You: proles

The more I see of these banners the mayor of London, one Livingstone K., has erected along various promenades of the metrop. the more perplexed I am.

Let us not imagine he supposes many of us notice the collectivist triumphalism, or the sheer weirdness of compelling people to underwrite this sort of nebulous feelygoody propaganda – and let’s face it: he’s probably right; how many people have not been beaten into insensitivity by this sort of thing over the years?

Indeed, let us suppose that young Livingstone goes about this business of banner-erection in the sublime knowledge that he will never be called on this behaviour.

What, then, does he imagine he achieves by this, by these banners proclaiming WE ARE LONDONERS?

Can you imagine the conversation that led up to it? Perhaps it was a committee. Maybe a PR consultancy was drafted in.

What did Ken think, though? I want people to associate their sense of belonging to collectivism? I want people to see these banners and understand we never stop working for them? I want to end disunity? (whatever the hell that is) I want to create a solidarity movement of Londoners?

Truly, I cannot conceive of a motive for the mayor’s actions which does not in fact hold Londoners in the uttermost contempt.

The not so, er, independent

Here’s a funny thing. About a week ago The Independent ran a front page splash about how British business was arguing for more mass immigration

http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article1222597.ece

At the time it struck me as odd that the Indie should be concerning itself with the interests of business. But there you go.

Anyway, today’s Telegraph contains a story – which is not on the front page – about how the head of the CBI wants a pause for thought before any more mass immigration is allowed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/09/06/cncbi06.xml

Naturally I was keen to see what the Indie’s take on this would be, since it is so keen on news about immigration and what also on what business wants. Strange to report, however, that this fine example of Telling It Like It Is to the lefties who already agree with it has buried the news at the bottom of a story on page blah blah about how this same CBI chief, in the same speech, was actually focusing on lack of trust in business leaders.

http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article367219.ece

Now course the Indie is entitled to its views and I would expect nothing less of this Thunderer of the Left than that it should swing its muscle behind immigration, regardless of whose interests are adduced in support. Mass immigration is an article of leftie faith.

But isn’t it time to rethink the newspaper’s title? I mean come on, can we please stop pretending this is some kind of ‘centre ground’?