Why do you feel the racial quotas is being over-stated? It seems to be crossing a Rubicon to me. People will be legally discriminated against on the basis of race for the first time in this country. What a nasty party Labour has become.
This is what he actually said:
“It is time to make a difference to our police service that needs to serve and reflect Londoners much better. If we carry on as we are it will take decades for our police service to reflect the Londoners it serves.
“So I will be clear: as London Mayor I will introduce affirmative action and get the Met looking more like the London we live in.
“If we do, then I believe the rewards for London will be increased trust between the police and all Londoners, delivering better and more effective policing.”
Mr Khan will tell the meeting, organised by Operation Black Vote and the charity Patchwork: “Without significant improvement in recruiting more officers from the communities it serves, the Metropolitan Police cannot and will not do its job properly.
“I strongly believe that the course of action I propose will work. However, if it fails and we don’t see the meaningful change in the complexion of the Met that Londoners expect, then I will support a change in the law to allow statutory positive action.”
I don't think that is going to scare off voters who might otherwise have voted for a Labour candidate. It might scare off some voters who wouldn't in any case have voted for a Labour candidate, but so what?
For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not talking about the merits or otherwise of what he proposes, but its electoral effect.
It is one of the least-controversial things imaginable.
I don't say things like this lightly, but some of the ways PBTories have described Khan ("dangerous", "divisive") make me feel very uneasy.
This proposal isn't likely to be popular in the other towns included in the region - Barnsley, Chesterfield, Rotherham, etc.
The mayor will almost certainly be Labour. It's not like being mayor of London, of course, but it could still be a springboard for an ambitious politician.
Ooh I'll get a vote in that one.
Hopefully an interesting independent will show up.
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
I'm from Coventry
Even worse.
Immigrant voting rights.
That said I'd fail on my own blood and soil Yorkshire nationalism test.
How ?
Weren't you born in Dore :P ?
No a few hundred miles up north. I was born in another country.
I'm Scottish. The shame. The SHAME
I was conceived in Sheffield so I'm a proper Yorkshireman.
Plus Dore was in Derbyshire until the 1930s
I mean Hitler was born in Austria and he's considered German.
Just because I was born in a stable doesn't make me a horse.
Old cockroach has crawled out from under his rock , senile and dribbling as ever. Regale us again of how you commanded a nuclear submarine, I missed it the last thousand times.
Why do you feel the racial quotas is being over-stated? It seems to be crossing a Rubicon to me. People will be legally discriminated against on the basis of race for the first time in this country. What a nasty party Labour has become.
This is what he actually said:
“It is time to make a difference to our police service that needs to serve and reflect Londoners much better. If we carry on as we are it will take decades for our police service to reflect the Londoners it serves.
“So I will be clear: as London Mayor I will introduce affirmative action and get the Met looking more like the London we live in.
“If we do, then I believe the rewards for London will be increased trust between the police and all Londoners, delivering better and more effective policing.”
Mr Khan will tell the meeting, organised by Operation Black Vote and the charity Patchwork: “Without significant improvement in recruiting more officers from the communities it serves, the Metropolitan Police cannot and will not do its job properly.
“I strongly believe that the course of action I propose will work. However, if it fails and we don’t see the meaningful change in the complexion of the Met that Londoners expect, then I will support a change in the law to allow statutory positive action.”
I don't think that is going to scare off voters who might otherwise have voted for a Labour candidate. It might scare off some voters who wouldn't in any case have voted for a Labour candidate, but so what?
For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not talking about the merits or otherwise of what he proposes, but its electoral effect.
He also said (although this was as a GE pledge not as London mayor, it shows his mindset)
“We want a sea change in people’s attitudes and aspirations. People should be aiming for the top, whether it’s in the boardroom, the civil service or the criminal justice system, irrespective of their background.”
Labour will introduce an overarching race equality strategy for the first time, run from the centre of government, to ensure that new policies across departments promote equality and improve the life chances of those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.
Khan said senior positions in the civil service, police, parliament and the judiciary were still dominated by white, middle-class men.
: “We are going to take radical steps to address diversity within the judiciary, nothing is off the table, including quotas."
Mr Goldsmith said the number one issue for Londoners is the housing crisis, and said he wants to build 50,000 new homes a year “just to narrow the gap between supply and demand”.
According to some on here..White British born Londoners are in the minority..at what point do they become the ethnic minority and have preference for jobs...
an opportunity for an unashamedly pro-City, pro-LHR-expansion, pro-driverless-Underground-trains independent candidate to stand with a reasonable chance of coming through..?
Have you considered standing yourself? I'd vote for that manifesto.
Ha ha. I've not lived in London for 10 years, and I don't think the electorate would think too much of a guy from Dubai standing for Mayor of London!
I was thinking there must be someone like a Jeremy Clarkson who's not quite as busy and well known by Londoners. Does Nick Ferrari still do his radio show, all the white van men would support someone like that? Or maybe UKIP can find someone who leave the immigration rhetoric at home for a bit and concentrate on transport and house building.
In contrast to most of my fellow PB Tories (and, interestingly, Southam), I think Sadiq Khan is a strong candidate for Labour. The ethnic quotas line is being over-stated IMO, and on lots of other issues Khan is saying some pretty sensible things. He's doing a savvy job getting the right sort of coverage in the key media such as the Evening Standard, and I don't think he'll scare the horses. He's probably a less divisive figure than Ken Livingstone.
Having said that, Zac is also a strong candidate and a canny campaigner, and he will be able to reach voters outside the core Conservative vote. With Labour nationally in disarray, this is going to be a fascinating and close contest.
Since being chosen as the mayoral candidate Khan has done a very good job and is clearly seeking to distance himself from Corbyn. But he has baggage. And in London identity politics are probably more entrenched than anywhere else in England. Contrary to statements on here, the most likely people to vote will be white, of advancing years and living in the outer boroughs. Lynton Crosby is a master at ringing their bells and Khan has given him plenty of ammunition. That, plus semi-detachment from the Tories, should see Goldsmith home comfortably.
The times they are a changin' as someone once opined.
I used to disagree with Richard and agree with David L but this morning it's the other way round.
I agree Labour have huge credibility and competency questions to answer on the economy and economic management and to imagine all the answers would have been provided in one speech is clearly naïve. McDonnell was never going to provide the answers on day one and he has four years to build up an alternative economic narrative which to be fair Ed Balls never did. In addition, Osborne (or whoever will be CoE in 2020) will have some searching questions to answer on the country's economic performance during the Conservative administration so for me the jury's very much out on this. There are plenty of warning signs over growth and I've never convinced the QE-based stimulus was the answer.
As for Trident, I didn't discuss the politics though coming from a Party which has had its own issues over defence in the past (I was in the hall at Eastbourne in 1986 for those with long enough memories), the question becomes whether a committed unilateralist can lead a Party which supports continuing multilateralism ? If Corbyn believes (as he seems to) in the primacy of Party democracy, he should be fine.
If we're going to play these games, perhaps I should ask the Conservatives whether they think a leader committed to staying in the EU should remain leader if the Party voted overwhelmingly to leave ? Should a Cabinet Minister committed to leaving the EU remain in a Government whose leader has publicly committed to remaining ?
