Your questions for Boris Johnson
- 4 Apr 08, 07:21 PM
Newsnight is hosting a debate on Tuesday between the main candidates in the race for London mayor.
What questions would you like Jeremy Paxman to ask Boris Johnson?
Big Fat Politics Blog
Newsnight is hosting a debate on Tuesday between the main candidates in the race for London mayor.
What questions would you like Jeremy Paxman to ask Boris Johnson?
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I would like to ask Boris, if he can't keep in order four people, for half an hour during "Have I Got News For You" how can we trust him to run London?
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Boris,
Do you continue to use your mobile phone while driving?
BACKGROUND
There have been three different photos of him talking on his hand held mobile while driving in recent months in the Sunday Mirror and perhaps others published elsewhere.
He is on record as having said something to the effect that using your mobile while driving is no more distracting than scratching your nose. Whatever that means
SUBSIDIARY QUESTIONS
Does he feel empowered to ignore any law he disagrees with?
Has he a message for the relatives of people killed by drivers who have been using their mobiles?
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How will you compensate for the fact that you attacked civil partnerships for gay people when they were first proposed, stating "if gay marriage was OK - and I was uncertain on the issue - then I saw no reason in principle why a union should not be consecrated between ...three men and a dog.鈥 (Friends, Voters, Countrymen p96)
With 1 million gay people in london, and suicide rates of young gay people being as high as one in five - how do you think it feels for young gay people to have their relationships demeaned in like this by a mayoral candidate?
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Boris - do you really want to be Mayor or have you been talked into it by David Cameron desperate to have a personality in the race? Surely you can't seriously claim to represent the average Londoner.
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Why should the majority of the British people be interested in the election of a London mayor?
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Your presence as the Conservative candidate for London Mayor has been accused of making the mayoral race highly populistic by placing the entire focus on the battle of personalities (Ken, Boris) and appealing to peoples emotions rather than focusing on political issues.
Do you agree with that accusation and if not, can you please explain to us, coherently and in detail, your politics and plans for London for the next 4 years.
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Mr Johnson,
Given your track record of statements regarding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) people. What will you do, if elected, to make sure that the LGBT population, especially young LGBT people, feel safe in our capital?
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At the meeting in the Polish Social and Cultural Centre (POSK) in Hammersmith on the 19 March Boris Johnson confirmed that he would ensure that all those employed directly or indirectly (ie though sub-contractors) would be paid the London Living Wage as a minimum. In the case of indirectly employed workers he would use contract compliance to achieve this objective. Will he now confirm on national TV that this is the case?
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"When do you start filming for the 91热爆 series "Who do you think you are ?"
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Mr. Johnson,
You have expressed that you "have no desire whatsoever to receive a single second preference vote from a BNP supporter".
Given this position, what will you do if you find yourself elected Mayor on the basis of a narrow margin provided by second preference BNP voters?
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Brian Paddick and Ken Livingstone have both spent decades working on projects to help Londoners. Boris didn't even use his position as an MP to vote on Crossrail or the Olympic bid - two crucial issues affecting London. How can he hope to match the other candidates' understanding of the issues facing London?
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What exactly do you know about the life of ordinary working-class Londoners?
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Your presence as the Conservative candidate for London Mayor has been accused of turning the Mayoral race into a highly populist one by strategically placing the entire focus of the battle on personalities (Left-Ken/Rightwing Boris) and appealing to people's emotions rather than focusing on political issues.
Do you agree with that accusation and if not, can you please explain to us, coherently and in detail, your politics and plans for London for the next 4 years.
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Boris - please pay a visit to Kings Cross/St. Pancras Underground station and watch the awful struggle that people with bags have getting up two flights of stairs to Eurostar. Note the inadequately small (and often broken) lifts. TFL might have done the absolute minimum to comply with disability regulations but it's totally inappropriate to what's required. Most LT stations have no lifts or escalators at all. Will you divert funds from Ken's hair brained schemes into a comprehensive mobility programme for the underground?
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Boris has pledged to make improvements to encourage walking and cycling in London. He has also pledged to rephase traffic lights to make vehicular traffic move quicker, which is somewhat contradictory. I was wondering if Boris would comment on how he intends to encourage walking by prioritising vehicular movement.
Has Boris ever tried to cross the road at Loughborough Junction, for example? This is an area with one of the lowest rates of car ownership in the UK, yet with significant priority given to motorists.
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How will you tackle child poverty in the capital?
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Boris has pledged to 'look again' at air conditioning on London Underground. Has Boris done any research whatsoever prior to making this outlandish claim? Had he done so, he might have discovered that TfL already have a business function - Cooling the Tube - which is undertaking significant investment and remedial work in order to improve cooling of London Underground. Has Boris liaised with these colleagues? And does he realise that air conditioning is effectively impossible on London Underground?
(To create cool air requires expending a vast amount of energy, which creates heat in the process. This heat must be displaced, somewhat undoing any good done by the air conditioning. This becomes especially dangerous if a train were to become stationary for any significant amount of time.)
