The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has given a half arsed biscuit type apology to his Irish community in London. He has apologised to the Irish community for alleging that a St Patrick Day’s dinner was funded by ratepayers.The comments in New Statesman last month have become a major issue in the May mayoral elections against former mayor Ken Livingstone, who says Johnson had no interest in London's large Irish community.
The issue of Lord Mayor Johnson’s relationship with the Irish community has again surfaced this week just before theSt Patrick Day’s parade to Trafalgar Square, as the mayor once again will not attend.In a communique yesterday, Mr Johnson apologised for his New Statesman anti-Irish remark. The Lord Mayor has fallen behind in the polls after his remarks were made public before which he had a comfortable lead.
“There has been real and admirable progress in the fight against any lingering anti-Irish sentiment in London and it is deeply upsetting that people have alleged that I harbour such feelings,” he told Catherina Casey the chairperson of the city’s St Patrick’s Day Advisory Forum. Previously Mr Johnson had claimed in the New Statesman article, that £24,000 of London ratepayers’ money had been wasted on funding the black-tie Dorchester Sta Patricks Day hotel dinner in the city’s highest-profile Irish event. Lord Mayor Johnson acknowledged to Ms. Casey that the dinner had been “self-financing but had been backed by a Greater London Authority contingency” guarantee. Martin McGuinness who likes expensive meals was guest of honour.
In Downing Street earlier yesterday Johnson Tory party colleague British prime minister David Cameron joked with the Irish Prime minister Enda Kenny about Mr Johnson’s part in upcoming celebrations in London to mark St Patrick’s Day, which run the week, saying, “I am sure that there will be a good show put on in London this year. I can’t promise that Boris Johnson will dye his hair green, but, you never know, he might do, it’s election year.”
The Irish community worldwide are however incensed as the London Lord Mayor still has not apologised for his other remarks that St Patrick's Day celebrations are "lefty crap" and that the Irish were " lazy and stupid." There is further gathering anger worldwide among the Irish against their other Tory party colleague who is Secretary of Stae for Occupied Ireland, who has interned prisoner activist, Marian Price for more than 10 months in solitary confinement without any trial. Protests are expected worldwide on St Patrick's Day!
The following is another example of the Lord Mayor's type of half arsed apologies
In recent years I Boris Johnson may have inadvertently given the impression that I was totally against "Kosovo-style" cuts to London and was ready to fight a "Stalingrad like defence" of my budget.
Headlines such as "London cuts are madness, Boris tells PM" and "Boris urges Cameron to shelter London from the cuts" may have suggested to many that I was against cutting spending.
I now realise that these same cuts are absolutely essential and that speaking out against them is the work of a clueless opportunist, which of course I most certainly am not.
I would like to take this opportunity to clear up any misunderstanding and to apologise for any confusion caused.
Yours steadfastly,
BJ.
Here"s what we think of your Apology Boris!
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