If Boris is too busy for the police, where does he find time to write his £250k Telegraph column?

Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to explain precisely why he has stepped down as chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) – just 15 months into the role and less than two years after being elected on a manifesto which pledged to “provide strong leadership” by “taking responsibility and chairing” the MPA.

It was one of five pledges made by the Mayor, the failed fulfilment of which calls into question his ability to meet the other four promises he made, to make public transport safer, tackle gun and knife crime, help the victims of sexual violence ,and provide an accountable police service.

Boris-Johnson-Telegraph-column Questions will also be asked as to how, if he’s too busy to chair the MPA, he is able to write a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph – at a salary of £250,000 – a point made by Liberal Conspiracy and in a comment on The Guardian:

“Isn’t the important point that Boris spouted on about how he would chair the MPA in his manifesto and has now gone back on that promise? Not enough time indeed? He manages to find the time to write his chicken feed Telegraph columns doesn’t he?”

Last week, the Mayor’s ‘island airport’ idea was slapped down by David Cameron, who said it was “not our policy”, adding:

“Building airports is not his responsibility”

And yesterday he refused a Freedom of Information Act request to release secret correspondence between himself and Prince Charles regarding “hugely sensitive planning decisions and major financial and political deals”, with today’s Standard asking:

“What’s to hide?”

http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/01/27/boris-too-busy-for-police-but-not-telegraph-column/ Liberal Conspiracy » Boris too busy for police but not Telegraph column

[...] Also on and Left Foot Forward. [...]
http://twitter.com/jamescowley/status/8284370894 James Cowley

RT @leftfootfwd: If Boris is too busy for the police, where does he find time to write his £250,000 Telegraph column? http://is.gd/79Q4j
Mr. Sensible

For Borris, things started badly with his decision to sack Sir Ian Blair and they have gone downhill from there.

Over the weekend, i read somewhere how the Conservative Home website had listed his top 100 acheavements since he took office.

The only one I might agree with is making Oister available on the rail network.

But, how can you properly fund that if you scrap the West London extention to the congestion charge?

Sounds like the Tories are, again, trying to convince us they support public transport when, in reality, they do not.
http://twitter.com/dhmorton/status/8284509369 David Morton

RT @leftfootfwd: If Boris is too busy for the police, where does he find time to write his £250,000 Telegraph column? http://is.gd/79Q4j
http://twitter.com/thedancingflea/status/8285258269 Claire Spencer

It's almost as if the money had influenced Boris' decision, isn't it? How odd! #popcorn http://bit.ly/9fAlyu
Mark

I think Boris is a berk and a sad reminder that directly-elected mayors prove that self-regarding personality trumps policy (same is true for Ken of course, and he too wrote a newspaper column for a while).

But surely you recognise that we can all type a quick column once a week; any blogger knows that. But chairing a police authority might be a larger commitment.

If you can’t recognise the difference Shamik, then you risk being seen as scoring cheap points rather than contributing to evidence based blogging and progressive policies. I was hoping this blog would avoid the “Guidoisation” phenomenon. Alas!
http://twitter.com/hayley_dm/status/8286453013 Hayley Moseley

RT @leftfootfwd: If Boris is too busy for the police, where does he find time to write his £250,000 Telegraph column? http://is.gd/79Q4j
http://twitter.com/redbuttongirl/status/8289103433 Carmen Balza

RT @leftfootfwd: If Boris is too busy for the police, where does he find time to write his £250,000 Telegraph column? http://is.gd/79Q4j
http://twitter.com/gsdog7/status/8289147529 gsdog7

>;) RT @thedancingflea: It's almost as if the money had influenced Boris' decision, isn't it? How odd! #popcorn http://bit.ly/9fAlyu
Fony Blair

Maybe he trusts the professionals to do the job rather than interfering in every decision they make. Now there’s a novel idea! I can see all teh lefties scratching their heads about that one….”but surely we know best”.

To compare a role on the MPC to scribbling a few sentences for a column is hardly comparable. Evidence based as always!
Mr. Sensible

‘Fony Blair,’ leaving to the professionals?

What, like having Sir Ian Blair sacked?

On Conservative Home they’ve listed that as one of his acheavements; ever heard of clutching at straws?
Roger

a) Have you actually read Boris’s DT columns? – if they take him much more than an hour to write or dictate to an underling I’d be surprised.

In fact you could probably easily write a Boris-bot programme to autogenerate columns around whatever the issue of the week is likely to be.

b) Having direct responsibility for every police foul-up as chair of the MPA is clearly a poisoned chalice and you can’t blame him for dropping it.

c) Mr Sensible – does your browser have a spell checker?
Fony Blair

Mr Sensible – Ian Blair was hardly a distinguished public servant after the demenezes affair!!
Mr. Sensible

Fony Blair, whatever you think of him it should not be for a politician to decide on a police commissioner’s posission; that should be for the police authority.
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/10/look-left-02-10-11/ Look Left – Tory obsession with Europe goes on. And on. And on | Left Foot Forward

[...] the headlines, who this week was revealed to have broken his pledge to donate a fraction of the £250,000 annual fee he receives for writing his Telegraph column – a fee described as “chicken [...]