'Not a fare rise'

Ken Livingstone's monthly checkup on the new Mayor:

"What has become really striking over the past month is the gap between what Mayor Boris's administration says and what is actually being done.

Boris delivered a keynote speech on his conversion to green issues - but in virtually the same breath announced that the congestion charge zone will be chopped in half. Some residents of Kensington and Chelsea may benefit, where incomes are among the highest in the country, but it will be paid for with fare increases for ordinary Londoners in the future.

Likewise, warm words about improving public transport contrasted with work on new transport links being binned, including the extension to the Croydon tram and taking the DLR route out to Dagenham.

The image is of the cycling Mayor, but the London Cycling Campaign has been despairing of what it says is a 'triple whammy' against pedal power: not just the abolition of the western half of the congestion zone, but news that motorbikes will compete with cycles in bus lanes, plus the announcement of cuts to spending on cycling improvements.

Plenty of press releases have been issued about the need to help London meet the recession. The truth was shown when Boris opposed the higher top up rate on tax for those earning the highest saleries.

In a month's time, our fares will be going up above the current rate of inflation - up 6 per cent overall. Some will rise much more, such as the price of a single bus journey on Oyster, up by a whopping 11 percent.

This may be the honeymoon period but, looking beyond the spin, the Mayor's policy is now a lot clearer.

Protecting the drivers of the most polluting cars, opposing the wealthiest paying more tax and dismantleing measures to improve the environment and reduce traffic - while pushing up fares for ordinary Londoners in January."

(From The London Paper 1-12-2008).

In addition, I read an article today which pointed out how fast the capitalist governments moved to preserve their economies, pumping phenomenal amounts of money into them. If only they could pump money that fast into say, combatting climate change or making poverty history then the world would be much better.

Ram.