Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson should take a bite of the Big Apple

The Telegraph (Free subscription) | yesterday

The way New York has turned itself around gives hope for a lot of London's ills says Simon Heffer.

Bring the curtain down on the Ben and Boris show | Charlotte Higgins

The Guardian (Free subscription) | 06/11/2009

For the sake of our cultural life, politicians like Bradshaw and Johnson should leave political drama to the arts Art and politics have always been, and always will be, locked in a complicated and often uncomfortable dance, from Velázquez's double-edged depiction of Pope Innocent X to Mark Wallinger's Turner prize-winning State Britain – a meticulous recreation of Brian Haw's Parliament...

Boris Johnson for PM? The sky's the limit, says David Cameron

The Guardian (Free subscription) | 06/11/2009

• Praise for 'swashbuckling, irresistible' London mayor • Tory leader's religion 'not the rock it should be' David Cameron has tipped the "swashbuckling, charismatic, irresistible" Boris Johnson as a future prime minister, in an interview published today. The Conservative leader insisted that he had a "very good relationship" with Johnson, even though the London mayor...

Boris Johnson leaves Dial-a-Ride callers hanging

Tory Troll (Free subscription) | 06/11/2009

Hundreds of disabled Londoners have had their their requests for the Dial-a-Ride service refused every day, as TfL struggles to cope with the demand. The service was relaunched last week, after a series of headlines about the many Londoners being left stranded by the service. In the lead up to the relaunch, users were sent an email stating that: From Monday 26th October, when customers call us they...

Boris Johnson rescued Franny Arstrong from boys, not girls

The Guardian (Free subscription) | 06/11/2009

The noble Sir Boris has rightly received rave reviews for his selfless rescue of a green damsel in distress. Yet many will now conclude that his courage has been understated. From an interview with Franny Armstrong in Camden New Journal : "I was minding my own business, sending a text, when I heard three boys shouting swear words." Scary, sweary boys? The story so far has been that they...

Public Letter to Ed Vaizey and Boris Johnson

The Good Library Blog (Free subscription) | yesterday

To Ed Vaizey and Boris Johnson : London Libraries Change Programme Just once more and further to all our previous correspondence.... I am going to start making public statements about the London Libraries Change Programme My view, and I suspect it will be widely understood and suppported, is this-- and it is probably best if you regard this as a public letter. 1. The Public library service in London...

Boris aside, who are your heroes on two wheels? | Ben Thomas

The Guardian (Free subscription) | 06/11/2009

In the wake of the London mayor's heroics this week, we want your stories of cycling's good samaritans Guardian reader Lissendis commented on one of this blog's recent posts : This bike blog is getting a bit depressing. It seems as if the purpose of most of the recent threads is to get us all moaning about something. Ample evidence of moany postings was supplied, with the plea: Can we have a few more...

Populist: November 1 - 7

Londonist (Free subscription) | yesterday

Clockwise from top left: Duck house at Parliament , fireworks at BT Tower , walrus penis bone , "> shenanigans on Upper Street The week's most popular posts, and a round-up of what's happening around London In the news As the BT Tower was lit up to mark 1,000 days until the Olympics, it was announced that the revolving restaurant at the top of the tower would reopen The Tokyo-style (or maybe...

Dave and BoJo - Friends, But For How Long?

The Appalling Strangeness (Free subscription) | yesterday

Iain Dale has, utterly unsurprisingly, some praise for one David Cameron : Geordie Grieg's interview with David Cameron in today's Evening Standard us well worth a skaz. His tremendous likeability comes across well. You just can't imagine Gordon Brown giving an interview like this. In particular, according to the interview Dale cites, Cameron can be praised for adopting a sensible attitude to Boris...

New Program Launched in London to Cut Youth Crime

Net News Publisher (Free subscription) | yesterday

A pioneering project dedicated to making London safer by helping young offenders turn their backs on crime was launched this week by Justice Secretary Jack Straw and the Mayor of London Boris Johnson. The Heron Unit is the UK’s first dedicated resettlement unit for 15 – 17 year olds who have demonstrated a commitment to changing [...]

The Eton Mess

Denverstrope (Free subscription) | yesterday

"The Eton Mess" was, of course, the original band name of what eventually became the supergroup, "Depressed Mods," or whatever they were called - (it escapes me - I'm getting on). Anyway, due to (a total absence of) popular demand, and to displease the court of public opinion, I bring you: Dave Cameron, looking dead cool on 1st keyboard; George "Slash It" Osborne on vocals...

Theo Hobson | Fireworks for Liberty

The Guardian (Free subscription) | 06/11/2009

Why can't we have a day on which we feel mildly proud of our national tradition of liberty? Over the last decade, astute commentators and politicians have pointed out that it might be a good idea to have some sort of Britishness day, on which to celebrate common values, to display modest pride in what unites us. Such a festival seems to foster patriotism in America, France and elsewhere. It also fosters...

Faith of the successors

Working Class Tory (Free subscription) | 06/11/2009

Another interesting thing to emerge from the David Cameron interview I pointed out earlier is his religion: "I've a sort of fairly classic Church of England faith, a faith that grows hotter and colder by moments but...I suppose I sort of started life believing that one's individual faith was important, but actually the institutions of the church were less important. "I do think that organised...

I would sack George Osborne if I had to, says David Cameron

The Guardian (Free subscription) | 06/11/2009

Tory leader says close friendship with shadow chancellor would not prevent him from removing him from post David Cameron today said he would sack George Osborne if he believed he was not up to the job of shadow chancellor. In an interview with the Evening Standard , the Conservative leader said moving people in and out of the shadow cabinet was "very difficult, but it absolutely has to be done"....

• Tory leader David Cameron speaks of 'faith in God' - The Independent

Cameron: "Fear of Getting Things Wrong Inspires Me More Than the Wonder of Getting Things Right"

Iain Dale's Diary (Free subscription) | 06/11/2009

Geordie Grieg's interview with David Cameron in today's Evening Standard us well worth a skaz. His tremendous likeability comes across well. You just can't imagine Gordon Brown giving an interview like this. In the interview Cameron speaks very warmly of Boris and even floats the idea of Boris entering Number Ten... Mr Cameron gave his most frank insights into his relationship with London 's Mayor,...