The People of England
Ken Livingstone’s choice is fitting for a man whose job as London
Mayor is to serve a good proportion of the people he’s nominated. He’s
a great believer in the dynamism, the tolerance and the strength of the
English people – a fact that’s often demonstrated in the words he uses
to describe them.
“…the city of London is the greatest in the
world, because everybody lives side by side in harmony” he said after
the attacks in London on 7 July. “Londoners will not be divided by this
cowardly attack. They will stand together in solidarity alongside those
who have been injured and those who have been bereaved and that is why
I'm proud to be the mayor of that city.”
It’s ironic, though, that Ken is the man who decided to scrap the Routemaster bus
on all but two heritage routes. The much-loved red bus is one of our first 12
Icons of England!
Read more about and vote on the people of England.
Image of Ken Livingstone © topfoto.co.uk
Ken Livingstone
Politician
Often controversial and outspoken, Ken Livingstone became a public
figure as leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 to 1986.
A Labour man until he stood in the Mayoral elections as an independent
in 2000, he was taken back into the Labour fold in 2004. He introduced
Congestion Charging to central London in February 2003 to tackle
clogged up roads and intends to extend it westwards in 2007.
