• Question by: Trevor Phillips
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

I am very interested in what you have said, Ken, but I should like to follow up Tony's slightly bizarre line of questioning by asking something practical. I do not think we can afford to be selectively multicultural in London. As I understand it, the plan is to put a substantial amount of money into celebrating St Patrick's Day. Will we be doing the same, for example, for the Chinese New Year - not just giving them Trafalgar Square but helping them in funding as we are doing in other areas?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

It is not like you to be chicken. Here is a wonderful opportunity for you to do something for the majority of Londoners. The majority of Londoners are English. Scratch us and not only do we bleed but we bleed the red, white and blue, and many of us bleed the red cross of St George. I accept what you say - that we do not wear our patriotism on our sleeve in this country and its capital - but this is an opportunity for you in Golden Jubilee Year. I hope you already have substantial plans for assisting the...

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Don't you think that you have missed a trick on this one? You would have the opportunity on 23 April, and every 23 April, not only to celebrate our patron saint but Shakespeare, because it is also his birthday. That would give you the most marvellous opportunity. You could dress up as a Morris dancer. You could shake your cap and bells at the Globe Theatre while declaiming the soliloquy from "Hamlet". That would rejuvenate London's tourist economy all on its own. The serious point is that, if you truly want to encourage tourism, the appropriate thing would be to...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

As you did not discuss congestion charging, we are still going to do so. It is my view that, when you go live, you will need to be incredibly flexible. I do not think you have necessarily got the charging level or the boundary right; there are several issues on which you will need to be flexible. The idea that you will get everything right on "go live" day is far-fetched. However, I think that the Conservatives perpetuate a myth that this will be like Armageddon, and somehow London will grind to a halt - Tony Arbour: "Carmageddon"! Lynne Featherstone...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Can we take it from that that the Minister has given you an assurance that he will not use his reserve powers to step in and prevent the charge from being imposed?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

So you cannot really point to any significant benefits from lobbying for Londoners that have flowed from your mayoralty.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

What did Londoners get that we would not have got if you had not been there?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

London did no better than the rest of the country, as I understand it. You did not secure a better deal for London.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

So what deals have you done for Londoners?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

I think we can note from what you just said that the single most important financial decision of your mayoralty will come in January or February when you decide whether to proceed with this massive letting of contracts on the congestion charge. Everything you are telling us confirms that you are very nervous about this: politically you want to be bullish, but you are aware that you may suffer a cruel crucifixion on the issue. My question refers to the question on the paper, about discussions with Government. Many Londoners say to me, "The problem with Ken Livingstone is that...