They say that history is written by the winners.
But nowadays, winners can get to delete it.
Next Sunday will be Johnson’s first 100 days since being sworn-in as a London mayor. Recess Monkey wanted to see how he compared against Ken - you know, a kind of political Tale of the Tape to see how the lightweight shapes up to a heavyweight like Livingstone.
So we went looking and a search through the Mayor’s media centre on his website throws up this.
Look at point 2 under the Note to Editors.
Manifesto promises and 100 days of decisions
Then…..nothing.
Zip.
Nada.
Someone has chosen to delete every single achievement and decision from Ken’s first 100 days after being sworn-in as Mayor.
How do we know that they’ve been edited out of history?
Well, whoever did it, didn’t realise that certain aspects of the web get archived and you can’t delete them.
A quick search of Internet Archive revealed this:
It’s the same press release but this time WITH the missing 100 days!
Click here you’ll find the list of achievements Boris didn’t want you to see.
Could it be that when compared to Ken’s BIG achievements of securing £3.2billion of investment for London transport, launching global city partnerships and reflecting London’s diversity by ensuring unprecedented representation of black people, women, and disabled people on Mayor’s boards, Boris looks a bit…well…..sort of…….inadequate.
In fact his notable “decisions” seem to have been:
1. Appoint James McGrath as senior aide
2. Sack McGrath for saying Caribbean immigrants should “go home” if they don’t like London
3. Appoint Ray Lewis as Deputy Mayor
4. Sack Lewis as Deputy Mayor for improper conduct and financial irregularity
5. Announce competition to design a new Routemaster bus
Even his supporters on Conservativehome can only come up with 29!
If only it was so easy to erase Johnson’s first 100 days!
P.S.
Here’s Ken’s full missing 100 in case you can’t click through to it.
A list of 100 decisions over the last 100 days, together with extracts from Mr Livingstone’s election manifesto follows.
Manifesto promises and 100 days of decisions
Tackling transport
‘The present gridlock on our roads, the overcrowding on the Tube and rail networks and the inefficiency of the bus services are massive problems for both public and business alike.’
1 Commissioner of Transport for London (TfL) appointed
2 Three-year £3.2 billion funding for London transport secured
3 Bus contract review ordered
4 £80 bus lane parking fine demanded
5 Bus fares frozen
6 Tube fares frozen in real terms over next two years
7 Plans announced for cuts in fares in 2003
8 Accessibility Day for the disabled, ethnic minorities, senior citizens etc
9 Routemaster buses saved
10 On-line ticketing launched by TfL
11 Company cars for TfL executives withdrawn
12 £16 million for Hungerford Bridge
13 Millennium Pier refurbishment opened at Tower of London
14 London Bus Initiative to improve key routes across capital
15 Commitment to build new Crossrail and Merton-Hackney tube lines
16 Commitment to extend East London line
17 Support for new East Thames river crossings to help regenerate Thames Gateway
The Underground debate
‘The Government’s proposals to break up and partially privatise the Tube are a recipe for chaos. The future of London Underground should be decided by London.’
18 Industrial Society study says PPP is neither safe nor value for money
19 Health and Safety Executive concern over Underground in PPP control
20 Track record of PPP under fire
Appointments
21 ‘Appointments will be based on what candidates have to offer London not party allegiance.’
22 Nicky Gavron as Deputy Mayor
23 TfL board - mayoral hopefuls Steve Norris (Conservative) and Susan Kramer (Liberal Democrat), transport experts, people with disabilities, and trade unions allagree to join
London Development Agency board
24 London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority board
25 Metropolitan Police Authority board
26 Advisory Cabinet representing a broad coalition
27 Cultural Strategy Group
28 Housing Commission
29 Health Commission
Accountability
As an independent Mayor I will introduce the most open, accessible and inclusive style of government ever seen in the UK.’
30 First Mayor’s Question Time, 24 May
31 Announces Six Meet The Mayor events, September/October
32 Announces People’s Question Time, 24 October
33 Announces London Summit, 27 November
34 Addressed Civic Forum
35 Addressed London Youth Forum
36 Addressed Black Londoners Forum
37 Addressed Older People’s Group
38 TfL board meets in public
39 London Women’s Conference, London Women & Public Transport Consultation Day
40 Advisory Cabinet papers published on the internet
41 Published the State of London document
42 Published Congestion Charging discussion document
Cash to revitalise London
‘I will ensure that the London Development Agency gives top priority to addressing the inequalities that deny many Londoners the chance to fulfil their potential. I want to see as much involvement as possible from the private sector and real additional private investment in regeneration.’
