Thursday 8 March 2012

Boris skips question on Shepherd's Bush Market



...and nearly provokes a riot.

Boris held his last "People's Question Time" this evening at Hammersmith Town Hall and it was a lively affair. Notable for interventions by the Occupy London Movement and others protesting the so-called "Super Sewer" project in Fulham, Boris also faced questions on a range of issues from cyclist deaths through to the environment and the noise generated by buses.

A wide range indeed.

I congratulated the Mayor on having over-ruled the Council on the detested King Street scheme which drew raucous applause from the crowd of around a thousand, but then followed by asking the Mayor whether he was likely to apply the same standards and rule out the equally unpopular Shepherd's Bush market scheme.

Answer there came none.

Not being thin skinned I put this down to him being a politician - but Aniza Meghani, of one of the Goldhawk Road shops set to be demolished was in less mood to be ignored. And this being a blog you can watch the exchange for yourself, which is moderated by Boris' deputy - the Conservative Assembly Member Kit Malthouse.

You can see they are both desperate to move on and talk about something else instead. One to remember when making up your mind come election day, perhaps.



March 20th UPDATE – Well Boris Johnson’s PR people have been busy preparing their own censored version of People’s Question Time in Hammersmith, and wouldn’t you know it – the Shepherd’s Bush Market question, which came up repeatedly and throughout the evening has been airbrushed out!

That, coupled with the fact that the Fulham Chronicle didn’t even turn up, all rather suits our Council which shouldn’t come as any surprise.

What, perhaps, should also come as no surprise is that Boris is filmed apparently putting the boot into the Thames Tunnel scheme. The great man is pictured nodding sagely, with concern etched across his brow, as a gentleman from Carnworth Road in Fulham says their community is about to be ruined.

What’s this – a development imposed from the outside against residents wishes?! That is the norm in the north of the Borough but down in Fulham, where all of the ruling councillors live, they just won’t stand for it.

Boris is outraged and says he is “very concerned” at the scheme’s impact on local people and worries that it might “whack up bills” for Londoners. He’s onto it, he reassures residents.

What a difference a postcode makes in Hammersmith & Fulham.

21 comments:

  1. Thank you Chris, for another HONEST JOURNALISM. WE ARE PROUD OF YOU.

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  2. In addition to the Market debacle, I thought it was quite telling how he ducked (pretended not to understand?) the question on paying consultants and tax avoidance, and just switched to his cutting waste at TFL schtick. The guy in front of me just kept muttering "corruption, corruption"...

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  3. Honest journalism...I'm afraid Chris has bought the line from a few traders trying to get as much cash out developers as they can.

    No one can blame the businesses but to pretend this is anything other than a negotiation process, and that a majority of locals are in favour of keeping the market in its current dreadful state, is wrong.

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    1. As one of those traders can I assure you that this is not about negotiation. It has cost us a small fortune each for the legal action we are taking let alone the stress and frustration we are all under. WE ARE IN SUPPORT OF THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE MARKET. However we are not and never have been part of the market. LBHF solicited the developers who did not want to touch the market without being able to get their greedy paws on our properties, that is the incentive that LBHF tossed into the pot.

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  4. ERR... I know of no local that disagrees with updating the market. But as yet I have yet to talk face to face with one who wants all the rest that has been proposed. The argument is not about development itself but more about the type of development.

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  5. "Thank you Chris, for another HONEST JOURNALISM."?

    Isn't this the same "Journalist" that has worked for Labour's election campaigns in the past?

    http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/chris-underwood/32/1a1/92a

    Now we are to believe he is writing objectively about a Conservative Mayor?

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    1. "Objectively" - The way the H&F Chronicle does you mean?

      Boris Johnson actually said in answer to the question posed about the Goldhawk Road shops that he was "reluctant to comment" and that he "doesn't want to bind his hands". I think that you can draw your own conclusions from that.

      In addition it was nice to see the good ol' fashioned claque is still alive and kicking.

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    2. that's an interesting comment coming from "Anonymous". I'm not surprised they don't want to tell us who they are because they are doing it from an IP address called "London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham" - yes, that's right, from the Town Hall on your time.