Variety is the spice of life!
I agree (if that's allowed) that there is a real possibility that the story on economic growth and hence "competence" may well be a lot more complicated by 2020 than it is now.
I watched Eastbourne in horror and there was genuine debate in my branch of the SDP as to whether the Alliance could continue. There was a strong sense that we were in an alliance with a non serious party and we were deeply uncomfortable.
Europe remains territory on which the Tories could fracture. It will take all of Cameron and Osborne's political skills to bring the party through in one piece but for FWIW I do agree with those on here who have said that if the party votes overwhelmingly for out then the next leader will be an Outer. I don't think it will happen but it is a visceral issue for the party. Whether out supporting cabinet ministers will be able to remain in place once the Government has decided on a position is just one of the very tricky questions.
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
The interesting side effect here is that mayoralties look like they may start to reverse a long history since at least Victorian times of separating the administration of urban areas from rural surroundings, from the bewildering array of different types of 19C boroughs that developed, the creations of metropolitan counties and the unitary councils within them, and lately the ad-hoc splitting most largish towns in a lot of places into unitary entities separated from their counties.
Here in West Yorkshire, various rival proposals (that prompted Cameron's Yorkshiremen hate each other comment) mostly seek to include a lot of the rural bit that formed the top of the old West Riding, whilst disagreeing on the annexation of York, whilst the Sheffield proposal nods heavily both to the concept of Hallamshire and to metropolitan South Yorkshire.
Hmm Loading up £50 at Skybet and £20 at Hills was always going to be a bit ambitious for the Owen Patterson prices !
I got a bit on. No way would I vote for Patterson but I can see him being one of the two candidates that the MPs put forward. He is still sore at how he was evicted from cabinet and is likely to be the change candidate from the right.
I have topped up at WH, and am in a tasty position if he wins.
MG Never claimed to have commanded a Nuclear Submarine..I was a guest on one ... quite a different experience.. ..how are you getting on with your zimmer..I am told they can be a bit tricky sometimes..
This will be very close. [Controversial opinion, that]. I think the key may be in how closely the Tories can tie Khan to Corbyn. Clearly Sadiq is running away from that. But he did nominate him, and that could prove a millstone.
No-one else can win, surely. But a pro-Heathrow independent would be good, just to see how they do (potentially fairly well). Personally I'd build Boris Island.
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
The interesting side effect here is that mayoralties look like they may start to reverse a long history since at least Victorian times of separating the administration of urban areas from rural surroundings, from the bewildering array of different types of 19C boroughs that developed, the creations of metropolitan counties and the unitary councils within them, and lately the ad-hoc splitting most largish towns in a lot of places into unitary entities separated from their counties.
Here in West Yorkshire, various rival proposals (that prompted Cameron's Yorkshiremen hate each other comment) mostly seek to include a lot of the rural bit that formed the top of the old West Riding, whilst disagreeing on the annexation of York, whilst the Sheffield proposal nods heavily both to the concept of Hallamshire and to metropolitan South Yorkshire.
When I worked in Leeds hardly anyone in the office actually lived in Leeds.
Ditto in Manchester.
I think the fear is everything will go to the main city and nowhere else.
An exciting thought that if Charles slipped under the proverbial bus we could have our PM our Monarch and our Mayor of London all Old Etonians. What a beacon of meritocracy this country has become
Many Eton alumni are highly qualified and would be capable of doing any of the three jobs that you highlight above.
The public then gets to choose who they want from the pool of candidates who stand. Merit is one criteria (defined very widely). Background is largely irrelevant, in my view.
“Just look at how they responded to him in the hall” one despondent MP said. “He could have read out the Brighton phone directory and they’d still have been fainting in the isles.”
Another MP pointed to what he described as Labour’s “Catch 59” dilemma. “Everyone knows we can’t go on like this for another five years. But everyone also knows you can’t move against a guy who’s been elected with 59% of the vote. At the moment we’re trapped”.
One veteran backbencher summed up the week like this. “Last night I found myself thinking: ‘He’s old. It’s a stressful job. Maybe his health won’t be up to it’. And then I thought: ‘When your best hope is your own leader might just keel over you know you’re in a pretty bad place.’”
After its week in Brighton, Labour is in a bad place. A very bad place indeed.
I don't know what a zoomer is. Can you explain where the term comes from?
It's a West of Scotland term, similar to bampot in other places. The people you don't want to sit next to on the night bus...
Not just the West - " a zoomer " is particularly a person who exhibits strange behaviour and has lost the faculties of reason and logic. Think howling at the moon after magic mushrooms - see also "rocket".
Mr Goldsmith said the number one issue for Londoners is the housing crisis, and said he wants to build 50,000 new homes a year “just to narrow the gap between supply and demand”.
The Mayoral election is Labour's to lose. But they are capable of losing it.
Neither Sadiq Khan nor Zac Goldsmith looks like an amazing candidate to me, though both are capable enough. Sadiq Khan is likely to have both a stronger attraction factor than Zac Goldsmith and a stronger repulsion factor than the Conservative. My expectation is that he will also have the better electoral machine, especially if he can get those Corbynistas doing more than just tweeting. How vigorously will Boris Johnson help his old school chum?
Will Jeremy Corbyn himself affect the race (positively or negatively)? Maybe. The unpopularity of government didn't stop Boris Johnson being re-elected in 2012 and the popularity of Tony Blair didn't stop Ken Livingstone getting elected in 2000 ahead of the official Labour candidate, but both had far bigger profiles at those dates than either of those two do now. Politics has been mildly hysterical for the last month or so. Surely it will calm down a bit in the coming months. Ultimately I expect the London public to elect their preferred mayor rather than pass judgement on the Labour leader in this election.
Taken as a whole (ignoring other candidates), I would currently price it at 4/7 Khan, 7/4 Goldsmith.
Khan will be a divisive figure, and a lot depends on turnout across different demographics. Zac is a Trustifarian on an extended gap year. I hope they both lose.
Goldsmith is an incredibly fortunate individual who could simply kick back on a 300 foot yacht somewhere, but chooses instead to do something worthwhile. All credit to him for that.
He is marginally less repulsive than his father, I agree. But what has he ever done to justify his existance? He slipped comfortably from some genteel greenism to a safe west London seat. Just the old parasitic aristocracy revived for a new generation.
I am glad that I am not a Londoner having to choose between these two pisspoor candidates.
Heal thyself physician.
Zac Goldsmith might have contented himself with a life of pampered indolence but chose public service and fought a then entrenched LibDem and has secured the seat comfortably.
And as a member of the "old parasitic aristocracy" I'd contend there is much to be said for decapitating the odd yellow perilist for the greater good of the nation and their gastronomic delight.
I don't know what a zoomer is. Can you explain where the term comes from?
It's a term much used by Unionists when they're not busy whining about the ad hominem abuse handed out by Cybernats.
Yes much used by people of very limited intelligence. Unable to articulate their opinions they resort to juvenile , moronic abuse. You can always spot them , especially on here.
I don't know what a zoomer is. Can you explain where the term comes from?
It's a term much used by Unionists when they're not busy whining about the ad hominem abuse handed out by Cybernats.
