The Met Commissioner has appeared somewhat the worse for wear at a number of
official functions, most notably the London Mayors’ Association Annual Dinner where he needed assistance from his protection officers to manage the stairs. These indiscretions reflect the alcohol-fuelled administration of City Hall. Mayor Livingstone’s’ two well documented run-ins with the Standards Board (the Party incident at Tufnell Park and the Evening Standard Nazi jibe) have both involved significant amounts of red wine and those of us on the inside of City Hall know that abstemious is not a word in the Mayor’s dictionary.
I have no idea of the truth of Coleman's allegations, but I assume he - and indeed the New Statesman - wouldn't have run it without some element of truth to it. Whatever, the New Statesman is getting great value out of Coleman's blog. It was he who accused Ted Heath of cottaging a couple of months ago. A regular column must surely soon be on offer.
53 comments:
Now when the rumor comes to your town,
It grows and grows, where it started no one knows.
Some of your neighbors will invite it right in,
Maybe it's a lie, even if it's a sin,
They'll repeat the rumor again.
Big men, little men turned into dust,
Maybe it was all in fun, they didn't mean to ruin no one.
Could there be someone, someone here among this crowd
Who's been accused, had his name so misused
And his privacy refused ?
Now all you vigilantes wanna make a move,
Maybe they won't, you know I sure hope they don't.
For whether this rumor proves true or false,
You can forgive or you can regret,
But he will never ever forget.
J.R.Robertson
© 1970 Canaan Music, Inc.
Is this what Coleman sees as constructive opposition? It makes the Tory Party look bitter and nasty AGAIN.
Presumably his own personal life is free of any blemish?
Assuming you remain tea total Iain this is not one of the smear you will ever need to defend. However - reading his blog - Coleman seems to be a nasty arsey old Tory dinosaur who is by turns censorious (of the left) and libertarian (when it comes to the right).
He will allow ALL politicians to take a drink too far at a party conference, even excusing or laughing at or egging on perhaps a rather serious sounding sexual assault by a Tory MP which if involving a predatory hetero Labour MP rather than a predatory homo Tory one would very likely involve some more naming and shaming or at least another gurt dollop of innuendo.
Meanwhile he generalises on the theme of the supposed general drunkeness of three London figures from a couple of alleged drunken moments.
Was this "methodist" high Tory Thatcherite actually drunk when he dribbled this nonsense out? Do the Spectator pay for such a garrulous, petty and careless correspondent to vent low rent jibes and gibberish of the worst kind?
They should sack him not give him a column.
Let us not forget that while Ken clearly enjoys the odd glass of red Bozzer and Cam and Oz are stalwarts of a despicable drinking and dining club which kills fix fox cubs by "stoning" with empty champagne bottles, thrashes restaurants and generally engages - to this day - in behaviour that makes a slurring Mayor, a troubled Transport guru, or even a stumbling copper seem like a complete non story.
Nasty man. Tell us about some top Tories and some illegal drugs Brian. Or more on this predatory pederast. But forget "man gets tipsy" as this is down there with "dog bites man".
Chris, did you actually read what I wrote. It's your lefty friends at the New Statesman who offer him a column. Not the Spectator. Do get your facts right before you start a political tirade.
By the way, your email isn't working, can you email me as I need your bio for the blogging book.
Yeah, cos no Tory EVER gets drunk and behaves inappropriately, do they?
Policeman gets drunk...shock! amazement!
Did he do anyone any harm?
God sakes is this Coleman a paragon of virtue?
I read the non story in the Telegraph (and Mail)
this morning with sadness.
The telegraph has two good articles on policing (or the lack of it) yet prints this trash.
I would have thought, Iain, you might be better asking the question. Have the police lost the streets? What would your contributors do about it?
Personally, as a retired cop, I think we need to start all over again! get rid of the politically correct police chiefs and disband the CPS who have been correctly named as the Criminal Protection Society!
In my day we would have rounded up all the yobbo's and taken to the Magistrates Court to have them all bound over to keep the peace!
Ooops. Still reeling from last night's Bollinger binge! Will correct my post on this ... though whichever rag it is they should take the man's ranting rights away. Will get onto the pic and the bio this afternoon ....
Unfortunately, for him, he does have some skeletons in his closet. Soon they'll be out, though.
I think accusing the Police commissioner of being a drunken, who needed help down the stairs, is a SMEAR…don’t you.
