George Ferguson

[Aizoon]

I did. I thought he'd get rid of Metrobus and sort out the council. I didn't realise he'd fill the city with useless cycle lanes - before implementing a proper transport system.

I thought he was a forward thinking person who could drag Bristol into the 21st century with some decent stadia/arenas etc

I didn't.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

He was against a new supermarket coming to BS3 which is a point of view that was inconvenient for the club, but was supported by a number of local businesses and quite a few people. Ferguson couldn't "make" AV happen - the ludicrous legislation allowed a handful of activists derail that - but he was vocal in his support for it, once the plan for the Sainsburys relocation was approved. I have no idea of the arguments for supermarkets in the north Bristol ghetto, but whatever his reasoning it wouldn't be because he "supports the Gas". He'd be blue trousers if he did!

 

The Ashton side of BS3 needed a good sized supermarket, the other Sainsbury's was/is not fit for purpose, Whorefield dosen't need another supermarket, IMO hypocritical based on self interest in BS3 and couldn't give a **** in Whorefield.

[Red-Robbo]

The Ashton side of BS3 needed a good sized supermarket, the other Sainsbury's was/is not fit for purpose, Whorefield dosen't need another supermarket, IMO hypocritical based on self interest in BS3 and couldn't give a **** in Whorefield.

Dunno. Never lived in either place, however he did represent a number of locals when he said "no thanks".

I think a Tesco just a few hundred yards from an existing Sainsburys was the concern. When the guys from Cheshunt lost interest, and he got elected, leading to conflict of interest issues, he dropped his objections.

Unlike AV, selling to Sainsburys was/is going to be the only way the Gash get anywhere near building the Field Of Despondency at UWE, so I guess he felt he had to show willing and support that. It was BCC and South Gloucestershire who grant planning permission anyway, not him, his role is totally marginal. As it is, it's now up to a High Court judge rather than any elected official to kill off or keep alive that little project.

[Mr Popodopolous]

On balance he is a cock. AV wasn't entirely his fault bad legislation etc, and indeed he has done little for Bristol. Little at all. The right Mayor COULD make a difference I reckon, he clearly is not. Bristol and apathy also plays a p[art, tiny turnout as someone else pointed out well that helped him get in. Someone like Lansdown now I WOULD vote for him quite possibly- has big experience of business for one. Let's face it we get **** all from the Govt too, Ferguson hasn't helped at all has he.

[Maesknoll Red]

[Dollymarie]

I voted for Marvin cos I thought he was the best chance of stopping red trousers

[Red-Robbo]

[Maesknoll Red]

Totally agree about 20mph limit, but as I say not Ferguson's policy and NOT funded from council tax.

I also drive into Bristol for work via the A37 and tbh I find the cycle/bus lanes much less of a hazard than the near continuous roadworks and the nightmare of the unphased lights around Temple Meads - which predates Pantalons Rouge by some time. Perhaps I could put up with crawling through the city better if the cretins at North Somerset hadn't shut down most of the dual carriageways leading to it!

To reiterate something once again, unless there is more money from the government to fund major capital projects in Bristol, it will remain congestion-bound and lacking facilities. No Mayor can change the fact that Bristol is seen as "wealthy" and therefore not worthy of the investment spent elsewhere.

The policy was mooted and around before Ferguson, but he could have stopped it, he didn't, he endorsed it, so the buck stops firmly on his desk. He's hardly a 'Boris' is he, plenty of negative vibes from all corners of the City for our Mayor, not that there was much choice, no outstanding character that could gel the City and create a feelgood factor.

[Red-Robbo]

The policy was mooted and around before Ferguson, but he could have stopped it, he didn't, he endorsed it, so the buck stops firmly on his desk. He's hardly a 'Boris' is he, plenty of negative vibes from all corners of the City for our Mayor, not that there was much choice, no outstanding character that could gel the City and create a feelgood factor.

If you lived in London you'd realise that there are plenty of negative vibes around Boris too. Millions wasted on his now unsponsorsed "Boris bikes" scheme too.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

If you lived in London you'd realise that there are plenty of negative vibes around Boris too. Millions wasted on his now unsponsorsed "Boris bikes" scheme too.