Yes much used by people of very limited intelligence. Unable to articulate their opinions they resort to juvenile , moronic abuse. You can always spot them , especially on here.
'malcolmg said:
Old cockroach has crawled out from under his rock , senile and dribbling as ever.'
So the battle to be PB TOTY 2016 is going to be between Henry G and Tissue Price
Cough ....
Although as the reigning PB TOTY going so far back that OGH had long dreadlocks and JohnO was merely getting mislaid on steam transport, perhaps the time has come to hand on the most treasured of batons ....
Why do you feel the racial quotas is being over-stated? It seems to be crossing a Rubicon to me. People will be legally discriminated against on the basis of race for the first time in this country. What a nasty party Labour has become.
This is what he actually said:
“It is time to make a difference to our police service that needs to serve and reflect Londoners much better. If we carry on as we are it will take decades for our police service to reflect the Londoners it serves.
“So I will be clear: as London Mayor I will introduce affirmative action and get the Met looking more like the London we live in.
“If we do, then I believe the rewards for London will be increased trust between the police and all Londoners, delivering better and more effective policing.”
Mr Khan will tell the meeting, organised by Operation Black Vote and the charity Patchwork: “Without significant improvement in recruiting more officers from the communities it serves, the Metropolitan Police cannot and will not do its job properly.
“I strongly believe that the course of action I propose will work. However, if it fails and we don’t see the meaningful change in the complexion of the Met that Londoners expect, then I will support a change in the law to allow statutory positive action.”
I don't think that is going to scare off voters who might otherwise have voted for a Labour candidate. It might scare off some voters who wouldn't in any case have voted for a Labour candidate, but so what?
For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not talking about the merits or otherwise of what he proposes, but its electoral effect.
It is one of the least-controversial things imaginable.
I don't say things like this lightly, but some of the ways PBTories have described Khan ("dangerous", "divisive") make me feel very uneasy.
Poor you
He is dividing people by ethnicity, 'divisive' seems to be understating, if factually accurate.
I'll remember your words when my son loses out on a job because he wasn't the right colour
Mr Goldsmith said the number one issue for Londoners is the housing crisis, and said he wants to build 50,000 new homes a year “just to narrow the gap between supply and demand”.
Makes sense.
There is no gap between supply and demand in a free market. That's why the prices keep going up.
So the battle to be PB TOTY 2016 is going to be between Henry G and Tissue Price
Cough ....
Although as the reigning PB TOTY going so far back that OGH had long dreadlocks and JohnO was merely getting mislaid on steam transport, perhaps the time has come to hand on the most treasured of batons ....
I believe Calum is TOTY-Elect (125/1 Labour 0-5 Scottish seats).
"Am I biased? Just a bit. I was the chair of governors at Ernest Bevin school Tooting in the 80s when we appointed the first Muslim head of a London school. That head, Naz Bokhari, became a role model and mentor for the young Sadiq, the son of a bus driver who had migrated from Pakistan. Goldsmith, of course, is an old Etonian, who inherited millions from his financial wheeler-dealing father."
Simply amazing that someone can write that line, with all the problems over muslim governered schools in Birmingham and the capital, and think it was a positive.
As someone else said, most people aren't bothered by class war, the electoral successes of Cameron and Boris Johnson are testament to that. I wonder how many muslims will vote for Zac? I bet they will be the shyest of shy tories when asked down the the local mosque
I think Sam you overlook the fact that for some lefties they have an in built assumption that all muslims are wonderful. After all Jesus was from the middle east and he could walk on water.
And you overlook that Sadiq Khan has criticised militant Islamism and Corbyn's links to such organisations.
Mr Khan has been a vocal supporter of Babar Ahmad and his right to stay and be tried in this country. A slightly different observation.
Ahmad pleaded guilty to terrorism related offences. Does Sadiq still support him?
Fuck knows. I'd guess he'd still support the uncontroversial principle of UK citizens being tried in the UK for crimes alleged to have taken place in the UK though.
Did he support the Natwest 3? Or Gary McKinnon? Or other British citizens extradited to the US?
"Am I biased? Just a bit. I was the chair of governors at Ernest Bevin school Tooting in the 80s when we appointed the first Muslim head of a London school. That head, Naz Bokhari, became a role model and mentor for the young Sadiq, the son of a bus driver who had migrated from Pakistan. Goldsmith, of course, is an old Etonian, who inherited millions from his financial wheeler-dealing father."
Simply amazing that someone can write that line, with all the problems over muslim governered schools in Birmingham and the capital, and think it was a positive.
As someone else said, most people aren't bothered by class war, the electoral successes of Cameron and Boris Johnson are testament to that. I wonder how many muslims will vote for Zac? I bet they will be the shyest of shy tories when asked down the the local mosque
I think Sam you overlook the fact that for some lefties they have an in built assumption that all muslims are wonderful. After all Jesus was from the middle east and he could walk on water.
And you overlook that Sadiq Khan has criticised militant Islamism and Corbyn's links to such organisations.
Mr Khan has been a vocal supporter of Babar Ahmad and his right to stay and be tried in this country. A slightly different observation.
Ahmad pleaded guilty to terrorism related offences. Does Sadiq still support him?
Fuck knows. I'd guess he'd still support the uncontroversial principle of UK citizens being tried in the UK for crimes alleged to have taken place in the UK though.
Did he support the Natwest 3? Or Gary McKinnon? Or other British citizens extradited to the US?
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
The interesting side effect here is that mayoralties look like they may start to reverse a long history since at least Victorian times of separating the administration of urban areas from rural surroundings, from the bewildering array of different types of 19C boroughs that developed, the creations of metropolitan counties and the unitary councils within them, and lately the ad-hoc splitting most largish towns in a lot of places into unitary entities separated from their counties.
Here in West Yorkshire, various rival proposals (that prompted Cameron's Yorkshiremen hate each other comment) mostly seek to include a lot of the rural bit that formed the top of the old West Riding, whilst disagreeing on the annexation of York, whilst the Sheffield proposal nods heavily both to the concept of Hallamshire and to metropolitan South Yorkshire.
When I worked in Leeds hardly anyone in the office actually lived in Leeds.
Ditto in Manchester.
I think the fear is everything will go to the main city and nowhere else.
Which is why they were split in the first place. Has anything changed to prevent this, is any thought process happening here? At least, IIRC, one or more the West Yorkshire proposals had the mayor's administration operating out of space in Wakefield's council offices, replicating the West Riding solution to the big city problem.
In contrast to most of my fellow PB Tories (and, interestingly, Southam), I think Sadiq Khan is a strong candidate for Labour. The ethnic quotas line is being over-stated IMO, and on lots of other issues Khan is saying some pretty sensible things. He's doing a savvy job getting the right sort of coverage in the key media such as the Evening Standard, and I don't think he'll scare the horses. He's probably a less divisive figure than Ken Livingstone.
Having said that, Zac is also a strong candidate and a canny campaigner, and he will be able to reach voters outside the core Conservative vote. With Labour nationally in disarray, this is going to be a fascinating and close contest.
Why do you feel the racial quotas is being over-stated? It seems to be crossing a Rubicon to me. People will be legally discriminated against on the basis of race for the first time in this country. What a nasty party Labour has become.
