Are the Conservatives toxic?

[Gromit]

Boris Johnson is desperately trying to convince voters he is not like Cameron and Co. Why would he try to distance himself from the Conservatives. Is being a Tory toxic?

http://www.telegraph....-from-the-Tories.html

[Canary42]

Yes

[emmie]

No, and Boris hasn't always seen eye to eye with Cameron or the Tory Party.

[douglas9401]

Yes.

[FredPuli43]

He's ducking questions that might lead him to hinting that he wants to replace Cameron. He does, in due course, but it's not politic to say so.

[naomi24]

//Mr Johnson’s remarks will be seen as an attempt to position himself as a separate brand from the Tories, as polling consistently shows his own personal popularity ratings to be far ahead of his party’s.//

I could almost believe that analysis came from elsewhere.

Is being a Tory toxic? No, of course not. He hasn't said he's not a Tory, and I don't think he is trying to distance himself from the Tory Party. In saying //I will go in to bat for London, I will go in to fight for London budgets. I don’t care if plaster comes off the ceiling in the Treasury provided we get the funding we need// he's simply saying he’s his own man and he will do his best for London – which, bearing in mind the office he’s running for, isn’t an entirely unexpected thing to say.

[Gromit]

Naomi, you reckon he is faking it? That was my impression as well.

Hardly the same league as Ken who got himself expelled from the Party and Ran against the official party candidate.

[emmie]

Ken is a liar and a cheat. He has constantly banged on about the Tories, the NHS being privatised, and how you shouldn't use private health, about tax dodging MP's, ad infinitum. Seeing as how he has been caught out using private health care, set up a company to funnel his earnings and so pays less tax, makes him a tax dodger. He has 5 kids from different women. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Some may not remember him at the GLC, i do, and at our local council, i wouldn't trust that man as far as i could throw him., which would be the Thames if i could

[Gromit]

Ken is yesterdays man and is the wrong candidate for 2012. That said, Boris must be rattled to try and disown the party. It looks close but Boris might just win, a lot depends on the turnout (and the weather).

[jake-the-peg]

Ken has 5 children from different women

Whereas Boris' love life is beyond reproach?!?

One might almost think you were biased Em!

[youngmafbog]

As usual, you pick one single point out Jake, do you have an answer for the rest of em's points? I guess not.

To answer Gromit, no I don't think being a Tory is necessarily toxic. However the coalition has had to make some very stark decisions (not I don't think they were all right either) and this could rub off on Boris. Boris, as we know, is not Cameron at all and has many different views so it makes sense for him to setup his own stall. It is still local politics and as we know that can be quite different from the National party.

[naomi24]

Gromit, you misunderstand me. It seems to me the writer of the article has been rather creative in his interpretation. I don’t think Boris is trying to disown the party at all, and I don’t think he’s faking it. I think he’s telling the electorate that, if elected, his first priority will be London rather than the Conservative Party – and rightly so. I sincerely hope he wins.

Jake, and you're not biased at all? Ken Livingstone is not, and never was, what he proclaims to be. He’s had his day, just as his brand of politics has had its day. People aspire to more now – and the people of London deserve more than he will offer them.

[NOX]

Any right minded politician worth anything will be distancing themselves from the Tory Party at the moment, and Boris is a clever fellow, he will sirvive politically at all costs, so yes he's distancing himself (understandably) but not so much he rattles anyone's cage beyond the point of no return.

[Gromit]

Both Boris and Ken seem to have the same tax arrangement and it is not tax dodging. They both employ staff and therefore have set themselves up as companies so as not to overpay tax. It is neither illegal or wrong, it is a sensible way to run ones finances.

I do not live in London, but if I did I could not vote for either of them. Ken is a dinosaur and Boris has been a disaster. But it is between those two, and too close to call. The Conservatives will have a bad day tomorrow, but will Boris' ploy of untoryfying himself save him, remains to be seen.

[bazwillrun]

"Boris has been a disaster."


As you said yourself you dont live in London !

[Davethedog]

Is being Tory toxic? Without doubt no. Is the the Tory leadership toxic? There is a strong possibility, Osborne's judgement is increasingly being called into question, the budget looks increasingly like one for "the boys", Cameron/ Hunts conduct over Sky is obviously questionable, cash for questions and now the only people who didn't condem News international were the Tories.

Even the most ardent Tory must now wonder about the leadership of their party.

I would have a pint with Boris, wouldn't want to be in the same pub as Cameron.

[Davethedog]

Gromit - Boris has been far from a disaster.

I know this is an oxymoron but Boris is a "honest" politician. He says what he thinks and he has delivered, do I agree with all hes done? No I don't, but I don't think he has been either deceitful or dishonest and he got rid of the bendy buses.

when Livingstone was mayor he treated London like his own fifedom and I don't want to go back to it but there is no doubt that both Boris and Ken are mavericks and the only reason they are fighting to be major is both of their partys want them out of the mainstream.

[TheNovice]

I agree with Davethedog. Boris has been a breath of fresh air for London, more police, less council tax, slimmer beauracracy, stands up for London whoever is running (I use that term guardedly) the country. And someone who will eventually stand up to the RMT. There has been more investment in London's transport infrastructure than ever before (and I am excluding Crossrail) and the bendy buses have gone!!!! Of course all is not perfect but compared to Livingstone's 'reign' things are a million per cent better.

Gromit - on what facts do you base your statement?

[Gromit]

TheNovice

// ...more Police //

Not true. There are 1,700 less police officers in London than there was 2 years ago. To be fair, that is not Boris' fault but the Coalition Governments fault.

http://www.wimbledons...npolicenumberscut.htm

[Davethedog]

One other thing I think that Livingstone is showing himself to be a petty little man.

On the issue of the bendy bus, it was shown to block road junctions, causing congestion, people could get on and off with out paying, there were (rare) instances of people dying between the two halves and a number of them caught fire. All of this happened on Livingstones "watch" and he basicaly refused to acknowledge call the busses critics scare mongerers.

Boris got rid, and commisioned a new Routemaster double decker, which Livingstone called a waste of money. Livingstone has now vowed to get rid of the new Routemasters.

This can be nothing less that vindictive posturing, as far as I am aware there is no criticism of the new buses and l, along with a lot of people, see the red double decker as an iconic part of Londons identity, an identity that Ken would appear towant to cancel.

I have other gripes against Livingstone and I will be clear my gripes are aginst him and not the Labour party. I think he has his own agenda for the glory of Ken not London.

[Gromit]

Sorry, I was attempting to link to the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) website for the figures. But the Mayor's office has swallowed the site MPA website and archived it, making it impossible to link to. So here are the (declin ing) police figures.

2009/10 - 33,260
2010/11 - 32,380
2011/12 - 32,320
2012/13 - 31,638
2013/14 - 31,460