Mayor Livingstone "suspended" for Concentration Camp jibe

[Peter]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4746016.stm

1. Totally disproportionate response to an incident that has been blown out of all proportion anyway.
2. He is the Mayor of London for god's sake. I understand that district councillors need to be regulated by the Adjudication Panel, but somebody on what is essentially a devolved body should be regulated by that body - i.e. this should have been dealt with by the Greater London Authority.

[minionofmidas]

I don't understand that district councillors "need to be regulated by the Adjudication Panel". Why the hell should they be?
I'm sorry, but this little piece of fascism just leaves me totally dumbfounded...

Now, if he'd made that comment in an official function... I could sort of see it, but it'd still be antidemocratic, pointless (ie, not achieving anything) and wrong.
Do BNP councillors often have trouble with this panel?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

1. Totally disproportionate response to an incident that has been blown out of all proportion anyway.
2. He is the Mayor of London for god's sake. I understand that district councillors need to be regulated by the Adjudication Panel, but somebody on what is essentially a devolved body should be regulated by that body - i.e. this should have been dealt with by the Greater London Authority.

^^^

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IIRC the whole thing was setup largely in response to things like Donnygate and other such local government scandals. Basically the idea behind it is that as lot of local authorities are unable to police themselves, an independent panel should do it to stop people losing whatever trust they have left in local government. Personally I don't like it at all, but it's probably needed (sadly). Needs reforming though (to make it more accountable).
It mainly deals with minor corruption and ethical issues, not this sort of thing.

I'm not sure why it was decided that the head of a *regional* government should be accountable to it though...

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Yes, I don't quite see how a random druken insult after being harrassed by a particularly irritating journo is any business of the Adjudication Panel or the Standards Board for England...

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More than an average counciller, yes (I think). But that's more to do with their conduct on the councils that they sit on, than remarks made while not in official functions...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Apparently the Standards Board for England recommend (basically) a slap on the wrist and *not* suspension or anything like that... the Adjudication Panel seems to have flatly contradicted their advice. Interesting.

[afleitch]

While I think the punishment he received was way over the top, Ken is man of double standards at times. To criticisise the publication of the Danish cartoons, which were an indirect insult to Muslims, yet to stand by his direct insult to a Jew is in my book, double standards. Likewise to march in London's Gay Pride march last year, yet weeks later warmly embrace Qaradawi who called the execution of gay people as 'the voice of moderate Islam' is also a case of double standards from London's mayor.

As the representative of such a diverse city as London. he should more wary of the comments he makes. Yet I do not think he should be suspended for having made them.

[J. J.]

The should have elected Lord Archer; he was already in jail so you couldn't do that much more damage.

[afleitch]

The should have elected Lord Archer; he was already in jail so you couldn't do that much more damage.

Good lord no Give me Stephen 'Shagger' Norris any day

[minionofmidas]

It mainly deals with minor corruption and ethical issues, not this sort of thing.

That makes somewhat more sense. Although of course in an ideal world these issues belong with the courts, not some panel - but unfortunately that's not working well anywhere.