The real problem with it is that it ties so closely with the rest of the modern Labour Party. They seem to really have a problem with white people (unless they have sufficient guilt about it) and anything they see as 'white' British culture: the monarchy, Christianity, the Proms, the armed forces, fox hunting, the Falklands, Northern Ireland, etc.
It is one of the least-controversial things imaginable.
I don't say things like this lightly, but some of the ways PBTories have described Khan ("dangerous", "divisive") make me feel very uneasy.
Enshrining people being treated differently, on the basis of their race, as a matter of law is not controversial?
Sometimes those on the left seem to be living in a different world.
I'm not even saying I agree with it necessarily, but it's not controversial. That socialist utopia that is the US has a similar policy.
They had to correct years of oppression, as did South Africa.
We never did the crime but lefties have bought into the victim narrative and now we may do the time
And WWC will be the ones who pay. The contemporaries of Khans father, poor white people, will have sons and grandsons that are still poor, still not in top jobs but with no affirmative action proposed by special interest groups
Am I right in thinking you could vote for the Tory mayoral candidate for £1 and that 9000 bothered to do so? The Tories' strength appears to be apathy and friends with big pockets. Maybe that's the route to success in modern politics. Radical activists are a pain in the a*se, better to have a few pragmatic rich donors who (hopefully) won't cause too many problems.
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
The interesting side effect here is that mayoralties look like they may start to reverse a long history since at least Victorian times of separating the administration of urban areas from rural surroundings, from the bewildering array of different types of 19C boroughs that developed, the creations of metropolitan counties and the unitary councils within them, and lately the ad-hoc splitting most largish towns in a lot of places into unitary entities separated from their counties.
Here in West Yorkshire, various rival proposals (that prompted Cameron's Yorkshiremen hate each other comment) mostly seek to include a lot of the rural bit that formed the top of the old West Riding, whilst disagreeing on the annexation of York, whilst the Sheffield proposal nods heavily both to the concept of Hallamshire and to metropolitan South Yorkshire.
When I worked in Leeds hardly anyone in the office actually lived in Leeds.
Ditto in Manchester.
I think the fear is everything will go to the main city and nowhere else.
Which is why they were split in the first place. Has anything changed to prevent this, is any thought process happening here? At least, IIRC, one or more the West Yorkshire proposals had the mayor's administration operating out of space in Wakefield's council offices, replicating the West Riding solution to the big city problem.
I don't think so.
I think the Mayor of Manchester is going to be based in the centre of Manchester.
So the battle to be PB TOTY 2016 is going to be between Henry G and Tissue Price
Cough ....
Although as the reigning PB TOTY going so far back that OGH had long dreadlocks and JohnO was merely getting mislaid on steam transport, perhaps the time has come to hand on the most treasured of batons ....
I believe Calum is TOTY-Elect (125/1 Labour 0-5 Scottish seats).
A perfectly respectable contribution and certainly a suitable candidate within the pack should I decide to abdicate in favour of a younger candidate ....
"Am I biased? Just a bit. I was the chair of governors at Ernest Bevin school Tooting in the 80s when we appointed the first Muslim head of a London school. That head, Naz Bokhari, became a role model and mentor for the young Sadiq, the son of a bus driver who had migrated from Pakistan. Goldsmith, of course, is an old Etonian, who inherited millions from his financial wheeler-dealing father."
Simply amazing that someone can write that line, with all the problems over muslim governered schools in Birmingham and the capital, and think it was a positive.
As someone else said, most people aren't bothered by class war, the electoral successes of Cameron and Boris Johnson are testament to that. I wonder how many muslims will vote for Zac? I bet they will be the shyest of shy tories when asked down the the local mosque
I think Sam you overlook the fact that for some lefties they have an in built assumption that all muslims are wonderful. After all Jesus was from the middle east and he could walk on water.
And you overlook that Sadiq Khan has criticised militant Islamism and Corbyn's links to such organisations.
Mr Khan has been a vocal supporter of Babar Ahmad and his right to stay and be tried in this country. A slightly different observation.
Ahmad pleaded guilty to terrorism related offences. Does Sadiq still support him?
Fuck knows. I'd guess he'd still support the uncontroversial principle of UK citizens being tried in the UK for crimes alleged to have taken place in the UK though.
Did he support the NatWest 3? Or Gary McKinnon? Or other British citizens extradited to the US despite also claiming that their cases should be tried here?
So the battle to be PB TOTY 2016 is going to be between Henry G and Tissue Price
Cough ....
Although as the reigning PB TOTY going so far back that OGH had long dreadlocks and JohnO was merely getting mislaid on steam transport, perhaps the time has come to hand on the most treasured of batons ....
I believe Calum is TOTY-Elect (125/1 Labour 0-5 Scottish seats).
A perfectly respectable contribution and certainly a suitable candidate within the pack should I decide to abdicate in favour of a younger candidate ....
It is one of the least-controversial things imaginable.
I don't say things like this lightly, but some of the ways PBTories have described Khan ("dangerous", "divisive") make me feel very uneasy.
Enshrining people being treated differently, on the basis of their race, as a matter of law is not controversial?
Sometimes those on the left seem to be living in a different world.
I'm not even saying I agree with it necessarily, but it's not controversial. That socialist utopia that is the US has a similar policy.
They had to correct years of oppression, as did South Africa.
We never did the crime but lefties have bought into the victim narrative and now we may do the time
And WWC will be the ones who pay. The contemporaries of Khans father, poor white people, will have sons and grandsons that are still poor, still not in top jobs but with no affirmative action proposed by special interest groups
I think it's a quid pro quo Labour want to offer ethnic minorities. They see they're losing votes to the Conservatives among such groups, so want to give them a deal: give us your votes and we'll give you preferential treatment to get lavish jobs. It's great for those 'community leaders' that can round up votes and will get the cushy appointments.
Labour supporters are organising free bus rides to Manchester for next weeks Conference..Unite is one of the main organisers ..With Corbyn as leader and actions like this do the Labour Party not realise they are drawing the sharp blade across their own throat..Who would want a party like this in power .. other than bullying anarchists ..The voters will not forget and they will also be reminded as the GE draws near..
"When you heard the likes of Charlie Faulkner (a man on a different intellectual level than anyone else on the Labour front bench)"
If that's true he's desperately inarticulate.
I am puzzled by what his is doing joining the Shadow Cabinet. But as a QC - and I have worked with him numerous times - he is very able and effective.
I share your puzzlement. Initially I thought it was so he could resign at an (in)convenient moment but it seems more to try and fight for sanity in the party and resist the Corbyn deluge. It is not an easy task.
Anyone who thinks he is being inarticulate other than to invite the listeners to draw their own conclusion does not have the measure of the man.
'I will vote for Caroline Pidgeon who is far and away the best candidate'
Can you give us a clue why you think she is the best candidate ?
Any reason why the Lib Dems didn't allow their members to have a vote on who should be their candidate ?
With the LibDems only slightly more popular than a Volkswagen diesel parked in a slurry pit I'd venture to suggest that Ms Pidgeon is the dead parrot candidate of this mayoral contest.
