Comments on: Boris Johnson: a list of gaffes and controversies

By: Shatterface

Shatterface — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:33:58 +0000

Did a double-take there till I realised Synergy6 (15) was talking about Chavez: thought I’d missed Boris getting interesting.

I want to see him quit as Mayor and get back on Have I Got News For You? where he belongs. Ken was on it a few weeks back and he was boring as fuck.

By: Duncan McFarlane

Duncan McFarlane — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:13:02 +0000

I’d never vote Conservative and i don’t live in London but Boris hasn’t been a bad mayor so far as far as i can see.

He’s condemned the Met for their incompetence and negligence in killing Jean Charles De Menezes – something that Ken Livingstone refused to do.

He’s also kept some of Ken’s better ideas – like the congestion charge.

By: Echo Echo

Echo Echo — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:28:01 +0000

(tumbleweed blows across blog)

By: Herbert Grump

Herbert Grump — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:10:49 +0000

I envy that Boris, takes me weeks to get hair like that. Chaps that speak ancient languages that no one else uses understands, shares fashion tips with Jesse (Fast Show) can’t be all bad. Oh yes, before I forget ‘Get of my land!’

By: Sponggg

Sponggg — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 03:33:34 +0000

The Boris, he don’t gaffe.

By: Leon

Leon — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:00:01 +0000

Perhaps this needs updating?

By: DePiffletracker

DePiffletracker — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:06:40 +0000

Great website!

I’m interested in why on all the local news, London Tonight and BBC London, there is an almost complete blackout of our Boris speaking/talking/commenting or simply being challenged about anything.

I feel very strongly that a co-ordinated campaign to encourage the local media to challenge this man needs to be an absolute priority.

By: Chas

Chas — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:19:45 +0000

Mr. Stop Boris – I’m jolly glad there is only one of you, but you are not the only person to have posted here – indeed out of 38 posts you only wrote 5.

What have you been horribly busy doing? Watching the Labour party implode?

I really don’t know how you think you are going to stop Boris since he has been duly elected mayor by the people of London, and if there has been such a steady flow of material, let’s see it and judge for ourselves. Come on, let’s see these hilarious gaffes, shall we? Ha ha.

By: Mr. Stop Boris

Mr. Stop Boris — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:25:57 +0000

“All”? There’s only one of me and I happen to be horribly busy at the moment. I update this periodically when I’ve time. Hopefully I’ll sort it out in about a week from now. It’s not like there hasn’t been a steady flow of material.

By: Chas

Chas — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:43:51 +0000

This site is really thriving, isn’t it? Have you all given up and gone home?

By: Mr. Stop Boris

Mr. Stop Boris — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:09:31 +0000

Thanks for the link, Jeremy - there're some great cartoons there. I've linked to you from Boris Watch.

By: Jeremy smyles

Jeremy smyles — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:23:10 +0000

Boris Johnson should have spent more time at the olympics, and it seems that is not just my opinion.
But what if he had spent more time with the British teams, and got much more involve with the events, how would he have performed? See ; boris-at-the-olympics.blogspot.com

By: londonpresence » Blog Archive » 100 days of Boris Johnson as Mayor of London in 7 points

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:50:29 +0000

[...] Johnson is woefully famous for his gaffes in every kind of situation and on every topic. Even he has confirmed to do four gaffes a day, but [...]

By: The Burbler

The Burbler — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:06:12 +0000

Private Eye reports 8-21 August 2008 that Boris vehemently opposed the sale of state school playing fields in 2004 but has now approved the sale of the Holland Park Community school’s playing fields to build 72 residential units with parking.

What he actually said in 2004 in the Telegraph was:

“The trouble we have – and it is one of the few things in politics which makes me almost wild with anger – is the sale of the playing fields, above all the sale of the playing fields in state schools”

By: sfs

sfs — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:25:45 +0000

I think you’re missing the Blue Wash, spending god knows how much rebranding everything in Tory Blue.

