London Mayoral hustings: Webchat with Zac Goldsmith MP, Conservative Mayoral candidate, on Wednesday 27 April at 9am

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with Zac Goldsmith MP, the Conservative candidate for London Mayor, on Wednesday 27 April at 9am.

UPDATE FROM MNHQ: The time of this webchat has now been changed to Wednesday 27 April at 9am.

Before entering politics, Zac ran The Ecologist magazine. He has been the MP for Richmond Park since 2010 and says he has been ‘focusing on local issues, such as free parking on local high streets, funding for Kew Gardens, and fighting against the expansion of Heathrow Airport’. According to his campaign, his plans for London include ‘working with the government to secure the funds and powers to deliver his action plan for Greater London: more homes, better transport, cleaner air and safer streets’.

Please do join the webchat on Wednesday, or if you can’t make it, please leave a question here in advance. And do remember our webchat guidelines; one question each only (follow-ups allowed if there’s time) and please do be polite.

The London mayoral election will be held on 5 May.

Thanks
MNHQ

@PuttingouthefirewithGasoline

Dear Sadiq Can you respond to Lord Sugars attack on you please?

blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/04/lord-sugar-savages-sadiq-khan-he-has-single-handedly-wrecked-the-labour-party/

www.independent.co.uk/news/people/lord-sugar-launches-blistering-attack-on-sadiq-khan-for-single-handedly-ruining-labour-a6998211.html

"Labour now welcomes anti-Semites and terrorist sympathisers to its ranks, the TV star warned."I would say Khan has single-handedly wrecked the Labour Party, and now he's turning his finely honed judgment on the great city of London," the peer wrote in The Sunday Times."

Hi PuttingouthefirewithGasoline

Looks like you've got the wrong thread - please do come over to the webchat with Sadiq Khan MP and re-post your question!

Thanks

ooops! thanks

I am an artist. Just to warm up first, you have been approaching issues of quality of life like cleaner air. Bad air can irreversibly affect our health. I believe we deserve better quality air here in SE London.
Now on my question: London has become the contemporary art capital of Europe and is the most dynamic centre after New York. A sizeable proportion of UK's artists live in London but the city has never been a harder place to make ends meet. New York has a cultural-affairs budget. Does London have the same a cultural affairs budget? Do you feel London needs to rethink art for the masses like New York does? Thanks

I prefer events to be mixed but like the Prime Minister and Zac Goldsmith, sometimes attend events at synagogues, temples, gurdwaras and mosques where there are separate arrangements for men and women

This is what Sadiq said today in the web chat. How do you feel about segregated meetings? How can we promote our values in the UK if there are Nations within Nations? What is the difference between segregated meetings and segregation based on sex or colour?

Zac, what is your plan for London schools and kindergartens?

Zac - thank you for your concern and energies in relation to my jewellery collection. I have built up quite a collection from Accessorize and Primark over the years and it is reassuring to know that it will be safe from the dastardly predations of Messrs Khan and Corbyn should you become mayor.

Referring to your leaflet, I am rather confused on a number of scores but as I am only allowed one question, I'll restrict myself accordingly: as a person (like your opponent) with parentage from the Subcontinent was I supposed to attend an event to welcome Mr Modi to the UK just because he's Indian?

How has funding been found for the Garden Bridge (in the middle of one of the most open, leafy bits of London) when funding cuts are being made to parks run both by local councils and the Royal Parks and Kew Gardens?

I am sure that as the MP for Richmond Park you realise how amazing and brilliant London's parks are, but the Garden Bridge - just why?

Zac, you are on record as saying you won't allow Metropolitan Open Land to be used for housing. However what is your position on whether MOL can be used for building schools in areas where more places are desperately needed and there are no other options?

Hi Zac,

I always held you in high regard and thought you were a gentleman. However, I have been dismayed and tbh disgusted by your negative religious attacks on Sadiq Khan. My question is, do you understand the implications your attacks against Sadiq Khan's faith are having on young Muslims in London? Do you realise that every time you question Sadiq Khan's so called extremist connections (exactly the same people you have shared a platform with), you are discouraging Muslims from taking leadership positions because you are legitimising and promoting attaching extremist labels to Muslims. You yourself shared platform with Sulaiman Gani, does that make you an extremist too?

As I understand, you have Muslim nephews, I expected you to have a better understanding of the impact such rhetoric has on the Muslims in the street.