Tories have been gunning for Ian Blair for years, and now nasty nutters like Coleman are resorting to bottom barrel scraping. Coleman is the sort of guy who typifies rank and file core Conservatives, and he and his ilk are the reason why you won’t win the next election. Cambos cry for discipline has obviously gone unheard.
Coleman and his sort just can’t help themselves; it’s almost like an inherent disease, the ability to put their feet in to wide open mouths. The piece could have been jokey, or just light-hearted (I’m sure, even a police commissioner is entitled to a few drinks) but instead, friend of Israel, Methodist fundamentalist and all-round Tory foamer Coleman, chose to make highly moralistic judgements coupled with clandestine comments designed to smear.
This is the nasty streak in the Tory Ore, and it doesn’t take much to extract it.
Well of course Blair has a drink problem. 7/7 and all the other datardly things required over the past few years is bound to take its toll eventually.
Coleman's accusations about Heath were considerd by his close colleagues to be, let's say "ironic," at the least.
Ever the voice of reason, Coleman. Wasn't so long ago he was claiming protests in Parliament Square was a threat to the capital's economy. I wouldn't ask him to tell me the time.
Chris Paul
Could you also send me yout bio?
Im printing up a limited edition bog roll. A photo would also come in handy.
I dont blame Ian Blair for getting pissed , having to pretend to be such a complete buffoon until you colect your pension must be a terrible strain.
Maybe he should score some weed and chill.
I think I preferred David Green's article about policing in today's Telegraph, but you do worry if the top man is occasionally off his face!
Let me see if I've got this right. You think the Daily Telegraph is guilty of anti-Tory bias? I mean I know you guys would like the BBC to resemble Fox News but are we now to believe that even the Telegraph is part of the liberal conspiracy? Do visit planet earth sometime.
An alcoholic is someone who you don't like who drinks more than you do.....
Should we raise the legal drinking age to 65?
Why has Sir Iain Blair got protection officers? He is not a member of the Royal Family, nor is he a MP in a sensitive job.
"Ooops. Still reeling from last night's Bollinger binge!"
Champagne socialist?
Politaholic, that's not what I said, or meant, at all. My point was that the headline was describing the response rather than the original accusation. Surely it should be the other way around.
"Tories have been gunning for Ian Blair for years"
Whereas Ian Blair has been gunning Brazilian electricians.
If Blair is a drunk it might explain why he was the last to know about the identity of Menezes.
Oh dear, Livingstone's lickspittles (hi chrispaul) really don't like it up 'em.
Was it only last week they were masturbating up a froth of manufactured "racism" slurs and aiming them at the ever effulgent Boris?
The New Statesman has done us a public service. The rarity only enhances the credence we must give to this report.
It is right that we know of the tanker loads of publically funded booze piped into the Glass Bollock for Livingstone&Cronies.
Only in this context do the continuing colossal Olympic budget overruns make sense. Picture it: Ken "working late" with his spreadsheet, empty bottle of red at his side, face down on the keyboard with his nose on the 999999999...
The Evening Standard took a similar position to the Telegraph. It isn't bias against the Tories, Iain, it is the inviable rule in Tory newspapers that policemen are always seen as more respectable members of society than politicians.
DIM JIM SAID -This is the nasty streak in the Tory Ore, and it doesn’t take much to extract it.
OH NOOOOOO THERE ISN`T
(over to you Cicero)
JHL, Iain Blair is a bit of an old woman and then he heard you were asking after him. QED
Jailhouselawyer: "Why has Sir Iain Blair got protection officers?
No you've got this slightly wrong. The protection officers are there to protect the public from Sir Ian Blair.
Ian Blair wanted to be an actor but was not very good maybe he is using his acting skills again ?
Brian Coleman is that the same one who enjoyed a trip to America with Senior Barnet Police officers? or do I have it wrong apologies if so.
Look guys, at last somebody has spoken out on the subject of Livingstone's drinking. It has been widely discussed in London for years and years.
And it's a bit rich for the lefties to defend Lenin. After all, it was his lot fed stories to the Evening Standard about Bob Kylie and his day-time trips to Oddbins.
Hadn't heard the one about Blair, though.
On the subject of the Brazillian guy, I heard an ex-Met rumour that the reason they allowed him to get on the train before shooting him was so they wouldn't be caught on CCTV on the station itself.
morrocanroll
"his very serious allegations"! my pomposity detection meter is indicating near maximum...
i have just read on the bbc website that coleman has run up a £10,000 taxi bill,does anyone know if this is true?
