Boris Johnson’s attempts to spin his announcement of the 2009 St George’s Day celebrations backfired on him this morning when BNP Assembly Member Richard Barnbrook claimed the Mayor had copied a BNP policy.
On Sunday Johnson announced details of this year’s celebrations and claimed the festival “has been ignored in London for far too long” despite former Mayor Ken Livingstone supporting the event in past years.
View the exchange:
2009’s celebrations will include a “major” concert in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 25th April and, as in past years, a Shakespeare celebration at the Globe theatre on Sunday 19 April. Johnson has also said he’ll fly the English flag outside City Hall on April 23rd.
Follow the MayorWatch coverage of Mayor’s Question Time on Twitter
Brian Old says
March 25, 2009 at 11:16 amGood. Can we also fly the English flag even Aresenal football club have banned?
James says
March 25, 2009 at 7:02 pmnice own goal for Boris there, shame he decided to play up to these people in the first place.
When Barnbrook said “this could have happened years ago” Boris has THE perfect opportunity to ‘clarify’ matters and admit it happened last year.
Martin Hoscik says
March 25, 2009 at 7:23 pmJames
Today’s episode is exactly what I had in mind when I wrote:
“playing up in this way to those who seek to divide its communities cheapens Boris and perpetuates the propaganda of those who claim ‘the system’ favours those from non-British backgrounds.”
http://mayorwatch.co.uk/does-boris-really-not-know-london-celebrates-st-george%E2%80%99s-day/20097199
It was such an obvious trap to fall into that I can’t understand how it was allowed to happen. Is there no-one in City Hall looking out for Boris?
James says
March 25, 2009 at 8:59 pmI was shocked to learn that the liberal left had actually thought the England flag signified something bad.
What a wacky country it is when some people are ashamed of their own flag.
It’s a common tactic of a political party on the run – copy the policies of their more popular alternative government.
niko says
March 26, 2009 at 7:55 pmeven if he did copy their ideas it doesnt really matter in the end st georges day hyas nothing to do with bnp, sounds like they try to claim anything to do with england is related to them, so people are ashamed to fly their flag, its wierd im not english , and i dont see it as offecive.
bnp are just begging attention by any means