By: Religious discrimination round-up « Pushing the boundary

Religious discrimination round-up « Pushing the boundary — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:38:44 +0000

[...] rather get neglected when things like the Ray Lewis affair kick off at City Hall. If Boris keeps up this rate of gaffes and controversies, Pushing the boundary may not be updated nearly as often as I might originally have [...]

By: Is it just me… at LondonSays

Is it just me… at LondonSays — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:33:08 +0000

[...] has finally found something purposeful to do in the form of an investigation into the mayor’s unique contributions to local statecraft since being elected. At last it does appear to be showing signs of relevance, after years of people [...]

By: Just fancy that! Criminal Records Bureau-cracy edition

Just fancy that! Criminal Records Bureau-cracy edition — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:17:03 +0000

[...] Well spotted, The Burbler (who alerted me here). [...]

By: The Burbler

The Burbler — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:07:12 +0000

In his Telegraph column on Tuesday 1st July he moaned about all the paperwork that has to be filled out before hiring some public servants. Then on the Thursday its emerges that he didn’t do enough checks on Ray Lewis.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/07/01/do0101.xml

“..anyone who wants to help with grassroots sports coaching must go through an enormous Criminal Records Bureau procedure, and submit to 6in-thick files dictating exactly how the children can be exhorted to do better without hurting their feelings.”

It might be worth also recording that despite having the opportunity to explain the Lewis affair in his Telegraph column on 8th July, he chose instead to write in praise of the Wimbledon men’s final for which he was given a free seat in the Royal Box and brag about how he attended whilst Ken never did as Mayor.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/07/08/do0801.xml

By: Perhaps he’s dead, I’ll just make sure… « Alternate Seat of TYR

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:35:17 +0000

[...] Boris Johnston really is turning out to be as bad as it was blindingly obvious he was going to be. There are no shortage of examples, but this one in particular makes me shudder with fear. Yes, it’s the desalination [...]

By: Mr. Stop Boris

Mr. Stop Boris — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:43:33 +0000

At this rate, Sunny, you’ll be needing to buy a second server for LC to host the full list by the end of his term.

By: Sunny Hundal

Sunny Hundal — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:32:48 +0000

Bloody hell, this looks quite long and impressive already.

By: Gaffopædia up and running at Liberal Conspiracy

Gaffopædia up and running at Liberal Conspiracy — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:21:08 +0000

[...] just been updating Liberal Conspiracy’s new Boris Johnson Gaffopædia. Suggestions for additions and alterations are welcome in the comments or to [...]

By: Mr. Stop Boris

Mr. Stop Boris — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:54:57 +0000

Thanks to Sunny for tidying the list up (and indeed for fleshing it out and posting it in the first place!).

I’ll be getting a login to the site myself shortly so at some point this weekend I’ll give the list a bit of an overhaul in the light of some comments here – additional things people have pointed out etc.

On a couple of specific points:

leon: You say gaffopedia, I say gaffopaedia, let’s not call the whole thing off. Chambers has “encyclopedia or encyclopaedia“; strictly speaking, as readers of some of this week’s Guardian letters page may be aware, I think it should be “encyclopædia”. I do like a good diphthong.

cjcjc: any suggestions for a new name for me? The trouble with a name is that once you become known by it, it’s quite hard to change it without people not realising you’re the same person. I think it’s important that I remain accountable for what I’ve said online, as far as possible given my anonymity, so I don’t really want to change it if I can avoid doing so. I do have a new blog called “Pushing the boundary” which I intended to name myself after but in Boris-related contexts it’s quite hard to make that leap and abandon my Boris-stopping (or failure thereof) past. I’m sure this lengthy consideration of my own identity is just the sort of topical, political comment Sunny hoped Liberal Conspiracy would feature when he started it. I’ll shut up now.

By: Wireman

Wireman — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:20:50 +0000

I still think the “secret stash of over a hundred bottles” of “glittering” wine that turned out to be fewer than 40 bottles of variable quality plonk in a cupboard belongs in there.