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
humour refuse
I refuse not to have a sense of humour.
detest loathe
I loathe and detest all this trivialisation of politics.
years careers average
I've always been a workaholic. I reckon, on average, I've had less than one day a year off in my working career.
election polling accurate
Polling in a general election is pretty accurate, because turnout is usually high.
war election vote
If women had never been given the right to vote, then Labour would have won every election after the war.
clever kids men
I was a weedy kid, not like one of those working-class men who can accommodate not being academically clever by physical strength and prowess.
privilege favour
I never came into life with any favours or privileges.
sound investment borrowed-money
I have only ever borrowed money for investment. I have been sound money all my life.
pay truth-is taxes
The truth is, no one pays more tax than they have to.
financial affair interest
I have no interest in managing my financial affairs.
views world way
My view is rather than just rage at your impotence you find the best way of achieving as much as you can within whatever constraints there are. It's not the world I would have created but you do what you can within it.
judging world british
The British judiciary is one of the most corrupt in the world because of politically active judges.
jobs games people
Politics is not a game. Thousands of people's jobs and services depended on what the GLC did, and they expected us to do the best we could.
writing growing awareness
I'd love to write about my growing sexual awareness, but the press would turn it into something squalid.