Boris Johnson has today announced his intention to find a constituency to run for election as a Member of Parliament in 2015. No doubt he will be elected in a suitably safe seat.

However it seems he does not plan to relinquish his role as Mayor of London for the year or so between the General and Mayoral elections.

This is wrong !

Just as as wrong as when Ken Livingstone by not resigning as an MP when he was first elected as Mayor in May 2000, "double dipping" at the tax payer's expense until Jthe une 2001 General Election.

This is something which Boris rightly criticised him for during his Mayoral election campaigns.

Being a proper MP is a full time job, as is being Mayor of London.

Apologies for the hiatus in posting - there are more important things in life than the lacklustre Mayor of London / Greater London Assembly elections, important as they are.

Congratulations to Boris Johnson the re-elected incumbent Mayor of London.

According to the BBC, his victory over Ken Livingstone was by a "tight margin" or "narrow"

London mayor: Boris Johnson wins second term by tight margin

BJohnson 51.5%
K.Livingstone: 48.5%

N.B. The BBC described the victory of Hollande over Sarkozy in the French Presidential election as " a clear victory"

Socialist Francois Hollande wins French presidency

F. Hollande 51,64%
N. Sarkozy 48,36%

It is too early to tell if Boris Johnson will keep his promise not to run for the leadership of the Conservative party in the future.

We can only hope that after years of broken promises, support for authoritarian human rights abusing dictatorships and extremist groups, denial of freedoms and liberties in London, insults to various individuals and communities and to our intelligence, waste of public money, etc. Ken Livingstone will keep his pledge that this was his "last election"

'This is the defeat I most regret': Emotional Ken Livingstone announces retirement from politics after losing London Mayor election to Boris Johnson

Have the various databases,email lists and financial details of the people who supported Ken Livingstone now been destroyed ?

Or are there multiple copies of this sensitive personal data to be found on Labour party appartchiks iPads and iPhones etc., waiting to be lost or stolen ?

Will the Labour party try to email the "supporters" of Ken Livingstone for some other "bait & switch" campaign ?

Will Ken Livingstone try to raise funds for one or other of his private businesses or pet projects by exploiting these "Ken Livingstone supporter" databases ?

Remember that, according to the Data Protection Act 1998, personal data which is collected for one purpose, must not be used for another one, without the prior informed consent of the individuals involved.


http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/schedule/1/paragraph/2

2 Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes.

Neither should it be kept for longer than necessary i/e/ to help elect Ken Livingstone as Mayor of London (and for no other purpose).

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/schedule/1/paragraph/5

5 Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.

The websites http://www.kenlivingstone.com and http://www.yourken.com currently point to the Labour Party website, but there has been no announcement sent out to the email lists about what exactly has happpened to the ("sensitive" because it implies political affiliation) personal data gathered via these websites etc.

In order to pander to the powerful vested interests which surround the whole Olympic Games with the stench of corruption and repression, the previous Labour government decided to meddle with Londoners' fundamental human rights of free speech, by passing their controversial London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006

Just how ill thought out this typical "enabling legislation" was is shown up by the Regulations which were published in December 2011:

The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Advertising and Trading) (England) Regulations 2011

These have to list huge categories of Exemptions, which the original legislation made illegal and which would have created a massive bureaucratic mess, even for the Government and Local Authorities themselves.

Given the natural tendency of the "little Hitler" jobsworths who will be acting as paid or unpaid security guards and volunteer marshals and the same sort of behaviour which the Metropolitan Police is notorious for, we still expect there to be lots of incidents of harassment and intimidation of tourists and residents in the Olympic Advertising Zones (which extend far outside the actual sports stadium venues)

Why were these obvious (and obscure) Exceptions not debated in Parliament back in 2006 ?

7 Exception for demonstrations,

(1) Regulation 6 does not apply to advertising activity intended to--

(a)demonstrate support for or opposition to the views or actions of any person or body of persons,

(b)publicise a belief, cause or campaign, or

(c)mark or commemorate an event.

(2) But this exception does not apply to advertising activity that promotes or advertises--

(a)a good or service, or

(b)a person or body (excluding a not-for-profit body) that provides a good or service.

Since the "ambush advertising" enforcement powers include the power of forced entry into your private home or business premises, the original legislation without this exception was unthinkingly repressive and evil.