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Boris - please pay a visit to Kings Cross/St. Pancras Underground station and watch the awful struggle that people with bags have getting up two flights of stairs to Eurostar. Note the inadequately small (and often broken) lifts. TFL might have done the absolute minimum to comply with disability regulations but it's totally inappropriate to what's required. Most LT stations have no lifts or escalators at all. Will you divert funds from Ken's hair brained schemes into a comprehensive mobility programme for the underground?
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Why did one of your campaigners insist outside the Time Out hustings that "crime is up in London" under Ken Livingstone, even when it was pointed out to her that neither police recorded crime figures nor the British Crime Survey support this assertion?
(Is it because your campaign strategist, Lynton Crosby, has imported his tactic of lying to get you elected from Australia, where he pretended immigrants had thrown their children overboard to stoke up anti-immigrant feeling in a general election?)
N.B. The quote from the Boris campaigner is not 'out of context' - she repeatedly insisted "Crime is up", with no additional context to make it possibly true in any way.
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Please can you explain some of the clearly racist and Islamophobic comments you have made in the past, such as "The proposed ban on incitement to 'religious hatred' makes no sense unless it involves a ban on the Koran itself..."
and your comparing of black people to "watermelon smiles"
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Do you condemn your fellow tory assembly members who tried to axe the freedom pass for pensioners and voted against increases in policing on the beat, which Ken proposed, which is why crime has fallen in London
Do you condemn your friends in the standard who have aimed to make Ken's private life the number one issue this week, in order to divert attention from the work he has done in London?
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Boris, when you have become Mayor, when will you act on the positive research, quashed by Ken, that indicates bus lanes can safely be shared by motorcycles and cycles, and what pressure will you exert on Westminster and Camden Council to sincrease motorcycle bays?
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Mr. Johnson,
You have expressed that you "have no desire whatsoever to receive a single second preference vote from a BNP supporter".
Given this position, what will you do if you find yourself elected Mayor on the basis of a narrow margin of second preference votes provided by BNP voters?
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Can you tell us why it took you eight years to apologise for using the word piccaninnies to describe black people? Having said you are very sorry about using this racist term which was also used by Enoch Powell in his infamous rivers of blood speech, why did you welcome Janet Street Porter's comment that it had been taken out of context?
When will you also apologise for using the racist description watermelon smiles, and for your comments about South Africa under Nelson Mandela being the 'tyranny of the majority rule'?
Do you think having such views and taking such a long time to realise how deeply offensive they are is compatible with being the Mayor of a city with over a quarter of its population being black or from a minority ethnic background?
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You have 4 children: is it safe to assume you know about children? How many of yours do you expect to be attending state schools or colleges in London by the end of 2011?
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Boris, do you accept that, beyond the exclusive use of bus lanes during rush hour, there is no cycling infrastructure in London and that this is already a source of shame when compared to more civic-minded metropolises such as Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin, which employ alternative traffic light phasing for cyclists?
Do you recognise the threat posed to cyclists by motorcycles accelerating in urban areas to motorway speeds across short distances in a way cars cannot?
Do you agree that motorcyclists and other motor vehicles routinely abuse cyclist-only boxes at traffic lights threatening cyclists where they most need protection, and will you clamp down on this?
Do you agree that the average motorcycle emits pollution similar to that of a small car?
Since emissions from the daily commute outweigh those from aviation in the UK, and '00,000s of Londoners would prefer to cycle but are afraid, do you agree that to allow motorcycles in bus lanes during the rush hour would betray the cause of the environment in London?
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How are you going to make London safer?
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Can you ask Boris Johnson what he did in his earlier political years to oppose appartheid.
London in the 1980's was one of the centres of opposition to appartheid, there was, for example a non-stop picket of South Africa House at Trfalgar Square, (did Mr J ever attend that?). If he didn't oppose it what did he do?
Thanks
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What will you do with the congestion charge?
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If elected on May 1st what would your priorities be in the first 100 days?
Ho would you deal with the apparently entrenched pro Ken nature of much of the GLAs senior management.
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Mr Johnson described the city of Liverpool as 'wallowing in their victim status" following the death of Ken Bigley. He also commented on it being a 'deeply unnatractive psyche of many in the city'.
As a candidate to be Mayor Of London could I ask Mr Johnson how he would describe London? And furthermore what reaction would he have had if somebody had made those comments about london following the London Bombings of 7th July 2005?
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Given your track record of offensive statements regarding ethnic minorities and Muslims, how do you intend to gain the trust of these communities if elected - especially considering that over 40% of the population you will be serving belong to an ethnic minority group?
Why should they vote for you given that you've gone out of your way to insult them repeatedly?
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I would like to ask Boris Johnson what is he going to do about Anti-Social behaviour on London Transport(including loud music and putting feet on seats). Would he consider imposing 'Zero Tolerance' policing towards these issues as is the case in Liverpool.
