Boris leads, as another Livingstone associate comes under question
Peter Hoskin 4:33pm
The latest Evening Standard / YouGov poll is in, and it records another encouraging lead for Boris. The results in full – Boris is on 44 percent (down 1 from last week); Livingstone’s on 33 percent (down 2); and Paddick’s on 12 percent (up 2). When second preferences are allocated, Boris snares 53 percent to Ken’s 47 percent. It should be remembered, though, that other polls – including one in yesterday’s Sunday Times – have things much closer.
If Livingstone’s going to claw back some of the lost ground, he could do without headlines like that plastered across the Standard’s front page – “Ken’s adviser is linked to terror group”. Sure enough, it turns out that Dabinderjit Singh – whom Ken has just appointed to the board of Transport for London – is a former member of the International Sikh Youth Federation. That’s a group the Home Office have described as “a threat to national security”.
On the back of last week’s revelation that one of Ken’s supporters would be prepared to be a suicide bomber, this latest news puts even bigger question marks over the current Mayor’s inner circle. If he expects to lord it over London for another 4 years, Ken needs to provide answers – and quick.
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Faceless Bureaucrat
April 21st, 2008 4:45pm Report this commentIt seems the stream of negative headlines for Ken is never-ending. But talk of a close run thing (if the Sunday Times' poll is to be believed) should ensure the voter turnout for the Mayoral Election is high - and that has to be a good thing for all concerned.
dave, surrey
April 21st, 2008 5:10pm Report this commentthese publicity pictures of livingstone make me laugh, it's well known he only takes public transport when photographers are present, otherwise it's tax payer funded black cabs all round.
Fergus Pickering
April 21st, 2008 5:22pm Report this commentI wonder if Boris, when he is mayor, will continue to bike about the place taking his life in his hands as he does. With ayone else the answer would be 'Don't be silly!' but with Boris you never can tell. Which is why we love him, isn't it?
salieri
April 21st, 2008 7:47pm Report this commentDave, your revelation has shaken me to the core. After all, Ken has told us - countless times, at our expense, that he only uses public transport. Is it conceivable that a socialist in high office saliericould, ahem, misrepresent the true facts or even be a hypocrite. Bien je jamais.
Laurie Macdonell-Sanchez
April 21st, 2008 9:01pm Report this commentMay the best man, the real man (Boris!) win.
James J
April 22nd, 2008 9:23am Report this commentThe closer it is the more important the (ignored by the media) BNP factor will be. If Johnson picks up the second choice votes from BNP voters and they are from a group that would normally be expected to vote Labour then a 10% BNP vote would decide the election.
Do we know what the polls say their support is? Are we too young to be told?
THX1138
April 22nd, 2008 11:57am Report this commentsalieri- Black cabs are public transport, just more expensive than the bus. I always thought that it would a good idea to be able to use your Oyster card in a black cab.
salieri
April 22nd, 2008 10:27pm Report this commentTHX - do I detect a note of irony? I do hope so.
But at the same time I did not know it was "well known" that this newt only takes "public transport" (that's the one you and I have to use since the traffic doesn't move outside the "congestion zone", let alone in it) when the press are present? Chapter & verse please, Dave.
Nirvair Singh
May 9th, 2008 7:35pm Report this commentThe following is a speech by Dabinderjit Singh at the Bristol City Council House on 1st April 2008, providing a glimpse of the huge Sikh sacrifices made in the World Wars.
The speech is from around 22.15 to 25.25
http://www.bristol.public-i.tv/site/player/pl_compact.php?a=14173&t=0&m=wm&l=en_GB
The Lord Mayor later said this was one of the most best and moving speeches in the meeting that day.
PEOPLE CAN FORM THEIR OWN UNBIASED OPINION ON THIS PROFESSIONAL, AND SEE FOR THEMSELVES THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE ARTICLE IN THE STANDARD BY ANDREW GILLIGAN.
Nirvair Singh
May 10th, 2008 7:32pm Report this commentIn regards to the original article published by the 'Evening Standard', there are a number of questions that need to be raised:
If Dabinderjit Singh was appointed to the Transport for London Board in September 2006, why has Andrew Gilligan waited 20 months before pointing this out?
When Dabinderjit Singh was appointed to the Transport for London Board was he a member/sympathiser/associate of a banned group?
If Dabinderjit Singh is a 'respected' senior civil servant who has presumably been security cleared, is there are issue of him serving on the Transport for London Board?
I think the article incorrectly states (in two places) Inderjit Singh Reyat was a member of the ISYF. For the last 22 years and in Canadian courts it has been stated he was a member of Babbar Khalsa. Has Andrew Gilligan found new information?
Atma Singh, a former President of the Indian Overseas Congress (Congress was responsible for the killing of around 20,000 Sikhs in over 130 towns/cities in India in the November 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms) appears to be one of the sources for this story. Was he not sacked by the GLA for incompetence, lost in his employment tribunal and was found to have put the lives of Londoners at risk following 7/7?
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