Licence to Loot
The election for London Mayor takes place next year - just ahead of the Olympic Games.
The sitting candidate is Boris Johnson who defeated his biggest rival - Ken Livingstone - last time round.
So the 2012 contest has developed into a bit of a grudge match - understandably.
Both men have a reputation as 'loose cannons' - within their respective Tory and Labour camps.
And while I not a great fan of Boris Johnson - I suspect Ken Livingstone is likely to turn out to be the damaging of the two - as far as the party leaders are concerned.
Because Ken is now arguing that the London riots are the result of spending cuts - it's all the fault of the nasty Tories and Lib Dems apparently.
Which sounds a bit bonkers to me - given that a Labour government was in power for 13 out of the past 14 years.
The violence and looting in London and elsewhere raises many social challenges - but Ken Livingstone's approach will come across as a 'licence to loot'.
To my mind it's a complete cop-out to suggest that this was caused by - or would be cured by - simply throwing some more public money at the problem.
Ken is telling a particular group of Londoners whom he regards as potential supporters - what they want to hear, courting them with weasel words - instead of trying to provide answers to difficult questions.
Which might involve people facing up to their own behaviour - for example.
So I hope Ken fails in his bid to become London Mayor again in 2012 - his cynical tactics are unworthy and depressing - 'dog whistle' politics of the worst kind.
On that basis he doesn't deserve a second term.
The sitting candidate is Boris Johnson who defeated his biggest rival - Ken Livingstone - last time round.
So the 2012 contest has developed into a bit of a grudge match - understandably.
Both men have a reputation as 'loose cannons' - within their respective Tory and Labour camps.
And while I not a great fan of Boris Johnson - I suspect Ken Livingstone is likely to turn out to be the damaging of the two - as far as the party leaders are concerned.
Because Ken is now arguing that the London riots are the result of spending cuts - it's all the fault of the nasty Tories and Lib Dems apparently.
Which sounds a bit bonkers to me - given that a Labour government was in power for 13 out of the past 14 years.
The violence and looting in London and elsewhere raises many social challenges - but Ken Livingstone's approach will come across as a 'licence to loot'.
To my mind it's a complete cop-out to suggest that this was caused by - or would be cured by - simply throwing some more public money at the problem.
Ken is telling a particular group of Londoners whom he regards as potential supporters - what they want to hear, courting them with weasel words - instead of trying to provide answers to difficult questions.
Which might involve people facing up to their own behaviour - for example.
So I hope Ken fails in his bid to become London Mayor again in 2012 - his cynical tactics are unworthy and depressing - 'dog whistle' politics of the worst kind.
On that basis he doesn't deserve a second term.