Hi Zac,

I always held you in high regard and thought you were a gentleman. However, I have been dismayed and tbh disgusted by your negative religious attacks on Sadiq Khan. My question is, do you understand the implications your attacks against Sadiq Khan's faith are having on young Muslims in London? Do you realise that every time you question Sadiq Khan's so called extremist connections (exactly the same people you have shared a platform with), you are discouraging Muslims from taking leadership positions because you are legitimising and promoting attaching extremist labels to Muslims. You yourself shared platform with Sulaiman Gani, does that make you an extremist too?

As I understand, you have Muslim nephews, I expected you to have a better understanding of the impact such rhetoric has on the Muslims in the street.

Given that you are a man of considerable wealth, why did you vote to cut £30 a week ESA from the pockets of sick and disabled people? What morals does this decision show that you have?

AimUnder : Do you realise that every time you question Sadiq Khan's so called extremist connections (exactly the same people you have shared a platform with), you are discouraging Muslims from taking leadership positions because you are legitimising and promoting attaching extremist labels to Muslims?

You have expressed, eloquently, my misgivings about ZacGoldsmith's suitability as representative for London. I believe this campaign has worsened the political landscape. It has been a course of action, a decision, that will actively discourage many people from taking a public role in politics. Ultimately, it has set in motion a deterring - an exclusion - of a whole group of people (I wouldn't - not after witnessing this) from aiming for public office.

That should be something that causes this man great shame. Surely no political prize was worth such a dishonourable campaign, with such profoundly undemocratic consequences?

Why exactly did you vote to cut £30 a week ESA from the pockets of sick and disabled people?

Can someone like yourself with such tremendous wealth ever really understand the hopes and fears of anyone trying to live on £65 a week?

aimunder excellent post

Zac, your negative, racist campaign has made me so sad. Win or lose you should be ashamed

racism is becoming more and more acceptable in society and your campaign is further legitimising it

I hope and believe London is better than that

Hello Mr Goldsmith

I'm a chronic asthma sufferer. I find that people who do not have respiratory conditions are less physically aware of how bad the quality of our air is, but the difference in air quality in different regions of the UK is very noticeable. I feel that decent air quality has become something of a post code lottery.

When I travel, I find that the moment I approach London the the quality of the air drops and my ability to breathe properly is negatively compromised. I love shopping and used to enjoy treading Oxford Street and Knightsbridge, but now I have started having quite strong reactions to the contaminants in the air, and have almost stopped shopping in central London altogether. In effect I feel that simply living in London (which isn't something I presently have any choice over) is exacerbating my underlying condition and probably cutting my overall life expectancy down.

Can you tell me what you would do as Mayor to effectively reduce air pollution levels in London.

This is not a second question. I am just musing about what might be done to improve faster access to mental health services, and emergency mental health care and how current plans to reduce council tenancies to 5 years may affect people needing the services above. Just musing out loud.

Why was the time of this web chat changed? To stop him from being flamed completely? 🤔 Conspiracy theory

Why did you not turn up to vote on the Dubs Amendments yesterday. As a multicultural city with many who support the taking in 3000 unaccompanied CHILDREN refugees in, why should Londoners think you'll represent them?

You are my MP and have been a great constituency MP, helping me greatly with my campaign to improve education for children (like my son) with severe autism plus severe learning disability. You have my vote for that alone. Any autism plans for London if you get in?

Hi Zac. How many of your plans for London could be funded from the amount of tax you have avoided over the years with your Non Dom status?

To clarify slightly... Given you only gave up Non Dom status in 2009, and even then only when you were standing for Parliament, how do you think that looks to Londoners?

Of course, there's still the matter of your offshore trusts. France isn't it? Is that why you are so keen to leave the EU?

What are you going to do to prevent the islamification of London and thus oppression of women , LBGTQ and jews? How are you going to prevent the corruption and voter fraud already seen in Tower Hamlets?

Zac, I think you're a dead ringer for Rupert Campbell-Black (a Jilly Cooper hero): he's handsome, rich, upper class and an MP.

Do people ever remark on the similarity between the two of you?

Hello Zac,

What would your mayoralty mean for London Boroughs such as Croydon and Sutton? Much of the London budget appears to go towards transport but Croydon and Sutton seem to miss out on new investment e.g. Crossrail 1 & 2.
In Croydon, can residents count on you to use your veto to stop the building of a 17-story skyscraper in the heart of Purley where the current highest building is 4 storeys (I think).

What would you say to the accusation that you have led too sheltered and privileged a life to relate to the needs of ordinary Londoners?