8 Exception for individuals wearing advertising attire, displaying advertisements on their bodies, or carrying personal property

(1) Regulation 6 does not apply to an individual who engages in advertising activity only by doing one or more of the following, unless the individual knows or has reasonable cause to believe that he or she is participating in an ambush marketing campaign--

(a)wearing advertising attire,

(b)displaying an advertisement on the individual's body,

(c)carrying or holding personal property on which an advertisement is displayed.

(2) The fact that this exception applies to an individual does not affect the application of regulation 6 to any other person (whether in respect of the same advertising activity or otherwise).

Remember now, there is now no legal reason for you to harassed for wearing the "wrong" brand (i.e. not made by an official Olympics sponsor) of sportswear or carrying the "wrong" brand of soft drink etc. which the original legislation banned.

9 Exceptions modelled on the Town and Country Planning Regulations

(1) Regulation 6 does not apply to advertising activity that consists of--

(n)an advertisement within Class 16 (advertisements on telephone kiosks).

So adverts on telephone kiosks or booths do still; need the permission of the Olympics bureaucrats,

Presumably the inevitable telephone booth cards advertising the services of prostitutes (one of the most established forms of "ambush" or "guerilla" advertising) , will therefore be allowed to flourish, since the jobsworths who only be targeting the "legitimate" paid for adverts within such telephone kiosks.

No doubt there will be plenty of UK and foreign Olympic officials who will be caught pretending to be "inspecting" such prostitutes, who have dared to use the words or symbols of the "Olympics" monopoly in their advertising.

10 Other exceptions

(1) Regulation 6 does not apply to advertising activity of a description falling within paragraphs (2) to (7).

(2) Displaying an advertisement that is employed wholly as--

(a)a memorial, or

(b)a railway signal,

Surely anyone who displays an advertisement on a "railway signal" should be prosecuted under other legislation for endangering lives on the railway ?

(3) Distributing or providing a current newspaper or periodical.

(4) Advertising activity undertaken in accordance with a condition attached to an authorisation granted under regulation 15 (trading activity authorised by the Olympic Delivery Authority &c.).

(5) Displaying an advertisement on an aircraft for one or more of the following purposes--(a)complying with the law of the United Kingdom or any other country, being law in force in relation to the aircraft,
(b)securing the safety of the aircraft or any person or property therein,
(c)the furtherance, by or on behalf of a Government department, by a person acting under any public duty or by a person providing ambulance or rescue facilities by air, of measures in connection with circumstances, existing or imminent at the time the aircraft is used, which may cause danger to persons or property,
(d)civil defence, military or police purposes.

(6) Displaying a mark or inscription (other than an illuminated sign) on the body of an aeroplane or helicopter.

The original legislation banned advertisements on Aircraft and Helicopters

(7) Displaying an advertisement on an item of street furniture provided that the advertisement--

(a)is not illuminated,
(b)bears only the name, contact details and device (or any one or more of those things) of the manufacturer, owner and operator of the street furniture (or any one or more of those persons), and
(c)is not displayed as part of an ambush marketing campaign.

The politicians who drew up the original Act forgot that Local Authorities etc. would have had to bureaucratically apply for permission from the Olympic Delivery Authority for permission to continue to display their own signs etc. on street furniture.

Interpretation of this Part5.

(1) In this Part--

[...]

(3) Advertising activity that consists of the display of an advertisement on a personal communication device is not to be treated as advertising activity for the purposes of this Part unless the advertiser intends the advertisement to be displayed, by means of the device, to the public at large (rather than only to the individual using the device).(

4) In paragraph (3), "personal communication device" means a mobile telephone or other personal interactive communication device.

The original legislation banned unapproved adverts on your Mobile Phone !

14 Exceptions

(1) Regulation 13 does not apply to trading activity of a description falling within paragraphs (2) to (12).

(2) Selling a current newspaper or periodical.
(3) Trading activity undertaken or controlled by the London Organising Committee on enclosed land on which a London Olympic Event is taking place or to take place.
(4) Selling or delivering an article to a person in premises adjoining a highway.
(5) Selling a motor vehicle on private land generally used for the sale of motor vehicles.
(6) Supplying motor vehicle cleaning services on private land generally used for the supply of those services.
(7) Supplying motor vehicle parking services in a building or on other land designed or generally used for the parking of motor vehicles.

The original legislation banned private Car Parks unless licensed by the Olympic Delivery Authority !

