Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstoneis an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Councilfrom 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office in 2000 until 2008. He also served as the Member of Parliamentfor Brent East from 1987 to 2001. A suspended member of the Labour Party, he was on the party's hard left, ideologically identifying as a democratic socialist...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth17 June 1945
argue issues
When I'm sifting the compost seed or pruning, I argue over issues in my head; I talk to myself.
real thinking issues
I think democracy's undermined when those who own newspapers fill them with trivia rather than real issues.
issues community black
My administration will tackle these issues in consultation with the black communities of London.
war america issues
All the politics of the post-war period was about the clash between the Soviet Union and America, and virtually all issues ended up being subordinated to that. Now, the question is, what is the most a socialist can achieve in a global economy?
issues perfect environmental
The American agenda is sweeping everything before it, and although it's not perfect, the EU is better on environmental issues. It's a less rapacious form of capitalism.
issues ugly politician
I liked it when we had ugly politicians who droned on about issues.
build links london strong
We want to try and build very strong links between London and Beijing.
immense jewish jews
I could not cherish London and not value Jewish London. The contribution of Jews to London is immense - politically, economically, culturally, intellectually, philanthropically, artistically.
anyone life money politician pressure understand
I can't understand why anyone would want to live the life of a politician if you can't say pretty much what you think. You are not in it for the money: there's unremitting pressure on your life, you give up so much of your privacy. It can only be because of the things you want to do and the things you want to say.
came carry change lying politics wished
I came into politics because I wished to change things. You can't do that by lying to people; you have to educate, and persuade, and carry them with you - and it's often a long haul.
anywhere channels fairly few tv
Press TV is one of the few TV channels anywhere in the West that fairly presents the Palestinian case.
I'm an emotional person; I do occasionally shed a tear.
I would like all newspapers to become workers' co-operatives.
Well, I mean, I'm very much a pragmatic person.