Ken’s best video moments
politics.co.uk brings you a countdown of our favourite Ken Livingstone moments, as he returns to run for mayor.
By Ian Dunt
It’s a shame, for a politician of such longevity, that we can’t bring you more videos from Red Ken’s past. The days of the GLA vs Thatcher will remain, for some people, the defining moment on his career, as he stood alone against the might of the prime minister.
Neither can we get hold of one particular video, which was shown everywhere in the days after the London bombings. Ken was in Singapore airport, expressing his sadness at the death of ordinary “working class” Londoners in the attacks. That response – utterly genuine and unrehearsed – managed to reflect the feelings of every Londoner that day. Unfortunately, we can’t track it down. Instead we feature another video from those days.
The clips below give some idea of the kind of politician Ken Livingstone is: colourful, authentic and crusading. He has had more than his fair share of problematic moments, not least accusations of anti-semitism and corruption in his administration. But he remains compulsively watchable, plain-speaking and principled in an age when many politicians are content to trot out soundbites. Here’s our countdown of his five best video moments. Enjoy.
5: Singing ‘Ernold Same’ with Blur
Ken is probably the only British politician who could win euphoric cheers when stepping on stage at a rock gig. Reprising his lead singing ‘Ernold Same’ from Blur’s Great Escape album, the then-Labour MP appears onstage promising the audience not to give up his day job. It’s a horrible performance, to be fair – much better on the album – but he manages to pull off the appearance. Quite a feat for an MP.
4: Elected Labour’s mayoral candidate
Ever the political survivor, Ken wins the battle against Oona King to stand as Labour candidate for the mayor of London in the 2012 elections. He begins the two-year campaign in typically aggressive form. “If you want to get them [Conservatives] out you start by getting out Boris Johnson. Boris, your finger prints are all over the scene of this crime.” With the polls against him and the years catching up, it’s pleasing to see the fire still in his belly.
3: Apology for slavery
The emotional apology for slavery delivered by Ken in City Hall was mocked as sloppily sentimental by some observers, but many pundits felt Ken did Britain an important service by offering an authentically emotional resolution to one of the most shameful parts of the country’s history. “Slavery was not ended as an act of goodwill by slave owners, it was defeated as an act of resistance by the slaves,” he says, after fighting back tears. The emotional embraces with campaigners afterwards give some indication of how important the achievement was for him.
2: Bringing Mayoral Question Time to a halt
Boris Johnson is generally credited with being charismatic and watchable, but Mayoral Question Time has actually been somewhat less interesting since he took over. Ken’s arrogant, plain-speaking approach to the session made it compulsive viewing. His barely-concealed hatred for the Tory members of the assembly made it even more enjoyable. In this clip, we discover his response to allegations about his advisor, Lee Jasper, which was to repeatedly offer to bring him downstairs into the meeting. “You sanctimonious hypocrites are dragging this out so the lies can carry on in the Standard,” he shouts. When told by the chair to treat the Assembly with respect, he ends up informing her that respect “has to be earned”. The Question Time was adjourned while everyone collected themselves. Most regrettable, but very funny.
1: “London United”
As we mentioned earlier, this wasn’t the best or most important moment of Ken’s response to the London bombings on 7/7. That came earlier, as he spoke to press in Singapore with an honesty which was beamed around the world in the days to come. Even his most strident opponents appreciated his presence as mayor that day. But his speech to the gathered crowds a few days later in Trafalgar Square was no less impressive. To many, it was his single greatest political moment. Ken’s voice starts to crack as he reminds the crowds that the city “is the most tolerant in the world”. It’s the kind of speech which makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. They only work when you feel the speaker means it. In this case you wouldn’t doubt it for a second.
