Leading Cadres

Reports have appeared .. that the Greater London Authority has not answered questions [no need to ask questions, the political record of these people is public knowledge, they are leading members of an extreme left organisation most recently known as Socialist Action, though given the speed at which these groups splinter and spawn, can probably deny the group even exists today] regarding the political views of members of staff. This misunderstands the legal relationship between the Greater London Authority and all its staff. [No it doesn't. All are quite aware of the legal position of an employer. That does not alter political interest in their employees public, often expressed allegiances, agendas and their actions while members of staff in the London Mayor's Office] The Greater London Authority does not politically vet potential or existing employees, nor carry records regarding their political views, [that is not what is being discussed. What is under scrutiny is the political and socio-cultural and economic agenda and it's implementation by key staff appointed by Livingstone] and it would indeed be unlawful, and a breach of employment and human rights, for it to do so. Employees of the Greater London Authority are therefore entitled to hold whatever political views they choose within the law [again, the matter is what are they actually doing, what objectives have they been pursuing and implementing in the Mayor's Office, and is that responding to democratically expressed preferences of voters or answering to another political set of imperatives altogether?] and the Greater London Authority will vigorously uphold the right to do so.

The only important, and lawful, [we're not doing law here, we're doing politics and, under the Third Way and its Third Sector objectives, the current laws and current political practice are widely and demonstrably separating, with politically sanctioned action - legal or not, winning hands down] criteria [quite wrong, the criteria are for the electorate to choose to set not their state servants] regarding the record of Greater London Authority staff is to be found in policies that have been successfully delivered. [the policies have been delivered but have they been what was wanted? what was needed in the capital of the United Kingdom, not the capital of some socialist authoritarian post democratic nightmare?] These have directly contributed to making London a more successful city. [Angels refers readers to other bloggers, try Newmania, on London as a successful city, and the flight of families from the capital].

Nor is there mystery regarding policies of the people referred to in reports of Martin Bright’s Dispatches programme. All have been employed in leading positions in the Greater London Authority for more than seven years and the policies they have implemented or developed under the Mayor are therefore matters of abundant public record. [and just look at the state the capital is in - even the Home Secretary dare not walk alone in London streets after dark, and she's got a bodyguard. Children murdering children, pensioners beaten to death, robbery rampant, policemen walking the beat in Angels' part of London are at hens' teeth levels, a public transport system not just inadequate but laughable in comparison with Paris, Brussels, any major German city, and the whole under a miasma of greasy dirt and trodden in fast food] They hold high reputations for competence not only in the Greater London Authority but in the areas of policy and activity for which they have responsibility under the Mayor. [hardly likely to be otherwise as they are also the owners of considerable reputations as work bullies and excluders of those not part of their group or its clients] To take the senior staff named in reports concerning the Dispatches programme the Greater London Authority therefore specifically rejects the assertion that these persons are other than highly competent in the discharge of their functions and therefore states that they are properly employed by the Greater London Authority. [no-one says their employment is improper under the rules or the law. Their employment is unacceptable under the exercise of democracy and answerability to the people who pay their various taxes both in London and, for the rest of the country taxes that contribute to the funding of central government and the European Union] Specifically, under the Mayor:

* Simon Fletcher has served as the Mayor’s Chief of Staff since 2000. He is responsible for overall relations with the government, for day-to-day co-ordination of activity by the Mayor’s Office and Directors, for liaison with the functional bodies of the GLA Group, and the practical preparation of major policy statements by the Mayor. This role has, in the last seven years, assisted in effectively delivering the programme priorities set by the Mayor’s including on public transport, investment in the police service, policies to protect the environment and tackle climate change, increase affordable housing, measures to ensure all Londoners can participate in London’s success, such as concessionary fares schemes, and support for London’s character as a tolerant and diverse international city.... [Londoners would prefer policies to reflect London's status as their home town and as capital of the United Kingdom, rather than emphasize an internationalism that expresses itself in schools where English is now a minority language, where illegal immigrants are security staff in government offices, where the criminality of underdevelopment is imported to compete at the highest levels with a perfectly satisfactorily provided home-grown criminality, that frightens all ordinary citizens into locking themselves and their lives in at night and for much of the rest of their social, cultural and economic existence, where there has been a collapse of such proportions in simply counting the numbers of incomers that public services cannot cope for those already here or those arriving].


* Redmond O’Neill is Director of Transport and Public Affairs. He has worked with Transport for London’s senior management on all major transport issues in London on a day-to-day basis for seven years. He oversaw the development of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, led in the Mayor’s Office on negotiations with government which secured the first big increase in transport grant for the capital and worked closely with TfL senior management on the introduction of the congestion charge, and the huge improvements to London’s bus system. [But it is the Underground that is and has always been London's principal transport system, and it is both a disaster now and a killing disaster waiting to happen, running only a limited number of hours in 24, breaking down for lack of planning and investment - 7 years this socialist authoritarian boasts of, and still without any solution to investment and a proper maintenance programme -] On Public Affairs, Mr O’Neill has been responsible for the broadest programme of community engagement in the UK, including the establishment of London’s series of major community events ranging from St Patrick’s Day to the Jewish Simcha on the Square, to the Olympic Torch Relay and the now internationally famous annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display at the London Eye. [Now we know who has been spending our taxes to maintain the circuses element, we know already who was doing the bread part, for the clientele]



* John Ross is Director of Economic and Business Policy. He led the team within the Mayor’s Office responsible for campaigning for, and successfully securing, £16 billion for the construction of Crossrail.[No, he led the team doubtless, he's a Leading Cadre and trousers the pay and perks as such, but Crossrail was a central government decision, part of the price paid by Gordon Brown for preventing challenge to his candidature for Leader, and thus becoming prime minister without an English vote having been fired either within the Labour party or within the country]. He was responsible for determining the economic projections for the London Plan,[ there's a frightening thought, John Ross is an economist to be compared with Brown and Balls rolled together (sorry)] which provides the overall framework of strategic policy by the GLA. He was responsible for the successful reorganisation of tourism promotion in London. [Bit of a policy collision with Simon Fletcher's environment protection delivery there then, mass tourism being the second bane after Brown] He has overseen planning for the strategic future development of the West End. [Did we know there is such planning? Well, yes, those of us in very central London have felt that secret agenda sensation as we struggle to supply a thriving neighbourhood with a secondary school, and interrupt and obstruct our engulfment by the extension of the West End shopping streets, and London University - the big new intellectual supermarket for the globalised world.] He was involved in the successful winning of the Olympic Games for London. [sack him now!] He is responsible for the Mayor’s relations with the London business community and the London Business Board. [London's business community can comment on that themselves].


There are others included in this press release from the Mayor's Office at the GLA but Angels don't know about them so they have become ....

Looking at what these people have responsibility for, and our tax-raised wealth to spend on - bearing in mind this is only their day job work-specifications - the experiment of England's regionalisation of which London is the exemplar, is as saddening and repellent as the coming to power of New Labour.