Transport for London has paused the English language test for Private Hire Drivers. This was a licensing requirement, but as a large number of Public Hire drivers were not passing the test, TfL has decided to pause this requirement. Imagine travelling to one of the world’s most popular capitals, and not being able to communicate with the driver in the language of that country. An incredible safety concern!
Johnson’s London Dictionary: London Clay
LONDON CLAY (n.) Dark brown deposit, which Londoners claim to be unique, despite geological evidence, much favoured in the manufacture of poor people’s houses.
Dr. Johnson’s London Dictionary for publick consumption in the twenty-first century avail yourself on Twitter @JohnsonsLondon
100 days to go
When you awoke today I’m betting your first thought wasn’t that you have only 100 days to decide who to vote for to run City Hall.
The main parties have already chosen their candidates, so I’ve been digging around their campaign websites to see what they’ve been saying on a variety of issues, as you’d expect transport, air pollution, housing, jobs and crime are all included.
So with a stubby pencil poised above my choice here’s what information I’ve managed to extract.
Sadiq Khan – Labour (1/6)
Khan claims that electing him for a record third time would be one in the eye for the Tories. He brags about his record on air pollution since the imposition of the popular Ulez; he warns us of the impending climate crisis after flying around the world; he claims reported crime is falling, although most now don’t both to inform the police; promoting housebuilding, which I can testify to as many car parks around here are now building sites; transport affordability (it’s cheap as chips apparently!); and the opening of the Elizabeth line after years of delays.
Susan Hall – Conservative (10/3)
Predictably Hall is keen to “sort out the mess” created by Khan, including stopping the Ulez after it’s cost us millions to set up, but that money won’t be wasted, word has it the cameras will be utilised for the police to spy on us; she does not want to see any construction of housing on the green belt so that cuts out obsolete rural petrol stations, and any derelict land being redeveloped; and that she will look to increase the number of low-rise family properties, rather than one or two bedrooms homes in high-rise blocks, just how without spreading out upon the green belt she doesn’t say.
Zoe Garbett – Green Party (66/1)
No surprise that Garbett pledges to make London a greener, fairer city with measures including free bus travel for young people (bugger the old as they’ve already decided to vote Tory); and cleaner ways to use Silvertown Tunnel, presumably turning it into the world’s largest underground cycle lane.
Rob Blackie Liberal Democrats – (66/1)
Anti-Brexiteer Blackie aims to tackle crime; keep London welcoming for European citizens and others who are “threatened by Home Office incompetence”, presumably to boost recruitment for the Met to tackle crime; and clean up London’s rivers, and there’s me thinking the £4.3bn Thames Tideway Tunnel aims to just achieve that.
Howard Cox – Reform UK (100/1)
A climate change sceptic, Cox promises to scrap Ulez completely, probably dumping the technology into landfill; cutting crime (could public flogging be on the cards?); build more houses, as climate change doesn’t exist let’s just chop down trees on the green belt; and he wants to “get the city moving” by scrapping low traffic neighbourhoods and 20mph zones, returning to the days of Brands Hatch wannabes outside primary schools.
There are several independents, most are not worth mentioning except one, who hasn’t thrown his hat in the ring.
Jeremy Corbyn – Independent (25/1)
As he hasn’t declared yet, so there’s no way of knowing what policies he’d announce. But one thing is for sure, it would split the Labour vote and keep the Red Flag flying above City Hall.
Featured image: Vote by Nick Youngson (CC BY-SA 3.0) Alpha Stock Images
London in Quotations: Mehmet Murat ildan
London is not a city, London is a person. Tower Bridge talks to you; National Gallery reads a poem for you; Hyde Park dances with you; Palace of Westminster plays the piano; Big Ben and St Paul’s Cathedral sing an opera! London is not a city; it is a talented artist who is ready to contact with you directly!
Mehmet Murat ildan (b.1965)
London Trivia: Falling on deaf ears
On 21 January 1670 Claude Duval the ‘Gallant Highwayman’ was hanged. Caught drunk at Mother Maberley’s Tavern in Chandos Street. When passing judgement Sir William Morton refused to commute the death sentence, and threatened to resign rather than sparing the highwayman despite mercy pleas from Ladies’ of the Court and even King Charles II himself. Duval was buried in St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden.
On 21 January 2006 a juvenile botlenose whale was spotted swimming up the Thames, she beached near Albert Bridge, watched by thousands efforts were made to return her back to the sea – it died
For writing ‘this Adonis in loveliness is a corpulent man of 50’ Leigh Hunt was imprisoned for 2 years in 1813 for libelling the Prince Regent
The last wolf in the City of London is commemorated at the spot it was killed, where a wolf’s head forms the waterspout of the Aldgate pump
On 21 January 1950 George Orwell, author of 1984 who penned the idea of Big Brother, died at University College Hospital aged 46
Henry I decreed that a street could not be named a Street unless it was paved and wide enough for 16 knights to ride abreast
The 1949 Ealing comedy Passport to Pimlico was shot in Lambeth starring Stanley Holloway documents revealed Pimlico an independent nation
The Lamb in Lamb’s Conduit Street had etched glass partitions preventing wealthy drinkers having to watch common men drinking in next bar
When Billy (the police horse who controlled spectators at the 1923 FA Cup final) died, his rider was given one of his hooves as an inkwell
On 21 January 1976 the first two Concordes entered service. BA’s from Heathrow to Bahrain while Air France’s from Paris to Rio de Janeiro
Jack Dee once worked in the Ritz’s kitchen. One night he cooked a doorman’s dinner, got a 50p tip. Made him realise his life was in a mess
London’s shortest street name is Hide, not Hide Street or Hide Lane, just Hide. At 150ft in length the street’s not so terribly long either
Trivial Matter: London in 140 characters is taken from the daily Twitter feed @cabbieblog.
A guide to the symbols used here and source material can be found on the Trivial Matter page.
CabbieBlog 