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
The interesting side effect here is that mayoralties look like they may start to reverse a long history since at least Victorian times of separating the administration of urban areas from rural surroundings, from the bewildering array of different types of 19C boroughs that developed, the creations of metropolitan counties and the unitary councils within them, and lately the ad-hoc splitting most largish towns in a lot of places into unitary entities separated from their counties.
Here in West Yorkshire, various rival proposals (that prompted Cameron's Yorkshiremen hate each other comment) mostly seek to include a lot of the rural bit that formed the top of the old West Riding, whilst disagreeing on the annexation of York, whilst the Sheffield proposal nods heavily both to the concept of Hallamshire and to metropolitan South Yorkshire.
When I worked in Leeds hardly anyone in the office actually lived in Leeds.
Ditto in Manchester.
I think the fear is everything will go to the main city and nowhere else.
Which is why they were split in the first place. Has anything changed to prevent this, is any thought process happening here? At least, IIRC, one or more the West Yorkshire proposals had the mayor's administration operating out of space in Wakefield's council offices, replicating the West Riding solution to the big city problem.
I don't think so.
I think the Mayor of Manchester is going to be based in the centre of Manchester.
We should spend every waking day apologising for our luck and cursing our ancestors for having the temerity to go through the enlightenment before other cultures.
Reverse Darwinism aka Socialism Screamers - I do worry about you sometimes.
'I will vote for Caroline Pidgeon who is far and away the best candidate'
Can you give us a clue why you think she is the best candidate ?
Any reason why the Lib Dems didn't allow their members to have a vote on who should be their candidate ?
She has been a member of the GLA for some time and speaks articulately and coherently on transport, Police and housing issues relevant to Londoners. Particularly on the whole black cabs vs Uber issue, she has talked a lot of sense. She talks more about the issues affecting London and the governance of London than either Khan or Goldsmith has and has been one of the few GLA members to hold Boris to account (and remember Boris took over the running of both TFL and the Police which, I believe, Ken never did).
As for her candidature, Duwayne Brooks was set to stand against her but at the last minute withdrew owing to a professional commitment which meant basically he couldn't campaign for several weeks. The members were sent a ballot paper with the option either to vote for Caroline or to reopen nominations.
I would have liked the choice but it was outside the Party's control as the timetable had been set and Brooks withdrew after the date for nominations had passed. In addition, Party members voted on the listing preferences for the GLA candidates - Caroline came top of that list so she is number one on the list for GLA candidates.
There will be a further selection process to choose candidates to fight the various GLA seats.
Mr Goldsmith said the number one issue for Londoners is the housing crisis, and said he wants to build 50,000 new homes a year “just to narrow the gap between supply and demand”.
Makes sense.
There is no gap between supply and demand in a free market. That's why the prices keep going up.
Unite Coaches are coming from all over the country to the @4OctDemo | If you're quick, you may still get free seat: http://t.co/sqVYKbxI03
Hope it passes peacefully. I fully support their right to protest. I also fully support the Tories right to be able to hold their conference without fear of harassment. Pitty the plods of Manchester on Sunday.
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
The interesting side effect here is that mayoralties look like they may start to reverse a long history since at least Victorian times of separating the administration of urban areas from rural surroundings, from the bewildering array of different types of 19C boroughs that developed, the creations of metropolitan counties and the unitary councils within them, and lately the ad-hoc splitting most largish towns in a lot of places into unitary entities separated from their counties.
Here in West Yorkshire, various rival proposals (that prompted Cameron's Yorkshiremen hate each other comment) mostly seek to include a lot of the rural bit that formed the top of the old West Riding, whilst disagreeing on the annexation of York, whilst the Sheffield proposal nods heavily both to the concept of Hallamshire and to metropolitan South Yorkshire.
When I worked in Leeds hardly anyone in the office actually lived in Leeds.
Ditto in Manchester.
I think the fear is everything will go to the main city and nowhere else.
Which is why they were split in the first place. Has anything changed to prevent this, is any thought process happening here? At least, IIRC, one or more the West Yorkshire proposals had the mayor's administration operating out of space in Wakefield's council offices, replicating the West Riding solution to the big city problem.
I don't think so.
I think the Mayor of Manchester is going to be based in the centre of Manchester.
We should spend every waking day apologising for our luck and cursing our ancestors for having the temerity to go through the enlightenment before other cultures.
Reverse Darwinism aka Socialism Screamers - I do worry about you sometimes.
I don't normally rate local by by elections for swings in Scotland since there can be so many differences between a multi seat contest at a local election and a single seat contest in a by- election.
However the Glenrothes by election last night is the exception since it has the very unusual circumstance of a by election in the SAME ward as a by election in March of this year.
The result is pretty devastating for Labour. Since MARCH, on the cusp of the SNP landslide, the SNP vote has move from 55 to 59 per cent and the Labour vote from 36 to 32 per cent.
Outside proper full sample opinion polls that is the best guide to Scottish political trends right now and it is desperate news for the SNP opponents, on this site and elsewhere.
Labour supporters are organising free bus rides to Manchester for next weeks Conference..Unite is one of the main organisers ..With Corbyn as leader and actions like this do the Labour Party not realise they are drawing the sharp blade across their own throat..Who would want a party like this in power .. other than bullying anarchists ..The voters will not forget and they will also be reminded as the GE draws near..
So the battle to be PB TOTY 2016 is going to be between Henry G and Tissue Price
Cough ....
Although as the reigning PB TOTY going so far back that OGH had long dreadlocks and JohnO was merely getting mislaid on steam transport, perhaps the time has come to hand on the most treasured of batons ....
I believe Calum is TOTY-Elect (125/1 Labour 0-5 Scottish seats).
A perfectly respectable contribution and certainly a suitable candidate within the pack should I decide to abdicate in favour of a younger candidate ....
'Tories' London mayor candidate is statue of man on horse
THE Conservatives have chosen a statue of the Duke of Wellington riding a horse as their candidate for Mayor of London.
The statue, which stands outside the Bank of England, was chosen because of its aristocratic bearing, equestrian ability, and total disinterest in ordinary Londoners.
A Conservative spokesman said: “We auditioned lots of millionaires but they didn’t quite have that aura of purebred contempt."'
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
The interesting side effect here is that mayoralties look like they may start to reverse a long history since at least Victorian times of separating the administration of urban areas from rural surroundings, from the bewildering array of different types of 19C boroughs that developed, the creations of metropolitan counties and the unitary councils within them, and lately the ad-hoc splitting most largish towns in a lot of places into unitary entities separated from their counties.
Here in West Yorkshire, various rival proposals (that prompted Cameron's Yorkshiremen hate each other comment) mostly seek to include a lot of the rural bit that formed the top of the old West Riding, whilst disagreeing on the annexation of York, whilst the Sheffield proposal nods heavily both to the concept of Hallamshire and to metropolitan South Yorkshire.
When I worked in Leeds hardly anyone in the office actually lived in Leeds.
Ditto in Manchester.
I think the fear is everything will go to the main city and nowhere else.
Which is why they were split in the first place. Has anything changed to prevent this, is any thought process happening here? At least, IIRC, one or more the West Yorkshire proposals had the mayor's administration operating out of space in Wakefield's council offices, replicating the West Riding solution to the big city problem.
I don't think so.
I think the Mayor of Manchester is going to be based in the centre of Manchester.