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I would have to ask Boris, what he is going to do to make people feel safe in London. Crime is everywhere and sometimes a trip on the Tube can be a frightening experience. It seems London has become a scary place as of late, how are we going to stop London turning into a city of crime such as Miami or even worse some middle east cities?
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Many argue that Boris Johnson has made several comments offensive to Muslim, black and other ethnic minority communities. His "piccaminnies" and "water melon smiles" comments are well documented. In addition he also said:
"To any non-Muslim reader of the Koran, Islamophobia鈥eems a natural reaction.." and claimed South Africa under Nelson Mandela represented 鈥渢he
majority tyranny of black rule鈥, to name but a few. Given that more than 50% of Britain's ethnic minority communties live in London how could a candidate with such views represent Londoners?
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What will you do with the Congestion Charge's wester extension?
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I would like to ask Boris Johnson ( I am not a relative) what he intends doing about the Freedom pass for the over 60's, I understand that he is not in favour of continuing with this pass, if elected.
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It is so worrying that gun crime has increased in the capital and that 11 teenagers have been murdered on London's streets this year. What will you do to stop this?
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Local theatres, sports centres, libraries and arts centres make a huge contribution to our quality of life in London. How will you make sure more money is spent on them?
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Many of the problems in London - indeed, in the nation as a whole - have been created by the excessive political correctness of Labour politicians in general and of Ken Livingstone in particular. What will Boris do to encourage the attitudinal change that will be needed if this is to be put right?
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If you get elected will you scrap the bendy buses and more importantly bring back the route master?
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Boris, what will be the first thing you do after you win?
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To the world you'll stand as the face of London, charismatic and multitasking....Should we expect a more serious looking man?
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Are you aware that your affordable housing policy is self-contradictory? If you abolish the 50% quota for homes for social rent, developers will not build them. What will you do if the local residents everywhere say the affordable housing is inappropriate?
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Boris,how does being a jolly Conservative MP for a priviledged Oxfordshire constituency(sacked from the shadow cabinet),an amusing pundit on "HIGNFY" and a short-lived editor of a right-wing magazine qualify you to lead one of the world's greatest and most complex cities and represent the interests of a huge and diverse population?
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Boris,I think the biggest mistake Ken has made is that he has not been listening to Londoners.
He thinks he knows it all and he decides despite the wishes of the Londoners.
Can you promise that you will be taking into consideration people's wishes at least on major issues involving London?
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What programme has Boris in mind to reach out to the multi-cultural poor and needy in our capital city?
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Question:
Upon arriving in London last week I was outraged to find charges in place to use toilets on Victoria Station. Nor was it obvious where to find free public convieniences outside of the station. I consider it immoral to make such charges for a basic hygeine requirement, and would ask each candidate to indicate how they feel this reflects upon the values and priorities of the City of London.
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If you manage to get elected and fulfill your pledge to put conductors back onto London's buses, and take all the bendybuses off the road, how many buses extra do you think you will need, and where will you a) get them from, and b0 fund them, bearing in mind that the packed buses today, without a conductor, will only be allowed to carry 5 standing passengers, not the 25-90 that they currently carry?
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I don't live in London, and I don't have any questions for the candidates. However- Mr Johnson, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that not only are you ahead in the YouGov survey, but you're beating Ken on facebook too. The group 'Boris Johnson for Mayor of London' has 2179 members, the largest similar ones for Ken and Brian have 2119 and 896 members respectively. Sadly, a group supporting Russell Brand for mayor has 2677 members. Never mind eh?
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Whoever wins the election will need to make an appointment to the post of race advisor to the mayor, vacant since Lee Jasper's resignation.
Who does Boris Johnson think might be a good candidate for the role?
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Ken Livingstone has decades of achievement and public service behind him. So does Brian Paddick. So does Sian Berry.
How come the Tory Party can't find a candidate of similar calibre?
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Given that,as London's mayor, you may need to interact with world leaders, have your powers of diplomacy improved, since you caused grave offence, to the people of Liverpool, following the death of Ken Bigley?
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Considering that RouteMaster buses were often cold, frequently broke down and with their lack of doors, offered an easy escape for criminals, are you guilty of trying to sell Londoners a one way ticket on a nostalgia trip?
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You pledge to make buses, trains and station safer. Will this include the whole of London, or as always, only central London?
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As Mayor, how would you encourage the retention and growth of small, independent, local shops and discourage or even deter the spread of large supermarket chains, turning, as I write, parts of the capital into clone towns?
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Mr Johnson has suggested that an amnesty should be granted to overstayers and illegal asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected by due process of UK law. Apart from this being at odds with Tory policy is it a rather cynical ploy to garner additional votes? Has nobody told him that this has been tried a number of times before and simply wipes the slate clean until the next time.
His campaign highlights law and order- this hardly seems compatible with such principles.
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Do you care about affordable housing? What will you do to help people get on the housing ladder considering how the Mayor has failed in this area?
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Isn鈥檛 is horrifying that 11 teenagers have been murdered on London鈥檚 streets this year? What will you do to stop this?
