Iain Dale of LBC 97.3 fm presented/hosted a very interesting and lively debate of the two hopefuls who wish to gain the Labour Party nomination for the Mayor of London election to be held in May 2012.
Oona King former MP for Bethnal Green and Bow debated with Ken Livingstone the former Mayor of London live on a very well presented and informative show. Many commentators placed Oona King in the lead with a clear 2-1 victory on the night however the London taxi trade was shocked to hear former Mayor Ken Livingstone announce that if the signage was right (eg roof signs) he would allow mini-cabs into bus lanes.
It was certainly clear that even after two terms in office Ken Livingstone still doesn't understand that the job of the London taxi-cab driver is totally different to the job of a mini-cab driver. London taxi-cab drivers need to have access to the kerb and bus lanes for we pick up/set down 90% of our work from the kerbside and are metered. If mini-cabs were allowed access to bus lanes the cost of a taxi-cab would rise and the delay to buses across the capital would be unbearable.
Londoners will have to choose who should be Mayor in 2012 but for now Labour party members will choose between Oona King and Ken Livingstone. The spectre of Ken Livingstone once again falls over the taxi trade in London but this time he has a real fight on his hands just to gain the Labour nomination.
Oona King for Mayor, something tells me that's got a nice ring to it...