We should spend every waking day apologising for our luck and cursing our ancestors for having the temerity to go through the enlightenment before other cultures.
Reverse Darwinism aka Socialism Screamers - I do worry about you sometimes.
I think that's a superb idea. Along the same lines as that school that SeanT was at the other day. If we don't promote our culture and history as worthy and good, then it leaves the door open for revisionists and apologists to make being British something to be ashamed of.
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
The interesting side effect here is that mayoralties look like they may start to reverse a long history since at least Victorian times of separating the administration of urban areas from rural surroundings, from the bewildering array of different types of 19C boroughs that developed, the creations of metropolitan counties and the unitary councils within them, and lately the ad-hoc splitting most largish towns in a lot of places into unitary entities separated from their counties.
Here in West Yorkshire, various rival proposals (that prompted Cameron's Yorkshiremen hate each other comment) mostly seek to include a lot of the rural bit that formed the top of the old West Riding, whilst disagreeing on the annexation of York, whilst the Sheffield proposal nods heavily both to the concept of Hallamshire and to metropolitan South Yorkshire.
When I worked in Leeds hardly anyone in the office actually lived in Leeds.
Ditto in Manchester.
I think the fear is everything will go to the main city and nowhere else.
Which is why they were split in the first place. Has anything changed to prevent this, is any thought process happening here? At least, IIRC, one or more the West Yorkshire proposals had the mayor's administration operating out of space in Wakefield's council offices, replicating the West Riding solution to the big city problem.
I don't think so.
I think the Mayor of Manchester is going to be based in the centre of Manchester.
And, as I've noted before with Manchester, with a pretty large number of the betting favourites having represented city central seats and/or led the city council, which is not great either and would tend me towards a McMahon or a Reynolds even before knowing much about their campaigning positions.
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
The interesting side effect here is that mayoralties look like they may start to reverse a long history since at least Victorian times of separating the administration of urban areas from rural surroundings, from the bewildering array of different types of 19C boroughs that developed, the creations of metropolitan counties and the unitary councils within them, and lately the ad-hoc splitting most largish towns in a lot of places into unitary entities separated from their counties.
Here in West Yorkshire, various rival proposals (that prompted Cameron's Yorkshiremen hate each other comment) mostly seek to include a lot of the rural bit that formed the top of the old West Riding, whilst disagreeing on the annexation of York, whilst the Sheffield proposal nods heavily both to the concept of Hallamshire and to metropolitan South Yorkshire.
When I worked in Leeds hardly anyone in the office actually lived in Leeds.
Ditto in Manchester.
I think the fear is everything will go to the main city and nowhere else.
Which is why they were split in the first place. Has anything changed to prevent this, is any thought process happening here? At least, IIRC, one or more the West Yorkshire proposals had the mayor's administration operating out of space in Wakefield's council offices, replicating the West Riding solution to the big city problem.
Wakefield is the historic 'capital' of the West Riding, hence why 'County Hall' is there. However, that was when all the main cities had their own boroughs so although they were in the geographical West Riding, they were not politically of it. Despite now living in Wakefield myself (or a village on the outskirts of it), I think it would be a mistake for a Leeds region to be based anywhere other than in the city itself.
Unite Coaches are coming from all over the country to the @4OctDemo | If you're quick, you may still get free seat: http://t.co/sqVYKbxI03
Hope it passes peacefully. I fully support their right to protest. I also fully support the Tories right to be able to hold their conference without fear of harassment. Pitty the plods of Manchester on Sunday.
A bit of "direct action" in London would probably help Zac no end...
Richmond Park was a safe Lib Dem seat until Zac came on the scene
In 2005 the Lib Dems had a near 4K majority. This year Zac has a 23k majority.
He's an awesome campaigner and his constituents rate him.
It wasn’t a safe LD seat for long. Only created 1997, when Jenny Tonge won it notionally from the Tories.. Susan Kramer took over for a while, then lost it after Zac spent two or three years effectively campaigning full time, or so I was led to understand. He can, of course, afford to. Other people have to work!
Dramatic drop in the LD vote this time, but spread across the other candidates. Labour tripled their vote, more or less. Zac’s went up much less.
'Tories' London mayor candidate is statue of man on horse
THE Conservatives have chosen a statue of the Duke of Wellington riding a horse as their candidate for Mayor of London.
The statue, which stands outside the Bank of England, was chosen because of its aristocratic bearing, equestrian ability, and total disinterest in ordinary Londoners.
A Conservative spokesman said: “We auditioned lots of millionaires but they didn’t quite have that aura of purebred contempt."'
"The statue is currently neck and neck with Labour’s Sadiq Khan in the polls, but should pull ahead once the Evening Standard attacks Khan for never defeating Napoleon."
I agree (if that's allowed) that there is a real possibility that the story on economic growth and hence "competence" may well be a lot more complicated by 2020 than it is now.
I watched Eastbourne in horror and there was genuine debate in my branch of the SDP as to whether the Alliance could continue. There was a strong sense that we were in an alliance with a non serious party and we were deeply uncomfortable.
Europe remains territory on which the Tories could fracture. It will take all of Cameron and Osborne's political skills to bring the party through in one piece but for FWIW I do agree with those on here who have said that if the party votes overwhelmingly for out then the next leader will be an Outer. I don't think it will happen but it is a visceral issue for the party. Whether out supporting cabinet ministers will be able to remain in place once the Government has decided on a position is just one of the very tricky questions.
Eastbourne was always going to be tricky for Steel and Owen. Owen spoke to the Assembly on the Monday lunchtime and the mood wasn't very friendly. Unfortunately, he spoke about weapons systems and did nothing to meet the concerns of those wavering on the motion.
The debate was passionate and exhausting - it wasn't just about defence because Meadowcroft's amendment cleverly included a reference to the primacy of the Assembly when a lot of activists thought they were being ignored by Steel who was making Alliance policy without reference to them.
I thought it would be close - whether Simon Hughes tipped the balance I'll never know - but I was one of the 625 who voted for the leadership line. Unfortunately 652 voted for the amendment and that effectively killed the Alliance.
Even if it had passed, I doubt the line would have held (rather as John Major found out in 1997) in the heat of an election campaign. It masked the other huge elephant in the room which was the notion that had (as seemed likely at the time) the 1987 GE produced a Hung Parliament, would the Alliance support a Kinnock minority Government or a Thatcher (assuming she stayed) minority administration ?
The fact was the Alliance, which had been close in 1981-82, had diverged after the 1983 election with a growing sense of mistrust and difference over policies. The Liberals were going one way (with some SDP elements) while Owen (and those who supported him) seemed to be going in another route. The events of 1987-89 were inevitable in that regard.
So the battle to be PB TOTY 2016 is going to be between Henry G and Tissue Price
Cough ....
Although as the reigning PB TOTY going so far back that OGH had long dreadlocks and JohnO was merely getting mislaid on steam transport, perhaps the time has come to hand on the most treasured of batons ....
I believe Calum is TOTY-Elect (125/1 Labour 0-5 Scottish seats).
A perfectly respectable contribution and certainly a suitable candidate within the pack should I decide to abdicate in favour of a younger candidate ....
Surely the 22nd Amendment applies?
