Goodbye Ken, it has been long eight years; far too long. I just wish that you’d realized that you were not the person for the job far sooner.
It’s true that London had been booming during most of your reign, everyone with a property have become book-rich. Most of us, however, have far less to live on. It had nothing to do with you, it’s the global financial markets that made it happen. We neither blame you nor credit you for it.
London has become a rich city; too rich to care about those who do not have; who cannot afford private education; too rich to care about the environment.
Most of us have been paying for this richness by suffering soaring prices, deteriorating education, and worse of all, decrease in our personal safety. London has become a dangerous city, a city in which random violence can hit anyone, any time.
All these had nothing to do with you. These, as well, have been international trends we do not blame you for.
We do, however, blame you for not taking advantage of the good trends that brought nearly unlimited influx of money to the city, to fight the bad trends. We blame you for doing nothing that made the life of the average person better or safer; we blame you for not doing what is important for us, the citizens of London.
I don’t know if your successor will be any better. But I believe that if those elected knew that unless they demonstrated exceptional performance they are out – and not kept by inertia just because we are too afraid of the devils we don’t know – we would have a much better political system.
So lets all give Boris a chance. And kick him quickly if he fails.
The king is dead; let the new king prove himself worthy of our trust.
2008-05-03 @ 10:38