BY GABRIEL PRINCEWILL
The Mayor of London was the star attraction on the London Underground last weekend, shortly after a question time recording in the area.
Ironically, the very down to earth Mayor of London, briefly witnessed the reaction from angry passengers as some anxiously waited for their train to arrive on time. In the company of The eye of media, two of his aides- an attractive lady and a well built man, the mayor made his way through the barriers of East Croydon, like any other passenger, blending well with the crowd in a way that may have enabled him to evade notice on the crowded station until he got down the stairs to the platform, where some of the deficiencies of the London Underground reared its ugly head. Standing calmly on the platform, the Mayor had up to 5 minutes to watch a few disgruntled passengers express their discontentment with the unreliable service that night.
It was around 9pm on a Friday evening. This was indeed the second to occasion I would meet with the Mayor- I interviewed him at a boxing charity event at the Barbican about seven years ago. He is still the cool collective man as he was back then.
BACKWARD
Whilst the London Underground works well in many parts of London, it is still very backward in its timing sometimes.
The service in East Croydon on this day was so appalling that it left several passengers angry and frustrated. The delays were said to have been caused by signal failures. Staff on the platform said many of the trains had arrived on time but blamed ”technical defects” for the delay and cancellations for some of the services that compelled some passengers to seek alternative means of getting to their destination. Passengers reached for complaints forms where some expressed their wish to demand a refund.
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One passenger on the platform told The eye of Media ”several trains are arriving disgracefully late with no verbal apologies coming from the authorities, the times on the board keep changing for some of the trains. Many passengers were visibly furious about the delay. One passenger in particular was very vocal about the fact he had been waiting on the platform for over half an hour waiting for a train that was constantly delayed. ” I’ve got to be somewhere important, the passenger fumed as he paced up and down the platform making no secret of his frustration.
When one train eventually arrived, passengers were told that the guard for the train had not yet arrived, causing an extra delay for a train already late. Another passenger took issue with as he lamented the poor service that evening- staff could only try to appeal to his patience.
Boris Johnson had only a brief moment on the platform to witness the frustration of passengers before the train arrived. The tension calmed down when a few passengers noticed Boris Johnson, who calmly pointed a few passengers to the platform where the train many had been waiting for had arrived. The eye of Media alongside the two aides of the Mayor joined him in the carriage for the entirety of the journey from East Croydon to London Bridge. No formal interview was conducted during a journey which was generally relaxed. His aid had told me earlier that he had been through a lot of grilling throughout the day, so we saved an official interview for another day. The mayor was happy for me to summarize our discussion on this site, and did promise an extensive official interview in future, as the June referendum date draws closer.
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THE EU
Johnson did however restate his recently announced view that Britain was better off outside the EU; most importantly to curb immigration which he said was out of control, and also branded as ‘scare mongering’, assertions that The British Economy will suffer in the event of Brexit. Instead, he asserted the view that many countries will happily trade with Britain following the exit, and said despite reports that his economic adviser published a report predicting an economic shock following a departure from the EU, the adviser was actually in support of leaving the Economic Union. The Mayor was at pains to state something he has always said: that he is an immigrant himself and has always been proud of the diversity of the UK and its rich multi-cultural history.
Notwithstanding, he stressed that leaving the EU will benefit the UK as a whole and return the fullness of UK sovereignty to Parliament in a way currently compromised by our membership of the EU.
During our chat, two passengers recognised him from a distance in another carraige and came over to request a picture taken, and he kindly obliged. The Mayor was cool and very down to earth. His seems to genuinely want to secure our boarders from an unrestrained influx of immigrants from other EU states, partly due to the modern day crisis of terrorism and also the relative impotence of the British judicial system to autonomously make judgements on deportation of harmful subjects to our society. He admitted that the British public are not fully informed about the ful implications of leaving the EU but was assured that the ins and out of this controversial issue will be crystallized in due course.
The raging debate about the decision to stay in or depart the EU will continue to gather great momentum as we head for crucial and decisive step in what will could postively or negatively define the future of this country. Arguments for and against will continuously be tabled as we go along, but ultimately when everything is properly evaluated , the choice that weighs heavier in the balance is the choice we hope will prevail.
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