Comments on: The needless spin of Boris Johnson’s City Hall http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/the-needless-spin-of-boris-johnson-city-hall/20085107 London News and Opinion Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:11:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Damian Hockney http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/the-needless-spin-of-boris-johnson-city-hall/20085107/comment-page-1#comment-994 Damian Hockney Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:45:44 +0000 http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/?p=5107#comment-994 PQT is a useful exercise in holding the Mayor to account but as you rightly say, it is statutory - he is obliged to hold it. What is more important is the approach of the Mayor to dealing with media and in access. The former Mayor held his press conference even when he was in the eye of a storm (I can only remember one or maybe two occasions when I would say he cancelled because he felt uneasy about facing the press). People often adopt a rather strange attitude to the press, as if "we shouldn't kowtow to THEM", but the media has far greater resources to hold to account that the bodies charged with the task. Whatever the media may sometimes do, it is essentially and ultimately on the side of the voters. Any politicians who really limits access wishes to be less transparent. There is much evidence that the Mayor is limiting access. PQT is a useful exercise in holding the Mayor to account but as you rightly say, it is statutory – he is obliged to hold it. What is more important is the approach of the Mayor to dealing with media and in access. The former Mayor held his press conference even when he was in the eye of a storm (I can only remember one or maybe two occasions when I would say he cancelled because he felt uneasy about facing the press). People often adopt a rather strange attitude to the press, as if “we shouldn’t kowtow to THEM”, but the media has far greater resources to hold to account that the bodies charged with the task. Whatever the media may sometimes do, it is essentially and ultimately on the side of the voters. Any politicians who really limits access wishes to be less transparent. There is much evidence that the Mayor is limiting access.

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