 

Probably true but labour probably also has nobody who would beat him if he stood again.

[Red-Robbo]

Probably true but labour probably also has nobody who would beat him if he stood again.

Yet London is where Labour is strongest. Bucks national trends.

Boris, of course, spends 100% of his time posing in publicity stunts as part of his role of "Tory leader in waiting" and about 0% actually doing anything as Mayor.

He'll win Ruislip of course. A pigeon would get elected there if it had a blue rosette on, but London-wise the mood is firmly anti-BoJo.

And of course London is full of new bus lanes, cycle routes, RPZ's and 20mph zones. As are most British cities now.

[Aizoon]

Yet London is where Labour is strongest. Bucks national trends.

Boris, of course, spends 100% of his time posing in publicity stunts as part of his role of "Tory leader in waiting" and about 0% actually doing anything as Mayor.

He'll win Ruislip of course. A pigeon would get elected there if it had a blue rosette on, but London-wise the mood is firmly anti-BoJo.

And of course London is full of new bus lanes, cycle routes, RPZ's and 20mph zones. As are most British cities now.

Yes, but London has decent public transport. As do most British cities now - EXCEPT BLOODY BRISTOL

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Yet London is where Labour is strongest. Bucks national trends.

Boris, of course, spends 100% of his time posing in publicity stunts as part of his role of "Tory leader in waiting" and about 0% actually doing anything as Mayor.

He'll win Ruislip of course. A pigeon would get elected there if it had a blue rosette on, but London-wise the mood is firmly anti-BoJo.

And of course London is full of new bus lanes, cycle routes, RPZ's and 20mph zones. As are most British cities now.

 

All this anti BoJo and labour would almost certainly still lose if he stood again, that is the problem labour should look at they don't possess anybody popular enough to beat a clown.

 

I bet the SNP would have a reasonable candidate.

[Red-Robbo]

Yes, but London has decent public transport. As do most British cities now - EXCEPT BLOODY BRISTOL

Decades of neglect, Aiz. I don't think you can lay all that at the foot of Red Trousers.

Mind you, I think the Tube is probably at peak time saturation point, and London's roads are f-ing impossible. I was stuck in a two-hour traffic jam the other night. And this was in Barnes, nowhere near central London.

[Red-Robbo]

All this anti BoJo and labour would almost certainly still lose if he stood again, that is the problem labour should look at they don't possess anybody popular enough to beat a clown.

Not sure that's true now, Es. But we'll never know as he's busy sharpening his knife for Dave's back.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Not sure that's true now, Es. But we'll never know as he's busy sharpening his knife for Dave's back.

 

I bet it won't be as sharp as the one that Prescott buried in St Tony's back yesterday? re what he describes as Blairs crusades, mind you although undoubtedly true the hypocrisy was mind numbing from another who voted in favour of the Iraq invasion 2003.

 

Politicians eh, bunch of *****.

[Aizoon]

Decades of neglect, Aiz. I don't think you can lay all that at the foot of Red Trousers.

Mind you, I think the Tube is probably at peak time saturation point, and London's roads are f-ing impossible. I was stuck in a two-hour traffic jam the other night. And this was in Barnes, nowhere near central London.

Both fair points, but Red Trousers has done frack all to improve things, and Crossrail will make a huge difference in London.

[Red-Robbo]

Both fair points, but Red Trousers has done frack all to improve things, and Crossrail will make a huge difference in London.

It has to. The London economy is so overheated and the city is the destination of so many immigrants - both internal from other parts of the UK and from literally everywhere else in the world - that the underground system literally seizes up.

The other day I had the misfortune of trying to use the Victoria Line from King's Cross at 9am. After three stuffed-to-the-gills trains came and went, I gave up and decided to walk the mile to my meeting.

[ducky]

The 20mph signs are a city council policy (which of course doesn't "cost millions") and he supports City, so far from being anti- the club).

TBH whoever you got as Mayor would be stymied at present because the main job is not to get things done - it's to try to manage the swinging cuts imposed on local government in the least harmful way. The piggy bank is virtually empty for capital projects.

