Kaahn!

And now I discover why it’s still worth buying and reading the New Statesman magazine. I have just read George Eaton’s full article on Sadiq Kahn’s first year as Mayor of London. It is trailed here on the New Statesman site and the full article is as yet unavailable on the web. It is quite timely as I was challenged as to what good he was doing for those who voted for him by people last week.

He has been busy, freezing the fares on the buses and tubes, launching the Night Tube, introduced a toxicity charge for the most polluting vehicles and imested in skills provision for London’s workers. hasn’t he introduced the bus hopper fare? I know he’s shit-canned the Garden Bridge which I am in two minds about. He has set a 38% affordable housing target for new builds (up from 12%) and redefined the meaning of affordable. The housing policy launch was reported by Dave Hill here…. He has appointed the first female Met Police Commissioner and also appointed a women to the position of Head of the Fire Brigade.

The article also points out that much of Boris’ activity was planned and approved under his predecessor’s (i.e. Ken Livingstone’s) term of office but that Kahn has had no initiatives to inherit, apart from the Garden Bridge, Water Cannon, the Vanity Lard bus, the Helter Skelter without a mat and the Dangleway.

The interview also covers his opposition to the Progressive Alliance; he states that, “There should be no no-go areas for Labour”. He recalls that he was advised to focus on core areas only but (righty) refused. I think that Labour supporters deserve to have a Labour candidate to support, but am ready to take advice from local activists.