      I volunteered to work for the Labour 2001 election campaign - which tells you my politics are generally left of centre and that I'm interested in political issues. Not huge surprises to any reader of this blog.

      I'm not even a member of the Labour Party now.

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    3. Chris, did it occur to you that people who live and work in Hammersmith and Fulham are more likely to read your blog, so inferring who it is posting might be a bit of an inexact science?

      I really hesitated before replying to you as it's tempting to leave you with your delusions of self-importance that led you to think the council has some propaganda machine watching your every move. The boring truth is I am just a software engineer working locally in the borough that though it's worth pointing out to your readers that you aren't entirely neutral in your council coverage. It fair enough point I made don't you think?

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    4. If I got your IP address wrong then it's my mistake - but one of the "anonymous" contributors on here has done so from the Council's own ISP. Which is interesting.

      As for your point, I think others have answered it well enough.

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    5. Chris, a comment from the council's IP address isn't that interesting, and shouldn't really be a surprise. Many, many people who work there are also residents and therefore have a legitimate interest in the topics on your blog. Coming from the council's IP address shouldn't be interpreted as you being 'monitored' by the council's spin machine in some conspiratorial way. It's probably just some admin officer in the education department, who also lives on the Uxbridge Road, and who simply doesn't agree with you.

      Also, you say "... yes, that's right, from the Town Hall on your time." Just wondered if you ever do any blogging/posting on your employer's time?

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  6. This notion that journalism has to be unbiased or free of subjectivity is pretty bizarre in any case. The BBC has to be impartial due to its charter. As far as I know no other news outlet has such a requirement, least of all a blogger who contributes in his own time. In any case I often find Chris to be far fairer in his opinions and judgements than I would be!

    Thanks again Chris, for journalism that actually has heart. Forget the council-employed astroturfers - I'm sure local people appreciate what you do here.

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    1. I wasn't making the point the blog had to be unbiased, I was answering the comment at the top about "Honest Journalism". If the blog is biased, so be it, but the readers should be aware of the writer's affiliations, particularly when the subject of the article is about the conduct of the opposite party to that which he is affiliated.

      I think my comment adds some valuable context to the article. It was not meant as a personal attack.

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    2. I see your point but I think we're all grown-ups here and we can all see where Chris is coming from, whether we agree or not, without him having to put a large banner ad stating his political allegiance. Besides, the things he's highlighting here - a council ignoring the wishes of its residents on multiple fronts - are issues that would be equally disgusting if they came from a Labour or Lib Dem council. Lack of democracy isn't really a right or left issue is it?

      Also, I don't really see anything dishonest here. The video speaks for itself, really.

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  7. Boris also said he is going to stamp out illiteracy over the next four years. Very laudable but does he think that London's parents and teachers have not been trying??? Just shows he is out of touch.

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    1. How does that show he is out of touch? Just shows he thinks there is more to be done and he can support those efforts.

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  8. he should really listen to people

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  9. If you remain anonymous, your comments don't deserve to be heard.

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  10. Alexander, I agree with you. We appreciate Chris's valuable time to the community he adores. And why shouldn't he write what is true. How many of us, can give valuable time, as he does? He lives in the borough and from the beginning of us traders decided to take the matter to court, he has supported us fully. In actual fact, when other papers wrote about us, THEY ALWAYS TOOK THE COUNCIL SIDE, WHICH WAS always showing they had the interest of us at heart, when in reality, they had hidden agenda.

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  11. I am a born and bred Shepherds Busher who happened to stumble across a few free tickets for People's Question Time. For work purposes I had to move to North London two years ago, but Shebu has always been in my heart.

    My childhood centered around the market (before the refurb) and the old library, when I heard Chris and Aniza speak yesterday I just wanted to cry. I don't know anything about the politics surrounding all of this, but all I know from is if something doesn't make sense logically then something is wrong.

    I am not a fan of Boris politically, but I have always liked him for being expressive regardless of the situation. I can't recall him ever not giving an opinion on anything!

    I pledge my support to the Shepherds Bush community and to this cause.

    Dissect that all you will anonymous.

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