The Trouble With Boris...

I've just watched Antony Barnett's 'documentary' on the first year of the Boris mayoralty. To those of us who have lived the year there was nothing new. Last year's Dispatches on Ken Livingstone featured various old lefties complaining about the mayor - so did this programme.

We had the usual complaints about bendy buses, suspension of the LEZ phase 3, resignation of Sir Ian Blair and scrapping of the congestion charge western extension. Clearly some political opponents are still pining for the old Ken days, and I guess that is understandable, but they need to develop a fresh, attractive narrative and this wasn't it.

Then in part two the tape of Boris and Darius Guppy was played 'for the first time on television'. Well maybe, but there was nothing I hadn't heard before. The conversation was turned over in detail during the election campaign - along with some quotes from the Boris column which we mercifully didn't have to sit through again -so it was an old story.

Part three criticised Boris for approving planning applications for tall buildings after promising not to preserve London's views. Superficially the reporter has a point but those of us who are involved in planning decisions understand that the law, previous precedents, and strategic plans all need to be considered and the results are far from straightforward. Perhaps Mr Barnett needs to spend some time with a council planning committee.

Notably, whilst the programme featured the members of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green groups on the Assembly, the Conservative group were not asked to participate. Indeed the only mayoral advisor who got to contribute was food ambassador, Rosie Boycott - with a disparaging reminder that she once campaigned to legalise cannabis.

So it was a wasted opportunity. Following an election defeat there is bound to be a grieving process but it's going on a bit. Time to move on guys...