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Will Mr Johnson give a commitment that he will resign his (out of London) parliamentary constituency if he is elected Mayor on May 2nd?
It wouldn't be fair on his Henley constituents or to London if he proposed to do both simultaneously.
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It appears that this programme will be one of the few times members of the London electorate are able to question you directly before the election. Over the past couple of weeks you did not attend the Time Out hustings whilst it has been reported that you declined an invitation to appear on Radio 4's Any Questions. Are you being prevented from appearing at such events to avoid 'putting your foot in it?'
Do you think it's important for the electorate to have the opportunity to question any candidate standing for Mayor?
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Boris,
Having read the mostly negative subjects so far listed, may I ask if you consider cutting drastically the gross waste of tax payers' money that is currently going into projects and ideas of those close to the current regime?
Can you promise a greater role for the Assembly, and transparency in the audits of the funds used by the Mayor?
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It appears that this programme will be one of the few times members of the London electorate are able to question you directly before the election. Over the past couple of weeks you did not attend the Time Out hustings whilst it has been reported that you declined an invitation to appear on Radio 4's Any Questions. Are you being prevented from appearing at such events to avoid 'putting your foot in it?'
Do you think it's important for the electorate to have the opportunity to question any candidate standing for Mayor?
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I would like to ask - and Paxo to pursue vigorously - how far Boris agrees or disagrees with the climate change thesis; what actions he believes his administration would take (if any) and with what priority; and crucially, whether and why he advocates a withdrawal from the Kyoto Treaty, as he has said in the past.
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How can you claim to have any credibility on climate change and the environment when you have publicly backed Bush in opposing the Kyoto Treaty?
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Boris,
How are you qualified to manage and administer the massive group of organisations that make up the GLA Group?
What is the largest budget you have ever had to manage?
What is the largest number of staff you have had to manage?
What is your experience of management accounting, human resource management and strategic planning?
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Why aren't all 10 candidates participating?
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Assuming your first vote will be for yourself, who will your second choice be for?
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I am a single woman, on a respectable wage of 28K. London is my home, and I would like to settle here. How do you propose to deliver affordable housing for the average person on an average wage?
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Boris,
How are you qualified to manage and administer the massive group of organisations that make up the GLA Group?
What is the largest budget you have ever had to manage?
What is the largest number of staff you have had to manage?
What is your experience of management accounting, human resource management and strategic planning?
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I agree that as bendy busses are the single biggest contributor to congestion but why not replace them with the exixting one man double deccekrs?
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What are your transport policies ? And how will you deliver them in reality rather than just saying things that sound good ?
You have said you will have airconditioning on the tube. There isn't a technical solution (for deep tube lines) to this otherwise it would have been done already.
So isn't this just a sound good policy not deliverable in reality ?
You also say you would scrap bendy buses in favour of Routemasters - which would have conductors and disabled access and be run on environmentally friendly fuel.
How come just about every other city in the world runs bendy buses efficiently and safely but they are a problem for London and you ?
I loved the routemaster but building new buses with open platforms is prohibited by EU law for safety reasons... so again isn't this just a sound good policy not deliverable in reality ?
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Has Boris ever thought of combing his hair?
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How many hours have you spent on constituency casework in Henley since being nominated as the Conservative mayoral candidate?
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Do you agree that youth crime in London is out of control and how will you seek to engage young people in order for the shootings and stabbings to stop?
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As a keen cyclist, would you support the compulsory registration of cycles before they can be used on London's roads, as a means of being able to identify cyclists who breach road traffic rules (e.g. by jumping the lights, or going the wrong way down one-way streets), ride on pavements or, in extreme instances, are involved in traffic accidents.
Would you also support compulsory third-party insurance for all cyclists, in case they are involved in an accident causing damage / injury to a third party?
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Ken Livingstone has been heavily involved in the preparations for the Olympic Games coming to London in 2012. Given the huge logistical and security tasks ahead how can we be assured that Boris Johnson or Brian Paddick have the expertise to complete this mission successfully and how do their plans for organising the games differ - if at all - from Ken Livingstone?
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I live and work in Canary Wharf, which puts me next door to some very unpleasant council estates. I don't feel safe to walk the streets at night.
I resent that my taxes fund more and more children being born to people who live on welfare and I resent new "social" housing being built in what would otherwise be pleasant, affluent areas.
In terms of your housing policy, does your manifesto give me any benefits over what Ken proposes?
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If the opinion polls are correct and it turns out to be a close contest, will Boris Johnson decline to serve as Mayor if elected on second preference votes from far right candidates?
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Please clarify your position regarding the issue of the "Freedom Pass", an item that is so important for the elderly( I am 74) Will you start downsizing and charging us for this , as you have said in the past this "expensive PERK"
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What will be your policy concerning the Freedom Pass?
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Would you accept that Image matters?
Your attempts to project a boyish and self-depreciatingly intelligent but quirky persona has left a lot of people, me included, not confident about your ability to grasp the gravity of the responsibilities that the office of the Mayor of London entails - an office where cheap mistakes can cost dearly.
