The Scoop

Will Ken regret the m-word?

Darryl Chamberlain | Wednesday 4 May, 2011 16:51

If you read the bulk of what Ken Livingstone is quoted as saying by the Evening Standard today, you’d find there wasn’t too much controversy in his views on Osama Bin Laden’s death.

You may not agree with them, but these weren’t the ravings of a hothead.

“I just looked at it and realised that it would increase the likelihood of a terror attack on London… I don’t think I’ve ever felt pleased at the death of anybody. The real problem for London is that after America we’re a big target so it’s a very dangerous time at the moment.

“We should have captured him and put him on trial. It’s a simple point – are we gangsters or a Western democracy based on the rule of law? “

So far, so reasonable. Then…

“This undermines any commitment to democracy and trial by jury and makes Obama look like some sort of mobster.”

Note Ken didn’t actually call the US president a mobster – just said his special forces’ actions made him look like one. There is a difference.

But for political opponents looking to take offence, that was enough, with Chelsea’s Tory MP Greg Hands obligingly calling it “yet another example of Ken Livingstone’s extreme views”.

Ken’s political allies have also objected, with Left Foot Forward editor Shamir Das calling it “an ill-judged attack”.

Ken Livingstone’s got decades of form for stepping outside the political mainstream. Many Londoners – only too sadly aware that Middle East politics can have tragic consequences in their own city – will be able to see through the hype.

But will even the merest suggestion that Ken called Barack Obama a “mobster” deny him the suburban votes he needs to win?

Ken’s intervention also reinforces an impression that London’s mayoral candidates – and those who scrutinise them – are happiest when talking about anything but London issues.

Last year, Boris Johnson branded Obama’s predecessor a torturer in his Telegraph column – to a distinct lack of outrage from Tory MPs.

What’s pretty clear, though, that with a year to go to the election, the battle for City Hall is shaping up to be as dismal and negative as The Scoop feared it would be.

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