Canalival: A "bunch of twats", yes. But also a minor urban tragedy

This event was not without virtue, but its virtues destroyed it.

Why Boris Johnson's bubble will burst

Boris Johnson’s admirers are very excited about a new poll that shows that 65% of Londoners think he is doing a good job as Mayor of London.

“It is hard to think of any other politician who can boast such numbers” boasts James Forsyth at The Spectator.

Except it isn’t that hard.

Just take a look at Alex Salmond, who has posted similar numbers many times over the years.

Or Michael Bloomberg in New York, who hovered around the 60% mark for over a decade.

Or indeed many other directly elected mayors and regional politicians across the world.

In fact perhaps the best comparison is Boris’s predecessor, Ken Livingstone.

In 2007, after seven years in office, 51% of Londoners said they were satisfied with the job he was doing as Mayor and just 23% said they were dissatisfied.

Within a year he was booted out of office.

Boris will avoid that fate, having pledged not to stand for a third time, but his popularity is just as vulnerable as Ken’s was then.

City mayors and other regional politicians govern with nothing like the serious day-to-day opposition and scrutiny faced by Westminster politicians.

The poll numbers reflect that.

While Boris’s current ratings may be good, they’re based almost solely on his charisma ratings.

His other personal ratings in the YouGov poll are all poor, suggesting that most of the public don’t really know or care about the actual job that he does. They just like him.

Because of this, comparing Boris’s poll numbers to David Cameron’s or Ed Miliband’s is misleading.

Unlike Cameron, Boris has no shadow Mayor of London, he has no daily screaming headlines damning his every move.

In fact he only has one newspaper regularly covering what he does at all, and even that’s owned and edited by his personal friends.

His popularity, like Ken’s before him is a bubble. That bubble will burst as soon as any real pressure is put upon it.

That time will come if and when Boris ever does decide to go back into Parliament.

Saa - Your Sword Is Your Silence

Stream a track from the London/Oslo-based duo’s debut EP.

Just 800 Londoners join Boris Johnson's electric car revolution

Just 851 people have signed up to Boris Johnson’s scheme to encourage 100,000 Londoners to use electric cars.

Three years ago TFL, the Department of Transport and a consortium of businesses pledged £60 million to install 7500 charging points across London by 2013.

However, only 1300 were installed and new figures reveal that just 851 Londoners have so far signed up to use them.

This means that here are now one and a half times as many charging points across London as there are people signed up to use them.

TfL are thought to have spent some £7 million on the scheme with the Department of Transport pledging a similar amount.

For the same amount of public money, the government could have bought a fleet of around 2000 brand new electric cars.

Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Stephen Knight said today that the Mayor should concentrate on electrifying public transport instead:

“Whilst it is good news that London’s network of charging points continues to grow, the fact that only 851 users are currently signed up highlights the limited impact of this project so far. We have consistently argued that the biggest impact on air pollution would be achieved by focusing on switching London’s 20,000 diesel taxis and 8,500 diesel buses to electric power, rather than focusing on private cars. These are the vehicles that clock up the most miles and create the bulk of air pollution in central London.”

Boris’s hope of encouraging 100,000 Londoners to use electric vehicles “as soon as possible” remains a long way off.

The DVLA told The Scoop today that there are just 5400 electric vehicles currently registered in the city.

The majority (two thirds) of these are mobility scooters. Just 999 are electric cars.

Boris Johnson initially promised to install an extra 7500 charging points across London but was forced to scale back the project following government cuts and objections from London boroughs.

A damning London Councils report also questioned the large amounts of public money being spent on the scheme:

“It is questionable whether it is appropriate or equitable to offer public subsidies to support the purchase of electric vehicles. Electric vehicles would be most accessible to business users and to households with access to off-street parking (for overnight charging), and the resources to purchase a vehicle in order to benefit from heavily subsidized private travel, thus giving the impression that significant public subsidy is being made available to those who may in fact need it least.”

Boris’s plans to set up an electric car hire scheme also appear to have been put on hold.

London hire bike thefts rise following scheme expansion

143 of London’s hire bikes have been reported stolen since the scheme was first launched three years ago, new figures have revealed.

The rate of missing bikes has increased fivefold since the scheme was expanded eastwards last year.

104 bikes were reported stolen in the past year. By contrast, just 15 bikes went missing in the first year of the scheme’s operation.

Transport for London said today that the majority of bikes have since been recovered:

“Of the 143 bikes reported stolen since the scheme start [sic] 117 have been recovered and 26 remain missing. This equates to 82% of all cycles
reported stolen being recovered. More than 21 million journeys have been
made on Barclays Cycle Hire bikes, meaning there are more than 800,000
hires per missing bike.”

The relatively low number of reported thefts, contrasts very favourably with other bike hire schemes.

In Paris around 8000 bikes went missing by the time London’s scheme launched in 2010.

