Letter to The London Assembly

The Members of the London Assembly are elected at the same time as the Mayor. Their job is to hold the Mayor to account and to investigate issues of concern to Londoners.

angie.bray@london.gov.uk ; lynne.featherstone@london.gov.uk ; jenny.jones@london.gov.uk ; graham.tope@london.gov.uk ; sally.hamwee@london.gov.uk ; darren.johnson@london.gov.uk ; mike.tuffrey@london.gov.uk ; Peter.Hulme-Cross@london.gov.uk ; murad.qureshi@london.gov.uk ; Dee.Doocey@london.gov.uk; brian.coleman@london.gov.uk ; robert.neill@london.gov.uk ; andrew.pelling@london.gov.uk ; richard.barnes@london.gov.uk ; len.duvall@london.gov.uk ; roger.evans@london.gov.uk ; valerie.shawcross@london.gov.uk ; elizabeth.howlett@london.gov.uk ; jennette.arnold@london.gov.uk ; tony.arbour@london.gov.uk ; Damian.Hockney@london.gov.uk ; geoff.pope@london.gov.uk

Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 09:54 PM
Subject: Can you afford to remain silent ?

Members of the London Assembly,

Unless I have missed something, not one of you has spoken out to dissociate yourself from your mayor's recent statements which would seem to suggest that terrorist bombings of civilians may be more acceptable in Israel than they are in London.

He equates the sovereign government of the only democracy in the Middle East to Hamas, bedfellows of the terror group which slaughtered 56 innocent citizens this month.

Are Londoners to assume, by your silence, that you share the mayor's views or at least would not argue against them?

If not, now is the time to speak out. Loudly and clearly.

It is very likely that Mr Livingstone's equivocation on suicide bombers serves to encourage them further and prompt further attacks as occured today. Mercifully there were no casualties today. But, are you prepared to share that responsibility next time?

Ken Livingstone was elected to deal with London's problems. Not to pontificate on foreign affairs, demonize foreign countries and their leaders and fete rabid clerics who openly encourage suicide bombers. His conduct is totally unbecoming of any city mayor, least of all our great city London.

You have the power to remove him.

You have a moral duty to remove him.

Do the decent thing and send a clear message to those who seek to terrorise our city and those who incite them.