Couple of weeks ago, I companied one of my friends to Harrow civic centre. He had recently received a letter of evacuation (after 14 years residency) from his landlady. They kept him waiting for nearly an hour there and then sent him to one of those glass-barred chambers for interview. His interview last less than a few minutes. I noticed the interviewer as a tall bold heavy built guy in t-shirt and jeans, who looked literally like a disco bouncer. I asked what was going on and heard that in dealing with critical cases they send that guy (and other like him) to interview “customers”.
I asked my friend about his case and he told me that Harrow council could do nothing for him... and that big guy didn’t even let him to finish a sentence.

It appears that many organisations have this new approach to deal with their “customers” in a very productive way. Quite honestly, I wasn’t surprised of Mr Johnson’s choice of deputy mayor of London, Mr Lewis. Apparently Mr Jonson presumed that he needed a strong heavy handed ‘right man’ to deal with youth problems that we have been dealing in London for sometime.

It seems that politicians have decided to use the policy of intimidation and threat to deal with problems that they don’t have any answer for. The problem with this “political idea” (harsh treatment with problems) used AGAINST citizen is that it will be first apply to those who break the law and soon will be deployed to quieten other law abiding citizens and endanger our fragile democratic system . This kind of policy by definition is characteristic of a dictatorial regime.

We are not dealing with Mugabe’s regime, it is an internal matter dealing with our citizens (our youths in particular). This is a sad example that how our politicians are too distance from people to realise the causes and depth of problems that our youths included are struggling (such as knife crimes). With this kind of troubleshooting persons chosen by our politicians we should be expecting deeper unresolved solutions for our problems.

Sleaze, corruption, Ministers voting for their expenses, fat allowances, family appointments, husband and wife teams in power, council workers hounding citizens, payouts to layabouts, ever increasing taxes..... Never again will I sneer at the way foreign johnnies carry on, and say 'that's not the British way.'

it is a pity that ray lewis has to resign but on balance there was no-way he was going to see this one through.he is at least trying to help the troubled young boys in london..however imperfect he may be.
the lesson from this is that...community workers should be wary in being co-opted by desperate politicians.boris was too eager to have this black community worker without a thorough vetting procedure and equally ray was desperate for recognition and adulation from national politicians.when things go wrong as they have now,ray's organization suffer from bad publicity and what about the children and other stakeholders in that organization?
my take on this is that ray should concentrate in what he is good at and where he is needed most and should stay away from these politicians.

Vetting procedures appear to be very lax these days - possibly due to the ineptitude of the current government. David Cameron would be well advised to get a grip on that aspect or he will lose ground.

Ken Livingstone had Lee Jasper, Boris had Ray Lewis. Message: trust these peole at your peril!

Ken was a pretty good administrator compared to the light-weight comics, who love celebrity status--pity he annoyed the Evening Standard Jewry.

I doubt that Labour or the liberal press are out to 'smear' Mr Lewis, especially as the moderator has deleted my comment posted about 4 hours ago! I don't know what offended so here goes in an edited form:
Ray is currently still a Governor at my child's school, the Petchey Academy in Hackney - I want to know why , and how he got the job; it's my contention that evangelical right-wingers have a record of getting into positions of influence without any accompanying accountability, as there's plenty of money acailable from the evangelical right; it's my opinion that Ray has been reticent about his church career and background, and I cite a church blog 'the ugley vicar blog' as evidence - this from May:
Wednesday, 7 May 2008

Boris, the Mayoralty and Ray Lewis: Still not 'doing God'?

I was very pleased to see my old mate Ray Lewis had been appointed by Boris Johnson as a Deputy Mayor with special responsibility for tackling youth crime (though see here for a cautionary note about the title).

However, I was slightly bemused to find that although Ray is being described as a 'former prison governor' there is no mention of him being an Anglican clergyman. Indeed, I had to check more than once that this was indeed the Ray Lewis I knew when he was a student at Oak Hill, then curate at St Saviour's, Forest Gate and finally Team Vicar at St Matthew's, West Ham, just round the corner from where I lived in the confusingly named Mathews Park Avenue (one 't'), which gave the name to my own book imprint MPA Books.