Not to the Scottish hereditary nobility.
I must confess that I was disappointed not to see a JackW manifesto for the impending by-election.
Unite Coaches are coming from all over the country to the @4OctDemo | If you're quick, you may still get free seat: http://t.co/sqVYKbxI03
Hope it passes peacefully. I fully support their right to protest. I also fully support the Tories right to be able to hold their conference without fear of harassment. Pitty the plods of Manchester on Sunday.
During a previous Tory conference in Manchester the local rag published a comment by a Mancunian to the effect that Tories were walking around the city "as if they owned the place".
This proposal isn't likely to be popular in the other towns included in the region - Barnsley, Chesterfield, Rotherham, etc.
The mayor will almost certainly be Labour. It's not like being mayor of London, of course, but it could still be a springboard for an ambitious politician.
Ooh I'll get a vote in that one.
Hopefully an interesting independent will show up.
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
Unite Coaches are coming from all over the country to the @4OctDemo | If you're quick, you may still get free seat: http://t.co/sqVYKbxI03
Hope it passes peacefully. I fully support their right to protest. I also fully support the Tories right to be able to hold their conference without fear of harassment. Pitty the plods of Manchester on Sunday.
A bit of "direct action" in London would probably help Zac no end...
Yeah probably,
Do these types of protest ever work? On the whole they seem to me to be more counter productive...
This proposal isn't likely to be popular in the other towns included in the region - Barnsley, Chesterfield, Rotherham, etc.
The mayor will almost certainly be Labour. It's not like being mayor of London, of course, but it could still be a springboard for an ambitious politician.
Ooh I'll get a vote in that one.
Hopefully an interesting independent will show up.
I can't believe they are letting people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire be a part of the Sheffield city region
That said I am considering running to be the Directly Elected Dictator Mayor of Greater Sheffield.
BREAKING: LIFE SENTENCE for 15-year-old boy in #anzacplot. Judge says nobody can say for sure when he will be deradicalised.
On one level that is so sad. A child sentenced to life because of what he has been turned into. There should be a special circle in hell reserved for those who radicalise children.
Keith Vaz MP, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: ‘Those who join the police should be beyond reproach. Standards must be kept at the highest level.’
"Am I biased? Just a bit. I was the chair of governors at Ernest Bevin school Tooting in the 80s when we appointed the first Muslim head of a London school. That head, Naz Bokhari, became a role model and mentor for the young Sadiq, the son of a bus driver who had migrated from Pakistan. Goldsmith, of course, is an old Etonian, who inherited millions from his financial wheeler-dealing father."
Simply amazing that someone can write that line, with all the problems over muslim governered schools in Birmingham and the capital, and think it was a positive.
As someone else said, most people aren't bothered by class war, the electoral successes of Cameron and Boris Johnson are testament to that. I wonder how many muslims will vote for Zac? I bet they will be the shyest of shy tories when asked down the the local mosque
I think Sam you overlook the fact that for some lefties they have an in built assumption that all muslims are wonderful. After all Jesus was from the middle east and he could walk on water.
And you overlook that Sadiq Khan has criticised militant Islamism and Corbyn's links to such organisations.
Mr Khan has been a vocal supporter of Babar Ahmad and his right to stay and be tried in this country. A slightly different observation.
Ahmad pleaded guilty to terrorism related offences. Does Sadiq still support him?
Fuck knows. I'd guess he'd still support the uncontroversial principle of UK citizens being tried in the UK for crimes alleged to have taken place in the UK though.
Did he support the Natwest 3? Or Gary McKinnon? Or other British citizens extradited to the US?
Were any of them his constituents?
No idea. But if he was concerned about the issues arising out of the UK's extradition treaty with the US one might have expected an MP to comment on it. Plenty have. It has been quite a public issue over the years.
Why do you feel the racial quotas is being over-stated? It seems to be crossing a Rubicon to me. People will be legally discriminated against on the basis of race for the first time in this country. What a nasty party Labour has become.
Most large organisations make similar statements about aspiring to have more balance at all levels (gender, ethnic, and so on), and de facto it does mean that other things being equal it's probably an advantage to come from an under-represented group, in the same way as if you're from Tower Hamlets and put in a good application to go to Oxford. Specifically, it's clearly desirable that the police are seen to be a good mix, rather than a predominantly white force - it matters in a way that, say, the ethnic distribution of banking doesn't. Khan has merely said he'd consider quotas for police recruitment if all else failed. As Richard says, it probably doesn't seem a Rubicon to most potential Khan voters, and plato and your good self perhaps don't fall in that category.
That said, I think the election is a toss-up. Labour will still be sorting itself out and Goldsmith has a generally favourable public image of being independent but not bonkers, but London is not natural Tory territory. Really hard to call.
I don't know what a zoomer is. Can you explain where the term comes from?
It's a term much used by Unionists when they're not busy whining about the ad hominem abuse handed out by Cybernats.
Yes much used by people of very limited intelligence. Unable to articulate their opinions they resort to juvenile , moronic abuse. You can always spot them , especially on here.
'malcolmg said:
Old cockroach has crawled out from under his rock , senile and dribbling as ever.'
Comments
I don't say things like this lightly, but some of the ways PBTories have described Khan ("dangerous", "divisive") make me feel very uneasy.
I'm Scottish. The shame. The SHAME
I was conceived in Sheffield so I'm a proper Yorkshireman.
Plus Dore was in Derbyshire until the 1930s
I mean Hitler was born in Austria and he's considered German.
Just because I was born in a stable doesn't make me a horse.
Regale us again of how you commanded a nuclear submarine, I missed it the last thousand times.
“We want a sea change in people’s attitudes and aspirations. People should be aiming for the top, whether it’s in the boardroom, the civil service or the criminal justice system, irrespective of their background.”
Labour will introduce an overarching race equality strategy for the first time, run from the centre of government, to ensure that new policies across departments promote equality and improve the life chances of those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.
Khan said senior positions in the civil service, police, parliament and the judiciary were still dominated by white, middle-class men.
: “We are going to take radical steps to address diversity within the judiciary, nothing is off the table, including quotas."
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/13/labour-ethnic-minority-voters-manifesto-top-jobs-quotas-hate-crime-reforms
Zoomer owl.
I was thinking there must be someone like a Jeremy Clarkson who's not quite as busy and well known by Londoners. Does Nick Ferrari still do his radio show, all the white van men would support someone like that? Or maybe UKIP can find someone who leave the immigration rhetoric at home for a bit and concentrate on transport and house building.
I agree (if that's allowed) that there is a real possibility that the story on economic growth and hence "competence" may well be a lot more complicated by 2020 than it is now.
I watched Eastbourne in horror and there was genuine debate in my branch of the SDP as to whether the Alliance could continue. There was a strong sense that we were in an alliance with a non serious party and we were deeply uncomfortable.
Europe remains territory on which the Tories could fracture. It will take all of Cameron and Osborne's political skills to bring the party through in one piece but for FWIW I do agree with those on here who have said that if the party votes overwhelmingly for out then the next leader will be an Outer. I don't think it will happen but it is a visceral issue for the party. Whether out supporting cabinet ministers will be able to remain in place once the Government has decided on a position is just one of the very tricky questions.
