More gaffes from Ken Livingstone as the old dinosaur again fell for an elephant trap placed in his path by some cunning Hammersmith Conservatives last week.
After his explosive comments to me when I interviewed him during his visit to Shepherd’s Bush Market earlier this year you might have thought he’d have learned his lesson.
But no, when challenged by Peter Graham, a Conservative councillor who also works for Greg Hands, MP for neighbouring Chelsea & Fulham, whether he’d meant to describe local Tories as “a bunch of crooks” for what they were planning on doing to the local area’s estates with property developers, against many residents wishes, Red Ken replied:
"Oh, yes. I think, frankly, you should all go to prison for what you’re doing in this borough. I think it’s what Shirley Porter did, and you’re destroying lives, and you should be ashamed of yourself. And if there’s any justice you will burn in hell and your flesh will be flayed by demons for all eternity."Cue predictably excited tweets from the local Conservatives and local media who must be annoyed that for the second time Ken was in the borough, they missed the real story of his visit. But the real annoyance must surely be felt by Ken’s own media team, who must be thinking hard about whether to let the old bruiser anywhere near Hammersmith & Fulham ever again!
Doesn't really sound like a gaffe to me - that would imply some level of not having meant to say it.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't as if they would have supported him had he been nice to them, in any case.
Ken's dilemma. When people's lives are improved they tend to stop voting for people like him.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds about right, to be honest. What's the problem here?
ReplyDeletewhy is he a dinosaur?, he has views that you don't like?. more akin to daily mail speak than
ReplyDeleteyour usual fair blog chris.
first of all he's been around since the early 1980s and secondly he keeps stumbling into these sort of pretty obvious elephant traps! But as ever feel free to disagree!
ReplyDeleteI agree, this use of the word "dinosaur" in relation to Ken Livingstone is redolent of the many anti-Ken blogs that Gilligan writes for the Telegraph.
ReplyDeleteKen's right, in my opinion.
Here's Gilligan's 'impartial' view.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewgilligan/100115727/ken-livingstone-tories-should-%E2%80%9Cburn-in-hell-for-all-eternity%E2%80%9D/
He's a dinosaur because wanting to put your political opponents in prison, then see them burn in hell & finally have them flayed for all eternity by demons is rapidly going out of date.
ReplyDeleteKen does have a point though
ReplyDeleteHe's a dinosaur because "he's been around since the early 1980's" what does that mean? Tony Benn has been around even longer than that and I can't imagine you would call him a dinosaur!
ReplyDeleteer, yes I would actually. Along with Jimmy Saville and Christopher Biggins.
ReplyDeleteBenn, Biggins and Saville.... An interesting dinner party perhaps.... But what a strange comparison to make.... Do you have some kind of problem with people and opinions from an earlier generation than your own?
ReplyDeleteyes, I think their flesh should be flayed by demons for all eternity .. oh sorry, that's been done hasn't it
ReplyDeleteI just think he's out of touch as he showed by ignoring west Londoners over the C charge extension for example - whatever the rights and wrongs of that in environmental or traffic management terms I just have a problem with local people being trampled on by know it all politicians. The same reason I critique H&F Council for, repeatedly!
That said, I am hardly a fan of Boris. And the LibDem candidate will be lucky to keep his deposit. Very sad.
" i just think he is out of touch "
ReplyDeletereally? how so, it would seem he is right in touch as to the plans of this council,
he might have phrased it better, but at least there is no doubting his passion on the subject.
He seems rather in touch to me - more so than this council. I'm not his biggest fan but his promise to help the Goldhawk road traders and the West Ken estate residents speaks volumes.
ReplyDelete@A.Smith. He didn't promise to help the Goldhawk Rd traders. He chose his words very carefully saying he wouldn't get involved in a planning decision but you can guess where his sympathies lie.
ReplyDeleteI guess his sympathies lie with not alienating the majority of voters who want the market cleaned up.