Recently in Consult us first Category

The Government has published a few more details about the Greater London Authority Bill mentioned in the Queen's Speech.

Note that the people of London are not going to get a chance to veto , via a vote in a referendum, the plan to give Ken Livingstone and his successors as Mayor, even more power to meddle and distort the property market and "strategic planning" processes.

Will this extra power lead to property speculator fueled corruption, as it has done in so many other countries ?

The UK political "blogosphere" and some of the mainstream media seems to be full of discussions about the case of Inigo Wilson, who published a Lefty Lexicon article on a conservative supporting blog,

This partly pointed out some of the "Lefty" Politically Correct NuLabour Orwellian newspeak which has become popular in recent years, citing the Metropolitan Police:

You can find some particularly rich hunting grounds among the well-stocked leaflet displays of Metropolitan Police stations. No one yet has formally announced that the Met doesn't 'do' ordinary crime, but each flyer makes it clear that if you are one of the large range of very modern sounding 'victim' types, then you are the priority for modern policing. See here for more of what's on offer.

The company he works for has been identified, via the wonders of internet search engines as Orange, and various people Islamic groups have complained to his employer, who seem to have suspended him from his job, for some of his satirical "definitions" in his Lexicon, especially regarding "Islamophobia" and "Palestinians".

These do not appear to be illegal in any way, but there is an online debate about alleged "racism" and "free speech".

However, public relations industry bloggers are also pointing to his "definition"

Consultation - a formal system for ignoring public views while patronising them at the same time. London's Congestion Charge for instance.

How can this be "satire" when it is simply a statement of the truth ?

Ken Livingstone is a past master of wasting our money on sham public consultations, in which he ignores the views of the majority of respondents, then presses on with his policies anyway, and then patronises anyone who points out their failures.

Where is the £65 million a year which the London Congestion Charge scheme was meant to contribute towards public transport ? It has all gone to Capita plc in extra charges and profits. Where is the actual positive net effect onmn either traffic congestion or on air pollution ? There is none.

However , taken together with the next "definition"

Community leader - someone plucked from obscurity to represent ‘the views of the community’ for the purposes of ‘consultation’. NB never elected to this position.

pehaps this is what has lead to Inigo Wilson's suspension by Orange, since he is not some call centre operative, but instead

"Inigo Wilson manages community affairs for a large telecoms company"

i.e. he is was involved in helping to get Mobile Phone Masts sited in communities up and down the country.

All of which prompts us to ask:

When were you last consulted by Orange (or any of their rivals) over the siting of a Mobile Phone Mast in your community in London ?

David Mery. who was falsely arrested and had his home searched last Jully 2005, although entirely innocent, is due to ask the Commisioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Ian Blair a Question on this Thursday 25th May 2006, at a meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority

A meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) will be held in meeting room 1 (ground floor), 10 Dean Farrar Street, London SW1 on Thursday 25 May 2006 at 10.00 a.m.

The public and the media are allowed to attend, but space is obviously limited..
The nearest Tube station is St. James' Park - see the MPA location map

David Mery's Question and the Proposed Response:

‘To be a Londoner these days is to feel one is considered guilty until proven innocent. The overreaction of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to the horrific terrorist attacks of last July has resulted in many innocent Londoners suffering from the long-term effects of having been arbitrarily detained and/or arrested. Another consequence of this worsening policing of London is intimidation, increased mistrust and even fear of the MPS. This has not enhanced our security, to the contrary.

What is the MPA doing to ensure that police powers are more balanced and checked so they are not further abused against innocents Londoners? Is the MPA actively consulting with the innocent Londoners that have been arrested and released without further action? What actions are taken by the MPA so that Londoners can stop being paranoid about which aspect of our behaviour or clothing, or which picture we take will be used as an excuse for detainment, arrest or shooting by the MPS? How does the MPA plan to restore trust in the police?’

There is already a Proposed Response to this Question:

Ken Livingstone has published another fake public "consultation" regarding his "Low Emission Zone" plans which will cover the whole of London within the M25 starting in 2008.

Low Emission Zone Consultation

Frequently Asked Questions

This will cover all the 33 London Boroughs within the M25, but not the M25 itself, and will seek to limit particulate carbon air pollutants , which are mostly produced by pre-2001 vintage diesel engined lorries etc. through Yet Another Automatic Number Plate Recognition enforced system of fees (£100 to £200 a day) and fines (£ 1000 or more).

Unlike the London Congestion Charge, presumably this LEZ scheme will need to be run 24/7 and at weekends.

"It is proposed that the LEZ would be enforced using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras similar to those used for Congestion Charging. Fixed cameras would be supplemented by mobile patrol units fitted with ANPR cameras"

Why have they chosen the most intrusive and privacy unfriendly "control freak" way of enforcing this anti-pollution policy ?

The Metropolitan Police Authority seems to be holding a conference called "Together Against terror ?" this Monday 12th December 2005 at theCentral Westminster Hall, Storey's Gate, Westminster SW1H 9NH.

Only the most dedicated fans of the MPA website could have known about this conference, as the Press Release was only issued on Friday 9th December 2005 !

On 12 December 2005 the Metropolitan Police Authority will be will be holding a one-day conference, ‘Together Against Terror?’, with the aim of widening the London and national debate on how our society should respond to the terrorist threat.

Surely they cannot be serious in thinking that this one day conference with a hand picked audience, coupled with an unscientific and insecure online opinion poll, is actually a genuine "public consultation" ?

This exercise needs to be repeated many more times than just this one day conference. There should be at least one of these conferences in each of the 34 London Boroughs !


Conference Themes and Speakers:

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.

Email Contact

Please feel free to email us your views about this website or news about the issues it tries to comment on:

blog @mayor-of-london.co.uk

If you need to contact us in confidence, use our our PGP public encryption key or an email account based overseas e.g. Hushmail

Please do not confuse this website with the tax payer funded Mayor of London, the London Assembly and the Greater London Authority website.

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.

Links

Wikipedia article on the Mayor of London

Wikipedia article on the London Assembly

The Evening Standard newspaper - fulfills its role by scrutinising the Mayor and the GLA etc. rather more effectively than the politicians and bureaucrats do.

Mayor of London press releases

London Assembly press releases

MayorWatch - commercial news site about the Mayor of London etc.

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.

Save Parliament: Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill (and other issues)
Save Parliament - Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill Act

Ken Livingstone Links

Syndicate this site (XML):

November 2018

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
        1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30