As for cycle lanes, you can't really complain about congestion then denigrate a policy that aims to get cars off the road - and people fitter! All Mayors have been encouraging them - how often have you seen Boris wobbling about on his gimmick bike? - as there are central government grants available to put them in. They are cost neutral to local government.

I speak as a born-again cyclist, who has seen considerable advantages to the Robbo waistline since getting back on two wheels. I wish Mendip would put some bloody lanes round here!

Of course, I make most of my journeys by car, but if people want to cycle, they should be encouraged and enabled to do so safely.

what? absolute nonsense.  I know the man and he has no football affilitation what-so-ever.  i would also say that he gets a lot of stick for things he's not responsible for.  i don't dislike the bloke as mayor, he's at least trying to push bristol forward, albeit somewhat not to the taste of the masses.  the alternative was a labour mayor, who'd have done the same as all labour types, spoken well (the labour leader excluded), looked busy, achieved nothing and then blamed everyone else for the state of the city/country/world.

[Lack of Action Man]

You must also have found it impossible to read anything I wrote. The cycle schemes and almost certainly the signage will have cost the city nothing: Department of Transport and/or Sustrans budget.

Capital projects in Wales get supported by the Welsh Assembly. Now we could probably agree on how an unfair share of national wealth gets allocated to Yacky Dars, but the fact is there is next to no money for Ferguson or BCC to spend on improvement works in this city. The budget has been slashed. Watch the news.

I do watch the news, I watch it every day at work for the NHS. I reiterate my point, the pro-cycling "adjustments " that have been encouraged and implemented by Ferguson are destroying the cities roads. Now, that doesn't just hinder the car driver but it also slows down busses. Little wonder people won't use them?

Public transport first or nothing at all. Stop wasting mine and other taxpayers money on gimmicky cycling schemes. Frankly I find it disgusting That some people have a "everyone can and should cycle" attitude. Total disregard for the lesser abled and carers, let alone medics and other emergency services.

[Red-Robbo]

[Red-Robbo]

I do watch the news, I watch it every day at work for the NHS. I reiterate my point, the pro-cycling "adjustments " that have been encouraged and implemented by Ferguson are destroying the cities roads. Now, that doesn't just hinder the car driver but it also slows down busses. Little wonder people won't use them?

Public transport first or nothing at all. Stop wasting mine and other taxpayers money on gimmicky cycling schemes. Frankly I find it disgusting That some people have a "everyone can and should cycle" attitude. Total disregard for the lesser abled and carers, let alone medics and other emergency services.

You need to get out (of Bristol) more.

Cycle lanes proliferate in every British city. And the reason is - unlike major road projects - local government does not have to pay for them.

Encouraging cycling is part of a strategy to get more people off the roads - which is a good thing for all concerned.

However it should go hand-in-hand with a local mixed economy planning strategy and other measures, including the right to (whenever practical) flexible-time for workers, and school bus transport for many more pupils etc etc.

If you want to me to say national and local transport strategy is ****** right up then I'll wholeheartedly agree!

[Mr Popodopolous]

Yes, but London has decent public transport. As do most British cities now - EXCEPT BLOODY BRISTOL

 

Not wrong. I heard from a relative to moved to Bristol in early 80s it said Bristol Super Tram! 30 odd years on?

 

Partly lack of bargaining skills, partly because we are ignored for varied reasons as Robbored said about perceived wealth etc, and maybe because we are neither politically solidly Labour or Tory we are not such a high priority...seven libraries could be closing soon. Googled a Tory strong hold lately, Tunbridge Wells. Now while it is much smaller than Bristol ZERO library closures mooted.

[Lack of Action Man]

You need to get out (of Bristol) more.

Cycle lanes proliferate in every British city. And the reason is - unlike major road projects - local government does not have to pay for them.

Encouraging cycling is part of a strategy to get more people off the roads - which is a good thing for all concerned.

However it should go hand-in-hand with a local mixed economy planning strategy and other measures, including the right to (whenever practical) flexible-time for workers, and school bus transport for many more pupils etc etc.

If you want to me to say national and local transport strategy is ****** right up then I'll wholeheartedly agree!

I need to get out of Bristol more? Oh man. That's good. In my lifetime, I've lived in Bristol, South Glocestershire, Birmingham, Worcestershire, North Somerset and regularly travelled to London for business and leisure.