(8) Providing a public sanitary convenience.

The original legislation banned Public Toilets ("spend a penny / 20p / 50p £1 etc.") unless licensed by the Olympic Delivery Authority !

(9) Providing a permanent telephone kiosk.

The original legislation banned Public Telephone Kiosks unless licensed by the Olympic Delivery Authority !

(10) Trading as a walking tour operator.

(11) Supplying public transport services including tourist services.

The original legislation banned Taxis, Buses, Tubes, Railways and "tourist services" unless licensed by the Olympic Delivery Authority !

(12) Trading activity on private land adjacent to exempt retail premises provided that the trading activity--

(a)forms part of the usual business of the owner of the premises or a person assessed for uniform business rate in respect of the premises, and
(b)takes place during the period during which the premises are open to the public for business.

(13) Paragraph (2) does not apply to selling a current newspaper or periodical in a street if the selling is done from a receptacle that causes undue interference or inconvenience to persons using the street.

(14) In this regulation--"exempt retail premises" means a building normally used as--

(a)a shop,
(b)a restaurant, bar, or other premises used for the supply of meals, refreshments or alcohol to the public, or
(c)a petrol filling station,

"sanitary convenience" has the same meaning as in the Building Act 1984(1),
"tourist services" means public transport services primarily for the benefit of tourists, and"walking tour operator" means a person that supplies services to the public comprising tours of an area on foot.

Why should the Olympics impose such unnecessary regulations and restrictions for the sake of a few monopolistic advertising sponsors ?

The extent of the Olympic Event Zones is huge and extends far beyond the Olympic Park - including the many miles of the marathon and cycle races, the seafront at Weymouth for the sailing events, and sports stadia in Wimbledon, Manchester and Coventry etc. This also covers the airspace above these venues.

SCHEDULE 1

Meaning of "event zone"

1. In these Regulations, "event zone" means each of the following zones:
(a)the City of Coventry Stadium zone,
(b)the Earls Court zone,
(c)the Eton Dorney zone,
(d)the ExCel zone,
(e)the Greenwich Park zone,
(f)the Hadleigh Farm zone,
(g)the Horse Guards Parade zone,
(h)the Hyde Park zone,
(i)the Lee Valley White Water Centre zone,
(j)the Lord's Cricket Ground zone,
(k)the North Greenwich Arena zone,
(l)the Old Trafford zone,
(m)the Olympic marathon zone,
(n)the Olympic Park zone,
(o)the Olympic race walk zone,
(p)the Olympic road cycling zone,
(q)the Olympic time trial zone.
(r)the Olympic triathlon zone,
(s)the Paralympic marathon zone,
(t)the Paralympic road cycling zone.
(u)the Royal Artillery Barracks zone,
(v)the St James Park Stadium zone,
(w)the Wembley zone,
(x)the Weymouth and Portland zone, and
(y)the Wimbledon zone.

2. An event zone comprises the non-shaded area that is bounded externally by a dotted green line shown on the deposited map together with--
(a)any road on the deposited map that is marked with a blue line (an "event road"),
(b)the pavement on each side of an event road or, where there is no pavement, the land or water that is within two metres of each side of the road, but excluding the frontage of any building on that pavement or land, and
(c)where an event road is carried by a bridge, the entire structure of that bridge.

3. An event zone includes the airspace above the land or water in that zone.

4. If any part of a railway station is on or above the ground in an event zone, all parts of that station (whether on, above or under the ground and whether in or outside the event zone) are to be taken as being within the event zone.

The Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition government has amended some of the worst excesses of Labour's original legislation, but they have still missed some huge potential areas of repression, which, hopefully, will be too difficult to enforce e.g. there is still no exception for displaying broadcast television or radio adverts (especially foreign ones) or for desktop or laptop computers connected to the internet - which could be used both for unapproved Advertising or for Trading.

Congratulation to Bernard Hogan-Howe who has been appointed to the unenviable post of Metropolitan Police Commissioner (referred to in legislation as the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis).

We wish him the best of luck, as he will need it, to fulfil his promise to cut crime in London and to deliver a safe Olympic Games.

