Well said Ken
I don't share his brand of Labour politics (see below) but I'm proud to have campaigned for Ken Livingstone and his speech just now was dignified, appropriate and set entirely the right tone.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 12:04 am
Saturday, May 03, 2008
About Me
- Name: Luke Akehurst
- Location: Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Labour Party activist since 1988 - firmly on the moderate wing of the party. Member of Labour’s NEC 2010-2012 and since 2020. National Secretary of Labour Students 1995-6. Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005). Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) 2002-2014, Labour Group Chief Whip 2002-09, Chair of Health Scrutiny 2010-2014. Supporter of Europe, NATO/nuclear deterrence, Israel, electoral reform. Guardian reader. Dad. Oxford resident. Unite union member. Employment history as a Labour Party Organiser, Local Government Political Assistant, Director at a Public Affairs company. All views expressed in a personal capacity. The rest will become evident from reading the blog.
21 Comments:
So now he's lost you don't share his brand of politics. A week ago good old Ken was the best thing since sliced bread.
What now luke?
12:25 am, May 03, 2008
Rich
you don't really get it do you?
I am not from the same wing of the Labour Party as Ken but he was the candidate of the same party as me and I have a lot more in common with his politics than Boris'.
I've never suggested I share Ken's politics - that would be laughable - but he ought, on merit, and record, and policies to have won tonight.
12:41 am, May 03, 2008
Well at least you've been a loyal Labour man Luke unlike the ghastly mob at Harry's Place. Disagree with your analysis about triangulation, the local elections in the rest of the country had that and we got smashed, far, far worse than in London.
12:49 am, May 03, 2008
Well it's going to get a lot worse for Labour. Economic conditions are worsening and now London is blue I can't see how Labour are going to recover from this.
So Luke if you think that NEW Labour policies are ok then why is it that 76% of people don't agree with you and only 24% do.
What also makes you think Boris is right wing. He's already talking about the gap between the rich and the poor. I honestly think the conservatives have changed and it is Labour that is right wing.
1:05 am, May 03, 2008
I must admit it, I'm shocked Ken lost. If anyone is to blame for this loss it has to be New Labour & Brown the fool. Without the national problems Ken would have won this election.
Do you think Brown will resign in the morning....I would. And if do who will be the next PM
1:17 am, May 03, 2008
I think you have no idea what One Nation Conservatism is. So busy with Labour mythology about the evil Toreeeez and Ken's addiction to balkanising London that you can't see Boris is the man to unite Londoners and that Labour are busy making a client vote of the underclass rather than looking to solve their problems.
Three cheers for our new Mayor and may his administration live long and prosperous.
4:41 am, May 03, 2008
Congratulations Londoners on having elected a racist as your new Mayor. May you be very happy with him. I will be the first to laugh when Boris gets into trouble.
8:36 am, May 03, 2008
It's a shame people revert to the tired old cliches even after the campaign. Boris is a racist and a buffoon? Ken's anti semitic and corrupt? Both fought a good campaign and both were gracious in victory/defeat. Good for politics, good for democracy and ultimately both parties got the result they deserved, in London and further afield.
10:02 am, May 03, 2008
I don't come from the same wing of the party as Luke but I'd rather vote for him that one of the mummy boys who have to get their nannies drive them to the poll. Yes I'm talking about you you tory boys.
10:06 am, May 03, 2008
at least we will not have the likes of Simon Fletcher, John Ross, Mark Watts, Redmond ONeill, rebecca Hickman, Eleanour young, and Ken's other advisers running London in the shadows. BOJO needs to ensure that he gets a new team who have the skills and experience to run things, rather than because of their political allegiance. He won and those of us on the left need to work with him, london and its people are too important to engage in political patronage - If Livingstone had realised that he might not be out.
11:01 am, May 03, 2008
I believe the Tories are going get a nanny to look after Brois in the guese of a Chief Executive. I suppose if Ken had appointed a Chief Execuitive he would have been accused of employing an overpaid unelected bureaucrat.
11:08 am, May 03, 2008
Luke, Livingstone didn't deserve to win and you're fool if youthink otherwise. He was a devisive candidate who only represented the people who he thought would vote for him. He was also happy to lie. Why was he spreading rumours about the Freedom Pass for pensioners when both you and I know that Boris was never going to abolish it and why did Livingstone try and take credit fir it when it has nothing to do with him - it's paid for by the boroughs.
I got 45,000 votes on Thursdsy and Boris got 57,000 in London North East. Both you and I know what a huge result that is in an area like this.
11:18 am, May 03, 2008
Alexander I don't think anyone in the Boris camp should be pointing the finger at spreading rummours, you were happy enough for the Evening Standard to do it relenlessly to Ken!!
11:51 am, May 03, 2008
The GLA already has a Chief Executive and Livingstone had a chief of staff - Simon Fletcher, and he made a number of othe appointments who had close links to him politically
12:26 pm, May 03, 2008
Oh stop bickering. It was a great speech from Ken. The best oratory I've heard since Warren Oates.
1:43 pm, May 03, 2008
Rge hing about Ken's campaign is that it has brought the hard left back into contact with electoral politics for the first time in nearly 15 years (as in my experience most of them left the Labour Party in the first 18 months of Tony Blair's leadership).
That is why they are now flailing around and saying it is all new Labour's fault.
Look at the figures boys and girls - we lost because we got hammered in the suburbs - unless we have an appeal to them then we'll keep on losing.
4:38 pm, May 03, 2008
It wasn't a great speech at all. Boris made the great speech, Ken was just facing the reality of his mistakes.
Personally I don't give a damn about London. I hate the place but I'm pleased that Londoners have listened to reason and voted someone in who will actually unite London rather than divide it with a wash of politically correct nonsense.
Well done Boris and all those that voted for him.
This is the end of Kens career and thank god it is.
4:55 pm, May 03, 2008
I see the BNP got the seat I said they would....yet another one of my predictions...
I was wrong on the other though.
5:11 pm, May 03, 2008
Andrew Boff has a job in the Assembly!! Did I laugh? Is the pope a Catholic?
Take that and stick it where the sun don't shine Lukey you Loser
5:38 pm, May 03, 2008
Alexander,
congratulations on beating the awful Meral Ece into third place, but please don't try to suggest your 45,000 votes were a breakthrough in the inner city until we've seen the ward by ward breakdown. My guess is that 6,000 of them will have come from the 4 wards in Stamford Hill, and 25,000 from Chingford, leaving about 500 per ward for the rest of the seat.
3:36 pm, May 04, 2008
We'll see Luke. And I'm delighted to see that you seem to think that we targeted our vote so well - that was the plan - get our vote out and get Ken out.
9:25 pm, May 04, 2008
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