Encouraging cycling is a good thing, but once again I'll reiterate its frankly appalling that taxpayers money is used regardless of whether it's by central government or district authorities when that money should be allocated on public transport solutions. I understand Bristol is viewed as a wealthy region, but you only need look at the disatisfsction posted daily on first Bristols social media connections to see how poor the service is.

Last year I worked in Portishead- you seriously expecting me to cycle that every day for a 9 hour shift? Sometimes when I dont even finish until 10pm? Get real.

Think we're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one. GF has done nothing to improve the city, in fact now I think of it he's plunged hundreds of thousands of pounds into "make Sunday special" whilst public libraries and care homes continue to close down. What a farce.

[Red-Robbo]

I need to get out of Bristol more? Oh man. That's good. In my lifetime, I've lived in Bristol, South Glocestershire, Birmingham, Worcestershire, North Somerset and regularly travelled to London for business and leisure.

Encouraging cycling is a good thing, but once again I'll reiterate its frankly appalling that taxpayers money is used regardless of whether it's by central government or district authorities when that money should be allocated on public transport solutions. I understand Bristol is viewed as a wealthy region, but you only need look at the disatisfsction posted daily on first Bristols social media connections to see how poor the service is.

Last year I worked in Portishead- you seriously expecting me to cycle that every day for a 9 hour shift? Sometimes when I dont even finish until 10pm? Get real.

Think we're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one. GF has done nothing to improve the city, in fact now I think of it he's plunged hundreds of thousands of pounds into "make Sunday special" whilst public libraries and care homes continue to close down. What a farce.

I agree he's made little difference, but you have to look at what a mayor actually controls and how small his budget is.

No city mayor (apart from old Boris) has the resources to significantly change public transport provision, or keep closure-threatened care homes open. They are pissing around on the fringes of things, trying to do a few high-profile but inexpensive things. They are mere figureheads.

In a way it's a weakness in a way the concept of the way local government works and how having a mayor was sold to people. I genuinely think that whoever was mayor you would get the same posts saying "but he hasn't done anything!"

At least you don't live in Somerset and have your council tax wasted on hiring the most expensive council chief executive in the UK, then putting her on "gardening leave" for 7 months.

[markyou]

You need to get out (of Bristol) more.

Cycle lanes proliferate in every British city. And the reason is - unlike major road projects - local government does not have to pay for them.

Encouraging cycling is part of a strategy to get more people off the roads - which is a good thing for all concerned.

However it should go hand-in-hand with a local mixed economy planning strategy and other measures, including the right to (whenever practical) flexible-time for workers, and school bus transport for many more pupils etc etc.

If you want to me to say national and local transport strategy is ****** right up then I'll wholeheartedly agree!

Are You really GF?

[markyou]

I need to get out of Bristol more? Oh man. That's good. In my lifetime, I've lived in Bristol, South Glocestershire, Birmingham, Worcestershire, North Somerset and regularly travelled to London for business and leisure.

Encouraging cycling is a good thing, but once again I'll reiterate its frankly appalling that taxpayers money is used regardless of whether it's by central government or district authorities when that money should be allocated on public transport solutions. I understand Bristol is viewed as a wealthy region, but you only need look at the disatisfsction posted daily on first Bristols social media connections to see how poor the service is.

Last year I worked in Portishead- you seriously expecting me to cycle that every day for a 9 hour shift? Sometimes when I dont even finish until 10pm? Get real.

Think we're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one. GF has done nothing to improve the city, in fact now I think of it he's plunged hundreds of thousands of pounds into "make Sunday special" whilst public libraries and care homes continue to close down. What a farce.

Bang on OBJ

[Red-Robbo]

Are You really GF?

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

I just don't do the lynch mob thing.

And I tend to take a more realistic view on what a figurehead mayor can achieve. Not a lot, basically.

I've certainly never suggested everybody must cycle everywhere. I drive to work in Bristol myself.

[Dollymarie]

This is brilliant!

https://m.soundcloud.com/g-misterg/mad-mayor-george

[Esmond Million's Bung]

and I wouldn't buy one of his mean, green, 20mph grilling machines either.