Boris' first mistake?

Water

Cavalier or calculated, I’d tend to go with the latter. I understand your hesitance, though he's already saved 3 million by cutting the Londoner. Also he's fabled to be donating £25.000 to the “London College of Communications”. If nothing else it seems like he’s keeping his ear to the ground and getting paid for it.

He’s already made a good few changes which will ensure a bit of free time to invest in the Telegraph no doubt.

Jessica

Writing a column is hardly a full time job. For God sake the man can't survive on the Mayoral wage. Give him a break, he has been fantastic so far. Livingstone did not have this much scrutiny on his every move apart from at election times.

stan, UK

Stop trying to bring Boris down! I've been very impressed so far, especially his performance on today's Daily Politics on the BBC.

peter watkins

Stan, the Spectator is not trying to bring Boris down, and nor are its bloggers.

I agree with Pollard.

Boris should distance himself from the far right.

Its loathsome.

Water

He's just trying to keep Boris on his toes stan.

STAN, UK

Peter Watkins, who are the far right that you're referring to? Pollard does not mention the far right.

THX1138

Water- He doesn't need the Londoner he has The Evening Boris as his daily propaganda sheet. This is all going to end tears. No way does Boris have the organizational skills to cope with two jobs.

James C.

Really shows what he thinks about those who voted for him.

Water

THX1138 I don't think Boris is that inept but we will see.

Po

Talk about self-interest.

Stephen, you wouldn't have got the Telegraph spot even if Johnson had left.

Just stick to your little web-log

THX1138

Water- Maybe your right. If Simon Heffer is right Boris' new man Guto Hari will probably be writing it anyway

" He has had stooges all through journalism, who did significant parts of his various jobs for him, usually with little thanks or reward."

Jessica- "Livingstone did not have this much scrutiny on his every move apart from at election times." Obviously & very sensibly you don't read The ES.

I think this is all wrong & stinks to high heaven Boris should have told the London electorate in advance of the election that he was going to work for The Telegraph it beggars belief that he didn't already know.

London is going to suffer at the hands Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson's greed & ambition.

Guto Harri

I'd like to confirm that the Mayor will be donating £25,000 to enable several aspiring young journalists to study at the London college of Communications.

He'll give another £25,000 to promote the teaching of classics to state school children in London. There are two causes, close to his
heart which he is now able to support generously without spending a penny of taxpayers money.

Ian C

My comment here yesterday did not make it through the system for some reason. I agree with Stephen on this and despite his gestures it ignores the fact that he is a high profile Public Servant first and his views expressed in a paper for which he is contarcted will inevitable come to be seen as paltform for self-promotion (what Boris I hear you say?!). If politics is going to recover the place in national and local life, then politicians cannot do this sort of thing. It is dfferent for an MP but not for someone voted to a key position. It worries me that Boris and especially the Tory leadership cannot see this.

Jennie

Stephen, do you mean to say that Boris will continue to make mistakes?

Joshua

I am amazed at how little the Telegraph intends to pay him. Is he really worth less than Stephen Pollard?

THX1138

Guto Harri- Will Boris be making this 50K donation from tax paid income or will the Telegraph be making the 50K donation and then paying Boris the lower amount?

Tiberius

Boris has the capacity to write a weekly piece on his laptop over Saturday lunch so I hardly think it will affect his ability to do his job. As for perception, well if Ken can produce a Lefty rag without being compromised, I don't see why Boris should be either. As for the DT being far Right, have you read Rachel Sylvester?

Water

Tiberius you’re not wrong there. Harri to the best of your knowledge was Brook aware of the other £25,000 prior to the piece mentioned above?

jeff

This is an absolute disgrace. He is a public servant now.

Also, it was extremely duplicitous of him not to mention this during the campaign.

Will other employees at the GLA now be able to take on outside interests that pay more than their day jobs, as Johnson has?

Michael

He is so contemptuous of the electorate, to keep a secret about something like this.

What would people say if David Cameron was supplementing his government salary as Leader of the Opposition with 250k for a newspaper column. This is a full-time job. But Boris is up to his old tricks again of trying to have his cake and eat it.

It's not on.

James Earl

I can't believe he's done this.

Karl Lonsdale

Will Guto be taking an extra job that pays considerably more than his Director of Comms position?

If not, why not?

Would the "Mayor" object to him having outside financial interests? Would Guto think that it would get in the way of doing the job that the taxpayer is paying him to do? Presumably, the Mayor should be the more difficult job (if not, why not)?

Colonial

$500 000.00 to knock off a weekly column? Sorry, but you lot in the first world have lost all sense of perspective. And it has done little for your integrity or your morality.

Gavin Jones

I voted for change and this is not what I voted for. Shame on you, Boris.

THX1138

And now the new Routemasters aren't going to happen

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-mayor/article-23484732-details/Return+of+Routemaster+in+doubt+says+transport+chief/article.do

Snout in The Telegraph trough, jobs for boys, no new Routemaster if he doesn't do anything about crime (I suppose he could stop jumping red lights on his bike) that would help. Ahh it's like Ken never left.

As I said before I voted for Ken with a heavy heart but I wished Boris well but it looks like the wheels on the bus are coming off already

James Turner

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/comment/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-on-the-press-830548.html

Apparently, he may be taking other paid work. Outrageous.

Colonial

I think a weekly article by Boris is an excellent idea. Whilst it is not recognised as such, is the real reason for the fuss not the obscene amount of the payment? That someone can dictate for an hour, maximum, and get rewarded with ten times what a nurse gets paid for a full weeks hard graft? An hourly rate 500 x higher? Democracy and capitalism that have diverted down some very odd paths?