What would you say to people like myself to convince me that if I voted for you, you will not be setting London back years with a cavalier attitude?
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Is it childhood memories of Dick Whittington that mean we can only manage pantomime candidates?
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will you keep the "Freedom Pass" in it's present format, and not start chargjng as you have made comments in the past that you would like to seethis PERK downsized!!!
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Boris, how do your Henley constituents feel about you concentrating the majority of your time convincing Londoners they want you as their representative?
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Dear Boris,
What measures and steps can your future office take to help and support the c250K Tamils who live in this country (largely in and around London) in highlighting the human sufferings, particularly indiscriminate aerial bombardment conducted by Government of Sri Lanka against its own citizens?
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Would you commit to a maximum of two terms of office?
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Many people are killed on London's streets by cars every year. Many more suffer allergies from car pollution. We all suffer from their noise & aggression. What action will Boris, or any other candidate take to ensure that drivers obey a simple law that they all break daily: the speed limit?
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What, if you become mayor, will be your first priority?
And, what is the first change the average londoner will see?
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Your proposalal to phase out articulated buses with high capacity (the bendy bus) which is used in many major cities and replace them with a small routemasters will reduce capacity on the bus network. Does this concern you, and if so, how will you pay for additional buses to cover this shortfall?
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A question for ALL THREE CANDIDATES:
Given police officers' actions in London on Sunday, for example confiscating Free Tibet banners and T-shirts, do the candidates feel that the police were at times heavy handed in their policing of the Olympic torch relay?
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If Boris does not understand the rules of football, how can we expect him to tackle the problems of London
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Boris
It would appear that Ken Livingstones Cogestion Charge is not working, The traffic flow on our roads are the same as before the congestion charge was introduced yet the state of our roads are deplorable with potholes uneven road surfaces and dangerous "speed humps" what do you intend to do about all these problems?
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Can Boris please explain his violent and shamefully un-sportsman like conduct during the pre World Cup England vs Germany past stars and celebrities football match in 2006.
Does he believe that his constant and dangerous fouls against players revealed his true personality and general approach: a bull in a china shop, or was it just lack of self control.
Either way, his display was shameful.
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One of your manifesto pledges is to improve public transport in London. If elected, will you improve the quality of public transport in south and south-west London, too often overlooked by the present mayor? In particular improvements to rail frequency and safety in south London, as well as extensions to the Tramlink network.
Furthermore, as mayor of London would you rightly conserve your powers and influence by concentrating on issues that affect London and Londoners only, and leave matters of national and foreign policy to central
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I would like to ask Mr Johnson given his record in opposing key gay rights legislation like the repeal of Section 28 & voting against gay adoption rights. How can he lead the annual London Pride parade like Ken Livingstone has every year since being Mayor? How does he reassure gay and lesbian Londoners he isn't a homophobe?
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Do you think the public will be fooled by an apparent bribe to the voters of west London to remove the congestion charge in their area? Or will they see that this is gross irresponsibility and shows lack of care for our environment when those people travelling in west London often have the worst polluting vehicles - Chelsea Tractors etc and those owners can easily afford the charge anyway?
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Boris.
When considering how to reduce pollution from petrol and diesel engines in London, will you take firm action with public transport instead of only demanding changes from the public at large? (congestion charges)
Each time I visit London, I am amazed at the amount of pollution which "Pours" out of the city's buses, without a single complaint from the mayor or even the people in Downing Street.
Hopefully, you will lead by example ............ a quality that is sadly missing from number 10 and the current mayor's office.
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There are too many private cars using too few streets in London. What would you do about that?
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I don't care which candidate this is put to:
Whilst wacthing last night's panorama I couldn't help but draw comparison between the suggested sectarianism in NI and gang culture in London.
I could guess that tribal bonding practices, such as gangs of teenage yobs pulping stray passer-by, are giving some meaning to life for practioners but, in the opinion of the candidates, what is the root cause of youth violent crime?
And any answer of "family breakdown" would be incomplete without describing the root cause of family breakdown.
p.s. I had the priveledge of living in Damascus for 6 months last year; they don't have these problems there I didn't see any police on the beat at night either.
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You are against the Heathrow Extension as it is, however you have suggested putting it on an artifical island in the Thames Gateway, (which if I am not mistaken ,was a BNP policy at the last mayoral election). How do you feel moving it will really benifit London and its enviroment?
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The GLA and/or TFL Complaints Procedure is a sanctimonious farce. In order to allow it to generate improvements, will you, if elected, take this Procedure out of the hands of the GLA and/or TFL and put it in the hands of a properly independent body?
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The introduction of the low emmission zone in London means that anyone living wihin it no longer has the liberty to own/restore a classic heavy commecial vehicle built after 1973 (and from 2010 a light commercial vehicle as well). What do you plan to do to give Londoners the same freedom to restore/own classic commercial vehicles avalable to any other resident in the UK?
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This city is crying out for more low-cost homes, and yet you propose to scrap the Mayor's target for affordable housing.
