Is Ken Livingstone an alcoholic? Does it matter?

[Danger Man]

Private Eye keeps making snide 'jokes' about Ken Livingstone's drinking habits and a quick Google search throws up a few stories about him being caught sipping whiskey at 10am. He later claimed it was 'medicinal'.

To be honest, I'm still livid that Charles Kennedy lost the leadership of the Liberal Party just because he liked the occasional bottle of scotch. I'd have voted for him, alky or not.

So...in this light, should politicians be straight-laced? Surely a 'problem' makes them more human. 

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The BBC's news 'story' on the 10 o clock news about this man was the most jaundiced crock of slanderous shit I've ever seen directed at an individual by this organisation.

The media have it in for this man. The last two months have seen a number of smear campaigns directed at him, and I think a few people higher up really don't want to see him get a third term.

As for the alky business, I couldn't give a shot of piss.

[Searchlight]

It doesnt matter because Ken has a non job. As Mayor of London he is responsible for virually nothing that could be terminally ****ed up by him having an off day.

Charles Kennedy on the other hand was attempting to get a job which would have involved him making day to day decisions which would have had a huge influence on UK society.

As a Lib Dem supporter I have to say that he had to go. Didnt think much of his successor though.

[buttgammon]

I'm really scared Johnson will get in because of things like this, even though he's a stupid wanker that is out of touch with society and doesn't seem to do much apart from kid himself that he's actually funny. While on the other hand, Livingstone's generally a good politician.

If Johnson gets in then I'm going to steer clear of London for a while I think.

[biggytitbo]

Who is the man we all need?
(KEN!!)
Who is the funky sex machine?
(KEN!!)
Who is the leader of the GLC?
(KEN!!)
Who is the man we all need?
(KEN!!)

Do do 'n do do 'n do dow
Do do 'n do do 'n do dow
Ken is the man that we all need
Ken is the WAHWHAYEAYEAYEAYEA!!!!

[jutl]

It only matters when he decides to cause everyone immense amounts of trouble by sticking to something fucking moronic he said while pissed. In that case it wasn't the drinking that was the problem, it was the egotism that prevented him from backing down that we should worry about.

[Danger Man]

It doesnt matter because Ken has a non job. As Mayor of London he is responsible for virually nothing that could be terminally ****ed up by him having an off day.

Funnily enough my Google search threw up a quite touching interview with Bob Kiley, the man Livingstone hired as London's Transport Commissioner.

He admits to being an alcoholic and says that his job is pretty pointless.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1582378.ece

Perhaps he was drunk when he gave the interview...

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

The BBC's news 'story' on the 10 o clock news about this man was the most jaundiced crock of slanderous shit I've ever seen directed at an individual by this organisation.

I missed this - was it to do with the 'revelations' about his children?

[sick as a pike]

Pissed-up, loose-cocked shoving-off-steps Nazi-accusing egotist he might be, but I'm still going to vote for him.  Slightly worryingly I had a call from a Labour Party person the other evening- they're clearly worried Johnson's going to win and are trying to persuade/ensure people to vote for Livingstone.

[biggytitbo]

Hoping, as I do, that London gets hit by an asteroid tomorrow, and hating that odious turd Livingstone, I really am looking forward to Boris Johnson winning. It's going to be  brilliantly entertaining!

[buttgammon]

It will be the equivalent of being hit by an asteroid for London, I think.

[ThickAndCreamy]

Hoping, as I do, that London gets hit by an asteroid tomorrow, and hating that odious turd Livingstone, I really am looking forward to Boris Johnson winning. It's going to be  brilliantly entertaining!

Thats the biggest problem with the elections. So many people will vote for Boris as they think he has a good sense of humour, is entertaining and has been on comedy shows on the television. Therefore people will vote for him just because of that and not due to his ideas, policies or anything else. I call it the Arnold Schwarchenegger effect.

[buttgammon]

Yes, that is what worries me, that he is a useless excuse for a politician who knows nothing about London issues, but because he was on Have I Got News For You people will think "He's a good sport, let's put a cross in the box next to his name."

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I missed this - was it to do with the 'revelations' about his children?

It purported to be. Then no less than 2 sentences in to the story it decided to list all the bad/controversial things he'd done. The tone of voice in the report seemed extremely partial. The story was clearly used as an excuse to launch into this tirade of character assassination. I wish I could remember who the journalist was but the name escapes me. It eventually cut to Boris Johnson flapping out of his townhouse.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

As many papers have pointed out, both Paddick and Johnson have well-documented 'unusual' sex histories.

Have you thought about writing a complaint, Shoulders? Did the report cover the other candidate's transgressions equally?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

No, it mentioned Boris had been sacked from the front bench for lying about an affair. That's arguably worse than Ken not choosing to tell the media about his family. It did mention Brian Paddick as well. Neither candidate chose to criticize Ken for this which is fair enough given the rather weighty propensity of glass that must constitute a large part of their residences.

Anyhow, it had shots of him embracing Hugo Chavez, and 'the controversial Muslim cleric' (that means I don't know his name), as well as a few other things that were really nothing to do with the central 'story'. The article was essentially and quite patently, "Ken's a right dodgy old fucker, why do you still like him?"

The possible answer: 'transgressions surmounted by attempt at left-wing politics that is not leading area of responsibility into economic ruin' seems to be overlooked, or not even considered. Or not even thought of at all!

