Caught an item on the radio to-day where Red Ken got a taxi from the Labour Party Conference (I think, didn't get it all) back to London at a cost of £240, the tab to be picked up by London's taxpayers. Seems he couldn't use public transport as he was in a hurry to attend "Some Important Meetings".
That's all right then.
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Course it is. He's a vital cog in the UK machine. We should hold our heads in shame for not providing a helicopter.
What was he doing there? I thought they didn't like him.
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He's a politician. Everyone knows it's don't do as I do, do as I say.
Change is inevitable -- progress is optional.
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It was his way of ensuring he conributed his fair share of HOT AIR to the debate !!
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The voters of London deserve him, after all they voted him in, although I suspect it was the rent dodgers who made up his majority.
Whenever we see some pontificating self important individual on a TV debate telling us to get out of our cars and on to public transport doesn't it make you want to ask him/her how they got to the studio and if they own a car?.
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In a quote I saw it was said that the car was used because it was "more practical" than going by train.
Now he gets it.
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Ahhm, the choice? S**gg*r Norris, Archer & Dobbin? Errr Livingstone I presume. Anyway, do we want him on the road (thus admitting that public transport is not an option) or what?
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The people of London didn't vote him in 'cos the majority didn't vote at all and if you'd seen the list of candidates you'd understand why !
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Look here, Dumbo, I'll spell it out:
Taxis are permitted to use bus lanes
Therefore they are public transport
Ken travelled by taxi
Therefore he travelled by public transport
Q.E.D.
What's your problem?
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"Ken travelled by taxi
Therefore he travelled by public transport"
Maybe, but proper public transport wouldn't have had to make a 240 mile return journey - presumably with no passengers - having dropped Our Kenneth at his bijou London pad.
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Precisely.
My, perhaps too subtle, point was that treating taxis as public transport and giving them the same road use rights is illogical.
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If people are mug enough to vote for him in the first place, knowing his political leanings & mandate, more fool them. You ought to see the photo in the D.Telegraph. Why does he always look so smug?
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>Why does he always look so smug?
When he started he was a FULL TIME MP on about £45k AND a FULL TIME Mayor, on about £83k (reduced by about 10% becuase he was still an MP). You'd look smug too! So much for equality, and socialism.
I still wonder how come he didn't have to resign one of his full time jobs, or on the other hand, how he had time to sleep, or does that say something about our esteemed governors??
Richard
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"I still wonder how come he didn't have to resign one of his full time jobs"
Mark or Martyn will probably delete this because I'm having trouble thinking of a suitable motoring link, but it seems that a quite a few of our representatives sit in Westminster, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Brussels and Belfast at the same time.
Ah: and sometime travel between them by car (motoring link) (Or taxi in Ken's case.)
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It's all very logical really. With this latest episode by Ken Livingstone, he is adding his bit to the efforts of the Railway Companies (and, in particular, Midland Mainline who have deterred thousands of motorists from even trying out the debacle which most train journeys are, by "issuing facsimile parking fine notifications, see my previous note) to get the message across that in these first few years of the 21st Century, travel by public transport is not an option and that the car represents the best, safest,and most satisfactory method of transportion.
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But at least Ken would have got the tube to his meeting this morning wouldn't he?????????
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Don't think so.........I read somewhere he spends five grand a year on London taxis.
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And...........
See what you mean, BrianW.
I'm easily confused..........................
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This might go somewhat against my anti public transport rant which I will post on my Heathrow thread later when I get home. (Bit of advertising build up there while I generate a good bate as I've been looking at the relative costs at lunchtime today.)
;-)
I seem to recall that quite a few years ago someone, probably the AA, calculated the cost per mile of running a newish car. They concluded that if one was likely to do less than 3000 miles per year it was actually cheaper to have a taxi on every occasion one would otherwise have used the car. This included the school run, shopping etc etc. Maybe with prices higher today this figure is higher / lower, does anyone know?
Therefore I assume Mr Congestion charging would smugly justify this £240 as one of those rare occasions when it looks absurd if the journey is looked at individually but in the overall scheme maybe he could justify it.
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The only thing that surprises me about all this is that anyone's surprised by Ken's antics.
After all rather than occupy an existing building (of which we are told there are many in London) in a deprived area which would benefit from the jobs, spin-offs etc. the first thing he does is to set plans in motion for a grand 'palace' on the Thames lavishly equipped and paid for at our expense !
Nothing he does will ever surprise me - unless of course he should decide to resign !
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They are all the same. I'm not surprised nobody voted - it only encourages them!
Anyway the poll tax system makes sure that people don't register to vote and as we alluded to earlier in this thread - what choice did Londoners have?
Archer before he and flagrant Mary came unstuck, Dobbin Dobson, Sh*gger Norris and a nice Liberal lady whose name nobody can recall (which is why presumably why she didn't win).
Never mind - Tony Banks to the rescue! Not.
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On a recent programme regarding Tony Banks and his forthcoming challenge to become Mayor it repeatedly described him as once being Ken's closest friend...
Why did he appear to flinch when this was said?, and not appear to be too enthusiastic with this label.
After all you can still be mate's.......
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