Blonde ambition
The mayoral election is on the horizon with two very clear frontrunners. Nina Cuthbert interviews the challenger from the blue corner, Boris Johnson. But don’t believe the hype: this is certainly no dumb blonde
Above: Boris Johnson
The cold, stone corridors of County Hall where footsteps echo loudly and names of former inhabitants adorn the walls, are far removed from the person who greets me in a grand but albeit barren office. Tie slightly askew, cuffs unbuttoned and a blaze of blonde hair rather unkempt – it can only be one person: Boris Johnson. He greets me with a firm handshake and a ‘Good morning Amelia.’ It is quite strange having to correct such a notable public figure, especially when it is not over a political issue but rather your name. ‘Sorry, it’s Nina actually,’ I hesitantly reply. ‘Oh gosh – Nina. Nina. That’s spelt N-i-n-a? Right. My apologies.’
Boris Johnson is a man on a mission. Adjoining his room is what one would call the campaign office – lots of people tapping away on laptops, phones ringing, whiteboards covered in notes and scribblings monitoring the opposition, daily press coverage from all parties stuck on the walls, a general hubbub of fervent public relations – all on a trail that he hopes will spell victory on 1 May.
Johnson himself sits behind a large desk and motions for me to take a seat. The desk is empty save for a small mobile phone, but his mind is no doubt exceedingly cluttered. However, Johnson – in that distinctive voice – talks a great deal of sense.
‘I have to be honest and say that the idea of running for Mayor first flitted into my head years ago when I was cycling along and was almost killed by a bendy bus.’ You can well imagine it. He goes on. ‘I thought to myself, what is going on here? Who put this machine here? A machine that is so unsuited to the streets of London. I realised it was Mr Livingstone and then went on to think, why is he still here? Why can’t we get rid of him?’ Johnson speaks as though a great injustice was done to him – that he had to share the street with a large red contraption and it was jolly well not good enough. But however the tone was intended, Johnson is deadly serious.
‘What motivates me is that the current regime is not doing enough to make this city as wonderful and as pleasant as it should be. London is the greatest city on earth.’
Johnson was born in New York in 1964 and moved to London when he was five. After attending primary school in Camden, he won a scholarship to Eton and Oxford thereafter and realising that words were his forte, a career in journalism ensued. When he speaks, you have an understanding of why he was editor of The Spectator for some six years and has published numerous books. Being an MP however, is a completely different story – words have to be spoken and the public will interpret them as they wish. Despite Johnson having a habit of getting himself into trouble, in my presence he has a very controlled and forthright agenda.
The western extension of the congestion charge zone is certainly a bugbear for any residents receiving this publication. So what does Johnson plan to do about it?
‘I am convinced more than ever that it hasn’t worked properly. The entire system is punitive and draconian and clobbers on people on small incomes or those with small businesses. My mother lives in the Ladbroke Grove area and I know that the businesses around Portobello market as well as the market itself have suffered as a result. We could have a much more intelligent system, a much fairer system as technology is improving all the time.’
But is he going to get rid of it? ‘Well, we might have a window and keep the charge in the morning but I am almost certainly going to scrap it. But watch this space.’ You heard it here first.
According to Johnson, the Mayor’s congestion charging system has brought in approximately £930m in revenue. After Capita has been paid and the infrastructure and day-to-day running accounted for, only some £14m has been available for improvement on the roads, let alone the Underground. At this point I decide to add into the mix that I have fare-dodged on occasion on a bendy bus – because it is easy.
‘It doesn’t surprise me that it is easy,’ he replies. ‘There is a big part of the Mayor that thinks fare-dodging is a glorious two fingers up to the capitalist system.’ Strike one.
‘The Mayor does not understand that this breaking of small laws corrodes people’s trust in the system. Because if you can get away with small crimes, you can get away with big crimes. All the evidence from New York suggests that if you start cracking down on petty violations first, like fare evasion, you can help prevent the bigger problems arising. Mayor Livingstone is wrong, wrong, wrong for minimising the importance of what is going on on the buses and station platforms. It is a route to degrading the urban environment as we know it.’
The congestion charge was originally put in place not just for (astronomical) revenue but with the noble ambition of helping the environment as well. As a keen cyclist, Johnson is adamant that Londoners start playing their part.
‘I think we can do far, far better and I want London to be the cleanest and greenest city. Some boroughs are fantastic and their recycling is an example for everyone. Others are frankly pitiful. We need to liberate people, insulate their houses properly, limit domestic emissions – give them an incentive. The C-charge however has affected the environment an infinitesimal amount. A tiny, tiny proportion. Compared with planes at Heathrow it is completely trivial. Livingstone has just done it to show that he can. None of his voters live there anyway.’ Strike two.
He goes on to say, ‘You travel past City Hall at night and the whole place is lit up. Not that many people are working all hours. The lights cannot be turned off. That just tells me what a fraud and a hypocrite he is on green issues.’ Strike three.
A self-confessed ‘technological optimist’, Johnson has lofty ideas of how to change the mindsets of the inhabitants of London. He is very excited about the new infrared sensor system that is being installed at the Savoy, where sensors turn lights off when people are not in a room. Johnson has hopes that this kind of system could eventually be used to good effect over the entire city. ‘I have looked at graphs of electricity consumption with and without this system and the difference is quite incredible. You can hugely reduce the amount of energy consumed and save an awful lot on your electricity bill.’
I should have known better than to press the issue on public transport, yet with the knowledge that the famed ‘Chelsea tractor’ could soon be a collector’s item, I thought it best to just keep going.
‘Public transport is a scandal. The whole thing is an absolute shambles and the single biggest problem is the Underground network. And it has got considerably worse during Mayor Livingstone’s term of office. My pitch to you is that I will be more pragmatic and get the job done. The money people are spending on non-oyster travel is ridiculous, the most expensive in the whole of Europe. Tourists are astonished when they arrive here; people who come in to work from Hertfordshire or somewhere or someone who happens to just be in London for the day must give up a major slice of their wage for travel and we should be giving them a better deal. 22,000 employees at TFL; scandalous bonuses for those at the top – how long do you want me to talk about public transport?’ That’s just perfect Mr Johnson, enough said.
Johnson talks fondly of the adventure playground in Holland Park as a place he used to go to as a child and how his mother will no doubt receive The Resident because of where she lives. I ask finally about his imminent book, The British and when and if there will be a release date soon. ‘There is no date yet but there are all sorts of books of mine already available...’ Shameless PR. As I respectfully state that I am more intrigued as to what this book in particular entails, Johnson says, ‘The title speaks for itself.’ So I ask if it will offend anyone. His reply? ‘I sincerely hope so.’
Whatever the outcome on 1 May, let it be said that Boris Johnson is passionate about our capital city and would like to be a force for change. He may look a little dishevelled at times and prove on occasion, to be a bit of a liability, but he also has an immense brain underneath that blonde mop and a desire to help London help its people. Amelia wishes you luck.
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