Ken does it again, but maybe his time will be up soon

Does Ken Livingstone even care about appearances any more? Last Friday, Ken blocked the appointment of seven Conservative appointees and three Lib Dem appointees to the London Fire Authority but allowed the five Labour appointees to stand as well as the one Conservative woman appointee and one each from the Green and One London parties. What was the problem with the rejected members? Did they have a criminal record? Had they supported terrorism or the killing of homosexuals? No, they were white and male, a heinous crime in Ken-land. Ken said "It is unacceptable that when there are 1,861 councillors in London, of which 555 are women and 293 from black, Asian and ethnic minority groups, all seven Conservative nominees are white and include only one woman, and all three Liberal Democrat nominees are white men... To fulfil my duty to promote genuine equality I have decided not to accept these unrepresentative nominees and to ask those who are making these nominations to ensure that they reflect London as it really is."

The Conservative chairman of London Councils, Merrick Cockell, said "It is disappointing that the Mayor has rejected two pensioners, an openly gay councillor and a councillor under 30 as being 'unrepresentative' of London's diverse communities... The fact remains these councillors were democratically elected by London's diverse communities." Yes Merrick but how many were black or Muslim, that's what Ken wants to see.

The Lib Dem leader on the authority, Mike Tuffrey, said "It is not for the Mayor to dictate to the other parties who they appoint." Mike, you silly boy, it is always up to Ken to tell everyone what to do or say; he is Mayor for life you know, well I am sure he thinks he is.

Councillor Ed Butcher told Pink News that "I have always considered my sexuality as secondary to my ability to scrutinise the Fire Brigade's performance and ensure it is ready to respond to emergencies on behalf of all Londoners... But if the Mayor wants to make a point about diversity, it is quite astounding that he has refused to appoint me for not being diverse enough... London has the highest gay population in the country but it seems the Mayor thinks they do not deserve representation... Ken Livingstone can now add gay and lesbians to the lists of groups and minorities he has personally offended." Don't worry Ed, maybe Ken was trying to follow the teachings of his friend Yusuf al-Qaradawi; you're lucky Ken hasn't suggested 100 lashes or death by stoning for you, those being the preferred punishments for homosexuals according to Yusuf al-Qaradawi and others of his ilk.

The Conservative and Lib-Dems plan to re-submit the same names and see what happens, I will keep you updated. Interestingly, BBC London news are not covering this although Vanessa Feltz covered the topic on her Radio London programme today although I only heard the first 10 minutes.


As to Ken's time being up soon, the House of Lords today voted to restrict the maximum number of terms the London Mayor can serve to two. This would mean that London would be rid of Ken at the next election. It is a shame that the House of Commons will no doubt reverse the decision. You can read coverage of the decision here and here. Ken's reaction, bearing in mind his refusal (above) to allow democratically appointed councillors to serve on the London Fire Authority is priceless "It is up to Londoners, not Parliamentarians, to decide who is mayor,". Hmm but in Ken's eyes it is up to the Mayor not Councillors to decide who can serve on the London Fire Authority.