Posted on 05/06/2016 2:40:08 PM PDT by HomerBohn
LONDON — Labour candidate Sadiq Khan has been elected Mayor of London, beating his Conservative opponent Zac Goldsmith.
Khan, 45, replaces flamboyant Conservative Boris Johnson after a race characterised by allegations of extremism and racism.
Goldsmith called Khan — who is Muslim — a "radical" and accused him of giving "platforms, oxygen and even cover" to Islamic extremists.
His allegations were echoed by prime minister David Cameron in the parliament, during Wednesdays' question time.
The son of a bus driver from Pakistan, Khan is a former human rights lawyer who branded himself "the British Muslim who takes the fight to the extremists."
Before the elections, he promised to be "a mayor for all Londoners," urging voters to "choose hope over fear."
A difficult campaign
Tony Travers, a local government expert at the London School of Economics, said the introduction of a directly elected London mayor 16 years ago had introduced "an American form of government" that differs from traditional British parliamentary and local government structures.
"Now intriguingly this time — and we've seen a bit of it before — it appears to have brought with it some of the harder American campaign tactics," he said ahead of the result.
A victory for Khan is a bright spot in what looks set to be a grim day for Labour, which has been out of office nationally since 2010.
Opposition parties usually gain seats in midterm elections as voters punish the sitting government. But Labour under left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn is divided and beset by a controversy over allegations of anti-Semitism within its ranks. The claims gained new momentum when former London Mayor Ken Livingstone — a Corbyn ally — claimed that Adolf Hitler had supported Zionism before he came to power.
Livingstone, Labour lawmaker Naz Shah and several local party officials have been suspended over comments or social media posts about Israel, and Corbyn has faced renewed pressure over his links to pro-Palestinian groups.
About 2,700 local council seats are up for grabs, and Corbyn predicted last week that Labour wouldn't lose ground — but later said that "predictions are not that important."
A poor showing would bolster discontented Labour lawmakers who believe the party is heading for a third straight general election defeat in 2020 if Corbyn — a life-long socialist with strong support among the party's grass roots — is not replaced.
This is a good thing for this reason: it is better to expose muslims in another country than in the U.S. And as mayor of London, he will be in plain view. He will feel entitled—even pressured—to be an authentic muslim (i.e. radical).
The entire world will now see this radical for what he is.
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I am not sure that works....Look at Obama in the US presidency.
Obama created the famous Trump-shaped vacuum.;-)
The problem is they are not taught how to be Americans anymore. I learned this about 20 years ago when I served on jury duty at City Hall and the Korean immigrant on our jury didn’t know what the 5th Amendment was and once we told him about it, rejected it outright. What’s the point of that?
The Indians in my neighborhood dress very poorly but own huge SUVs which they cannot handle. The women can’t see over the steering wheel and the men don’t know how to maneuver in the parking lots. It’s actually comical.
A lot of freepers live in rural areas and suburbia and I think get a skewed vision of cities nationally and int’ly from news reports.
2008. 2012. Dearborn.
Whats wrong with you?.
No, it isn’t. This is one Muslim mayor (as opposed to a Muslim president twice btw). Calm down.
OTT drivel.
Because one city elected (just) a Labour politician who is Muslim?. Didn’t y’all vote Obama twice, bud?. Y’all is deeper sheeit than us.
This is not the start of any conquest, he is a (slippery dodgy) Labour politician of Muslim faith. I don’t trust him, but he isn’t an Imam or Bin Laden MK2.
One city mayor, uh huh.
Tell me about 2008 and 2012........oh and Dearborn.
America 2008.
Thank you, but folks aint listenin.
The difference is that 95% was sympathetic to what the Nazis had to say. Poor analogy.
1-—We needed that manpower.
2—Overall, immigration has been good or ok for the UK since then. Its the one group causing problems. Prior to the 90s it was black vs white racial tension. Which has healed itself. Other groups like Sikhs and Hindus have been great. HK Chinese. White groups like Greeks, Irish and others.
Except they haven’t. This is one city mayor from a mainstream party.
2008. 2012. We don’t need lectures thanks.
Complete OTT nonsense.
If you are that clueless about the UK, then please don’t come.
Yeah, cos the US is safe.
Go to Ground Zero instead.
So you wont visit a great nation of 55m people because one city (just) voted for a Labour mayor of Muslim faith?. Really?.
Obama or Dearborn wont stop me visiting the US.
Thank you, the voice of reason and common sense.
Disappointed.
But this isn’t the start of the end of the UK etc etc. Its one slippery Labour politician. I am more worried that he is Labour than Muslim.
The fight continues. Starting 23rd June.
Usual lies from you. Another invented quote from me.
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