43 Wembley football stadium infrastructure - £25 million
44 London homeless projects - £8.8 million
45 Disadvantaged in North West Croydon - £5.5
46 Access for the visually impaired - £472,000
47 Community regeneration - £10.7 million
48 Urban renaissance in Lewisham - £17.7 million
49 Skills improvement schemes - £25 million
50 New Cross and Deptford citizenship scheme - £1.4 million
51 London Bridge community investment - £17.9 million
52 Voluntary group ’settlements’ in Tower Hamlets - £5.9 million
53 Health benefits regeneration in Greenwich - £12 million
54 Thames Gateway South employment project - £12 million
55 Enterprise for Communities - £3.4 million
56 Poplar and Leaside communities - £23 million
57 London Digital Learning Ring - £5.8 million
58 Camden Central regeneration - £3.8 million
59 Tooting youth opportunities - £5.4 million
60 North Lewisham and West Greenwich youth project - £2.8 million
61 West London refugees and recent arrivals - £6.5 million
62 Harlesden ‘Hard to Reach’ scheme - £250,000
63 Black and ethnic minority jobs programme - £1 million
64 Graham Park Estate regeneration - £2.5 million
65 Stratford Childcare Institute - £4 million
66 Lambeth youth project - £10.7 million
67 Central London Circle initiative - £5.1 million
68 Peckham ‘Pride and Prosperity’ project - £3 million
69 Park Royal ‘Connect’ programme - £14.9 million
70 Thames Gateway and Lee Valley manufacturing support - £7 million
71 Northumberland Park neighbourhood renewal - £6.9 million
72 Dalgarno Estate investment - £1 million
73 Thames Gateway regeneration - £480,000
74 London Civic Forum - £305,700
75 Waterloo development support - £24 million
76 Grid for Creative London - £9.3 million
77 Children and neighbourhoods in London- £1 million
78 Positive Futures, Positive Lives scheme - £1.7 million
79 London community involvement - £1.5 million
80 Southwark ‘Campaign against Hate’ - £1.5 million
81 Newham ‘Access to Excellence’ - £25 million
82 London tree-planting improvements - £699,00
83 Workforce investment in East London - £12.5 million
84 London affordable housing project - £9.2 million
85 London South Central access investment - £25 million
86 Thames Gateway re-industrialisation - £7.9 million
Equality
87 GLA recruitment reflects London’s diversity
88 Unprecedented representation of black people, women, and disabled people on Mayor’s boards
89 Black History month launched
90 Notting Hill Carnival Review
Executive action
‘The direct election of a Mayor and Assembly for London will give Londoners back the right to govern their own affairs and decide upon their own priorities.’
91 GLA move to new headquarters confirmed
92 Control of Trafalgar and Parliament Squares and World Squares initiative
93 Car-free Day welcomed
94 Discussions with London boroughs on Capital Standard for Street Cleansing
95 Global city partnership project - first agreement with Berlin
96 Business leaders support for Mayor increases - 63% back his initiatives
97 Backing for Ford workers, and campaign to keep car assembly at Dagenham
98 Housing capacity study
99 Pledge to battle for affordable housing in new developments
100 Go-ahead for London’s New Year’s Eve party
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Are you sure it was deleted in the Boris era? It wouldn’t surprise me if Ken’s people had removed it earlier to conceal their own failings. I can’t be bothered to read through, but I note that - among the first ten:
2 Three-year £3.2 billion funding for London transport secured -but followed by the Metronet disaster, which must be either Ken’s or Gordon’s fault
3 Bus contract review ordered - achieving what?
4 £80 bus lane parking fine demanded - was it implemented - there are still blockages almost every day I travel by bus
5 Bus fares frozen - really, for one year?
6 Tube fares frozen in real terms over next two years - if they were, they were follow by massive, above-inflation increases
7 Plans announced for cuts in fares in 2003 - announced and presumably never delivered
9 Routemaster buses saved - lying bugger!
David Boycott said this on August 3rd, 2008 at 9:53 am
4 £80 bus lane parking fine demanded
Demanding a level for bus fines. Great acheivement.
No really!. He didn’t just ask, he demanded.
However asking acheives nowt.
Spin, pure spin.
Nick said this on August 3rd, 2008 at 10:11 am
Boris still has a week to go to his hundred I think - so there’s loadsa time. It’s curious how much he loves a bus designed 50 years ago by the public sector though isn’t it?
Chin up; he’s already more that 6% through his term of office…
Brian Hughes said this on August 3rd, 2008 at 11:58 am
He could announce 30 new working groups and spend a vast amount of money on quangos and charities that don’t exist in order to talk the numbers up a bit, maybe?
richard said this on August 3rd, 2008 at 1:04 pm
No look! He ‘pledged to battle for affordable housing’ - that’s a solid achievement that is! As is number 9 - you remember how Ken saved the Routemasters?
Tim J said this on August 4th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Leftalready’s so called achievements really do depend on your point of view. For me most of them are anything but achievements and seemingly the majority of Londoners agree with me since they chose to vote him out of office despite, or was it beacuse of, these nebulus and damaging “achievements”.
Mr Angry said this on August 5th, 2008 at 11:26 pm