Good to see the Tory Party in London descending into such chaos - it is a perfect illustration of why Iain Dale's attempt to avoid discussion of the actual content of issues won't work.
On Conservative Home, Tories are discussing whether the use of the term 'picaninnies' and black people having 'water melon smiles' is OK. The majority consensus is that it is. http://conservativehome.blogs.com/londonmayor/2007/08/new-nation-is-l.html. The Guardian has already adequately commented on this. http://www.guardian.co.uk/diary/story/0,,2149429,00.html
The Conservative chair of the London Assembly has just raised the level of debate by accussing the Metropolitan Police Commissioner of drunkness - with Iain Dale spreading this on this thread.
Meanwhile the Evening Standard is carrying a completely invented story that the New Statesman is so worried about Boris Johnson being the Tory candidate for Mayor that it is only posting up statements by his rivals on its hustings when the fact is that the New Statesman offered space to all the Tory candidates for Mayor and Boris Johnson was the only one who didn't write anything!
http://www.newstatesman.com/subjects/conservative-mayoral-primary
And all this even before Boris Johnson is crowned as Tory candidate for Mayor! As they say, those who the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.
anon 1:15
I think that you are being very unfair to both Sir Ian Blair and the L.O.L.B. community.
Under Sir Iain the Met has taken great pains to recruit Little old lady bashers,a group sadly under represented in todays Metropolitan police force.
Aplications from
old lady bashers
rapists
and piss artists are especialy welcome to reflect the population of london.
What Blair is not a problem irrespective of the initial.
The fact that senior police in the Met have also said the same, would suggest to any sensible person that there must be some truth in what Mr Coleman says.
Having bothered to read what Mr Coleman said, wihtout criticising him first, he is right that people in public life do need to lead by example - no point that copper saying this week it is all down to parents and shops selling cheap booze, when a senior police office is "worse for wear" in public and not the word public.
Go and search election records and you will find that Brian Coleman had the best increased result in 2004.
Nice to see this thread used an excuse to ramp up the attack on Boris again. (together with the obligatory 'P' word and fruit smiles for effect) Followed the thoughtfully posted link to ConservativeHome and it looks very much to me like a load of sock puppets faking an argument between themselves, one even claiming to be a "LondonConservative" hohoho
Colin D: "What Blair is not a problem irrespective of the initial?"
Isn't that 'which' Blair?
Maybe 'Blair Witch' when referring to a certain Booth...
@colin d, 3.02pm:
Eric?
Smears and lies are just fine! As long as the target is a Tory isnt that right ChrisPaul? Labour scumbag tells people that a tory will burn down an old peoples home? Ken(class war)livingstone & Co smears Boris Johnson MP and thats OK ChrisPaul? To ChrisPaul&Co its all just fun and games! Fake indignation is so easy to spot ChrisPaul! Where do you work Chrispaul? We would all like to KNOW! What are you so scared of ChrisPaul? Are you ashamed of your Job ChrisPaul? Do you use aliases to pretend to be Tories ChrisPaul?
Have you ever smeared anyone ChrisPaul?
There is truth ChrisPaul and there are lies ChrisPaul, Which do you favour ChrisPaul?
Simply the facts is the one who works for Livingstone isn’t he? 10p 20p 30p 40p....can I have my money back when you’ve finished spending it on propaganda please.
We have disused at bendy bus length the racist slur Linvingtones`s publicly funded campaign were able to find the Boris oevre.It is a subtle matter of English usage which Simply the Village idiot will not be up to . It was aimed at the assumptions of liberal patricians but I think one must accept that the collateral rudeness was regrettable. We know why Simpleton keeps quoting it out of context because he is a liar like the rest of the professional lying team Livingstone has around him.
The ishews Simpleton refers to have not been raised by him , and he is using the word only to mean “Double plus good” with no meaning behind which is typical of the imbecilic breed . This is a smoke screen for the low Haw haw tactics Livingstone has always used with his hard left SWP and Communist friends who are no lovers of truth of democracy.I kid you not London is run by a clique much like the Liverpool of the 80s . No wonder Labour hated the embarrassment he causes themn
I must say I did wonder if it was going to be a good idea to have a professional polemicist endlessly misquoted as the Conservative Candidate but should anyone doubt it look at what just popped up on the BBC
“Labour supporters are attempting to block Boris Johnson's bid to be selected as the Tory candidate to challenge London mayor Ken Livingstone.
Two websites are trying to hijack the Tories' open primaries which give all Londoners - not just Tory voters - a say in choosing their candidate.
