I like Andy Burnham: he clearly has been on a political journey and he has played a good role on the NHS, but in my view his position on rail policy today not only doesn’t go far enough – it indicates the disconnect between voters and Westminster politics that we must repair. In the National […]
Attlee and Thatcher transformed Britain. Ed Miliband is next in line
Nov 6th, 2013 by Ken Livingstone.Out of every great crisis comes some recognition that the old order has failed. As a result there is an opportunity to create an entirely new way of doing things. For most people alive in Britain today the two prime ministers who radically altered British society were Clement Attlee and Margaret Thatcher. One remade Britain […]
Progress, class and parliamentary selections
Apr 25th, 2013 by Ken Livingstone.I am one of those who wants to see more working class people – and a bigger range of people generally – active in the highest levels of politics. So I welcome the emphasis the party is placing on broadening the social composition of parliament. That process is certainly not going to be resolved across the […]
Moving on from ‘Ken and the Jews’
Mar 29th, 2012 by Ken Livingstone.The last week saw my relationship with the Jewish community in the headlines. I agree with those including in my own party who want to break out of the “drama” of “Ken and the Jewish community” – it’s time to move on from that, onto something less headline-grabbing but more dynamic. I understand the dismay […]
#OccupyLSX is a peaceful protest and deserves a hearing
Oct 31st, 2011 by Ken Livingstone.This has been a peaceful protest, and it should be approached on that basis. City Hall has a duty to accommodate those who wish to protest in London and ensure their safety whilst ensuring the London does not grind to a halt. No one wants or expects there to be permanent camps – all protests […]
The government is to blame for the pension strikes
Jun 30th, 2011 by Ken Livingstone.Nurses and teachers did not create the global economic crisis, yet public servants and the wider public are being forced to pay not only through these pensions changes but higher VAT, student fees and transport fares, cuts to EMA and vital services that millions rely on. The Tory-led Government has mishandled the pension issue. Cameron […]
What the budget should have done for Londoners
Mar 24th, 2011 by Ken Livingstone.It is clear that the economic policies being pursued by the Conservatives under George Osborne and Boris Johnson are not working. Unemployment is rising and millions of Londoners are feeling squeezed by rising costs. London needed a budget that delivers economic growth and invests in the future of London. That means lower taxes for the majority, […]
Unite the community in Tower Hamlets
Oct 1st, 2010 by Ken Livingstone.People have asked me for my view about the Mayoral election in Tower Hamlets. The reality is that the Labour vote is going to be divided between the candidate imposed by the NEC Helal Abbas and Lutfur Rahman, the candidate chosen by Tower Hamlets party members, who is now standing as an independent.