AIBU for thinking that Sadiq Khan has won the London Mayoral Election?

[Westfacing]

For some strange reason it was put about yesterday that Susan Hall might have won, or that it was very close.

Wishful thinking on someone's part!

Things Definitely did change post Covid but I think that’s probably applicable to most towns. Central London at the weekends is the busiest I’ve ever seen it. Christmas for sure was insane (in a good way 😉).

That's good to hear. I used to love it. I guess I'm older now. Also, I can't drive in now because of ULEZ, and the trains are shit, so there isn't the draw for me anymore.

London has changed to somewhere I no longer recognise just in 15 years

In what way has it changed in just 15 years?

It has certainly changed from many decades ago when it was dead as a dodo on Sunday; the South Bank area was deserted at weekends and the only activity there was Aussies selling their VW campers by County Hall! Public transport was very erratic, particularly buses; places like Oxford Street were bumper to bumper with traffic and pedestrians had only narrow pavements to walk on. I could go on and on.

It's a privilege to live in London and I love it, warts and all.

Yep, all TFL fares.

London is the best it’s been for years. So much renovation in previous nogo areas. Battersea power station, King’s Cross, Camden etc. it feels younger than ever. Packed with tourists. Thriving arts scene. Elizabeth line is properly impressive. I love it

I agree. It's a fabulous place to live and I'm incredibly lucky to live here.

£6 million on re-naming the Overground?

And how much does all this cost?

Free travel for you and a nominated partner/family member on the TfL network. A 75% discount on National Rail Season Ticket and interest-free loan. Minimum of 29 days annual leave plus public holidays. Private healthcare discounted scheme - optional.

I understand why staff might get free travel, although they do get paid quite nicely, but extending it to designated family members is a generosity that’s questionable, especially in the light of TFL financial woes.

I thought TFL had an operating surplus this year?

I could just as easily blame Theresa May who congratulated herself on making it even more difficult for police officers to conduct searches.

Have you been to Streatham or Croydon ? Both gone massively down hill in the last 10 years. Croydon Council tax has increased 20% in the last 2 years. You can't even walk there feeling safe during the day

They’ve had the perks even when they were wailing about having no money.

They’ve had the perks even when they were wailing about having no money.

That’s because the salaries aren’t that competitive. I know someone who took a drop in salary when they accepted a role there. It was the free travel that made it possible for them.

The estimated total pay range for a TFL at Transport for London is £30K–£55K per year, which includes base salary and additional pay. The average TFL base salary at Transport for London is £35K per year.Aug 2, 2023

And this.

https://londonist.com/london/transport/tube-driver-ama-ask-me-anything-reddit#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20min%20and,up%20to%20100k%20with%20overtime.

Doesn’t look too bad to me.

Bottom line, Londoners who are subject to Sadiq's policies have voted him back in twice, this time with an increased majority. End of story. Londoners, in general, support Sadiq and have chosen to retain him. And I respect that he keeps going in the face of an unbelievable and constant level of hate and danger from racist shitbags.

I agree DreadPirateRobots. I'm a Londoner and I support him. I think the abuse of him is vile and racist. No one should have to put up with that. London is a huge and diverse city that has problems - like any city - which have been exacerbated by Government spending cuts on the police, NHS and local government. But is still one of the best cities in the world; safe, energetic and cultured.

I don't see how Khan is responsible for the huge Tory cuts to councils. Obviously Tories will try to pin it on him, because of their current style of operating by gaslighting and blame the victim.

I agree Croydon needs some TLC but isn’t that mostly up to their Tory council?

Disliking Sadiq Khan doesn't make you racist. I didn't vote for him, but it was nothing to do with his race.

In what way has he "ruined" London?

Just so that I can look out for it later on. Seems fairly unruined from where I'm sitting now but this word is used quite often by anti-Sadiq people and I would like to know what has changed dramatically in the last 8 years that can be laid directly at his door?

I’d also like to hear how Sadiq Khan has ruined London? I live here and in no way would I consider it so.

1. Operation Northwoods
2. COINTELPRO
3. MKUltra
4. Gulf of Tonkin Incident
5. Operation Mockingbird
6. Watergate Scandal
7. Iran-Contra Affair
8. NSA Mass Surveillance
9. Operation Paperclip
10. Manhattan Project

Those are pretty standard perks across the public transport operators. Free travel for employee and dependants on own operator, Priv rate fares on other operators. The cost of providing these perks is very small.

@qwertyqwertyqwertyqwerty
Copilot
recent years, the United Kingdom has seen relatively low levels of proven electoral fraud. Let’s take a closer look at the available data:

2019 Electoral Fraud:

In 2019, there were 595 cases of alleged electoral fraud investigated by the police.
Of these cases, five led to convictions, and two individuals received police cautions.
The types of elections involved included local elections, UK Parliamentary general elections, European Parliamentary elections, and others1.

2021 Electoral Fraud:

In 2021, the UK continued to experience low levels of proven electoral fraud.
There remained no evidence of large-scale electoral fraud during this year.

Cyber-Attack on Electoral Registers (2023):

In August 2023, the UK’s elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission, revealed that it had been the victim of a “complex cyber-attack.”
Hostile actors gained access to copies of the electoral registers from August 2021, potentially affecting millions of voters3.

Hacked Voter Data and Disinformation (2023):

The cyber-attack on the Electoral Commission allowed access to the names and addresses of all voters registered between 2014 and 2022.
Experts warned that this data could be used by state-backed actors to target voters with AI-generated disinformation

Being one of the people who sends the violent racist threats that Khan receives that mean he is one of the very few politicians who requires 24h armed police protection certainly makes you racist. Are you one of said people? If not, my post wasn't really about you.

Not a new perk either. My aunt's first husband worked for British Rail and she got travel discounts even after he died back in the early 1970s (he was only in his 40s, sadly).