Comments on: What a difference abstaining makes http://www.stopboris.org/blog/2008/03/25/what-a-difference-abstaining-makes/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:53:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Mr. Stop Boris http://www.stopboris.org/blog/2008/03/25/what-a-difference-abstaining-makes/#comment-15 Mr. Stop Boris Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:55:11 +0000 http://www.stopboris.org/blog/2008/03/25/what-a-difference-abstaining-makes/#comment-15 Soundbites are all Boris has been able to offer lately. If you follow his media appearances as closely as I have been, you'll have heard him trotting out the exact same lines on all the different programmes he pops up on. I've lost track of how many times I've heard him make the 20-years-out-of-date point that he is the only one of the main mayoral candidates with experience in the private sector of keeping costs down. (It shows how out of touch he is with the modern public sector if he thinks cost-cutting isn't a top priority, especially in local government, where the gearing effect, capping and acres of negative publicity mean that every last penny on Council Tax is agonised over by finance managers.) So no, I certainly don't want soundbites, but they're all Boris is giving in this campaign. What I would have liked from the interview tonight was any idea of any of his policies, or a straight answer to any of the questions put to him. And to answer your question, neither the disorganised genius nor the organised idiot is appropriate, but in an all-powerful job making day-to-day decisions in a fast-moving city, organisation has surely got to be one of the more important characteristics to have. And since I don't think many of the candidates on offer in this election are idiots, that puts most of them ahead of Boris, who's certainly no genius. As for the speculation, it's just as much speculation to assume he <em>will</em> be able to keep up his proper politician act for four years. I have seen decades of imbecilic behaviour and anecdotes from all those who've worked with him, not to mention his own current campaign manager <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3537554.ece" rel="nofollow">thinking it remarkable that Boris hasn't made any gaffes yet</a> when "he might be expected to make eight a day". (Oh, and admitting Boris has "little grasp of policy", which rather contradicts your fantasy that he has a head full of the stuff.) Incidentally, why do you keep commenting on posts here? It just seems a strange thing to do, for someone obsessed by the idea that Boris is in some way competent and worthy of being Mayor, to loiter around an anti-Boris web site commenting on everything posted. I mean, I'm quite happy to contradict anything you say, but it just seems a bit of a waste of time if you're hoping you might somehow knock our campaign off course by giving us some sort of moment of revelation where an argument you put forward suddenly convinces us to vote for Boris! Soundbites are all Boris has been able to offer lately. If you follow his media appearances as closely as I have been, you’ll have heard him trotting out the exact same lines on all the different programmes he pops up on. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard him make the 20-years-out-of-date point that he is the only one of the main mayoral candidates with experience in the private sector of keeping costs down. (It shows how out of touch he is with the modern public sector if he thinks cost-cutting isn’t a top priority, especially in local government, where the gearing effect, capping and acres of negative publicity mean that every last penny on Council Tax is agonised over by finance managers.)

So no, I certainly don’t want soundbites, but they’re all Boris is giving in this campaign. What I would have liked from the interview tonight was any idea of any of his policies, or a straight answer to any of the questions put to him.

And to answer your question, neither the disorganised genius nor the organised idiot is appropriate, but in an all-powerful job making day-to-day decisions in a fast-moving city, organisation has surely got to be one of the more important characteristics to have. And since I don’t think many of the candidates on offer in this election are idiots, that puts most of them ahead of Boris, who’s certainly no genius.

As for the speculation, it’s just as much speculation to assume he will be able to keep up his proper politician act for four years. I have seen decades of imbecilic behaviour and anecdotes from all those who’ve worked with him, not to mention his own current campaign manager thinking it remarkable that Boris hasn’t made any gaffes yet when “he might be expected to make eight a day”. (Oh, and admitting Boris has “little grasp of policy”, which rather contradicts your fantasy that he has a head full of the stuff.)

Incidentally, why do you keep commenting on posts here? It just seems a strange thing to do, for someone obsessed by the idea that Boris is in some way competent and worthy of being Mayor, to loiter around an anti-Boris web site commenting on everything posted. I mean, I’m quite happy to contradict anything you say, but it just seems a bit of a waste of time if you’re hoping you might somehow knock our campaign off course by giving us some sort of moment of revelation where an argument you put forward suddenly convinces us to vote for Boris!

]]> By: Peter Dawes http://www.stopboris.org/blog/2008/03/25/what-a-difference-abstaining-makes/#comment-14 Peter Dawes Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:12:05 +0000 http://www.stopboris.org/blog/2008/03/25/what-a-difference-abstaining-makes/#comment-14 So you want all of London's social and administrative problems summed up in trite little soundbites, do you? Or do you prefer the answer favoured by NuLab ministers, whatever the question - "We will be looking at ways of addressing the ishoos through delivery of a programme of stakeholder consultation reports bla bla" Boris's problem is that he has a head full of good ideas but, being of a wordy disposition, can't get them out fast enough. The quickfire interview comes of an age when everyone is expected to produce instant feelgood answers. Those who cannot understand the workings of an expansive intellect write it off as "bumbling" or "disorganised". But which would you rather have at the top - a disorganised genius or an organised idiot? As for the rest of this and the preceding post, it is all based on speculation. IF he doesn't stay off the drink, IF he can't be serious all the time... No substance at all. So you want all of London’s social and administrative problems summed up in trite little soundbites, do you? Or do you prefer the answer favoured by NuLab ministers, whatever the question - “We will be looking at ways of addressing the ishoos through delivery of a programme of stakeholder consultation reports bla bla”

Boris’s problem is that he has a head full of good ideas but, being of a wordy disposition, can’t get them out fast enough. The quickfire interview comes of an age when everyone is expected to produce instant feelgood answers. Those who cannot understand the workings of an expansive intellect write it off as “bumbling” or “disorganised”. But which would you rather have at the top - a disorganised genius or an organised idiot?

As for the rest of this and the preceding post, it is all based on speculation. IF he doesn’t stay off the drink, IF he can’t be serious all the time… No substance at all.

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