How is Boris doing?

22 April 2009

We asked a distinguished panel to assess the Mayor’s progress — and what he should do next

David Cameron

Boris and his team have done a brilliant job in the last year. Under his leadership City Hall has become less extravagant, and more focused on the right priorities: making London a safer, greener and more affordable place to live. Boris has certainly confounded his detractors.

In terms of the future (other than synchronising the traffic lights so those of us who cycle across Hyde Park Corner are less likely to be squashed by a bendy bus) he should carry on doing the excellent work that he is doing.

Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of NYC

During the election campaign, Boris’s detractors said that if he were elected, the world would fall apart. Well, they were nearly right about the world falling apart, but Boris has been doing a superb job of trying to hold his corner of it together. His efforts to restore confidence are critical to our economic recovery, and he has backed up his words with action. In fact, our cities’ responses have included a number of similar initiatives. By continuing to pursue innovative new efforts to get more people back to work, Boris and other mayors can help pull their cities through this downturn, while also setting the stage for long-term growth.

Sir Cameron Mackintosh

Boris is doing a far better job than even his detractors thought possible and, unlike most of his colleagues, has achieved this without losing his personality or surrendering his considerable intellect to the grey grind of the professional politician — truly a thinking man’s blond.

Boris’s appreciation of the importance of London theatre in making the West End both glamorous and fun, as well as safe and accessible to everyone, is admirable. Walking the tightrope between encouraging the West End to have a true late-night buzz without letting its inhabitants have their lives blighted by loutish behaviour is the trick. Boris needs to make sure that London deserves to be the ‘greatest show on earth’.

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wonderfulforhisage

April 23rd, 2009 12:53pm Report this comment

Would that he were the PM in waiting.

Stewart

April 24th, 2009 4:32am Report this comment

Not being Ken Livingstone is a credit to anyone. If Livingstone's keynote policy was the congestion charge Johnson's keynote policy could be its abolition. The C-charge is a spiteful and useless levy upon the pubic and business therefore it is fitting that a spiteful and useless twerp implemented it. Well done Boris! Keep up the good work.