Moreover, the GLA's biography of Ray seems to make it as hard as possible to detect his church role. Can you spot it here?

He began his career working as an administrative officer for the Civil Service before becoming a Clerk in Holy Orders for the Church Commissioners in 1990. During this time he gained a degree in Theology & Pastoral Studies from Middlesex University [ie Oak Hill Theological College].

As an Anglican clergyman I've described myself in various ways, but never as "a Clerk in Holy Orders for the Church Commissioners"! All this makes me wonder whether the new administration at County Hall is still going to be one that follows the Labour approach of not 'doing God'.

Meanwhile, good on yer, Ray.

Revd John P Richardson

7 May 2008

It's reasonable to assume that Ray had been taken to task by his church well before May 2008 , so this blog adds weight to the suggestion that he's been less that upfront.
On the matter of his Eastside academy, he imported the 'bootcamp' idea from Louisiana the poorest state in the US with a 70% black population -a poor, vulnerable and exploited population who receive the attention of the evangelical right via amongst others , their penal institutions, instead of, for instance, real government intervention - think of Hurricane Katrina. You can hear Ray Lewis on an old podcast ( I WILL find the link!)expounding marching, saluting and scripture, as if these are real solutions and not a massive diversion from the ongoing problems of exclusion , poverty deprivation , discrimination - New Laboutr and the Conservatives have been keen to take up Lewis' methods partly because of their diversionary value , and the fact that they're cheap , compared to real intervention and proper wealth distribution.
Moderators , if there's something wrong with this would you at least have the grace to tell me?

'Mr Lewis resigned and that is that' - except that it isn't; the press will keep digging, and doubtless the tabloid press tomorrow will have dug out whatever they can regarding the non-financial allegations - after all, they want to sell papers, it doesn't matter who their victim is. Meanwhile, as far as I know, Mr Lewis is still a governor at my child's school, his claims to be a success story have been taken as read without serious scrutiny, and other projects trying to tackle the problems of youth and youth crime carry on without the largesse, political and financial, at Mr lewis' disposal from the evangelical corporate interest here and in the U.S...

Oh Dear more corruption in government...Canada is following in hot persuit of the mess you guys have...None of our terrorists will likely be convicted and Our P.M just attended the opening of one of Canadas largest mosques....How bloody disgusting...Appeasing these multicultural imbiciles..I wonder if he bowed down like all the little English school kids were forced to do in order to learn about islamic new speak and did he pray to allah..

I don't htink Cosmos' comment is even worth addressing - tying these events to his or her Islamophobia - the question is, how did Ray Lewis get so far without either his cV or more importantly, his claim to be the answer to youth crime, being even cursorily examined? He's found favour with both New Labour and the Tories with his patently absurd Marching and Scripture solution; those who are grateful to him are grateful because his show was the only one available and well funded - this is about how the powers that be want to mould rebellious(lethally so in many cases sadly) elements , not about liberating them - don't be fooled !

Clearly 'disarray' is the new on-message word for Government rentagobs to use. One resignation by one deputy Mayor in one City is hardly 'disarray'. Disarray is the inability to FIND a candidate in the first place, coming behind the BNP in a by-election, having the lowest poll ratings in Labour's history and making roughly one U-turn a week. Or is that meltdown? I can never remember which is which.
Yet despite all the drama in the pro Nude Labour press, I remain intrigued by one enigma: if (as the Indie so superbly reported today)we have the worst private and corporate debt problem in the developed world,how does our Scottish Chancellor Salvador Darling reach the conclusion that we are better equipped to survive the world economic crisis than most?

After reading the reports about how Mr Lewis was selected as Deputy Mayor, his allegedly false cv., his problems with the police before being given the position of reponsibility, and his excuses for anything that he may have done, I am beginning to believe in fairies...I didn't ever believe before, but with things like this going on, they must exist...