TfL believe that the decision to make bank card rentals compulsory, and not provide locks for the bikes has significantly reduced thefts.

Others have suggested that the heavy-duty weight and branding on the bikes could also have been a factor.

One Minute With Kira Morsley of Phantom

Actress Kira Morsley gives Snipe the lowdown on the (other) Phantom in London.

What is Phantom? Phantom is a musical by Maury Yeston Arthur Kopit based on the French novel ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ by Gaston Leroux.

What would surprise someone coming to see this Phantom? Just how different it is from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s version and how awesome the ensemble sounds in the intimate space!

Is musical theatre more challenging than normal drama? Musical theatre is not that different from ‘normal’ drama, in that we have the same acting challenges you would without the songs. That said, the music is technically difficult in places, so working it thoroughly first is important.

Has Andrew Lloyd Webber come to see it? No he hasn’t, but we’re still hoping! We’ve had a great variety of people come to see it, from curious locals to hard-core fans, which is great!

What’s your favourite song or lyric in the show? ‘You Are Music’, which I get to sing with our Phantom, Kieran Brown. It’s a tough sing, but sounds gorgeous!

What actors inspired you? Any actor that can affect you inspires me, but I do have a special place in my heart for Dame Judi Dench. If you’ve seen her heartbreaking performance of ‘Send in the Clowns’, you’ll know why.

How did you become actress? I was one of those kids who was forever putting on shows for my family, but I actually trained quite late. It took me five years to get into drama school – proof that persistence pays off!

The strangest acting job you’ve done? My strangest job was straight out of drama school, when I worked in Macau (China) for a year as a singing Venetian gondolier. It was a totally artificial world and completely bizarre!

What’s your average day? That’s so hard because there’s no average day! Mostly they consist of singing in the shower (it’s the best!), checking out what auditions/shows are coming up (Facebook and twitter are essential) prepping for auditions, teaching singing and working at my day job.

What shows can you recommend? Support Fringe theatre! There’s always some great shows around that won’t cost you a fortune! Right now, go see Avenue Q at the Gatehouse and The Next Thing You Know at the Landor, and of course, Phantom!

What do you love and hate most about London? I love the sense of history here – you just don’t get that in Australia. Also the sheer variety of people you encounter. I hate that everything’s so expensive, and call me a hypocrite, but tourists do my head in!

What’s next for Phantom? We’d really like to continue the journey, so if anyone out there wants to fund a transfer, let us know!

Phantom is running until 31 May at the Rose and Crown Theatre: click here for more info.

All images copyright Gavin Mecaniques

Wrekmeister Harmonies - You've Always Meant So Much to Me

Wrekmeister Harmonies – You’ve Always Meant So Much to Me from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Doom-laden atmospherics from JR Robinson.

Tube unions declare victory over Boris Johnson's strike ban

Tube unions today declared victory after Boris Johnson admitted that he has failed to persuade the government to bring in new anti-strike laws.

The Mayor has spent three years calling for industrial action to be banned unless more than 50% of union members take part in the strike ballot.

However, speaking to the London Assembly earlier this week, he admitted that he had failed:

“We had high hopes that the coalition would take this up but it has not been possible to persuade the government to go even for the moderate proposal of a 50% turnout threshold…We’ve made this case repeatedly to government at all levels. Occasionally we have heard some favourable mutterings from the oracle, but nothing has ever really been produced and it is very frustrating I won’t hide it from you.”

Johnson was elected on the promise of a ‘no-strike deal’ with unions in 2008. However he quickly admitted defeat and switched to a new call for strike bans instead

David Cameron initially appeared interested in the idea, but has since gone quiet.

A spokesperson for the Rail and Maritime Union told The Scoop today:

“This is another victory for the RMT and shows that even Boris Johnson recognises that he can’t overturn the principles of democracy to suit himself and have one set of rules for the political class and another for the working class, however we remain on guard for further attacks from the bosses and the right wing.”

Tube unions RMT and Aslef today threatened “the strike of a generation” over proposed cuts to their terms and conditions.

One Minute With Garry Vanderhorne of Lucha Britannia

What is Lucha Britannia? The craziest form of live entertainment on this or any other planet!


What do you love about Lucha? Anything could happen…the imagination is the limit (or maybe just the budget). Being a Luchador pushes the boundaries of performance, physical theatre & entertainment to new super good levels.


How did you get to be a Luchador? Working hard, following my dreams, studying the things I needed to learn from the best people around at the time & trying to be the very best at what I do.


What’s the strangest Lucha show you’ve done? They’re all pretty strange in their own ways but the Brit Awards after party must rank high up, as does our first meeting with the head of Channel 4 at Jonathan Ross’s offices in Camden. We were literally jumping off the buildings around Camden. All the office windows were filled with people staring out in awe!


