligent answers and fought his corner, but instead he behaved like a “buffoon”, got up and walked out.

Oh CFH, an intelligent mayor would of had intelligent answers and fought his corner, but instead he behaved like a “buffoon”, got up and walked out.

Seems a pretty intelligent response to me. I doubt he’d have got anywhere with reason or arguing ‘his’ corner.

im shocked and horrified that adh is so shocked and horrified.

From what I read somewhere, didn’t he say that he would give them X minutes, then leave exactly X minutes after he arrived.

Ok, he could have given them a little leeway, but you have to admit that he is punctual.

What was Boris Johnson doing over the weekend before the snow arrived ? Aparantly waiting to “observe that it had started to snow”

Presumably he assumed that the people who work for him and are meant to watch the weather, check and line up the gritters to go in bad weather etc were doing their job properly? Hardly reasonable to expect a head honcho to double check the trucks are heading out on a day to day basis.

I’m not shocked and horrified, I’m having fun 😀

coffeeking – I don’t think he assumed anything, they were out and they were doing their job properly …

Hardly reasonable to expect a head honcho to double check the trucks are heading out on a day to day basis.

Well were this referring to a normal day then I’d say that you’d have a point, however given that this was a “once in twenty year event” that had been forecast well in advance then no I don’t think that it’s unreasonable to expect a head honcho to actually do something other than look out the window. Whether or not there was actually anything else that could be done is another question. His subsequent behaviour has however been petulant to say the least.

Boris is useless, as I pointed out on this very forum, before the media elected him. Run London? I doubt he could run a bath, without someone to ‘advise’ him.

Apart from coming up with a couple of populist ideas (a new routemaster (something that Ken was looking at anyway), and a St. George’s Day festival), what has he actually done, that Ken’s regime haddunt started anyway, that has really benefitted London?

Bugger all, really. He’s too busy trying to line his own, and his slimy cronies pockets. Useless Tory Puppet. I can’t imagine someone more out of touch with real London and it’s people.

Ah well; he’ll screw himself up anyway, it’s only a matter of time.

Actually, he does have a use; to show people just how out of touch and self-serving the Tories really are.

Red Ken Cha Cha Cha!

Seems a pretty intelligent response to me. I doubt he’d have got anywhere with reason or arguing ‘his’ corner.

It would have been up to whoever was listening to decide that. This little committee meeting would have gone largely unnoticed had it not been for Boris getting up and walking out when he had run out of answers, intelligent or otherwise.

All he has done is draw the wrong kind of attention to himself and possibly shown people the lack of responsibility he has.

He’s too busy trying to line his own, and his slimy cronies pockets.

Whatever happened to all that money that nice man Lee Jasper and chums got their hand on then?

Dunno, Flashy, but he’s facing whatever the Law can do him for, I’m sure. And he was actually there for a while, whereas 2 of Boris’ mates were sacked after only a couple of weeks, right at the start!

Lee Jasper is a slimy nasty self-serving ****, though. He let Ken and London down. Not Ken’s fault though.

Ken did what he thought was best for London. Boris gets told what to do, by Conservative Party Central Office. Who don’t give a stuff about most people in London.

Actually I think Boris is so laughable I would be surprised if the Torys were happy to have him in the headlines. I bet Cameron is crapping it every time Boris opens his mouth.

But what acutally depresses me more is the fact that he was voted in. That either means Ken was worse or the public are not fit to vote. Its the latter I reckon.

But, RB, Ken stood by his man. Judge a man by his friends, perhaps? Boris at least ousted people that didn’t stack up.

But what acutally depresses me more is the fact that he was voted in. That either means Ken was worse or the public are not fit to vote. Its the latter I reckon.

Oh dear.

Get over it. The corrupt twunt lost because people voted for someone who they wanted to vote for. Do not insult the electorate.

After all, one could have said the very same about Bliar when he was voted in, especially second and third time round. I wouldn’t. The majority vote was to Bliar, that does not make the majority of those voters unfit to vote.

I’m no fan of Boris, but this wasn’t the issue to tackle him over – as others have said, sometimes the weather is too bad to be worth bothering to cope with. Provided that it is only a rare event, he acted correctly and hasn’t wasted money on a blue moon event.

I get the impression that a lot of this was cos it was in the city – I was chatting to a woman the other day who lives in an isolated Peak District village who hadn’t been able to use her car for 10 days in the winter snowfall – steep hills, narrow lanes, no gritters or public transport. She hada slightly more laid back attitude about some weather disruption.

He showed support for a colleague, albeit one who let him down. And Ken suspended Jasper, remember? Jasper did at least have a reasonable record before taking up the job. Ray Lewis was blatantly dodgy before he started! Everyone but Boris knew this, of course. Boris had to get rid of him to save further embarrassment.

Don’t bother trying to defend Boris. He’s a numpty, to put it mildly, and not fit for the job. And you know it.

BRING BACK KEN!

I still dont think the public should be allowed to vote – they vote for reasons that have little to do with running the city / country / economy whatever.

A panel of experts with good track records should choose someone.

Its like seeing the doctory, you seek his advice, you dont tell him what drugs you reckon you should have because they sound good, or the advert was good, or they come in a blue packet or were made in the UK.

What exactly is the problem? He walsked out of a hearing that seemed more intetested in political point scoring than in solving any problems or answering any questions.
Was it because London got caught out by some snow? Ooooh, we can’t have the centre of the universe grinding to a halt can we? here in Scotland, it snows. It snows every year, without fail. We have gritters and salt on standby. yet this year, the snow was heavier than usual and some councils were caught out and ran short of salt. It happens. We expect coucils to save money, they do what they can, and that includes holding borderline supplies of salt. Holding supplies of salt and having gritter drivers on standby (paying them wages) costs money. Doubtless, had money been spent stockpiling salt and paying gritter drivers to sit at hme and drink tea Boris the Buffoon would been blamed for wasting money and you would be on here blaming him for the credit crunch.
Moan, moan, moan , moan, whine, complain, moan whine, whinge. London moaning, there’s nothing like it.

I’m glad he’s not running my town that’s for sure – the fact that he actively supported George Ws first Election campaign & then [when we all knew what he was like] supported his re-election – pretty much sums him up for me

The voters of London seem to have got Norman Tebbit in clown’s uniform – I’m not sure if that’s what they were expecting or wanting

And actually, as slimy as Jasper may be, he has in fact been cleared of any offence or wrongdoing.

Boris is propperly dodgy, though.

So what should Boris have done ? Part the snow in a Moses red sea stylee ?

whats the betting borris arranges to have the comittee beaten up by one of his posh angry mates…..
just a black eye and a bust rib!

Oh dear.

CaptainFlashheart – Member

Judge a man by his friends, perhaps?

Flashy? Care to comment?

😆

Awesomes.