The Conservatives insist safeguards are in place to prevent the primaries being scuppered by their political opponents.
Mr Johnson is one of four candidates hoping to win the Tory nomination.”
....Indeed and obviously the one they fear. It has to be Boris for all they will drag the election into the gutter with their pointless innuendos he is the ion tthey fear and the presence of Ken`s employees here shows how desperate they are to avoid Boris .
This is why the howling loon simpleton is here , probably lives in his parents house in Oxford anyway . they like a psh slave to order around ...its a quasi sexual thing
Coleman always gets up to this sort of thing. Check out his local paper, they are usually on his case. The Barnet Times I think. He did run up that big taxi bill I believe.
Given that story is defamatory, I reckon you'll find the Telegraph is reserving its position by writing the piece up in a way that doesn't support the accusation.
Wouldn't you want to be p****d if you was 'im? Have some compassion.
"one even claiming to be a "LondonConservative" hohoho"
Impossible to imagine some of our members finding it wrong, offensive and electorally unhelpful to have clowns like Boris Johnson enjoying throwing around racial insults. But then again with the evidently large number of fellow members firmly stuck in the dinasour age of politics, why should Labour worry?
Where exactly in his article does Coleman accuse Mayor and Blair of having a 'drink problem'?
Go on Iain justify yourself.
Chuck Unsworth said...
Colin D: "What Blair is not a problem irrespective of the initial?"
Isn't that 'which' Blair?
Maybe 'Blair Witch' when referring to a certain Booth...
August 16, 2007 3:36 PM
Chuck: sorry for the delay in giving a response. I Like your your humour and many thanks for the grammatical correction. Handicapped with a C+ in english language from school and a recent certificate for OCR level 2 in the same subject, I need a lot of help and correction. Preferably from a Nun in a white Habit, but you can have second slot. Cheers
Iain I see nothing wrong with a person who enjoys a drink and becomes merry. In fact Jesus did encourage us to have a drink.
The inmportant factor is that it does not lead to criminal behaviour, such as loutism,hooliganism,vandalism or breaking drink driving laws.
So in a nutshell leave the man alone.
Dearest Newmania,
Just thought you might like to know that comrade Derek Hatton lives just up the road from me and in the same village! he has moved UP in the world by flogging time shares Etc!!!!
How the mighty have fallen? HA HA
I wondered when the taxi bill story would come up again.
Brian Coleman was last year Chairman of the GLA, like Livingstone, he gets invited to a large number of events, dinners etc.
The office of Chairman of the GLA has a rather expensive chain of office. Apart from the GLA's insurance company having kittens, he attends these events in a hired car, booked and paid for by the GLA.
That is where most of the £10,000 is spent. I wonder if the same questions will be asked next year about the current Lib Dem Chair ?
Of course none of this has anything to do with next yeasr's GLA elections !!!
Does it matter?
Coleman spent £10,000 on taxi fares last year because he was banned from driving for 6 months and so could not use his own car to travel to functions.
The average figure for London Assembly members was £845.
Didn't Keneth spend £10k on taxis in his first year in office? I'm fairly certain about that.
Iain you say the New Statesman must have put the story in because there was an "element of truth" in it. They don't always. I got an apology and costs from them once, when they said I had refused to attend Caribbean events in Reading, effectively branding me a racist, the story was a complete fabrication.
At 8.22pm last night anonymous wrote that he (she?) wonders if next year there will stories about the large tax bill run up by the current Lib Dem Chair of the London Assembly?
The answer is that I very much doubt it. When previously Chair Sally Hamwee (the person in question) ran up a bill of about £1500 - and yes wore the chain of office where necessary.
The difference is that Ms Hamwee didn’t/doesn't feel it necessary to attend every possible dinner/social event/ p**s up she is invited to (many of these invitations are sent as a matter of form, rather than in expectation that the Chair of the Assembly will attend), and when she does use a taxi doesn't leave it hanging around all night with the meter running until she can drag herself away from the port!
The one thing that you can say about Mr Coleman is he enjoys a party. He also enjoys dressing up. I just wonder why I as a London Council Tax payer have to pay for his fun?
Brian Coleman just looks like a sour old tell-tale. First poor old Ted Heath, then Ian Blair and also the defenceless kids tv presenter Konnie Huq. Put that saucer of cream away Brian. Ken Livingstone claims that it was BC who spent £10k in taxi fares in a year. I have got record hits to my blog on all this
www.rupahuq.co.uk
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