Having said all this, what’s really irritating is the same old thing - if there’s a problem with violent crime in London (and there is) measures like extra cops and no more booze are ambulance at the bottom of the cliff measures for broad social problems which are expressly related to the distribution of wealth and education in Capitalist societies. But I know I sound like a tired old Marxist (this is possibly because I AM a tired old Marxist.)

Let’s just hope there’s no repetition of the kebab incident…

Love to you all
XX

No. They haven’t.”
Nope - they don’t bother with bans - they just shoot ‘em.

He may make some comments which many may regard as silly, that does not mean he is dim.

Your rather antediluvian prejudices are showing.

BTW keeping the public consumption of alcohol down is something many councils in NZ now pursue to reduce public order issues, as they do in Australia and other civilised countries

So if crime actually does fall under Johnson - as we all hope it shall - it will only be continuing the trend that started under the previous mayor.

So the fact that crime was an issue at all during the election was a bit of a media beat-up. The Evening Standard screaming about murders on its front page does not mean that their number was any greater.

As for what Boris needs to do… Most people agree that the primary duty of any London mayor is to manage transport requirements. In this case Boris’s task will be to match eight years in which the use of public transport has increased faster than in any other comparable city in the western world. The C Charge and Oystercard schemes are admired around the world (I’ve heard that Paris is currently working with on a similar plan). In the 90s, utter gridlock looked inevitable. Livingstone’s tenure saw off that danger, while carbon emissions were stabilised at the same time. He delivered new bus routes and increased the frequencies on existing ones. He’s also co-ordinated river transport, and instigated Crossrail, Thameslink and the East London Line Extension.

If Boris can put his pink gin down long enough to achieve a tenth of that, then I’ll be fairly chuffed with the silly goose.

Correct.

“Tennents super or Carlsberg Special brew?”

That’s right. And no Kronenbourg no Carling no Guinness no Bacardi Breezers and no Babysham and no etc, etc, etc.

“Shit, next he will make you leave your hoodie”

I’m hoping not. I love my hoodie.

“and flick knife at home as well.”

If Boris has a plan to rid London of knives then I’m all ears. Oh. Apparently he does. It’s this: No beer on the tube and more bobbies on the beat! Brilliant! :-/

“Only fair I suppose, they have already banned the heavily tanned from carrying backpacks.”

No. They haven’t.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/johnson-bans-scotsmen-from-the-tube-20080507932/

JOHNSON BANS SCOTSMEN FROM THE TUBE

BORIS Johnson is to ban Scotsmen from the London Underground in a bid to make the Tube more bearable for everyone else.

The London mayor said a Scots-free Tube would be less intimidating for ordinary travellers, and would not smell so badly of chips, blood, spilt lager and urine.

He said: “As we all know the Scot is incapable of sitting on anything with wheels attached unless already drunk, or carrying enough booze to knock out an Irish bank manager and his wife for a weekend.

“For god’s sake man. It’s eight-thirty in the morning. You’re only going two stops on the Northern Line to get to your surgery. Do you really need six cans and a hip flask?

“Am I your best pal? I don’t think so. We’ve never actually been formally introduced and it is unlikely that my best pal would be urinating on my foot.”

Karen Simmons, of Passengers First!, said she thought it was important that London took a strong stand against all forms of Scottishness on public transport.

She said: “I am not your ‘hen’ and my ‘jaiket’ looked just fine without the spittle, thank-you.”

However, Bob Crow, leader of the RMT union, said his members were not trained to distinguish Scotsmen from other illegal foreigners.

He added: “And what about the Romanians? They’re violent and don’t speak English. How are we supposed to tell them apart?”