He should learn from the mistakes of his predecessors as Commissioner or other senior ranks and ensure that

  • He does not get even peripherally involved in awarding any Metropolitan Police contracts to companies associated with his personal friends. (Sir Ian Blair)

  • He does not make any controversial political statements, or indeed any personal statements at all, during General or Mayoral Elections (Sir Ian Blair, again)

  • He does not take any paper briefing notes or discussion documents through the door at Number 10 Downing Street, where they might be photographed by the high resolution lenses of the word's media photographers. (Bob Quick)

  • Does not use corporate credit cards for lavish "national security" related expenses (Andy Hayman)

  • He does not get even peripherally involved in obtaining full or part time jobs for his or family or friends or their relatives (John Yates)

  • He does not accept any gifts in kind or hospitality worth more than a few tens of pounds from friends or acquaintances, even if such gifts are properly reported to the metropolitan Police Authority (Sir Paul Stephenson)


The Daily Mail reports:

Riot boy's family is kicked out of home: Suspected looter and his mother are the first to be punished with eviction

By Jack Doyle

Last updated at 2:28 PM on 13th August 2011


A suspected looter in this week's riots and his mother are being thrown out of their council home.

In the first case of its kind, Daniel Sartain-Clarke, 18, and his mother have been served with an eviction notice as council bosses seek to turf them out of their £225,000 taxpayer-subsidised flat.

Sartain-Clarke is charged with violent disorder and attempting to steal electronic goods from the Currys store at Clapham Junction, South London, on Monday night.

Under housing rules his mother - as the tenant - can be evicted from their two-bedroom flat in Battersea if anyone living there is involved in criminality.

Sartain-Clarke was arrested after more than 100 looters went on the rampage on Monday night. For two hours, the mob ransacked mobile phone stores and sports shops such as Foot Locker and JD Sports.

He appeared before magistrates in Battersea on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to burglary and violent disorder. He and two co-defendants were remanded in custody.

So he he has not yet actually been tried and convicted, has he ?

Therefore he should be treated, for now, as innocent until proven guilty

Wandsworth Council have therefore been too quick off the mark in this particular case, in their political mob mentality haste, to Be Seen To Be Doing Something about the riots.

Why could they not have waited a few days or weeks, to see if the man (he is 18 years old) is actually convicted or not ?

Their extra-judical punishment of his family and extensive publicity about this case is clearly a Contempt of Court , exactly like that in the recent Joanna Yates murder case, where tabloid newspapers were heavily fined for the "risk of serious prejudice to any future trial"

The Council Tax payers of Wandsworth will end up paying substantial damages and legal costs, because of this hasty political blunder.

About this blog

This website comments on the policies of the Mayor of London, the London Assembly and the Greater London Authority and actually pre-dates even the referendum which took place before these public bodies were set up.

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Do not confuse that lot with the ancient office of the Lord Mayor of London either.

Hints and Tips for Whistleblowers

There are many good people trapped in the bureaucracies which run London. If you are thinking about blowing the whistle on shadowy and powerful people in Government or commerce, and their dubious policies then you need be very careful these days. The mainstream media and bloggers also need to take simple precautions to help preserve the anonymity of their sources e.g.

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Campaign Button Links

Watching Them, Watching Us, UK Public CCTV Surveillance Regulation Campaign
UK Public CCTV Surveillance Regulation Campaign

NO2ID - opposition to the NuLabour Compulsory Biometric ID Card
NO2ID - opposition to NuLabour's plans for Compulsory Biometric ID Card and National Identity Register centralised database.

asboconcern logo
ASBO Concern - alliance of organisations and individuals who are concerned about the abuse of NuLabour's Anti Social Behaviour Orders.

MI5 encrypted contact web form use 999 or 112 to report immediate threats
Encrypted MI5 web response form NuLabour's "Climate of Fear" is not the same as the real fight against terror.

gamesmonitor_logo_150.gif Games Monitor - "Games Monitor is a network of people raising awareness about issues within the London Olympic development processes. We want to highlight the local, London and international implications of the Olympic industry. We seek to deconstruct the 'fantastic' hype of Olympic boosterism and the eager complicity of the 'urban elites' in politics, business, the media, sport, academia and local institutional 'community stakeholders'. "

Peaceful resistance to the curtailment of our rights to Free Assembly and Free Speech in the SOCPA Designated Area around Parliament Square and beyond
Parliament Protest blog - resistance to the Designated Area resticting peaceful demonstrations or lobbying in the vicinity of Parliament.

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Save Parliament - Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill Act

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