This week has seen Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Conservative Assembly Member Roger Evans trade harsh words over the policy of free bus travel for the capital’s youth.
Commenting on his blog Evans said if the eventual Tory Mayoral candidate solicited an opinion he’d recommend axing the scheme. Livingstone responded to the comments by penning an article on Comment is Free and issuing a press release.
Evans in turn wrote a rebuttal for Conservative Home and took his point of view to the wider public with a Comment is Free entry of his own.
Looking at their website the LibDem Assembly Members appear to have issued no statement on the issue although they’ve found time to issue one (their first in two weeks) on the addition of an extra carriage to selected tube lines.
If national party spokesmen can manage to find time to comment on the Mayor’s foreign visits why are our AMs so silent on issues which affect many Londoners and which are likely to account for much of the 2008 campaign noise?
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18 Comments
The comments I have heard from some in the party (and Ken) seem to misunderstand the problem.
The answer I hear is that if teenagers abuse their passes by causing trouble on buses they will have their pass taken from them.
But in my part of London is that gangs of youths use the buses from one place to another on their passes causing problems at each place they arrive at. If the passes could be taken from youths who do this it would solve the problem, but the status quo is not the answer.
Maybe we should give bank robbers a discount off their sentence if they use a getaway bus, or other green transport, rather than a getaway car.
Jokingly,
Antony
Would I be the only one to feel concern about the precious little publicity that our London reps are generating?
It may be that I read the wrong websites, but I have the feeling that after Lynne left the London Assembly, we are not being told very much at all about what is going on there, and even less what we would do to put things right.
Martin – the GLA group did issue a release on 7th December:
“LONDON TORIES DON’T HUG A HOODIE, THEY SHOVE THEM OFF THE BUS” – POPE
Commenting on press reports today that the London Assembly Tory party are proposing to scrap the free under-16 travel passes, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesman on the London Assembly, Geoff Pope, said:
“The Tories’ attack on free travel for London’s children shows just how anti-youth they really are. Far from ‘hugging a hoodie’, the London Tories would rather shove them off the bus.
‘Unfortunately not all children are privileged enough to be driven to school in luxury 4x4s. This news will not be well received by hard-working families.
‘David Cameron has gone to desperate lengths to try to revamp his party. Sadly today’s announcement shows just how out of touch the grass root Tories really are.” ENDS
Mark
In which case they should try sending it out to people and putting it on their website!
Mark
In which case they should try sending it out to people and putting it on their website!
It’s a bit bloody pointless putting it on the site 5 days later.
On the AMs: There seems to be a general disatisfaction with their performance, and frustration with what can be done…
On the bus passes: If you’re going to offer free bus travel then restrict it to journeys to and from school.
There are several problems otherwise, not just the cost, but the problems of misbehaviour and most importantly for me, the culture of dependency and expectation it creates.
It creates expectation that the state will provide for you, and that you are owed something by the state (echoing Crass’s signature song “Do they owe us a living? Of course they do!”).
This dehumanises people and moves towards further removing personal responsibility. There is no right to free bus travel. It is a privilege, but it is increasingly seen as a right by young people. This leads to abuse of privilege.
We risk creating a generation of children who are even more in thrall to the state, depending on it to provide their needs without taking personal responsibility. The servile state may be the aim of Ken and Blair, but we should be standing firm against it.
Excellent post, Tristan.
In response to Tristan, I would point out that lack of access to public transport can be one of the biggest restrictions which people face on their liberty – particularly in rural areas, but even in places like London. Sensible schemes which encourage people (including those under 18) to use public transport are to be encouraged, not condemned.
In Scotland, we’ve introduced free bus travel for OAPs and disabled people right across Scotland – and the result has been liberating for many, many people. I think a subsidised scheme for younger people is also being introduced.
“In Scotland, we’ve introduced free bus travel for OAPs and disabled people right across Scotland…” – Funded, no doubt, by the English taxpayers.
What a truly appalling press release – I’m glad it hasn’t had wider circulation. A cheap political shot at the Conservatives is off the mark and fails to deal with the two (contradictory) issues in this debate – crime and disorder caused by a minority of young people using these passes and the benefits to the majority of easy access and mobility.
You would think for £50k a year they could better.
I particularly like the bit of the press release that implies it would be great for kids if they could be driven to school in a 4×4…
I received this press release by email, cringed and binned it straight away.
We must be able to do better than this!
Tee hee!
Lib Dems on the London Assembly support continuation of free travel for young people. However we do need a package of strong measures. Increased policing and inspection of London Buses is needed. We would bring back conducters on the most congested bendy bus routes with the highest levels of crime and fare evasion. There is also a good case for 11 year olds upwards to carry a photo card pass to engender greater responsibility, and passes should be confiscated for inappropriate behaviour consistently.
Special Bus routes to schools need to be expanded to combat congestion and reduce car usage. We are strongly supportive of the Yellow Bus initiative launched in 2003 in Runnymede, Surrey, in West Yorkshire and in Wales. Following the USA model, dedicated School Buses collect and deliver pupils near to their homes, and trained drivers are in direct touch with senior school staff on truancy and behaviour issues. When we last pressed Ken Livingstone to launch a trial in London, he was opposed to the scheme.
Some of the Mayor’s advertising budget should be diverted to fund our package and of course additional fare revenue would result.
Isn’t Runnymede a Conservative-run Council, Geoff? Glad you give credit where credit’s due.
What about West Yorkshire and Wales? Hotbeds of Conservatism, too?
Perhaps the appeal for Runnymede Tories is that the idea originates in the United States.
Having been the party of empire and the landed elite, the Conservatives have degenerated into a cat’s paw for Washington. No wonder UKIP is booming!
With Murdoch owning the press, who needs elections (even the variety conducted in Florida)?
Calderdale – where the yellow buses operate in West Yorks has a Tory cabinet (note the difference between this, running, and being in control of a council!)
Who was running things when they were introduced I’m not sure. If anyone can take credit it would probably be the officer party.
Those of us who rely on public transport in greater London know what an unmitigated disaster this has been. In South East London we have neither the tube or the tram, and we have no orbital train service – so buses are vitally important.
Geoff Pope has clearly never been on an SE London bus full of yobs spitting, smoking, etching the windows and assaulting members of the public. They are totally out of control and these bus passes are making life unbearable for thousands of people across the capital.
I have no problem with free scholars’ passes but beyond that this really needs to be stamped down on. You may argue it is illiberal, but their behaviour to others is even more illiberal. They are a scourge.