Who’s the most famous person to come to your show? We’ve had a few celebrity admirers but I guess Johnny Mathis. Secretly he’s a huge Lucha fan & even though he’s one of the kings of crooning, & in his late 70’s, he still likes to rumble with the Luchadores! “Look at me, I’m as helpless as a kitten up a tree…”

What wrestlers inspire you? El Hijo del Santo, Cassandro, Blue Demon, Rey Mysterio, The late great Eddie Guerrero & The Macho Man Randy Savage

Lucha Training at the London School Of Lucha Libre, Bethnal Green.


If you couldn’t be a Luchadore what would you be? I am semi-retired now & mainly teach & referee the shows. I wear many hats in life (Not actually because I don’t really like hats as they don’t often suit my face, I much prefer the mask) so I write, teach, act, model, manage, curate & event organize through my Resistance Gallery venue in Bethnal Green.



What do you want most in the world? To love & be loved. To live happily ever after & to make a difference in people’s lives no matter how small & progress the art of Lucha Libre professional wrestling to new levels of respect & brilliance.

Where’s home? London. Where I was was born, I live, work & play & the epicentre of underground entertainment! The whole rest of the world looks to London for inspiration & a greater melting pot of global creative individuals you will not find anywhere else in the world. I guaran-dam-tee you that!


Are you head or heart? Now I am head, just a fraction in front of heart, before it was the other way around. With age comes experience & hopefully wisdom which lets you see that there is a choice & a bit of both is never a bad thing. Sometimes feeling things is better than over thinking them.


What’s the best advice you’ve had? Don’t stop until you’ve got where you wanna be! If you want to achieve anything, be it large or small, stick at it, don’t give up! Follow your heart & your mind! Surround yourself with likeminded people who also want to achieve extraordinary things. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it. Only you will know the truth!



It’s your last day on earth what will you do? I would actually gather my nearest & dearest around me, have a big kiss n cuddle, tell them I love them, it’s all gonna be alright & that were made of pure energy that can never be destroyed, then watch Halloween Havoc 1997 Eddie Guerrero Vs Rey Mysterio…Or They Live by John Carpenter or Zoolander or The Nightmare before Christmas or put on some Miles Davis or Soundgarden or Mudhoney or Johnny Mathis…Oh I cant decide, just give me some love, a champagne cocktail, the Sunset & I’m outta here!

Click here for Lucha Britannia and here for tickets to Lucha Super Summer Bankside TV Taping Show. To learn the ways of Lucha enquire at the London School Of Lucha Libre and the fabulous Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green.

All images copyright Gavin Mecaniques

Hope and despair in Woolwich town centre

“There’s so much killing around here” said the elderly Jamaican guy standing next to me outside Woolwich Town Hall. “It’s getting worse and worse.”

“I came here in the sixties. I was a chippy working in Thamesmead. Things have changed so much. There aren’t any British people no more. These last ten years, they built that DLR and now there’s all kinds of people that weren’t here before.”

Inside the Prime Minister and Mayor of London had come to talk to “community leaders” about the dreadful events of yesterday.

Exactly who those “community leaders” were wasn’t clear, but outside on the street the real community of Woolwich were in shock.

“It is so horrible, No words can describe it” said one smartly dressed man to me in an African accent. “Taking another man’s life is the greatest sin.”

Some local people came to lay flowers. Others came simply to use the library, only to be held back by police.

One man told me he had seen one of the suspects preaching in the High Street. Others said that both men were known by police.

But the striking thing was that of all the people I spoke to today, not one mentioned terrorism or religion. Instead they all spoke of the wider issues of knife and gun violence in the area.

“It’s only because of the beheading that there are all these people here” one told me. “There’s been lots of stabbings and shootings around here but nobody’s seen anything like this before. It’s unbelievable.”

Those who came to watch mostly stood silent. There was little obvious anger here.

Yet among the crowd a tiny handful of EDL supporters had come to cause trouble. Later they would tell reporters about a “race riot” that was on it’s way to Woolwich.

But if there was a race riot on it’s way, then it was nowhere to be seen in Woolwich this morning.

Instead most people were simply getting on with their day. Trying to get on with their lives as the politicians and the press, whisked in and out of town.

It’s been a grim couple of years for Woolwich since the riots of 2011, but lately things have started to look up.

A new town square, the Woolwich Centre and now Crossrail are bringing badly needed investment into this neglected part of London.

The big fear is that that the savage acts of two men will undermine this and come to define Woolwich in the same way that the savage murder of Stephen Lawrence came to define Eltham.

As somebody who lives in the area I desperately hope that isn’t the case. And I don’t believe that it will be.

I can remember three years ago feeling like the riots had broken the heart of London, but it didn’t turn out like that.

Cities have short memories. Before long, today’s front pages will be pulped and the satellite trucks will move on to another tragedy in another town. The people of Woolwich will move on as well.