Ken Livingstone

The Blairite Ken

By Colin Foster On Tuesday 6 January, the Labour Party readmitted London mayor Ken Livingstone to membership. He had been expelled in 2000, when he ran against Labour for mayor and won, after being denied the Labour nomination despite being the majority choice of Labour Party members and trade unions in London. Is this a triumph for the left? Or a sell-out by the previously "red" Ken? Neither. Ken Livingstone was a left-wing local Labour councillor in the late 1970s. One of many, alongside, for example, David Blunkett and Margaret Hodge. Elected leader of the old Greater London Council in May...

The writing on the wall

Inside: Give them the money! Poorer Richer Poorer On the streets And then you die Give them the money! The London Evening Standard placarded it all over town: "Mayor Ken's £100,000 crones", implying there is something wrong in Livingstone's six ex-socialist advisers and lieutenants getting a decent wage. The Standard is always against wage rises. Think of the fire fighters; of the Standard's opposition to Blair's very minimal, minimum wage. Whipping up hostility to six of the Mayor's 'advisers' getting new titles and £111,000 a year - a mere pittance in Blair's Britain: two grand a week, or...

Congestion charge won't beat pollution

So far Ken Livingstone's congestion charging seems to be working. Does this mean socialists should give three (or even two) cheers and adopt it as part of our response to pollution, traffic congestion and other environmental problems? I don't think so - and not because I drive a car or support present levels of car use. Rather it is an attempt to use market forces to deal with problems that have their ultimate origins in the way the market operates. It is a regressive tax that lets the rich off more lightly than other car users. And it does little to deal with the real problems that lead to...

Livingstone for Mayor?

This Workers' Liberty leaflet was given out at Ken Livingstone's public meeting, 15 Feb, Westminster Central Hall: Issues for the left: Livingstone for Mayor? Tony Blair is attempting to exclude Ken Livingstone from the selection process which will decide Labour's candidate for London mayor. This is authoritarian and undemocratic. There should be a free and fair internal Labour Party election to select Labour's candidate for Mayor. Blair's actions tell us how far the Labour Party has degenerated under his leadership. What sort of candidate for mayor do trade unionists and Labour supporters...

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