Mayor's rivals attack 'rant' about Saudis

[cal04]

Ken Livingstone's admission in an interview in yesterday's Guardian that he "longed for the day" that the Saudi royal family were hanged has sparked an angry reaction from his rivals for the London mayoralty.

The elected London mayor let his hair down with the kind of flamboyant pronouncements on foreign policy issues that got him into trouble when he was the leader of the Greater London Council.

"I just long for the day I wake up and find that the Saudi royal family are swinging from lamp-posts and they've got a proper government that represents the people of Saudi Arabia," Mr Livingstone said.

For good measure, he also hoped to see the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, locked up in the cell next to the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.

Downing Street, to which Mr Livingstone is umbilically linked since his readmission to the Labour party, declined to comment. The Saudi embassy said: "To comment on, or reply to, Mr Livingstone's remarks would be to give them more substance than they deserve."

But the Tory mayoral challenger, Steve Norris, and the Liberal Democrat hopeful, Simon Hughes, who are trailing Mr Livingstone in polls for the June 10 mayoral election, both condemned what Mr Norris called "a downright dangerous rant".

Mr Hughes recalled the mayor's remark that George Bush was "the greatest threat to life on this planet". "Mr Livingstone's comments about the Saudi royal family are deeply unhelpful, offensive and inappropriate," he said.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/gla/story/0,9061,1188793,00.html

[Eric J in MN]

1. calling a remark "offensive" avoids the deeper question

calling a remark "offensive" avoids the deeper question:

Can an unelected government be legitimate?

If not, is the Saudi monarchy legitimate?

If not, what should be done?

[MnFats]

2. AND: a government that executes so many people by...

BEHEADING them with a sword in a public square.
Including, in the past year, according to amnesty international, three who were executed for being gay!
And they're our staunch pals in the Middle East....


Hey, Pat Robertson! Jerry Falwell! Remember when you said it was the fault of gays & lesbians (and pagans, and, oh, hell, non-evangelical Chrisians) were responsible for the Good Lord removing his protecting hand from our country? MAYBE it was because we count among our friends regimes like these!

[bigbillhaywood]

3. Can he please run for mayor of my city?

[sspiderjohn]

4. he says GWB "the greatest threat to life on this planet" -- LOL

nt