So cutting £551,000 to RISE, and reducing funding to others, means he can’t have a USA day in London? You’re comparing a paltry £75k to half a million and laying the blame for increased travel costs on it. God you’re desperate.

I suspect this has more to do with anti-American sentiments on your behalf than any objection to funding events.

“The US is the biggest economy in the world and far and away our biggest market for international visitors [represented by] 1.9m visits from the US, generating expenditure of just over £1.3bn in 2008.”

Yeah, shocking use of £75k that, using it to help generate over £1bn.

I presume it’s because the Americans have finally decided to pay their congestion charge, right? Oh.

Back with the anti-American guff.

Some 29 foreign embassies in the capital (Japan, Russia and Germany prominent amongst them) refuse to pay the charge and the fines accrued as a result of non-payment.

They don’t need to pay it, under international law (the Vienna Convention). Other countries are happy to accept this with their congestion taxes. I thought you lot all get hung up on the importance and supremacy of international law.

What Hannibal said @2.

Still, if this is the worst Boris can be accused of we don’t need to worry about Qaradawi Ken’s chances next time, do we?

Do we get hot-dogs & Dolly Parton? Value for money methinks.

Back with the anti-American guff.

Oh no, mustn’t say anything nasty about Americans… except when it’s Obama… oh no! They might feel hurt!
Who cares about London’s commuters eh?

*cough*

USA day is just a bad idea. We don’t need it here. Whereas the RISE event is needed and was a genuine celebration of London.

Note to all conservatives: it is not always about things that lead to investment, social causes are just as important.

USA Day? I will be there to burn their fucking flag. Boris cancels Rise, and now this. I like the US, but fuck Boris. What a daft c*nt

If it wasn’t for Americans you’d all be speaking German, so get over the racism guys.

I hope that’s a joke…

I went to the Rise festival a couple of years ago.
I wasn’t really that impressed. It felt a bit hackneyed to be honest.
For example, Finsbury Park (where it was held) has developed a large North African population in the last several years, but walking up Blackstock road to go into the park, it seemed that a lot of the arab guys from there weren’t attending, but hanging out as usual in their own social spaces. (I’m talking about from just using my eyes and looking into the cafes and premises leading up to the park).

It didn’t seem representative of the area.

@Uncle Sam/Donal Blaney – here’s a few for you:

- if it wasn’t for Americans, plenty of Iraqis would be speaking something, as opposed to being fucking dead.

- if it wasn’t for Brits, Americans would be speaking some Injun lingo

- if it wasn’t for the slave trade, African Americans would be speaking jungle

Donal why are you such a racist c*nt?

That’s OK. I speak German anyway.

@14 – yup, Iraq was all the Amuuricans fault – Blighty had absolutely no involvement in it whatsoever, at all, no we were forced into it sort of by mistake really, a bit of an accident truth be told – if we have had our way we’d have invaded Iraq – uh, err..hang on a minute – appear to have lost my thread.

The Yanks are the best friends we’ve ever had, they’re a bunch of good eggs and if I was in London that day it’d be dog’awn swell to munch on burgers and down a few brewskis.

Oh @ DHG – damn tooting we’d all be spreckin ze deutsche if the Yanks hadn’t saved our scrawny asses. Granted, we should doff our caps to the Japs for Pearl Harbour in motivating the Yanks to get out of their principled decision to stay the hell out of Dodge City.

As was commented above, American visitors generated £1.3B in 2008, this was obviously a business decision.

When he spoke in West Hampstead on 8th January, the Mayor explained that hard decisions had to be made, there had to be trade offs, and it is all about what is best for London’s economy, an economy that Boris is fighting like mad to protect.

http://cyberboris.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/boris-galvanises-west-hampstead/

http://cyberboris.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/boris-bashes-darling/

Boris bashes Darling to protect London’s economy.

http://cyberboris.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/boris-levels-with-george/

Boris had already levelled with George Osborne, with the same aim in mind.

Sorry but I don’t buy the ‘you’d all be speaking German’ shite, it really wasn’t as simple as all that, the US involvement with the war, never mind the logistical nightmare of invading the UK. I blogged on this very subject matter right here and I stand by that.

I think that the main issue is that it is used by a small minority of Americans in a debate as a win-all statement when they’ve run out of facts or just to shut people up.