Sadiq Khan

[FluffyCreme]

Is he the most unpopular mayor London has ever had? Knife crime is going up rapidly and he doesn't seem to want to discuss the murders in London. I don't know what he's up to, he seems obsessed with PRing himself and totally ineffectual. I wish we could replace him as soon as possible.

It's not like whatever happens in London affects the rest of the country or anything...

None of the below affect anywhere else except London. The clue being 'London' in the name.

1. Transport for London (TfL)
2. Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) - Now MOPC
3. London Development Agency (LDA) - Now defunct
4. London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA)

I thought Zac Goldsmith was going to win until the last few weeks what he and his campaign office did was appalling he always came off better in the many interviews I heard both of them do (though I was always going to vote for Khan)

Though I do see both men being future leaders of their parties especially Zac

Though I do see both men being future leaders of their parties especially Zac

No chance, especially Zac.......

Boris on air pollution? Cancelled the proposed Western extension of the congestion charge and tried to fiddle the figures by using sprinklers to damp down the dust near the pollution monitors on the Euston Rd. We got fined by the EU. No idea if we've paid up yet.

Boris on housing? Reduced the percentage of 'affordable' housing that developers had to meet to get planning permission. Not to mention that Boris' idea of 'affordable' doesn't apply to the average Londoner.

Boris regarded being Mayor as a part-time job. Found time to write a book on Churchill and a weekly column. Boasted that he was not 'a details man'. Routinely turned up at Assembly meetings without even having read the agenda. Hogged the credit for the Olympics and 'Boris' bikes and improvements to infrastructure initiated by Ken. Did no forward planning except for vanity projects like the Garden Bridge. V dodgy where the money went for that.

Sadiq is doing a good job, as far as I can see. He's had to cope with Grenfell and the terrorist attacks. Knife crime is directly related to austerity cuts in youth services and the Met, which Boris did nothing to alleviate. His response to the London riots was pathetic. Turning up when they were over - because he was on holiday and his wife couldn't drive the RV, just for a photo-op with a broom, pretending to help with the clear up. Oh - and he bought a second-hand water cannon from the Germans which is rotting away somewhere because Theresa May said he couldn't use it.

His performance as Mayor is only matched by the embarrassing shambles he's made of being Foreign Secretary. Even the Tory membership have begun to see the light. In the last poll, he was way down the bottom as a replacement for May.

But this isn't about Boris. He's gone.

Sadiq's campaign came had some grand green and air quality promises.
He was anti Heathrow 3rd Runway, he was going to plant millions of trees.

Nothing so far. I do hope he keeps his word though. London's air is getting hard to breathe. Remember the smog last year? It will be worse this year.

London needs cleaning up.

But this isn't about Boris. He's gone

But his policies and decisions are not, inheritance

But this isn't about Boris. He's gone.

It does say a lot when a thread discussing the competency of the current mayor is entirely filled with essentially ‘it’s not his fault it’s someone elses’ and ‘the last one was way worse’.

It's been two years, that's halfway through Sadiq's mandate.

I don't care who does it, I want to see things done, where are all the trees he promised? It doesn't take two years to do that.

Sadly not much happening.

Boris is not ‘a leader’.You’re confusing public school educated middle aged white man and ‘leadership qualities’

This exactly. Boris is a joke. Sadiq Khan is a politician and probably a leader. But definitely waaay above the idiots like Boris.

But definitely waaay above the idiots like Boris.

OK. Let's prove this by talking about what Sadiq has achieved rather than about what Boris hasn't.

Compared to two of the worst men in UK politics ever, I don't mind him at all. His heart is at least in the right place when it comes to community relations between different groups in London - not exactly something that will ever be said of either of the others.

Sadiq Khan is a politician and probably a leader

Brilliant just what’s needed. It would also help if anyone could remember what he looks like.

Zac ? party leader?

I am 'lolling' at that! I assume you mean conservative leader ? Zac is an out and out Green! I'm all for a politician with principles, but he came seriously unstuck when he resigned and tried to run as an independent. He was wheeled out as the pretty boy, with little in the way of personality and Labour out number Conservative voters, as evidenced by 27/32 boroughs being Labour controlled. He didn't have the gravitas to stand as a credible candidate.

I wanted to weave a green thread through the Conservative party; that's my job, and I signed up imagining that I would be in a very small minority within my party, possibly even on my own, battling away on these issues.
Read more at: www.brainyquote.com/quotes/zac_goldsmith_619666

He was re-elected later though, in one of the most contested constituencies.

But not, he won't be Party leader.

I think I like him
these days I like to reserve judgement for a while.

re gang crime - is there a strategy of under reporting to avoid making it worse/avoid crazy blokes being influenced? I always got that impression with previous incidents. Major things will happen locally and no one will tell you, the local press won't have it either - you only know if you happen to have been there and seen the police tape!

I like Sadiq Khan. I think he is a good representative for London.

I'm sure that some people have valid reasons for not rating him as a politician. Sadly, though, I think much of the opposition to him is based on reasons which are not remotely valid.

Why do you think there is no chance of ZG ever being leader of the Tory party

He was soon back in he fold and back in parliament after the disastrous mayor campaign

Isn’t the mayor post a stepping stone to bigger thinngs

I don't like the overpopulation and overdevelopment and there's a green space land grab going in my borough - but I think any candidate would do that now

as long as no one acknowledges overpopulation - which even the Greens won't - and as long as no one is against turning London into a more crowded city, this will go on, but I think whatever party is in charge, that will happen.

Little units of GDP to increase profit for overlords.

I disagree Biscuits, at least for my reasons.

I see no evidence of cleaning up London and of the many new trees, which was one of his promises, and this is my reason for not being happy with so far. I think that a valid enough reason.

Sorry, Biscuit. It's just in my world there's no such thing as one biscuit.

Chardonnay, I must admit I completely missed any announcement about trees.

But my nearest green space during the working week is Coram Fields, where office workers aren't allowed anyway, so wherever he puts the trees, it won't help anyone working in that part of town.

Our eventual ambition should be turning one of the world’s most polluted streets into one of the world’s finest public spaces – a tree lined avenue from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch.

Protect wildlife and biodiversity by creating green corridors through the city.

Make London the first ‘National Park City’ – setting a long term target to make more than 50 per cent of our city green and ensure that all children have access to nature.

That's from his manifesto.
The last one is long term, admittedly, but he still needs to get going.

OK. Let's prove this by talking about what Sadiq has achieved rather than about what Boris hasn't Chardonnay the whole premise of the OP is comparative! It asks if he’s the most unpopular. The only way to establish that is to see whether people like others more or less. Going by this thread, the answer is he’s not the most unpopular.

It would also help if anyone could remember what he looks like
Seriously whisky? He’s one of the most recognisable politicians I’d say, and I don’t live in London! Some of his critics are saying he’s only good at PR - I disagree, but it means they do know what he looks like!

www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/24/sadiq-khan-labour-candidate-london-mayor-interview
twitter.com/sadiqkhan/status/671296180064813056?lang=en-gb
This is what promised.

This what's happening

www.cityam.com/251403/london-mayor-sadiq-khan-has-taken-axe-his-plan-plant-more

Why do you think there is no chance of ZG ever being leader of the Tory party

That would be because he isn't a traditional Tory ? I do realise stranger things have happened ... then again Winston Churchill flitted between Liberal and Conservative for years ... but he does have scruples, but in his heart he is an environmentalist and an ecologist and his actual politics sit in the Green Party ... but even he knows a fringe party unelectable.

As an aside, he's now married to Rothschild, which will give rise to more conspiracy theories

This is actually a good summary read :

[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zac_Goldsmith]]