Just a reminder for anyone who still thinks Boris is a lovable buffoon....

[beansprout]

When Blair visited Congo in 2002: "No doubt," he said, "the AK47s will fall silent and the pangas will stop their hacking of human flesh, and the tribal warriors will all break out in watermelon smiles to see the big white chief touch down in his big white British taxpayer-funded bird."

On Liverpool:
"A society that has become hooked on grief and likes to wallow in a sense of
vicarious victimhood."
· A Spectator editorial, 2004 (Johnson didn't write the editorial, but he approved it)

"Gay marriage can only ever be a ludicrous parody of the real thing."
· Daily Telegraph, 2005

"If gay marriage was OK - and I was uncertain on the issue - then I saw no reason in principle why a union should not be consecrated between three men, as well as two men; or indeed three men and a dog."
· From his book, Friends, Voters, Countrymen, 2001

Yes Liberals ARE polite aren't they

POLITE sums it up

lol@morningpaper.

I've always wished I could work up more enthusiasm for the Libs. They seem...nice

yes they are nice and polite

they are inoffensive

rubbish in bed, I'm imagine

Let's ask that Cheeky Girl....

I'd imagine

actually on media coverage

can't forget that many moons ago ken suggested newspapers should be nationalised..

that's frightening

No no, please no more Lembit and Cheeky.

I'm with Boris on the first comment. Did Blair's visit help stop the tribal violence? Has ANYTHING the west has done in Africa helped stop tribal violence?

it's plainly not anti-semitic swc. I'm surprised it's not obvious, to be honest.

In fact it's pro-semitic, if there is such a thing, as the insult recognises the horror of being a concentration camp guard.

It's saying "you just do whatever you are told to do because it's your job and you don't apply your own moral principles to it".

Would it also be anti-gay if said to a homosexual? No, not particularly, despite the fact that the Nazis persecuted gays too.

I don't appreciate Ken cosying up to various dodgy types including Chavez and I don't like what I assume to be his attitude to Israel but I certainly don't think he's anti-semitic.

Well, I have voted for Ken.

I don't think I like him, and I fear that I will be kicking myself if he lets Lee Jasper ooze back in, but I do like many things he has done for London, and many of the Labour Assembly members have done stirling work. Vla Shawcross is hard working and reliable.

Paddick is the individual i would most trust if he was my friend but he doesn't seem to talk about the root of issues, and is v naive poitically - which won't get us far in the real world.

And I agree with PW, MP, M&J and MrsM re ken and the anti-semitism stuff.

Brian and Ken for me. With some reservations re Ken of late, but 1000x more about Boris Johnson and the veracity of the ES. Andrew Gilligan makes my flesh creep tbh
Agree people like Val Shawcross are like good deeds in a naughty world Blu

I just thought there was no point in voting for Val if she was going to be in a minority group on the Assembly, fighting Boris rather than bringing the tram to S London.

But I do increasingly feel grubby in taking pragmatic decisions, applying for funding, everything that involves engagement with public bodies, really.

will self on boris vs ken:

If Johnson were elected? I'd feel that he had neither the acumen nor the gravitas to resist becoming the teddy bear of the 4x4-driving, Laura Ashley headscarf-wearing, inherently inegalitarian and snobbish denizens of Chelsea. I'd feel that we had a buffoon as mayor instead of a reptile, and whatever my disagreements with Livingstone - and they are legion - at least he understands what a swamp this city is.

Agree smallwhitecat.

I would be interested to hear from any Jewish MNs as to whether they think he is anti-semitic. I've picked up an undercurrent over the years but am not Jewish and may not be qualified to comment.

Last I checked Ken never colluded with a convicted fraudster and arms dealer to have a journalist beaten and silenced.

I do slightly wish Boris gets it, if only to see him become an utter embarassment to the Conservatives.

"margoandjerry - what utter hogwash. believe that if you want, but please don't insult everyone else's intelligence. the bloody reporter told livingstone he found the remark offensive as he was jewish and he repeated it!"

That's rather rude, swc. A number of people on this list agree with me on that point as do a couple of my jewish friends (not all). The fact that the reporter said he found it offensive is neither here nor there. He was an ES reporter who was absolutely delighted to have this to be able to turn it into a "gaffe".

As I've said, I'm not that keen on Ken's cosying up to various Islamic representatives who in my eyes are extremists but he's never said anything that sounds anti-semitic to me and if he did, I certainly wouldn't vote for him.

I'd vote anyone to get Ken out.

In fact, we had quite a moral dilemma here because we desperately didn't want/couldn't bear Ken to get back in but to try and make sure of that, the best bet was voting Tory or chancing your arm with a Brian/Boris vote. Not easy to resolve imo!

I think they should limit the mayor's term. That would have resolved my problem straight away .

It's like describing someone as a slave-driver. Would it be racist to describe a very demanding boss who was black as a slave-driver because black people were originally among the victims of slave-drivers? No. Not unless you are PC extremist which I don't think typically you are swc.

And as for your point about bias, as I have said in this thread, I would rather not have Ken as the mayor and as I have said repeatedly, I am not sure I am happy with his implicit standing on Israel. So I am far from biased.

I voted for Ken to keep Boris out - not positively for Ken so I am very clear sighted about this.

But it's just not anti-semitic. Referencing a history that affected the Jews doesn't make something anti-semitic. Saying something nasty ABOUT the Jews is anti-semitic.

You can argue it's in bad taste if the guy lost relatives in the holocaust and is hugely upset by any reference to Nazis, even negative references. Bad taste I'll accept. Anti-semitic - absolutely not.

I agree with margoandjerry, the remark was offensive - you'd hardly say it to someone you weren't trying to offend - but not anti-semitic.