How do you ever expect London to solve its housing crisis if you're going to scrap the one thing that's actually getting results on low cost housing?
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What safeguards would you put in place to protect women and children from being trafficked into the UK and sexually exploited in the run up to and during the Olympics in London in 2012?
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If he thinks he is really the best man for the job of mayor of one of the most important cities in the world. Why is it that subsequent Conservative leaders would only trust him with minor ministerial posts, the first of which he was sacked from, for one of his many gaffs, Isnt the truth that the tory establishment couldnt decide whether to laugh, cry, or cheer when you were selected as their candidate.
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Mr Johnson, have you ever done a proper day's work in your entire life?
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To each candidate,
When was the last time you travelled by tube and do you think additional central government capital expenditure should be used improving the system?
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What experience has representing a predominantly rural, overwhelmingly wealthy constituency (Henley) given you for running a metropolis as diverse (both economically and culturally) as London?
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You were recently quoted as saying to Ken Livingstone's response to you your plan to bring back RouteMaster buses "What London needs is a mayor who is committed to delivering for Londoners, not one who will cynically play around with budgets just to score political points."
Now although i do see passion for a job as important, performance must come first, and the post of London Mayor is a political position so political points are in fact key. How can you say that Mr Livingstone is not committed to delivering for Londoners, when he was born in London, has served as a London MP, leader of the GLC and now Mayor of London? Please do tell how and why this man is not committed and you are?
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You were recently quoted as saying to Ken Livingstone's response to you your plan to bring back RouteMaster buses "What London needs is a mayor who is committed to delivering for Londoners, not one who will cynically play around with budgets just to score political points."
Now although i do see passion for a job as important, performance must come first, and the post of London Mayor is a political position so political points are in fact key. How can you say that Mr Livingstone is not committed to delivering for Londoners, when he was born in London, has served as a London MP, leader of the GLC and now Mayor of London? Please do tell how and why this man is not committed and you are?
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To each candidate,
When was the last time you travelled by tube and do you think additional central government capital expenditure should be used improving the system?
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What do you know about the Piers Galveston Society?
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It is clear that you have worked hard since becoming the Tory candidate to understand the main policy issues relating to London and rowed back from extreme positions on some major issues. However, you have no track record of following London issues, you've explained that you cannot announce the members of your mayoral team before polling day, and David Cameron has insisted that you would be your own man at City Hall - not bound by national party policy. Why should Londoners believe that your administration would be competent, moderate and trustworthy?
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It is clear that you have worked hard since becoming the Tory candidate to understand the main policy issues relating to London and rowed back from extreme positions on some major issues. However, you have no track record of following London issues, you've explained that you cannot announce the members of your mayoral team before polling day, and David Cameron has insisted that you would be your own man at City Hall - not bound by national party policy. Why should Londoners believe that your administration would be competent, moderate and trustworthy?
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Mr Johnson - I won't say 'Boris' as using first names for the candidates suggests that this election is somehow frivolous - What *relevant* experience do you have in running a large public organisation serving the needs of millions? Whilst your party leader has told us you have "charisma" I'd rather have a Mayor with practical experience in place, not someone learning on the job.
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What experience has representing a predominantly rural, overwhelmingly wealthy constituency (Henley) given you for running a metropolis as diverse (both economically and culturally) as London?
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Dear Boris,
My Late Mother was a labour councillor and I am a life labour voter. I can no longer bring my self to Vote Labour because of their authoritarian ways. I am struggling with my conscience to vote Tory can you help?
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Could Boris Johnson give me three specific policies which would make me vote for him, not just 'make streets safer' but specifics.
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I'd like to know whether Boris has any plans to tackle the scandalously high levels of bicycle theft in London and the scandalously low priority given to the thefts by the police.
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The debate about the Bendy Buses goes on and on. What does Boris actually propose doing. To scrap them is a total waste of money. Do you have an exit strategy for them? As a passenger they are very comfortable and I feel more secure on them as there is no upstairs. Surely to have a conductor on them is more cost-effective than scrapping them. The biggest moan is that we dont want to subsidise those that do not pay. What is your strategy to overcome this? Be reasonable we know you cannot sweep them away over night. They have a smoohter ride. I would not be surprised if injuires to passengers on board are much less than on the cardboard like double deckers.
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I live and work in Canary Wharf, which puts me next door to some very unpleasant council estates. I don't feel safe to walk the streets at night.
I resent that my taxes fund more and more children being born to people who live on welfare and I resent new "social" housing being built in what would otherwise be pleasant, affluent areas.
In terms of your housing policy, does your manifesto give me any benefits over what Ken proposes?
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How would you convince the Met to increase the numbers of traffic police (currently 2% of the overall police force) and make 'road safety' one of their core priorities.
In some parts of London (eg Tottenham) the numbers of uninsured drivers are 5 times the national average. In 2004, more than 15% of collisions were 'hit and runs' up from 6% in 1985
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Boris:-
What do you intend to do about the rise of the BNP as a protest party and will you as London mayor look at why people are voting for the BNP?
