Comments on: La la la la not listening can’t hear you la la la la

By: Mr. Stop Boris

Mr. Stop Boris — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:24:22 +0000

The Standard representing Londoners? Hah! The Standard represents the small-minded views of the Daily Mail group that publishes it.

By: Watervole

Watervole — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:01:17 +0000

What about all the free advertising Ken has been getting through Transport for London’s various campaigns and which we’ve all been paying for? You mention Boris going to his old college chums for money - why not? There’s no law against that. If we’re going to be even-handed here, Ken refused to reveal details of his campaign funds at all so I would say Boris is one up there. Probably he doesn’t want to admit he’s getting naff all from the Party as the Labour Party is close to bust and in fact, doesn’t need it anyway as he has been ripping off all the Londoners by campaigning, sub rosa, viaTFL - which we have all been paying for.
The Standard is the one paper which has consistently represented the concerns of Londoners e.g. regarding parking issues.

By: Mr. Stop Boris

Mr. Stop Boris — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:09:25 +0000

I’m not in the business of defending Ken but it seems odd that people keep ignoring the logic of his argument about funding and persisting with saying he is concealing funders from us. He has explained on a number of occasions that he gets funded via his party so that he doesn’t find out who is funding him and therefore doesn’t feel any pressure to act differently in his job as a result. Indeed, if it’s true that that Asian businessman did give his 2004 campaign a big cheque, Ken’s system seems to work pretty well as I understand that Ken subsequently rejected the bloke’s planning application!

I don’t know what you’re on about with drug dealers but 0.001% of the budget doesn’t sound like a lot and certainly doesn’t suggest the current administration is ‘tainted with dishonesty’.

Back on topic, Boris is hardly an angel in the area of funding either, having accepted a gift of office space from someone who is also likely to submit a Mayor-level planning application in the next four years. Where’s the outrage over this?

And Angela, of course the Standard can endorse a candidate, but there is a big difference between decent journalism combined with an editorial endorsement, and producing a multi-page propaganda pamphlet masquerading as a newspaper. I imagine the Guardian will, in the run-up to 1 May, publish a leader column endorsing one of the candidates (I would assume Ken or Brian), and they’ve published a few anti-Boris articles on their Comment pages, but they’ve still carried balanced coverage of the major developments in the election campaign from all sides in their News pages. That’s journalism. What the Standard is doing is pathetic and all involved ‘journalists’ should be ashamed.

By: angela

angela — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:53:06 +0000

Surely the Standard is entitled to endorse any candidate that it wants? Nobody in their right mind would endorse Ken anymore, he is just too tainted with dishonesty. Hi shifty look when tackled about his funding was priceless and his remark “I dont want to know” sounded like it was so dicey he needed to distance himself. I am not saying it is dicey, although who knows, but that is what he made it sound like.

It was just like his remark when tackled about allegations of financial wrongdoing at City Hall. He said something to the effect that the amount being investigated is only 0.001 % of the billions budget. Ha ha, very funny Ken!

Don’t people who rip off drug dealers use that argument?

By: QuestionThat

QuestionThat — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:22:28 +0000

I’m singularly surprised they didn’t mention Ken’s ridiculous witterings when asked about his campaign funding.

The bus story is old news.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:48:19 +0000

I’m always amused to see earnest Evening Standard readers, the organ itself tucked under their briefcase arm, waiting at Kings’ Cross, Liverpool Street or Waterloo to get their train home. To somewhere miles outside London where there will be able to vote for no-one. Like Epping Forest. Let’s face it - most of Johnson’s mindless Evening Standard reading support base isn’t even eligible to vote here.