[chand]

Yes, that is what worries me, that he is a useless excuse for a politician who knows nothing about London issues, but because he was on Have I Got News For You people will think "He's a good sport, let's put a cross in the box next to his name."

Dude srsly...did you SEE that charity football match againt Ze Chermans when he came on with his hair all lulzy and started rugby-tackling n00bs?!?! So full of win!!!112 LEGEND!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1EN7YvqHAMg

winrar, etc

(that clip is actually titled 'BORIS THE LEGEND'. London, England, consider yourselves warned!)

[biggytitbo]

Boris may be an utter buffoon who will no doubt make London a laughing stock, but at least he's a libertarian. Livingstone is an authoritarian statist who believes in big government and intervention in every aspect of peoples lives. Not to mention, personally, he is an obnoxious oily shit.

[its not cool to be weird]

Boris may be an utter buffoon who will no doubt make London a laughing stock, but at least he's a libertarian. Livingstone is an authoritarian statist who believes in big government and intervention in every aspect of peoples lives. Not to mention, personally, he is an obnoxious oily shit.

Agreed. He's just a few steps down from Galloway. Utterly self-serving and cynical. Hopefully Boris will get in, and prove uninterested and incompetent, and we can kick this out-dated and dangerous Mayor of London nonsense out once and for all.

[Howj Begg]

Boris may be an utter buffoon who will no doubt make London a laughing stock, but at least he's a libertarian. Livingstone is an authoritarian statist who believes in big government and intervention in every aspect of peoples lives.

Well done for summing up why sensible people loathe Johnson and will vote for Ken

[its not cool to be weird]

Well done for summing up why sensible people loathe Johnson and will vote for Ken

How does that make any sense at all?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Boris isn't a libertarian. Libertarian maybe, for people who have it easy in London. He'll fuck over the poor though, really badly, even in the process of trying to help them.

[Howj Begg]

Hopefully Boris will get in, and prove uninterested and incompetent, and we can kick this out-dated and dangerous Mayor of London nonsense out once and for all.

How does this make any sense at all?

[its not cool to be weird]

How does this make any sense at all?

Because its a problem that one man has so much power and influence over an organisation, which in turn has so much power and influence over one of the world's largest cities. Particularly when that man is a greedy immoral alcoholic turd.

In response to the original point, yes it does matter if politicians are alcoholics (although there's rightly nothing illegal about it, they can still stand, just generally you shouldn't vote for 'em). There's nothing wrong with liking the odd drink, so to speak, but alcoholism is both a cause and a result of errors of judgement. The post of Mayor of London carries a lot of influence, for better or worse (worse).

Sorry, where's the evidence Ken gives a shit about London's poor, when he's evicting them to make way for the Olympic games travesty, and for all those tall buildings and luxury flats he's so keen on. Still, I suppose there's lots more PCSOs around these days. I feel safer already.

[biggytitbo]

Boris isn't a libertarian. Libertarian maybe, for people who have it easy in London. He'll fuck over the poor though, really badly, even in the process of trying to help them.

Nah. Everybodies better off when politicians interfere less with their lives. Politicians 'helping' poor people is like Lennie from Of Mice and Men petting mice.

[Hank_Kingsley]

I've flirted with libertarianism but it just fingered me and never called me back.

It is possible to have a compassionate government which doesn't fuck over your civil rights and treat you like a moron. The Dutch and Scandinavians seem to have the right idea.

What I'd really like to see is a Huey Long style cap on the amount of assets someone can reasonably own. Let's bleed the oligarchs dry!

There's not enough good old hatred of the rich any more.

[Backstage With Slowdive]

I can remember an interview in which Livingstone admitted he used to drink heavily but said he was much more moderate nowadays. That was back when he was either trying for, or had just got, the Mayoralty.

I didn't realise anyone really cared how many affairs he'd had. Way back in the GLC days the subject of him not exactly having a respectable married life (he was divorced and living in sin with a new lady) didn't really surprise anyone, given what the GLC was renowned/vilified for.

The most substantial job Boris Johnson ever had was as editor of The Spectator, in which capacity he finally managed to destroy an institution that had struggled by for about 300 years.

So it looks like Paddick is the only genuine candidate in this election. Anyone know what his policies are?

[Hank_Kingsley]

Pot smoking and gay orgies for all!

[Backstage With Slowdive]

I'm surprised this isn't a widely-circulated quote, but the late auberon Waugh, when he was a columnist at The Spectator, wrote about Johnson in the mid 90s: "never in 35 years have I met someone who so completely misunderstood what conservatism is about" (or words like that).

I used to subscribe to it when I was a student, because it was the best political magazine. I wouldn't bother glancing at it once Johnson got his hands on it and filled it with all the latest American rubbish that idiots like Melanie Phillips swallow without question (intelligent design, no such thing as global warming, et fucking cetera). There's no sign of it recovering from the damage he did so I read Prospect these days.

[its not cool to be weird]

I used to subscribe to it when I was a student, because it was the best political magazine. I wouldn't bother glancing at it once Johnson got his hands on it and filled it with all the latest American rubbish that idiots like Melanie Phillips swallow without question (intelligent design, no such thing as global warming, et fucking cetera). There's no sign of it recovering from the damage he did so I read Prospect these days.

Yeah, it was quite good in the day, in its own weird way. I'm not sure if the problems are entirely Johnson's fault, the various owners have put all sorts of pressure on it over the last few years.