Let the frothing begin
Here in West Yorkshire, various rival proposals (that prompted Cameron's Yorkshiremen hate each other comment) mostly seek to include a lot of the rural bit that formed the top of the old West Riding, whilst disagreeing on the annexation of York, whilst the Sheffield proposal nods heavily both to the concept of Hallamshire and to metropolitan South Yorkshire.
I have topped up at WH, and am in a tasty position if he wins.
The great antifrank has suggested 4/7 Sadiq, 7/4 Zac. The canny Shadsy is offering 8/11 Sadiq, 11/10 Zac.
I think Shadsy has this one about right.
No-one else can win, surely. But a pro-Heathrow independent would be good, just to see how they do (potentially fairly well). Personally I'd build Boris Island.
Ditto in Manchester.
I think the fear is everything will go to the main city and nowhere else.
The public then gets to choose who they want from the pool of candidates who stand. Merit is one criteria (defined very widely). Background is largely irrelevant, in my view.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2015/10/where-do-labour-go-here
Zac Goldsmith might have contented himself with a life of pampered indolence but chose public service and fought a then entrenched LibDem and has secured the seat comfortably.
And as a member of the "old parasitic aristocracy" I'd contend there is much to be said for decapitating the odd yellow perilist for the greater good of the nation and their gastronomic delight.
'malcolmg said:
Old cockroach has crawled out from under his rock , senile and dribbling as ever.'
Must be an error in the ELIZA code.
Sometimes those on the left seem to be living in a different world.
Although as the reigning PB TOTY going so far back that OGH had long dreadlocks and JohnO was merely getting mislaid on steam transport, perhaps the time has come to hand on the most treasured of batons ....
He is dividing people by ethnicity, 'divisive' seems to be understating, if factually accurate.
I'll remember your words when my son loses out on a job because he wasn't the right colour
There is no gap between supply and demand in a free market. That's why the prices keep going up.
In 2005 the Lib Dems had a near 4K majority. This year Zac has a 23k majority.
He's an awesome campaigner and his constituents rate him.
You wanted to slap them both will a rolled up Volkswagen
"Volkswagen Diesel"
'I will vote for Caroline Pidgeon who is far and away the best candidate'
Can you give us a clue why you think she is the best candidate ?
Any reason why the Lib Dems didn't allow their members to have a vote on who should be their candidate ?
BREAKING: LIFE SENTENCE for 15-year-old boy in #anzacplot. Judge says nobody can say for sure when he will be deradicalised.
Hardly a fair comparison.
We're lucky in this country that we've never had to deal with anything like that.
We never did the crime but lefties have bought into the victim narrative and now we may do the time
And WWC will be the ones who pay. The contemporaries of Khans father, poor white people, will have sons and grandsons that are still poor, still not in top jobs but with no affirmative action proposed by special interest groups
Unite
Coaches are coming from all over the country to the @4OctDemo | If you're quick, you may still get free seat: http://t.co/sqVYKbxI03
I think the Mayor of Manchester is going to be based in the centre of Manchester.
Anyone who thinks he is being inarticulate other than to invite the listeners to draw their own conclusion does not have the measure of the man.
Reverse Darwinism aka Socialism Screamers - I do worry about you sometimes.
As for her candidature, Duwayne Brooks was set to stand against her but at the last minute withdrew owing to a professional commitment which meant basically he couldn't campaign for several weeks. The members were sent a ballot paper with the option either to vote for Caroline or to reopen nominations.
I would have liked the choice but it was outside the Party's control as the timetable had been set and Brooks withdrew after the date for nominations had passed. In addition, Party members voted on the listing preferences for the GLA candidates - Caroline came top of that list so she is number one on the list for GLA candidates.
There will be a further selection process to choose candidates to fight the various GLA seats.
Slightly misphrased I suppose.
I fully support their right to protest.
I also fully support the Tories right to be able to hold their conference without fear of harassment.
Pitty the plods of Manchester on Sunday.
http://www.private-eye.co.uk/issue-1402/street-of-shame
Very ouch.
I don't normally rate local by by elections for swings in Scotland since there can be so many differences between a multi seat contest at a local election and a single seat contest in a by- election.
However the Glenrothes by election last night is the exception since it has the very unusual circumstance of a by election in the SAME ward as a by election in March of this year.
The result is pretty devastating for Labour. Since MARCH, on the cusp of the SNP landslide, the SNP vote has move from 55 to 59 per cent and the Labour vote from 36 to 32 per cent.
Outside proper full sample opinion polls that is the best guide to Scottish political trends right now and it is desperate news for the SNP opponents, on this site and elsewhere.
Racism against white people being ok in the eyes of some.
THE Conservatives have chosen a statue of the Duke of Wellington riding a horse as their candidate for Mayor of London.
The statue, which stands outside the Bank of England, was chosen because of its aristocratic bearing, equestrian ability, and total disinterest in ordinary Londoners.
A Conservative spokesman said: “We auditioned lots of millionaires but they didn’t quite have that aura of purebred contempt."'
http://tinyurl.com/oucnblg
Along the same lines as that school that SeanT was at the other day.
If we don't promote our culture and history as worthy and good, then it leaves the door open for revisionists and apologists to make being British something to be ashamed of.
Dramatic drop in the LD vote this time, but spread across the other candidates. Labour tripled their vote, more or less. Zac’s went up much less.
"The statue is currently neck and neck with Labour’s Sadiq Khan in the polls, but should pull ahead once the Evening Standard attacks Khan for never defeating Napoleon."
The debate was passionate and exhausting - it wasn't just about defence because Meadowcroft's amendment cleverly included a reference to the primacy of the Assembly when a lot of activists thought they were being ignored by Steel who was making Alliance policy without reference to them.
I thought it would be close - whether Simon Hughes tipped the balance I'll never know - but I was one of the 625 who voted for the leadership line. Unfortunately 652 voted for the amendment and that effectively killed the Alliance.
Even if it had passed, I doubt the line would have held (rather as John Major found out in 1997) in the heat of an election campaign. It masked the other huge elephant in the room which was the notion that had (as seemed likely at the time) the 1987 GE produced a Hung Parliament, would the Alliance support a Kinnock minority Government or a Thatcher (assuming she stayed) minority administration ?
The fact was the Alliance, which had been close in 1981-82, had diverged after the 1983 election with a growing sense of mistrust and difference over policies. The Liberals were going one way (with some SDP elements) while Owen (and those who supported him) seemed to be going in another route. The events of 1987-89 were inevitable in that regard.
I'd love to know how you saw it at the time.
They probably did
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2836204/Convicted-drug-users-thieves-allowed-join-police.html
Once
Do these types of protest ever work? On the whole they seem to me to be more counter productive...
The tories' dream next week would be a mass brawl with the headline
'a kinder form of politics' in the Mail.
Keith Vaz MP, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: ‘Those who join the police should be beyond reproach. Standards must be kept at the highest level.’
I see Zac's the chosen one? Can another very rich Tory aristocrat rule "Labours City" until 2020?
JEZ-HE-CAN
That said, I think the election is a toss-up. Labour will still be sorting itself out and Goldsmith has a generally favourable public image of being independent but not bonkers, but London is not natural Tory territory. Really hard to call.