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Ken’s achievements outweigh his flaws  Ken
Livingstone has been a friend of the Irish in London as the city’s
Mayor. But will he be returned to power in the forthcoming elections?
PAUL DONOVAN sums up the battle.
THE FIGHT for who will be elected Mayor of London on May 1 has been warming
up over recent weeks with some knives out for incumbent Ken Livingstone.
First, there was a series of articles written by Evening Standard reporter
Andrew Gilligan pointing out possible irregularities concerning the conduct
of the Mayor’s race and policing advisor Lee Jasper.
The accusations against Jasper refuse to go away and look set to be investigated
by the Greater London Assembly (GLA).
A less significant attack came in the form of a Channel 4 Dispatches programme
fronted by New Statesman political editor Martin Bright.
The programme was so one-sided against the Mayor that few seem to have
taken it seriously.
More significant has been the drip-drip effect of the various allegations
against Livingstone.
The Evening Standard has been implacably opposed to Mayor Livingstone
since its present editor Veronica Wadley took over from Max Hastings.
In the past, the Mayor has been able to offset the Standard’s opposition
by courting coverage on BBC and ITN local news programmes.
There have been signs though of these outlets and bigger players like
Radio 4’s Today programme beginning to join in an anti-Ken crusade.
There are no doubt some serious accusations that need to be answered by
the Mayor. One concern for many Londoners will be the steadfast way in
which he has stood by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir
Ian Blair and his handling of the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
But these concerns are minor compared to the very real achievements.
The imposition of the congestion charge first in central London and then
extended to the wider western zone was a bold political move.
It was widely opposed at the time but the Mayor had the courage and vision
to push the policy through.
This move has taken traffic out of the centre of London and improved air
quality.
More recently the Mayor has imposed a £200-a-day charge on polluting
lorries coming into London.
From October, polluting cars — mainly of the 4x4 variety —
will be charged £24 in the congestion zone. Environmentally-friendly
cars will incur no fee.
The Mayor has massively improved the bus network, while a central plank
of Conservative opponent and cyclist Boris Johnson has been his opposition
to bendy buses.
Significantly, Mayor Livingstone has proved himself to be a politician
who has not only seen the danger that global warming represents but shown
he is also prepared to take action to counter it — no matter how
unpopular.
The Mayor was central to winning the bid for the 2012 Olympics which will
bring prosperity to much of east London.
There are also opportunities for Irish construction companies to profit
from the work available as a result.
A day after the successful Olympic bid was announced the Mayor proved
himself a good leader at the time of the London bombings of July 7, 2005
— managing to pull together all the different communities of the
capital.
He also reached out to the Muslim community and its leaders by hosting
the visit of Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi to London. Unpopular in many quarters,
the Mayor’s actions regarding the visit were in many ways reminiscent
of his initiative in the 1980s when as leader of the GLC he invited Gerry
Adams over to speak.
Groups representing the Muslim community have already pledged their backing
for Livingstone and there will be few among the ethnic minorities generally
opposing the incumbent come May 1.
Mayor Livingstone has been good for the Irish community in London. The
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations have become one of the biggest events
in the London calendar.
The Mayor also commissioned research into the true nature of the Irish
community in the capital and the challenges it faces.
This threw up important data such as an under-reading of the number of
people of Irish orientation resulting from the last Census.
There was also data showing Irish people were more likely to be among
the long-term ill than others in London.
The Irish were also found to have lower rates of home ownership than average
with higher proportions in social rented accommodation.
The main opposition to Livingstone comes from Conservative candidate Johnson
and Liberal Democrat candidate Brian Paddick.
Both Johnson and former Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Paddick
are strong on the need for more police on the streets, the buses and everywhere
else.
Johnson also wants to cut paperwork for the police very much along the
lines of the recommendations made in the recent report from former Royal
Ulster Constabulary Police Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
Paddick believes that Sir Ian Blair should go as Met Police Commissioner.
Johnson does make some good points such as the scandal of healthcare in
London that means that a child born in Haringey is three-times more likely
to die at birth than a child born in Richmond and that if you travel eight
stops on the Jubilee Line, from Westminster to Canning Town, the average
life expectancy of the surrounding communities declines by eight years.
The Mayor’s office though does not have power over healthcare provision.
The Tory candidate also commits to affordable housing but is weak on delivery,
just saying that he will seek to work in partnership with local councils.
There is also nothing said about the rented sector.
Among the other parties, the Greens have some good ideas such as free
insulation for homes, more use of renewable energy sources and cutting
fares on public transport.
But Mayoral candidate Sian Berry has little chance of winning.
Of more consequence for the Irish community would be to secure the election
as a Green Party member of the GLA of Limerick-born Noel Lynch.
Lynch did a good job for the Irish community when last elected but he
lost out in 2004.
This time he is hopeful he can get elected and serve the Irish community
at City Hall.
Lynch has also significantly urged Green Party supporters to put Livingstone
as their second preference in the vote for Mayor.
So it is all to play for in the elections for London Mayor and membership
of the GLA.
Mayor Livingstone has a good record and no doubt will get many Irish people’s
votes.
There are, though, other good ideas coming forth from different parties
— especially some of the smaller groupings like the Greens.
The May elections certainly seem likely to stimulate some interesting
debates over the next few months. |
