London 2012 Olympics

Um, bollocks.
Usual right-wing drivel. Read it in the Standard? Any of the Murdoch titles perhaps?
Some bullshit journalism in one of the Tory rags anway. Gilligan per chance?

Yeah I despise Boris Johnson and despair at anyone taken in by his relentless self-serving PR campaign.
He's a nasty dangerous little fuck.

What a well-reasoned and researched political counter argument

They spent ages poring over all the evidence and concluded jasper had no case to answer. Boris had The Evening Standard in his pocket, and it seems some people still believe the lies. Boris rewarded Veronica Wadley with a cushy job after her help in a viciously dishonest campaign.

Sorry, edited my post when I saw you'd already posted on this - was going to link to something, but thought better of it.

I don't get the either/or nature of this debate.

Brixton Splash kicked Jasper out, made for a better party

I don't get the either/or nature of this debate.

Me neither.
Both of them are pretty terrible.
I still think Boris's thank you speech was funny though,

Enough of this fucking shite!

Politics thread >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

What a well-reasoned and researched political counter argument

An equal and opposite response to your rant.
You then go and quote the Daily Mail. No agenda there. Oh no....
Massive Lols

^ Ad Hominem argument

bog snorkling

this was the olympics thread right ?

Post-Olympic comedown kicking in hard then boys?

In that clip of Boris dancing like character from a Yellow Submarine, he has this look on his face as if he thinking I can't believe I'm getting away with this shit!.

And he's right. Stop looking at him, look the fuckwits of his electorate

Post-Olympic comedown kicking in hard then boys?

Yep. I am bored and want moar cycling.
Sorry for trolling, everyone, but it's more fun than writing code.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/its-actually-not-that-big-a-deal-everyone-tells-bolt-2012081037928

^^^^ Yep
^^^ Yep
^^ Yep
^ agreed.

The trouble is, 'a pox on all their houses' is not a neutral position. It hands power to those who don't need your democratic support to grasp it.

You hate Boris Johnson? Well the only reason he won two elections was because Ken Livingstone was the alternative.

If Labour put up a credible candidate for mayor next time they will wipe the fucking floor with Boris and his political career will be well and truly over.

This is sadly all too true. At a time when the country was swinging against members of the coalition, Johnson maintained a Conservative majority ina traditionally Labour city. OK, his vote was tiny but fewer people turned out to vote against him and this is primarily because few people could find it in themselves to vote for Livingstone. Labour should have learnt the lesson of the last mayoral election and developed a fresh and inspiring candidate.

Sadly now Johnson is using this platform to play Yeltsin to Cameron's Gorbachov. Don't expect him to stop any tanks but do expect more dodgy dancing and an attempt to oust Cameron. And then be very scared.

"Boris Yentzing".

shudders

I was going to say that in a general election he would be up against a credible Labour candidate but then I remembered he would at present be up against Glen Steve Ed Milliband.

Well if the Tories don't call an election soon to capitalise on the good weather and the post Olympic they're doomed. And we'll be doomed to have Pob as Prime Minister.

^^ Not a presidential contest though is it?
He'd be representing the Conservative Party who are ridiculous, clueless asshats.

#nottrollingohno

Fuck me. Are we arguing about politicians being cunts
All politicians are cunts. End of. The fact that you want to be one makes you a cunt. Whats to argue about?

^ Directed at me? If so, then yeah, fuck you. the fact that your comment is so clueless makes you a prick.

If not, as you were.

Jaja.

Finally a good political fight!

I've been out all afternoon and missed it.

I don't trust or like Ken, and I don't trust or like Boris. Give me Jenny any day.

As for whether the Mayor of London has powers, certainly enough to transform transport which should be an issue very close to the hearts of cyclists (and pedestrians) given that, without hyperbole, it is the difference between life and death.

I despise the RideLondon2013 shit because it presents itself as "Olympic Legacy", when really it offloads the responsibility for a coherent sustainable transport policy onto an annual event, and yet fails to deliver (as RPM pointed out) anything in the way of an actual sports legacy.

The Mayor has a responsibility for transport and could make a very big difference, yet a two day party is not what we want or need. As for sports legacy, this doesn't even begin to deliver.

It is fairly easy to rip apart the track record of Boris Johnson on transport, and whilst Ken has a better record it still has big holes in it. Jenny Jones on the other hand has never had the pleasure of that role, yet her deep involvement in Road Peace shows how much she genuinely cares and gets deeply involved in the issues and tries to find solutions or at least to support the various bodies that are trying to work towards solutions.

One thing that the Olympics has proven, is that it is possible to massively reduce the volume and speed of cars within London without harming London's ability to operate. That the rail network can cope (and with extra investment would be a pleasure), and that Londoners are willing to cycle and walk (and with more people doing both it can be much safer).

I think the Olympics will make it hard for politicians to actually argue otherwise in the future. And because of that there is now very little reason against proposing a far more radical transport shake-up than has been considered for a while.

I may not wholly subscribe to the Dutch campaign of the LCC, but the fundamental fact that what the Dutch achieved was achieved in the last 30 years does show that with real backing and investment we could achieve big things.

I guess for me, I want leaders who lead... those who think big. But those who think big in ways that transform the lives of the citizens within their ward (Greater London in this instance) by making the people happier and healthier.

I don't want or feel a need for an airport in the Thames Estuary, that isn't a useful thinking big... that's just trying to invent a gravy train for all your mates. I want thinking big as in "get half of Londoners on bikes, reduce the NHS cost as a result of good health, and lengthen lives". Cycling made me love London and live healthier... do that for Londoners and make us proud to have a Mayor that delivers that.

I'd also love if the Mayor thought of other things. Did you know Rio has no outdoor advertising at all? It's been banned. It was considered a form of visual pollution. That's magical... and it didn't kill the advertising industry, or small businesses... it just transformed advertising into something else and put it indoors (inside shops and malls).

The free museums are ace too. I'm all for hospitals and schools, but culture should be accessible to all and now is.

The Mayor has very real powers. Powers to make a city believe in itself and live well.

Boris doesn't deliver and only thinks of his mates, and Ken was a wholly different kind of clown before him (though I agree he does have more integrity).

I was greatly saddened to see the last election was between two caricatures of their past, rather than politicians with a real agenda for London and for Londoners that saw way beyond the term of office and would lay the foundations for a great city of the future.

Post-Olympic comedown kicking in hard then boys?

Fear not, X Factor starts again soon so the nation will return to caring deeply about bullshit of no consequence.