Boris Johnson looks as if he is going to give Ken Livingstone a run for his money in the election for London Mayor on May 1. He is ahead in the latest opinion poll, some bookmakers have installed him as favourite, Labour is increasingly jittery about Mayor Livingstone's prospects and the Tories increasingly confident of a victory that would put win in David Cameron's sails. Meanwhile, Tories who fear Boris might be a gaffe-prone liability as Mayor are talking quietly about the need to instal a strong team around him at City Hall.
But the Tories' blond bombshell seems to be having trouble in acclimatising himself to the prospect of becoming the capital's standard-bearer. When he visited London's Olympic Delivery Authority, he was told that, as Mayor, he would have to be in China in August for the handover ceremony from the Beijing Games to the London Olympics which follow in 2012. "But I'll be in Tuscany," Boris complained after checking his diary. Officials explained that the event would be important. "Move it!" he barked. Er... life isn't really like that. But if he becomes Mayor, it would certainly be interesting.
Please don't let it happen. Boris would indeed be a laugh, but can't he be a laugh somewhere where it doesn't actually matter to our everyday lives? Livingstone isn't everybody's cup of tea, but he does have genuine vision. Boris has, er, um,...
Posted by: Gary | Friday, 07 March 2008 at 09:37 AM
I wonder if Boris will give his Chinese counterparts the same cheerful raincheck on Human Rights, Global Warming, Pollution, and Burma that was proferred to them last week by Foreign Minister David Muggleband?
Regular Indy readers with even short memories will remember Muggleband fulminating about the shootings of Burmese monks quite recently - and saying that "someone should do somthing" (as though it was someone else's responsibility, and the Foreign Minister of Great Britain was just the tea-boy?).
Needless to say, Mummy's-Boy Miliband did nothing at all about Burma - not even censuring the "Myanmar" Ambassador or dimissing a diplomat or two (he only does that when his PNAC pals in the USA tell him to, with Russian diplomats who haven't done anything).
But then he jets-off to China in Brown's footsteps on an Official Visit. He doesn't mention Pollution. He doesn't mention Global Warming. He doesn't mention Human Rights. He doesn't mention the dumping of cheap Chinese exports in Britain that have caused massive job-losses for British workers.
And he doesn't mention Burma, although China is Burma's Number One economic partner and supporter. Which is really quite odd, considering how angry he falsely claimed to have been about the the shootings in Rangoon?
Can we expect His Newtness to be equally malleable on all these topics if he turns out to be Britain's representative at the Handover Ceremony? I think it's quite likely. Will Boris make an issue out of any of this? Or will he write an enthusiastic blog about what a nice CAR the Chinese provided for him, as Mr Miliband did?
Posted by: Neil McGowan | Friday, 07 March 2008 at 09:45 AM
In Bonkers Boris's latest caper, he has now claimed to be the descendant of a Circassian slave bought by a Turkish master in the C19th.
In the famous novel "The Twelve Chairs", by Ilf & Petrov, the anti-hero - a fraudster and con-man named Ostap Bender - spends much of the book explaining his background as "I am the son of a Turkish citizen".
I am sure this is merely a coincidence.
Posted by: Neil McGowan | Sunday, 09 March 2008 at 12:50 AM
If Boris did go to Beijing he'd see a beautiful city combining ancient culture with bold modernity, and plenty of charming green space. A city where people enjoy life and being out and about: dining, dancing, exercising, strolling and playing games.
Posted by: Jon in Beijing | Sunday, 09 March 2008 at 03:39 AM
He'd also find one with a government which failed to observe common rights of decency towards its population.
Posted by: Robbo | Sunday, 09 March 2008 at 08:27 AM