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On Saturday 20th April Jan Woolf organised a 'Thanks Ken' afternoon at the Gatehouse pub theatre in London's Highgate. Family and friends wanted to celebrate his life and honour his legacy as Mayor of London. On sale was a pamphlet which included my conversation with him over a takeaway curry and contributions acknowledging his many achievements as an honest, good and effective politician. A few are included below
In Conversation with David Wilson]
My father used to tell me that you can always tell who is the honest politician.
He’s the one wearing the pink hat. When leader of the Greater London Council, Margaret]
Thatcher accused Ken of introducing an “eastern European” style “tyranny” for crimes such
as lowering bus fares and organising anti-racist celebrations. When I met with him recently in
a north London restaurant, a woman sitting at a nearby table came over, shook his hand and
thanked him for all he had done for her city. That was fifteen years after the end of his time as
Mayor. The last word must be given to the man in the pink hat and this conversation over a
take-away curry allows him to do just that.
DW How are you feeling, Ken?
KL I have a very bad memory. My diagnosis is ‘early onset dementia and
Alzheimer’s disease’ and ‘just the beginning’. I also have arthritic knees, but
my earlier cancers (expand) haven’t amounted to anything. Other than that,
my doctor tells me I’m in good health. But I’m an old man now. How old
are you?
DW The same age as you.
KL At the time you and I were born, the average life expectancy was 63. We
are products of the Welfare State and our marvellous National Health Service.
DW I’d like to ask you a few questions. Maybe the best place to start is with
your health.
KL Might be very short because I might not be here much longer.
DW You mustn’t talk like that. We’re here while we are here. Chrysippus,
a Stoic philosopher, said ‘Where there is life there is no death, and where
there is death there is no life.’ And he died from a fit of laughter. Are you a
happy person?
KL I am right now. It’s very nice to get out and socialise. I spend so much
time at home reading and watching documentaries as nobody contacts me
for work since I was accused of anti-semitism.
DW You used to write a food column for the Evening Standard, but you’ve
hardly touched your curry. Why?
KL I’ve lost my appetite. I eat a banana for breakfast. At lunch I have some
prawns or fried onion rings with salad and the same for dinner.
DW And drink?
KL I go to the pub every day and like to meet other old men who don’t have
a workplace any more. I enjoy maybe two or three beers during the day.
DW You talk about your own extinction, but you were quoted a few weeks
ago saying that you thought humans would be extinct this century. Can you
say more?
KL I know that sounds dramatic, but all politicians must take this seriously
– it’s the biggest issue we face – it dwarfs everything else. When people do
things right, like cities introducing the congestion charge and ULEZ type
schemes, set up wind farms, reduce plastics and recycle, it gives people
a sense of agency, and we must praise these actions and be positive. But
it’s the politicians who are not doing enough. Now it’s about promoting
themselves and getting rich, and it’s at the expense of the environment, like
the destroyed forests and new oil extractions in the ocean. Governments
should be investing green with laser panels, etc, rather than seek to make
themselves and their friends rich. If I wasn’t an old man with arthritis and
‘early onset’, I’d be out with Just Stop Oil.
DW You are on record as saying that this government is the worst in our life-
time. What should Keir Starmer be prioritising to help the working people
of this country?
KL I see that Keir is now chatting away with Tony Blair. Might they discuss
a massive redistribution of wealth by cracking down on all the tax dodgers?
that we don’t increase tax on ordinary people, but on the corporations
and super rich? He should be reinstating child benefit for all children as
it’s working class people and different ethnic groups that have the bigger
families. Keir should just be a proper socialist and dismiss the legacy of Blair
who stopped the Labour Party being a socialist party.
DW As GLC leader and Mayor of London, your legacy seems to be secure
as the London politician whose progressive policies made a real difference to
the lives of ordinary Londoners.
KL Of course I was always controversial. Break the word down – contra-
versial means an opposing story. I had different policies from many in
the establishment – whether Conservative or Labour – and had to fight
democratically to get them through. As leader of the GLC, my Fares Fair policy
and Freedom Passes for the elderly are examples, and as Mayor the congestion
charge and efficient city transport. My transition from GLC leader to Mayor
is well documented in my books, Livingstone’s London (Muswell Press), Being
Red (Left Book Club) and my autobiography You Can’t Say That (Faber). Let’s
just say, as a working class Londoner, I fought for progressive policies for all
Londoners, whether they were born here or not. The policies and details of
political shenanigans to get to power to get them through are all in the books.
I think I’ll have some of that rice and dal now.
DW As Mayor of London, you played an important role internationally,
speaking out for peace and reconciliation. What is your take on the
international situation right now?
KL I want to return to this. The biggest climate polluter on the planet is
the war machine. Governments need to be doing all they can for peace,
not stoking war scenarios that only benefit the arms manufacturers. No
government in the world is tackling climate change. I’m so worried about
my kids. We grew up in a world where there were socialist governments
everywhere, and even conservative governments were making concessions
to the working class. Churchill actually said you either give people reform,
or they will take it in the form of revolution.
DW Thank you very much.
KL You’re welcome. I just love talking about myself. It helps me remember
what I did. These days I have to check my autobiography to find out. Another
beer?
DW Yes please
Richard Kuper, publisher, Dartmouth Park
Ken’s period at the GLC was an inspiration. Constantly on the radio and
in the news, he was always able to explain what he was doing in simple, no-
nonsense terms. No-one could box him into a corner. To put it another way
– with a hat tip to Antonio Gramsci – he made socialist ideas and policies
sound like the common sense they were (and are). He was a real leader, not
out for self-aggrandisement but using power to empower others, encouraging
and facilitating people’s ability to organise themselves. And always willing to
stick two fingers up to the Tories in the nicest possible way. Just by being at
the GLC. As the title of his book would have it, “If voting changed anything
they’d abolish it”. As they did.
Merilyn Moos, writer, retired teacher, Archway
I’m glad you were willing to stand up against John Mann’s Zionist onslaught
against you. As you said at the time, “There’s been a very well-orchestrated
campaign by the Israel lobby to smear anybody who criticised Israeli policy
as anti-semitic.”
Matthew Deveraux, performer, teacher, Archway
Arthur Schopenhauer once said, “All truth passes through three stages: First,
it is ridiculed; second, it is opposed; and third, it is accepted as self-evident.”
This puts me in mind of many of the innovative policies of Livingstone when
in office, both as leader of the GLC and later as Mayor of London.
Keirion Carroll
It was 1984 and I was going on my first Gay march. I was sure all straight men hated gays
and then came along Ken Livingstone.. Ken didn’t just tolerate gays he actually supported us
and believed we were equal to all. A straight man that didn’t hate us was new to me. And he
became like a father figure, unlike our own fathers who had disowned many of us. I began to
feel that maybe I didn’t need to feel ashamed anymore that if one regular man could see me
as equal then why not more. I dared to dream. With Ken's support we were fearless.