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I would like to ask Boris if he has the ability to make London a happier place to be, as reported on the news recently we haven't got any happier. Do you have what it takes?
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You鈥檝e said you would introduce measures to improve transparency at City Hall, including publishing your administrations register of interests on the internet. Are you prepared to publish your expenses as an MP before the election?
You鈥檝e criticised the current administration for the power wielded by unelected advisers: why are you not prepared to name your shadow administration? What鈥檚 to stop you from appointing
* Darius Guppy to advise on 鈥淢edia relations鈥
* Conrad Black to advise on 鈥淕overnance鈥 or
* Taki to advise on community engagement?
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If climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity, how will you campaign against a mayor who is supported by the Green party and considers the environment a priority when you dont even accept the Kyoto treaty? How will you make London a greener city?
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As a young person I feel that teenagers should be given a bigger voice in politcs. If you are elected Mayor, Boris how will you promote youth related affairs in politics.
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What experience has representing a predominantly rural, overwhelmingly wealthy constituency (Henley) given you for running a metropolis as diverse (both economically and culturally) as London?
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You were recently quoted as saying to Ken Livingstone's response to you your plan to bring back RouteMaster buses "What London needs is a mayor who is committed to delivering for Londoners, not one who will cynically play around with budgets just to score political points."
Now although i do see passion for a job as important, performance must come first, and the post of London Mayor is a political position so political points are in fact key. How can you say that Mr Livingstone is not committed to delivering for Londoners, when he was born in London, has served as a London MP, leader of the GLC and now Mayor of London? Please do tell how and why this man is not committed and you are?
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Your transport manifesto promises initatives to encourage walking yet also pledges to rephase traffic lights to give more priority to vehicles. How will you reconcile these two?
Do you agree that a low floor routemaster with open platform would pose an unacceptable risk to the travelling public?
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You opposed Kyoto, you've written about "piccannies", you voted against the National Minimum Wage, you didn't bother to vote on Crossrail, you supported Clause 28, you've written about Nelson Mandela bringing the "tyranny of Black majority rule to South Africa" - aren't you an old fashioned Tory elitist from Eton unfit to lead our exciting and diverse city in the 21st century?
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Boris,
As a life long labour voter I no longer feel Ken's brand of Labour is appropriate for London. Being an authoritarian Mayor has killed my love for Labour. My conscience is pricking me as my late Mother was a Local Labour Councillor. Can you ease my conscience and persuade me to vote for you?
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You鈥檝e criticised the current administration for the power wielded by unelected advisers: why are you not prepared to name your shadow administration? What鈥檚 to stop you from appointing
* Darius Guppy to advise on 鈥淢edia relations鈥
* Conrad Black to advise on 鈥淕overnance鈥 or
* Taki to advise on community engagement?
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I want to go to work by tube, but i think it is too expensive, and it takes too long, and it is always like a cattle lorry with hard to get seats.
Can you at least either cut the tube price significantly in line with other worldwide cities, OR reduce the congestion charge cost and the hours it starts and finishes at, so I can drive to work?
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Boris, if you were elected Mayor would you continue the current policy of supporting and celebrating the London St. Patrick's Day Parade and festival? And if not, why not?
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The GLA and/or TFL Complaints Procedure is a sanctimonious farce. In order to allow it to generate improvements, will you, if elected, take this Procedure out of the hands of the GLA and/or TFL and put it in the hands of a properly independent body?
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Does it ever get tiring hiding your secretly ruthless ambitions behind the PG Wodehouse character, hair-ruffling, uming and erring act?
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Boris -
In a city of enormous disparities in wealth, where we see on one hand city bankers raking in six and seven figure bonuses, and on the other, homeless people begging in the streets - what do you plan to do about bridging that gap and increasing the amount of affordable social housing for people in public service, or the vulnerable?
Irmani
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If he thinks he is really the best man for the job of mayor of one of the most important cities in the world. Why is it that subsequent Conservative leaders would only trust him with minor ministerial posts, the first of which he was sacked from, for one of his many gaffs, Isnt the truth that the tory establishment couldnt decide whether to laugh, cry, or cheer when you were selected as their candidate.
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You three stooges are virtually all the same on policy. How about getting the candidates on from smaller parties and making things more interesting.
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You three stooges are virtually all the same on policy. How about getting the candidates on from smaller parties and making things more interesting.
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You three stooges are virtually all the same on policy. How about getting the candidates on from smaller parties and making things more interesting.
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You three stooges are virtually all the same on policy. How about getting the candidates on from smaller parties and making things more interesting.
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Dear Boris,
Are you serious about offering an amnesty for illegal immigrants in London, surely destined to alienate your core support?
Is it really sensible, purely to provide more accurate figures for local authorities, to reward those who lie and defraud our country - thereby sending out a call to even more of the world impoverished to come here and further clog up our transport infrastructure and inadequate housing supply?!!
Peter
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QUESTION FROM DOHA, QATAR
Ken is an open critic of the Iraq War and a good friend of the respected Muslim scholar Dr. Qardawi who openly condemns terrorism. The British Government recently refused Visa for Medical treatment for the ailing cleric.
David Cameron, the clown, also was a cause for that blind decision. There was a peaceful protest against the decision in Doha for the first time.
I know Ken would have condemned the decision. What does Boris think of it?
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Revenue from advertising on the tube and buses could finance totally free public transport. Would you take this very good idea on board ?
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Dear Boris,
Are you serious about offering an amnesty for illegal immigrants in London, surely destined to alienate your core support?
Is it really sensible, purely to provide more accurate figures for local authorities, to reward those who lie and defraud our country with citizenship - thereby sending out a call to even more of the world impoverished to come here and further clog up our transport infrastructure and inadequate housing supply?!!
Peter
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Dear Boris,
Are you serious about offering an amnesty for illegal immigrants in London, surely destined to alienate your core support?
Is it really sensible, purely to provide more accurate figures for local authorities, to reward those who lie and defraud our country with citizenship - thereby sending out a call to even more of the world impoverished to come here and further clog up our transport infrastructure and inadequate housing supply?!!
Peter
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Would Mr Johnson consider introducing some form of Direct Democracy to allow the citizens to reclaim control of their City from the politicians?
This has worked very successfully in other countries - notably in Switzerland.
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Dear Boris,
Are you serious about offering an amnesty for illegal immigrants in London, surely destined to alienate your core support?
Is it really sensible, purely to provide more accurate figures for local authorities, to reward those who lie and defraud our country - thereby sending out a call to even more of the world impoverished to come here and further clog up our transport infrastructure and inadequate housing supply?!!
Peter
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Given that you will have access to huge amounts of personal data through the congestion zone, have you changed your policy on providing your convicted gangster friends with the addresses of journalists they wish to have beaten or killed?
Do you have anything to say on the subjects of either piccaninnies or watermelons?
Ken is building tens of miles of bike lanes, you ride a bike. Which is more useful?
How much is a pint of Bollinger?
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Revenue from advertising on the tube and buses could finance totally free public transport. Would you take this very good idea on board ?
Complain about this post
Dear Boris,
Are you serious about offering an amnesty for illegal immigrants in London, surely destined to alienate your core support?
Is it really sensible, purely to provide more accurate figures for local authorities, to reward those who lie and defraud our country with citizenship - thereby sending out a call to even more of the world impoverished to come here and further clog up our transport infrastructure and inadequate housing supply?!!
Peter
Complain about this post
Given that you will have access to huge amounts of personal data through the congestion zone, have you changed your policy on providing your convicted gangster friends with the addresses of journalists they wish to have beaten or killed?
Do you have anything to say on the subjects of either piccaninnies or watermelons?
Ken is building tens of miles of bike lanes, you ride a bike. Which is more useful?
How much is a pint of Bollinger?
Complain about this post
Given that you will have access to huge amounts of personal data through the congestion zone, have you changed your policy on providing your convicted gangster friends with the addresses of journalists they wish to have beaten or killed?
Do you have anything to say on the subjects of either piccaninnies or watermelons?
Ken is building tens of miles of bike lanes, you ride a bike. Which is more useful?
How much is a pint of Bollinger?
Complain about this post
Dear Boris,
Are you serious about offering an amnesty for illegal immigrants in London, surely destined to alienate your core support?
Is it really sensible, purely to provide more accurate figures for local authorities, to reward those who lie and defraud our country with citizenship - thereby sending out a call to even more of the world impoverished to come here and further clog up our transport infrastructure and inadequate housing supply?!!
Peter
Complain about this post
Dear Boris,
Are you serious about offering an amnesty for illegal immigrants in London, surely destined to alienate your core support?
Is it really sensible, purely to provide more accurate figures for local authorities, to reward those who lie and defraud our country with citizenship - thereby sending out a call to even more of the world impoverished to come here and further clog up our transport infrastructure and inadequate housing supply?!!
Peter
Complain about this post
Dear Boris,
Are you serious about offering an amnesty for illegal immigrants in London, surely destined to alienate your core support?
Is it really sensible, purely to provide more accurate figures for local authorities, to reward those who lie and defraud our country with citizenship - thereby sending out a call to even more of the world impoverished to come here and further clog up our transport infrastructure and inadequate housing supply?!!
Peter
Complain about this post
Dear Boris,
Are you serious about offering an amnesty for illegal immigrants in London, surely destined to alienate your core support?
Is it really sensible, purely to provide more accurate figures for local authorities, to reward those who lie and defraud our country with citizenship - thereby sending out a call to even more of the world impoverished to come here and further clog up our transport infrastructure and inadequate housing supply?!!
Peter
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Do you still think Papua New Guinea hosts 'orgies of cannibalism and chief-killing' and that Portsmouth is 'one of the most depressed towns in Southern England'?
If not, when did you stop thinking it?
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For all the candidates: are you prepared to defend human life from conception to the grave to the best of your ability ? If not why should anyone defend your life ?
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